2012 versus 2015 LR4

2012 LR4 or 2015 LR4?

I’m looking at two LR4s a 2012 LR4 HSE w/ 105k miles. All manufacturer maintenance done per car fax at dealer up to 90k miles service. Interior is clean. Exterior is good too a few scratches on rear bumper. Under carriage looks clean. No rust.

2015 HSE - 124k miles. Driver seat a little worn, no tears. Good condition. Other wise. Decent Maintenance record but other than a pretty serious service at 35k miles minimum details on what was done.

I get the 2015 has the v6 and slightly. Better mpg.

This is going to be a 2nd car I maybe put 5k miles in a year and that’s a stretch.

Which would you get and why? Seems like the 2012 is better option. Only hold up at this point is I’d be buying from distance with out seeing it first hand other than a FaceTime.

2012 at minimum gets you V8, a transfer case, none of the stop/start ********, more power, and none of the complexity associated with a supercharger.

If the 2012 is quiet (no timing chain rattle) and had frequent oil changes, I'd probably go with that too.

As an owner of a 2012 LR4 HSE, I’ll tell ya, I dig my LR4.

Regardless of your final decision, I would lobby heavily for the HSE trim level.

A things come to mind.
1) 2012 has more HP & torque— 375HP/375 lb. v. 340HP/332 lb.
2) The 2012 has a more comprehensive service history. Make sure all the RECALLS have been completed! One recall that come to mind is the glass roof seal. It can leak or crack under the right conditions.
3) The 2012 has slightly lower mileage and clearer interior.

My vote is for the 2012 with one caveat. If the 2015 has a rear differential locker, that would change my vote.

Speaking of rear differential lockers, that would be the vehicle I would be searching for if I were faced with having to buy another LR4.

If you plan to off road it, you'll want a hi/lo gear transfer case. '10-'13 V8s come with it standard. '14+ was an optional HD package with hi/lo TC and lockers.

If you're mall crawling with light off road trails, then the newer ones are nice with updated infotainment and tech. Otherwise, lo gear works wonders on steep inclines/declines over rough terrain.

avslash said:

2012 at minimum gets you V8, a transfer case, none of the stop/start ********, more power, and none of the complexity associated with a supercharger.

Click to expand...

and the V6 will have two blanked off cylinders to remind you that Land Rover was nuts.

At only 5k miles per year, gas mileage is a non-issue. I have the V6 and the mpg is really not any better - especially after you put off road tires on it. But, I don’t feel the V6 is underpowered, and I actually like superchargers. No power lag, and they’re not very complicated and quite easy to service, unlike turbos. There are only two things I dislike about the supercharged V6: (1) that you have to deal with cooling hoses on top (intercooler) whenever you want to get into the top of the engine, and (2) the intercooler requires a small aux radiator in front that is in the way of a hidden winch (actually kind of a big deal if you want a hidden winch - most mounts will need to be modified as I understand it). Otherwise, the supercharger sitting on top of the V6 is really not much different than an intake manifold on top of the V8.

The two cars you are looking at have similar miles, so keeping in mind the timing chain issues on the V8, I’d probably take the V8. But, personally, I’d probably take a lower milage V6 over a higher mileage V8 at the same price.

Our stable is a 2013 (V8) and then a 2015 and 2016 both with the V6.

All three of us, hands down, prefer the 2013 with the V8.

I would never purchase without actually driving it and kicking the tires, but that's me...
When I purchased the 2015 last fall I flew up to take a look at it, with the knowledge that it might be either a return flight or a long drive home that day.
Needless to say, I purchased it.

My comments as per the others here with one addition:

On-line at CarFax that 2015 had zero maintenance records.
When I looked at it at the dealership, it turned out that they were the "home" dealership for that vehicle, it had been very well maintained and they had immaculate service records back to mile zero.
IF yours is at a dealership, have them check...
Maybe even have your local dealership check...??? Maybe those records are in the Rover network???

LR4 HSE 2012 all the way...bought mine with 101k mi...No worries, no problems...
just change all the fluids...even if someone said they did...