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I’m not sure how long I’ll have to save on my salary to afford the 2010 Land Rover LR4, but I’m the patient type. Maybe I won’t wait for a new one. Since Land Rover estimates that at least two thirds of all Land Rovers ever made are still on the road (or the Serengeti), I’m sure the selection...


I’m not sure how long I’ll have to save on my salary to afford the 2010 Land Rover LR4, but I’m the patient type.

Maybe I won’t wait for a new one. Since Land Rover estimates that at least two thirds of all Land Rovers ever made are still on the road (or the Serengeti), I’m sure the selection of used ones is pretty ample.

The LR4 I recently drove was first unveiled in the States for the 2010 model year. Called the Discovery 4 in Europe, the LR4 is the heavily updated and newly styled successor to the LR3. The LR3, or Discovery 3, with more than 100 awards to its name, is considered one of the most honored four-wheel-drive vehicles on the planet.

The company’s history is quite global as well. Born in the United Kingdom in 1948, owned by BMW and Ford (among others) for various stints and currently under the auspices of Tata Motors of India, Land Rover is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Throughout its history Land Rover has honed the art of four-wheel drive and traction control by intently focusing on its niche. It is not an automobile company that also happens to make SUVs. It doesn’t even bother making SUVs without four-wheel drive.

This keen focus on four-wheel-drive has resulted in a number of industry innovations. The 2010 LR4 comes with the company’s Terrain Response system. A knob on the center console allows the driver to select from five driving conditions. Each selection instantly reconfigures engine, transmission, suspension and traction settings for optimum handling under the selected condition.

The five pre-sets include snow, mud, gravel, rocks and grass. The Terrain Response also incorporates sand-launch control and rock crawl. The sand launch is designed to help a heavy four-wheel-drive vehicle such as the LR4 avoid sinking in soft sand due to wheel spin. The rock-crawl mode automatically applies light braking forces for better grip on slippery rocks.

All LR4s come with electronic traction control, dynamic stability control (for towing), roll stability control and hill descent control with gradient release. The LR4 even allows you to select the ground clearance of the vehicle via a switch on the center console. Lower the vehicle for better traction on paved roads; raise the vehicle for more ground clearance off road.

The driver can raise the vehicle nearly 5 inches for added clearance or lower it by 2 inches for easier access and loading. The LR4 can be raised and lowered from outside the vehicle via its smart key – a great feature for someone who is trying to hitch a trailer. (The LR4 can tow up to 7,700 lbs.)

And while other companies make competent 4x4 vehicles with many of the same traction options, very few reach the height of luxury represented by the Land Rover and Range Rover names. The HSE trim LR4 I drove featured such standard amenities as real wood trim, leather seats, steering wheel and shift knob, heated steering wheel, front and rear seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, sunroof and alpine roof, lumbar support, command driving position and more.

Other amenities on this vehicle included premium leather seating for seven (thanks to forward-facing lay-flat seats in back), rear-seat entertainment system, rear climate controls, a nine-speaker harman/kardon stereo, navigation system, rearview camera, Bluetooth and iPod compatibility, Xenon headlights, LED taillights and daylight running lamps.

The 2010 LR4 provides a seemingly perfect balance of off-road capabilities with luxurious amenities. One step up from the entry-level LR2 and directly beneath its opulent Range Rover siblings, the LR4 has been a prompt hit with the

Tags: Land Rover, is-featured

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Land Rover LR4: Good Enough for the Queen was originally published by New Orleans Auto Reviews: Land Rover. Read the full story by clicking here.