Should I Change Vehicles?

[FiveG]

previously owned a 1997 Range Rover which was a lot of fun and quirky, but rather ******* the wallet for repairs. Also underpowered. I traded that in at 120K miles for a 2007 CX9, which has been incredibly reliable, great room, well layed out, and pretty good handling. With Grand Touring, it actually looks pretty good. And, good value for the money.

But it's not a LR.

Which brings me to my dilemma. I recently looked at/drove a 2011 LR4 HSE. Beautifully appointed, much improved layout, much improved power, and, well, a Rover. So now I'm fighting my demons: keep my perfectly good CX9 which has about 49,000 miles on it, or upgrade to a LR. I really have no "need" to make the switch, but the LR4 really did catch me.

(BTW, very little off road at present, but who knows the future? But, plenty of snowy weather driving). And it is, after all, a LR. (someone posted a once-a-LR-owner, always-a-LR-owner comment; I suspect that he is right).

So, the questions: (a) has reliability really improved that much? (b) what is real world experience with gas mileage, and (c) am I nuts to change over (or not change over)?

Thanks.

 

[blackforestham]

Really?? A CX-9?? jk! Personally, I think the LR4 is a grown up version of my LR3. It went from utilitarian to quite refined. Very nice. Since you don't "need" to upgrade right now, I would wait a year or so and pick one up as a CPO or Lease return with low miles and plenty of warranty life. Let someone else absorb the first year of depreciation - you may save an ungodly amount of money this way. But, if money is not the issue, pull the trigger now and you will be nothing but happy. HP and fuel efficiency has improved but it is still a 6k lb Rover and likes to guzzle the Premium. Even better, it's not a CX-9

 

[FiveG]

Really?? A CX-9?? jk! Personally, I think the LR4 is a grown up version of my LR3. It went from utilitarian to quite refined. Very nice. Since you don't "need" to upgrade right now, I would wait a year or so and pick one up as a CPO or Lease return with low miles and plenty of warranty life. Let someone else absorb the first year of depreciation - you may save an ungodly amount of money this way. But, if money is not the issue, pull the trigger now and you will be nothing but happy. HP and fuel efficiency has improved but it is still a 6k lb Rover and likes to guzzle the Premium. Even better, it's not a CX-9

Thanks for input. Sound just like my wife's response. Sadly, it's the logical one. I guess it makes sense to spend a year or so with my Mazda and them move. BTW, the CX9 is a nicer vehicle than you give it credit for, if you're not looking to go off road.

 

[CMGRover]

Keep an eye out for a good used one, since you have time.

BTW...if you care about MPG, or not having it in the shop for at least one day a month....keep the Mazda. But, I love mine, and don't care about MPG or shop time...worth it in every way!

You know you want to....haha.

 

[FiveG]

Actually, the MPG is about the same - it's just regular vs. premium.

And you're right -- at the end of the day, I wanna come home!!!!!!!!

 

[LR4mywife]

So you are saying you have a 2010 or 2011 LR4 that's in the shop "one day a month"? My gut says you were exaggerating, but seeing that you have nearly 400 posts, it made me curious. We have a (going on 4 month old) LR4 HSE Lux that now has over 5000 miles on it. It's been flawless mechanically. It does have a few quirks (mostly Sirius Radio stuff), and is missing a few options I'd have liked it to have (cooled seats, and doors that automatically lock, with audible alarm confirmation, when you walk away), but it's been superb so far! I hope you weren't serious!

Oh, I also have a few friends that have RRS's which are both 2007's, and they've been pinnacles of quality as well. That was partly the reason we choose to go with the LR4 back in July.

Cheers,

Joe

 

[CMGRover]

Actually I have an 07 LR3 (but an LR4 is on my list....love them) and it actually does spend about 1 day in the shop a month (or maybe every 5-6 weeks minimum). I do think that most people don't have that, maybe mine is a "problem one"...not by much. Mass production for ya though, could've been any brand. But it's worth it. The issues have been minor, nothing that deemed it undriveable by any means.

