Prosepective owner...need some advice!!

[VaBeachRNR]

Hey all, Ive been lurking in these forums for some time now and getting some great advice and I think I'm close to pulling the trigger on a new LR4 and needed had some questions and needed some advice! I've been a BMW guy for years and am currently driving one of my all time favorites, a 550i GT, although with baby #3 on the way this fall, I can't fit three car seats and running strollers in the trunk! I have test driven all the RR/LR's and really think for our situation that the LR4 would be the best fit. I love the idea of having the LR4 as our secondary truck and have plenty of room to haul everyone around including our dogs, one of which is Caesar, my 175lb Great Dane buddy!

I know in the past LR has had a very checkered reliability history and I'm hoping it has really improved? The idea of spending tons of dough to maintain a new truck isn't very appealing! Coming from a BMW in which everything is paid for for 4/50,000 (although you end up paying for it in the beginning) it's hard to imagine having to pay to maintain a new truck like this.

Also, I have heard and read a ton of reports on pads and or rotors going bad early and often in this truck which worries me as well. I understand it may be more than the normal SUV on the road because of the weight and capabilites of this truck, but my GT is just as heavy and has a more powerful motor and I have never had any issues concerning either.

I really think I'm close to pulling the trigger but am just concerned about these issues albeit possibly minor ones when you weigh the positive and negatives of this truck, but just want to make sure I'm making the best decision before I shell out $60+ K on my next ride!

Any comments or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[baobay]

I also have 3 kids, and I LOVE my LR4. A word of caution. The space is sparse in the LR4 esp with rear facing car seats. I am 6'1" and cannot fit in the LR4 if there is a rear facing car seat behind me. There is NO cargo space or space for your dog with the third row seat up. If you are looking for ample space for the kids, the dog and some gear, this is not the vehicle for you. If you are looking for an amazing vehicle to drive which is both luxurious and capable, you have come to the right place. I have a minivan in addition to the LR4 and I use that for trips involving th entire family (2 rear facing car seats, one forward facing car seat, myself, the boss and the stroller etc...)
George

 

[VaBeachRNR]

Hey thanks for the response! We too have a new Odyssey for trips and moving stuff around so the LR4 would be for going to dinner, to the vet (third row down), and too and from work which thankfully is less than a mile from the house! I hear you on the car seats though, we have Britax ones and they are HUGE! I too and pretty tall at 6'2 and thankfully both kids are forward facing and have what appears to be enough room in the second row. We took the seats and kids with us on a test drive and it seemed to be OK. I could be looking at other 4x4's like the Expediton/Suburban/Tahoe, etc. but I'm just not a big fan of any of them! I guess I'm just trying to convince myself that the LR4 would be "big" enough as a secondary family truck!

Thanks!

 

[CaptainSpalding]

I know in the past LR has had a very checkered reliability history . . .

Yes. Very true.

. . . and I'm hoping it has really improved?

It depends on whom you ask.

The idea of spending tons of dough to maintain a new truck isn't very appealing! Coming from a BMW in which everything is paid for for 4/50,000 (although you end up paying for it in the beginning) it's hard to imagine having to pay to maintain a new truck like this.

To put a finer point on your "checkered reliability history" characterization, I would say that Land Rovers are well designed but indifferently built. That means that new trucks are apt to have some QC issues out of the box, but that once those are sorted out, they are basically reliable. That is the history of Land Rover. The picture has changed somewhat over the last decade. Land Rover used to be an upscale Jeep, and didn't compete with the likes of Mercedes and BMW. Now LR competes directly with those high-end marques, and like them, suffers from reliability issues relating to its mind-numbing complexity. (Complexity: the enemy of reliability.) People have always put up with Land Rover's foibles because their cars have either a capability or a charisma that they could not find elsewhere. You must decide whether or not that applies to you.

Also, I have heard and read a ton of reports on pads and or rotors going bad early and often in this truck which worries me as well.

Again, it depends on whom you ask. Many of us have reported short brake life. Others here will tell you that if you are going through pads quickly, you must be a lead-foot. To that I would offer that if you are a lead-footed driver you will go through pads more quickly on an LR4 than you might on a different vehicle.

I really think I'm close to pulling the trigger but am just concerned about these issues albeit possibly minor ones when you weigh the positive and negatives of this truck, but just want to make sure I'm making the best decision before I shell out $60+ K on my next ride!

My advice to you is to consider the intangibles of owning an LR4 (you know, the irrational, emotional aspects) and make friends with the idea that you may have to wring a few issues out once you get it and have the brakes done once a year. Maybe you'll have problems and maybe you won't. Not all LR4's have issues but many do.

Don't forget to factor into the purchase price the cost of the extended warranty. That will take the warranty out to about 7 years IIRC. You don't have to buy the extended warranty when you purchase the vehicle, but I wouldn't own this truck without a warranty. There's just too much to go wrong, and it's all expensive to fix.

 

[baobay]

Hey thanks for the response! We too have a new Odyssey for trips and moving stuff around so the LR4 would be for going to dinner, to the vet (third row down), and too and from work which thankfully is less than a mile from the house! I hear you on the car seats though, we have Britax ones and they are HUGE! I too and pretty tall at 6'2 and thankfully both kids are forward facing and have what appears to be enough room in the second row. We took the seats and kids with us on a test drive and it seemed to be OK. I could be looking at other 4x4's like the Expediton/Suburban/Tahoe, etc. but I'm just not a big fan of any of them! I guess I'm just trying to convince myself that the LR4 would be "big" enough as a secondary family truck!

Thanks!

Funny,
We have the new odyssey also. Since you have the van, go for the LR4. You will not regret it. I know I didn't. I opted out of the rear entertainment package and got a couple of iPads for the kids. In the odyssey I have the Wide screen RES, but it is seldom used. iPads are the way to go.

 

[EIGHTLUG]

My Daughter uses her iPad too. We tether it to the 4G off my HTC EVO and she's off to the races. The capabilities and price of having an iPad, or two, for rear passengers far outweighs what the rear seat entertainment package can do.