Should I buy?

[Cogo]

Hello alll!
I've been lurking here for months, along with other Rover sites (this one is by far the most active that I know of), trying to decide if I should buy. First of all, let me say, that from what I know and have experienced driving, I love the car! I have also driven and researched the X-5, ML-350, and Audi Q7. The only one that is close for me is the X-5. I own a Land Surveying business in rural Texas, so I need a vehicle that I can take off-road when needed.
One major thing holding me back is all the problems/issues that most seem to be having with the truck. I understand that on forums such as this, that most people only post problems, and very few are here to sing the praises.
Crewcabrob, I have read alot of your posts singing praises for the truck, but now even you seem discouraged over your last issue with the cameras.
I, like anyone else, don't want to spend 58-60k on a vehicle and then be dissapointed in what doesn't work as it should. I realize that is what is warrenty is for, but come on. Who wants a vehicle that spends a lot of time in the shop.
Help me guys/gals! Tell me why I should buy an LR4!

Mark

 

[Count Laszlo]

You'll find complaints on all vehicles... Nothing feels or drives as beautifully on and off the road like a Land Rover, period. And they're unique and very premium... The LR reliability stigma is more myth than reality these days. Not saying they're perfect, but everything that makes a Land Rover a Land Rover, surely makes up for any shortcomings.

Go for it! I love my LR4 and it's been 100% trouble free!

 

[crewcabrob]

Hi,

I don't have a lot of time right now to address this, but I can tell you I love my LR4. My issues are more on the service side.

I will post more tomorrow when I have time.

Rob

 

[mrtp4]

I would agree with the other guys - hands down the most rugged and most capable SUV you will find anywhere. You will love it.

Having said that, it is a mechanical wonder, but an electronics experiment... All the issues I have had with my 2011 LR4 are electronics related. It seems some of the real advanced features like the 5-camera vision system have big issues, and I can maybe understand that in a new model. But unfortunately nobody at my service department seems to know how to fix them, and that I have a big problem with.

Mechanically it has never had a problem yet, just electronics stuff. And a lot of those options you can probably live without. People laugh at me when I say my LR4 has to go to the shop because how could I possibly drive around with less than 5 working cameras on my truck...

 

[starrover]

I have had my 2011 HSE for 5 days now. It is perfect. I spent many months agonizing over the purchase - researching and test driving and comparing. Every time I came back to the LR4. There really wasn't anything else like it -

- The cabin is open, airy and full of light - it's gorgeous and truly comfortable.
- Details have understated luxury stamped all over them - the Mercedes, BMW and Audi seem so been there, done that for the last 10 years.
- No other car in this class has as much passenger and cargo capacity (BIG DEAL for anyone with kids or who actually has some thing to haul somewhere)
- It drives beautifully. Accelerates smoothly. Brakes are powerful. It's really responsive and surprisingly nimble on the road.
- I love the interface and integration of consumer technology into the design.
- It's family friendly
- I don't expect that I'll use it off road the way it has been built to be used, however, after attending the LR Experience Driving School in Carmel...I would never doubt it's abilities in any situation...it boggles the mind what the truck is capable of.
- Big towing capacity
- Of all the competition, it is maximum bang for your buck...you get many features/options that would cost an additional $10-20k on the others.
- The roadways aren't inundated with them - it's a standout.

I'm sure that there are others here who can speak better to the off road capabilities you will likely use, but for pure pleasure - aesthetically and for the love of driving, it can't be beat.

 

[Count Laszlo]

The multi-camera issue is related to the Lux so just get a loaded HSE non-Lux. Also, the issues reported are mostly software, not really electrical (like the good old days.) I work in software for a major IT company and software development is very expensive and very buggy... Some auto manufacturers have almost mastered it, some haven't. But it's very new to the industry and LR is forced to compete for the masses by adding a bunch of useless gimmicks, so they'll learn... They will. And Star pretty much summed it up!

 

[Jenson]

Dude I agree with you on size of trunk when you have kids. I have 3 in car seats and had my mother in law, my wife and myself go on a 4 day trip. I only had a half of the trunk to use as one of the kids was back in the 3rd row and everything fit. I was amazed, and we have a baby which means lots of baby stuff. I used to have a range rover sport and the trunk there is much much smaller due to the slant of back window.

