LR4 V6 vs. V8 & Options

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fooraonfire

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Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the forum and hopefully new to land rover. I've been wanting to buy an LR4 for years and i've been seriously looking for the past several months. I have a couple of question and am hoping for the forum members guidance.

I know that there isnt much difference in styling between 2009-2013 vs 2013+ but that they switched from the V8 to the V6 and i wanted to know everyone opinion on which engine i should go for and why. MPG are not a main concern of mine (i do love the environment though). My gut tells me there is just more reliability and less stress on the V8 than the V6.

I'm leaning towards the V8!

in terms of options i know i need the HSE because i want 3rd row seating and other options that are standard with this package. But there is also a LUX? what are the main benefits or in general the best and most useful options for the LR4? Does the 2009-2013 model have any package for lane departure or collision assist, cameras, back up sensors etc?

Best and looking forward to being part of the team!
 

LR4TQ

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I've owned a V8 LR4 from 2010 until a couple of months ago when I got a new 2016 LR4 with the scv6. From my experience, the v6 is a big step backwards from LR. Real life MPG gain is about 0.8 - 1.2mpg better but the driving experience is vastly different. The V8, with the 6speed transmission, is as you would expect is powerful and instant. The gear changes are timed fairly well to match what you are trying to do. It's just the right pairing for this type of vehicle especially if you take it off the smooth pavement.

The scv6 on the other hand, is jerky compared to the smooth v8 and the new 8speed gearbox prefers to stay below 2k rpm unless you really step on the pedal. Sure, you can change the gears manually via the flappy shifter but it just seems silly to do so on this type of vehicle. The truck feels sluggish with the new engine/trans and this is very noticeable even on the streets and highways; at least compared to the v8. If you never had the experience with v8, you may not notice the difference...if your heart is set on a brand new LR4, don't test drive the v8!

Like a few people on here, I do regularly take the LR offroad for overlanding and wheeling trips and I just spend a couple of days "out there" with the new LR4...i very much wish I had the v8. With the old v8, power delivery and torque was never on my mind but with the scv6, the slight sluggishness on the road was more pronounced off road. If it wasn't for the wife, I would have never traded in the v8 LR4. Oh well, happy wife happy life I guess.

I know some people here thinks the scv6 is great and it may be for their use of the vehicle but for my personally, its a big downgrade.
 

jim6090

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I agree with LR4TQ. We have a 2012 LR4 HSE. Very very happy with it. Drove a new LR4 as a service loaner. It's not that the V6 is bad. It is clearly not as good as the V8. If I were buying a another LR4. Low mileage 2013 HSE LUX. CPO is better than new car warranty. You will save $20K and have a better vehicle.
 

roverman

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I agree with LR4TQ. We have a 2012 LR4 HSE. Very very happy with it. Drove a new LR4 as a service loaner. It's not that the V6 is bad. It is clearly not as good as the V8. If I were buying a another LR4. Low mileage 2013 HSE LUX. CPO is better than new car warranty. You will save $20K and have a better vehicle.


That's what I did with my 2013, saved 20 and longer warranty. No brainer IMO
 

jim6090

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I wanted to trade up our 2012 HSE to a 2013 HSE LUX. 68k miles down to 23k miles. Dealership in Asheville NC would only offer me $26k for mine. I will have to sell ours myself or find a better dealer to work with.
 

PaulLR3

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When it came time to retire our LR3, I considered buying a new 2015 LR4. But having driven my wife's 2013, the updated LR4 just wasn't for me. I didn't like the V6, start-stop feature, rotary shift knob and mandatory running boards. I ended up getting a used 2013 HSE-LUX with 13K miles.

But as noted above, if you never owned the V8, the V6 will probably be just fine.

As for technology on 2013 and older, you do get a rear camera and parking sensors, but no lane departure, automatic braking or blind spot warning.
 
