2008 Land Rover LR2 SE Road and Trail Test

Land Rover owners are kind of like Chicago Cubs Fans. I grew up in Chicago and went to many Cubs games at the nostalgic Wrigley Field. The Chicago Cubs (or Cubbies as we affectionately call them) don’t have a strong winning streak. In fact they haven’t won aworld series since 1908. This doesn’t deter the fans. They continue to buy tickets, and the stands are always full. It’s the ambiance that draws them more than the talent of the team. Wrigley Field is by no means a modern stadium, and there are no lights for night games. That’s the charm. Like the Cubs, the Land Rover brand has pretty much stuck to tradition with vehicles that were neither modern nor showy but continued to perform as expected. Owners know that to purchase a Land Rover means there will undoubtedly be more service appointments and money spent to keep the thing running. It’s a Land Rover, after all, not a Toyota! Off-road enthusiasts will dump even more money into all the accoutrements and beam with pride as they tell stories of how their trusty vehicle made it through a river crossing, over sand dunes and jagged rock crevices, with ease.

TheseLand Rover owners are loyal, predictable folks. They usually have dogs (Labradorsbeing the most common), they love to tell stories (especially about how their Land Rover saved their life … or the life of their dog), they buy and actually wear Land Rover gear (their dogs have Land Rover collars), they like the fact that a Land Rover is not a vehicle meant for speed, and no matter how many times they come into the service department for repairs and maintenance, they continue to buy the brand. They also know all the service staff personally, and they have their favorite mechanics. Now, this may sound like I’m stereotyping and grossly exaggerating, but I worked for Land Rover, and I have experienced the ownership phenomenon. Adding to that I’m a two-time Land Rover Discovery owner as well, and I spend more time and money on repairs than I do on home renovations!

Times change, however, and so has the quality of these workhorse vehicles, for thebetter I might add. Last time I visited the dealership I didn’t see a single LR3 or new Range Rover on the hoists in the service bays. The mechanics were still busy with the old Series I and II Discoverys and pre-2002 Range Rovers, along with a handful of Freelanders.

Now along comes the newest sibling, the 2008 LR2, and from what I can tell there will be lots of proud parents … I mean owners. LR2 is a huge improvement over its predecessor, the Freelander (we affectionately called it the “Freeloader”), which was a bit of a hiccough in the North American market especially. It was a dud before it even arrived on the scene, and as salespeople we couldn’t give them away to customers. We used to joke about throwing in a Freelander when someone bought a new Range Rover. I strongly doubt there will be any of that mockery with this new baby, however.

Right off the mark, there is a noticeable improvement in power due to the new 230 horsepower inline six-cylinder engine. The old Freelanderput out a measly 175 horsepower by comparison. A Variable Valve Timing system ensures that power is always there when you need it, optimizing engine performance and efficiency. With permanent intelligent all-wheel drive, torque can be transferred almost instantly to all four wheels.

Increased power is just the beginning. This new Land Rover boasts some of the most advanced safety engineering around. The transverse placement of the engine creates added space between the hood and powertrain components, contributing to the impact-absorbing ability of the front end. There are seven airbags, including one at the driver’s knee for added protection in the case of a severe frontal impact. A state-of-the-art steel safety cage surrounds the passenger compartment.

In addition to all the passive safety features, the LR2 is equipped with superior braking capabilities enhanced by ABS, Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), and Cornering Brake Control (CBC). If those acronyms aren’t enough, how about RSC – Roll Stability Control, a system that continuously monitors vehicle movement to detect and help prevent rollover. All of this technology will undoubtedly continue to fuel the life-saving stories of Land Rover owners to come.

In the style department, it’s nice to see that the LR2 now looks like the rest of the fleet. I love the power vents in the front fenders. They look great, and they’re functional, aiding in aerating the engine, “so that it breathes more deeply.” The front headlamps and fog lights are also congruent with the other new models, and the clamshell hood is a Land Rover trademark.