 

[crewcabrob]

Cogo,

The guys here have done a great job of summerizing the good and the bad attributes of the LR4. It has almost everything I wanted from a truck for this purpose. I use my truck as it was intended to be used: family mover, daily commuter, offroad buggy, hunting companion, and gear hauler. I snow shoe, mountian bike, trail run, adventure race, hunt and even head home to Moab about every year. None of the other trucks on the market will do all of this for me as well as the LR4 can and does. Just as Star and Count have said, I looked at everything above and below this price point to find the right truck for me.

That being said, there are little things I sure wish it had. I would love for a better NAV interface. The seats lack two things I would have paid extra for; ventilation and key fob memory recall. These are both features on my wife's Lexus. My kids miss the back seat recline feature we had in our old vehicle. Lastly, why can't I get a oil burner here in the states? All in all, a pretty short list and none of them were deal breakers.

The Count is correct; the issue I am having are not as much related to hardware as they are software. The cameras are a hardware fix, but a lot of the other items I have seen are software related: Radio blanking out and laggy interface changes. Lets face it, none of these concern are going to strand me or keep me from enjoying the rest of the truck.

My disillusion recently has been centered around my dealer expirience. Lets just say I had two misfortunate dealings with the service area. The first we had the truck picked up at the airport while my fmaily and I went on a cruise. The pick up of the truck went flawless. I told them where and when I would be at the airport and they had two guys there to take my keys and drive it back to the dealership to have a few items looked at. Worked perfect. The drop off was a failure. We got off the cruise ship and I turned the cell phone on. I had a message that said they couldn't fix the cameras as the parts were on national back order. They let me know where the LR4 was dropped off at; 3rd floor quick park. They had dropped it off on Saturday night, we were flying back on Sunday. After traveling all day back from sunny Florida and ariving in the cold midwest, I spent the next hour walking the parking garage to find my truck. I walked the third floor 2 times, the fourth floor once and the second floor once. My son found the truck on the first floor. I listened to the message again, it said third floor 3 times in the same message. That was the first week my truck was in the shop.

My second trip to the shop to fix the cameras still baffles me. I made the appointment after the parts were in. On a saturday I took my truck the 50 miles to the dealer, and chatted with the service manager about the first attempt at fixing my truck. He was made aware of the situation earlier as I called to inform my service advisor what happened with the parking garage incident. They gave me a new BMW as a loaner and sent me on my way. No word from them at all until I got anxious and called on Tuesday to see what the status of my repairs were. They said end of day Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. Friday I was still waiting for a call to let me know it was done. When I called on Friday morning, they just got started on it. After a very plesant conversation with the service manager about my expectations, I got almost hourly updates the rest of Friday, Saturday and then a call Monday morning that my truck was ready. For me, I couldn't fathom why I would have back to back mishaps with my service area.

I can't tell you how calm I was after I got the truck back and spent the first 10 miles on my way home from the dealership. The next 40 miles, all most all of my anger had been melted away. The buttery ride, the soothing heat from the seats, the powerful sound system and robust engine had tamed the beast in me. I was at peace in the tomb of my LR4. Like many here, I drive premium vehicles. Over the years I have driven Audis, BMWs, Mercedes and Lexus; none of these other vehicles have pushed all my buttons like this one does.

I hope that you have driven one, if not do yourself a favor and head over to the dealership. I think you will be quite impressed with the LR4.

Got to run!

Rob

 

[Cogo]

Thanks so much for everyone's thoughts, opinions, stories, etc. They are reassuring.

Star - you pretty much summed a lot of the reasons I like the LR4, although I do expect to need to take it off-road, and from what I can tell this is certainly a vehicle capable of that.
Rob - I'm sorry for your dealership troubles, but glad to know that you still love your truck. Maybe they will perform better for you next time. Like you, the nearest dealer to me is about 50 miles away, so I'm just concerned that if I do have issues, it will not be very convenient. But no sense in borrowing trouble that I don't even have yet, right.
mrtp4 - LOL, how do you get around without all the cameras!

 

[DonMitsu]

the LR4 doesn't currently have a peer in the US. If you want the versatility of a 3rd row seat, a true off road capable vehicle and decent towing capability, the German vehicles aren't even close. I might trust the LR more than the German vehicles in part because Ford owned them during the design and development of the entire vehicle including the motor. All cars are built by people and are therefore not perfect, but we certainly love our LR and unless Mitsubishi decides to import the Montero/Pajero again we'll probably be long term LR owners.