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Forty Deuce

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I too started out on the quest for a 2013 with that glorious V8. I was told up front that the demand for the 2013's was disproportionally high and the CPO 2013's flew out the door as fast as they came in. My dealer contact gave me heads up when a few came in and sent me videos or pictures of them with the specs. None of them were exactly what I wanted. It seemed I as having to give up options I wanted in favor of the V8. Finding what I wanted - especially with the locking differentials and low range gears of the HD package in a used 2013 was increasingly difficult. After a while I became impatient and started talking about the new LR4's. While I took a test drive in the V8 I clearly never lived with one as a daily car and so I really have no expertise in them. Having said that however I had a GM 6.0 V8 2500HD up until that point and am quite familiar with the power and character of that platform at least.

When I finally decided to buy new some of the factors that swayed me were beyond the engine itself. There was a small leap in available options and features such as the updated infotainment system, blind spot warning, tow package, climate package, vision package, and adaptive cruise control. Also, I liked that I was able to order exactly what I wanted as far as those options, colors, interior, and such. I suspect if I had stayed focused I could've found it all in a 2013 but with end of production looming, and getting one made as I wished being a diminishing option, I just ordered my LR4 to be built.

The 340HP SCV6 has, in a few months, proven to be very smooth and powerful enough for me. Moving a nearly 3 ton vehicle from 0-60 in about 7.0 seconds is respectable by any measure and it delivers much more "get up and go" than my GM V8 ever did. I cant imagine 35HP was enough difference in the end. Keep in mind that I haven't yet towed with it, and suspect the V8 has some edge in the department. Again, never being intimately familiar with the Land Rover V8 means I kind of "...don't know what I'm missing..." but perhaps ignorance is bliss and when I consider all the other features I got as I wished it worked out well for my needs. Plus, I got the guilty pleasure of new car smell!
 

DWarner

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Fooraonfire welcome to the Forum...

I can't comment to the differences in the 8 vs the 6, but I can report a bit about the strengths of the V8 versus other SUV's we've owned.

First thing of note is how quick the LR is. In Sport Mode it's really a blast to drive, but not even necessary. The thing feels quite fast when you push it in acceleration. My daily driver is an V8 Audi S4 and the enjoyability of the drive actually surpasses my Audi...

The 5.0 is quick, quiet, and doesn't seem to burn oil, even under aggressive driving conditions or after towing a camper and utilizing that extra torque.

I read somewhere that the 5.0 is some derivative of the 5.0 Ford deployed so successfully with strong results over the years. So the reliability on the LR's with the V8 looks like it's been quite a bit above normal for the brand itself.

Either engine you get, I'd expect some top heavy wobble feel when approaching and entering into corners. The stock tires are a bit too narrow, and LR would have done themselves a favor going with something beefier from the factory. We upgraded wheels and tires and couldn't be happier with the ride quality.

My wife's previous SUV's, and my previous towing vehicles over the years, were a 08 GMC Yukon Denali XL, an 05 Cadillac Escalade, an 04 Honda Pilot, a 97 Lexus LX450 (LandCruiser), and a 97 Isuzu Trooper.

The LR4 gets better gas mileage than all of those.

We get around 15.0 miles per gallon on average in city/suburb driving conditions, until we pull our camper. When towing we observed around 11 or 12 mpg, but I probably drive too fast and it could do better if I was more conscientious about it. Out on the Interstate at around 80 miles per hour it gets a solid 19mpg. Not bad for such a heavy vehicle really...

As for satisfaction of ownership? It's right up there at the top of anything we ever owned. BMW's are tough to beat for driving dynamics and we had a couple nice ones which I may have enjoyed the behind the wheel experience more in, but as for SUV's, nothing comes close.

We liked the split rear seating arrangement better in the Escalade and Denali but the driving dynamics makes up for anything we lost in the bigger trucks. And the comfort, quality feel, quiet cabin, and unique boxy look make you proud to drive one of these things.

Good luck...
 

Etl330

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I'm looking for a 2012 or 2013 CPO. That stupid rotary shifter killed the newer ones for us, though I do prefer the new headlights.
 

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