Inside, the passenger compartment is quite roomy – another benefit of a transversely mounted inline six engine. I like the simple and uncluttered instrument cluster. And what a view! There is the Command Driving Position, which offers clear sightlines ahead and peripherally. The stadium style rear seats are just slightly higher than those in front, and the side windows are nice and deep. All of this, along with a standard panoramic sunroof creates an extremely open, airy feeling inside the cabin. This can be a big selling feature if you have family members or friends who are prone to car sickness. I took a friend of mine for a drive and asked her to sit in the rear seat to give me feedback on the ride quality. She hesitated because she gets nauseous quite easily, and she didn’t want to “Christen” the pristine vehicle. I urged her to take a risk, and she was happily surprised (so was I, as I didn’t have to take the car to be detailed). She said she has never been able to travel in a vehicle unless she sits in the front. We drove for over half an hour, over some rough terrain, and her stomach didn’t even burble!

After spending most of a week inside this premium SUV, it was time to rate its overall comfort level. It was a fairly typical rainy Saturday when my daughter and I made the trek out to an afternoon field hockey game. All was going well until we got within 10 minutes of our destination, where a recent accident had brought traffic to a standstill. It was tempting to try out the prowess of this capable little Land Rover and drive it off the road along the ditch, but I guessed that sooner or later we’d run into police cars, and I didn’t want to set a bad example for my 11-year old. So we sat in traffic, inching along and amused ourselves by playing “I Spy” and “20 Questions.” When we got bored with that we cranked the tunes. Never have I been disappointed with a Land Rover stereo system, and the LR2 is right up there. The 320-watt Alpine system with nine speakers blasts out the tunes with no distortion.There is also an auxiliary input jack for your iPod or MP3 player. I have to say that if you’re gonna be stuck in traffic, this is a comfortable vehicle to be stuck in. We had great tunes playing, super comfortable seats with seat warmers keeping us toasty, and a clear view all around. The 10-minute drive took 45, but we were no worse for the wear.

Having missed that particular off-roading opportunity, I needed to find another venue that was legal. Fortunately, my husband has some connections with the Parks Department in our city, and we were able to gain access to the back road up one of our local mountains – a steep climb through gravel, dirt, mud and water, and a favorite locale for mountain bikers. It was a perfect day for the test drive – lots of mud, due to the rain, along with loose gravel and some pretty decent puddles to wade through. I was as happy as kid in new Wellingtons! The LR2 did not disappoint.I thoroughly enjoyed playing with the idiot-proof Terrain Response system in all of its four settings. This feature makes off-roading for the novice a cakewalk. It plowed through the mud, making sloppy smooshy sounds, kept its footing on the gravel without spraying it out in every direction and deftly handled the deep ruts and slippery rocks with ease. The potholes and gullies were the most fun, though. I love getting a running start and diving into a ditch, watching the water shoot up onto the windshield. Yep, it was a scene fit for a TV ad. I always say, “Land Rovers look better when they’re dirty.” This little guy, once a pristine silver, had instantly become a gnarly looking deep woods predator – a true Land Rover the way God intended them to be!

Today Land Rovers have become less of the “go anywhere vehicles,” and more of the “be seen in them everywhere vehicles.” Hollywood stars are driving them now, and frankly the charm for us traditionalists has worn off somewhat. When you see the nannies in the west side of our city driving them, the only time they go off road is when they try to parallel park and back up over the curb. And it drives me crazy to see a Range Rover all pimped out with spinners. It’s sacrilege! However, I’m part of a dying breed. There are far more Land Rovers in shopping malls than there are in the untamed wilderness. They have become domesticated. Still, the attraction of the brand is strong, albeit to a slightly different audience. To this end, the LR2 is a nice addition to the family. It’s got all the markings of a true-bred Land Rover, and it’s a real pleasure to drive.

This article was taken from: automobile.com

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007 at 8:32 am and is filed under Land Rover. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.