Oh- and the horn will only chirp if a door is left open, actually it's kind of neat once you get used to it.

 

[vivaldi1]

Get the LR4!

But yeah, wait a year and it will depreciate lots. Or get it now and enjoy it for a year more Just don't regret your decision.

I have 10k miles on mine, and have gone offroading. I think I beat it up a little too much over the last few weeks at the beach, but thanks to some forum folks here, I think things could have been worse without their advice. No real problems in the end.

It drives like a dream. And it's a legitimately amazing machine and that's how you need to think about it. It's not a car, it's a machine. A 4x4 machine with heated seats, terrain modes, nav system, ipod integration, etc., etc.

I was surprised recently when I went into a deep pool of sandy water how valuable the auto wiping windshieldss are. I would have been blind if they didn't kick in to wipe the mess as soon as it hit the windshields...a convenient 12volt outlet in the rear, and the ability to let Grandma go for a ride by lowering the car with a touch of a button helps too...

I could go on and on, lots of attention to details.

Last thought. It is a ridiculuous machine to some extent. So much of it is legitimately offroad worthy, but so much of it is onroad worthy. It's like the LR4 has an identity crisis to some extent. But it's a crisis that really doesn't bother me. My only gripes so far are user interface ones. There are lots of silly decisions on how the main nav/infotainment system works. Was designed by a coder and not an Industrial Engineer as it should have been. Too many UI issues, but a big improvement over the LR3.

And that's what the LR4 is, in the end, a grown up LR3 with bling up front.

 

[nerve64]

If you decide on a CPO, consider the cost of repairs once your warranty, extended or otherwise, runs out, particularly with the LR4, since it's a redesign and longterm reliability still unknown. Luxury vehicles are expensive to repair. Find a good RR mechanic in your area for after-warranty repairs, as dealers will charge you an arm and a leg. Having owned two CPOs, '98 RR and a '06 RR currently, I will most definitely purchase a new one next time around, but will keep my loyalty to LR. Most problems I've encountered are minor electrical gremlins, which RRs are notorious for, requiring annoying but brief trips to the shop.

 

[crewcabrob]

Hi,

I love my LR4, just like so many do here. I can't say if you should switch or not, but I can tell you some of my raves and pains with the truck.

I love just about everytihng about the truck and it fits my life style very well, It really is a dual purpose vehicle. I can load up my stuff and head out to the trail to run or mountain bike, and yet I can take my wife out on the town and it gets front row valet parking. The truck seems to excell at so many things. It rides and drives great, it is almost silent at any speed, there is a ton of power available, and the interior space is very well laid out and useable. It push all the right buttons for me on luxury and yet I can still take it to Moab and bounce from rock to rock. My family loves it, and we spent two long vacations in it this year.

All that being said, there is room for improvement. The NAV interface is lacking at best. Voice control takes too many steps to accomplish anything and there are only a limited amount of things you can do with it. My biggest complaint so far is the mileage. I drive very conservativly most of the time, and I think I am getting above average mileage compared to others with the LR4, But there has got to be a way to have this truck get better numbers.

Reliability is a wild card for me; I really don't know what to expect with the truck. This is my first Land Rover. I have owned Audis, Nissans, Hondas and Lexus's for much of my drving life. Most have them were flawless as far as quality and reliability. I've only had two minor issues with mine so far: camera issue and NAV/Radio issue. I know there is a TSB on the camera system right now. One of these days when I get a chance I may take it in to have them look at it. The radio issue, is the NAV screen goes blank and the radio and other functions don't work. Both of them noramlly function again after a restart of the truck.

It sounds like you really want another LR product. Whether or not it feels like a good fit for you or not has to be your choice. Knowing that you rarely go off-road, there might be other cross-over vehicles that make more sense. Have you looked at the Mercedes-Benz GL class? Exceptional trucks if I don't say so.

Good luck on your decsion!

Rob