2011 Land Rover LR4

The 2011 Land Rover LR4 carries over unchanged except for some tweaks to its adjustable terrain system and options packages. The 2011 Land Rover LR4 is a fine choice for a luxury SUV, offering the expected off-road chops along with a top-notch interior and a world-class V8.

For 2011, the LR4 features Hill Start Assist, which holds brake pressure as the driver moves from brake to throttle when starting on an incline or climbing. Meanwhile Gradient Acceleration Control (GAC) helps slow the LR4 when starting down a steep grade by modulating the brakes, and works even when normal Hill Descent Control is not engaged. GAC also works in reverse, a nifty feature that will be appreciated by anyone who’s lost their nerve approaching a blind crest.

The 2011 Land Rover LR4 is a midsize luxury SUV offered in a single trim level. Standard features include 19-inch alloy wheels, front and rear foglights, heated exterior mirrors, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, leather upholstery, eight-way power front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a power tilt-and-slide front sunroof, a fixed rear sunroof, Bluetooth and a nine-speaker stereo with an in-dash CD changer.

The HSE and HSE LUX packages offer additional features. The HSE package adds different 19-inch wheels, third-row seats, rear-seat climate control, a rearview camera, satellite and HD radio, an iPod interface and a hard-drive-based navigation system. The HSE LUX package tacks on the Climate Comfort group (front and rear heated seats, a heated windshield, heated washer jets and a heated steering wheel), adaptive bi-xenon headlights, front parking sensors, premium leather upholstery, a center console cooler box, driver seat memory settings and a 13-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.

Other optional features include 20-inch wheels, a locking rear differential, a rear-seat entertainment system with six-DVD changer, and a 360-degree parking camera system.

The 2011 LR4 is powered by a 5.0-liter V8 that makes 375 hp and 375 pound-feet of torque. The LR4′s fully independent suspension also uses electronically controlled air springs to automatically adapt to virtually any terrain or off-road challenge.

No surprise, then, that it rates just 12 mpg city/17 mpg highway and 14 mpg combined. Properly equipped, the LR4 can tow up to 7,700 pounds.

Safety features on the 2011 Land Rover LR4 include antilock disc brakes, traction control, stability control (with rollover mitigation technology), hill descent and gradient control (limits initial acceleration down an incline), hill start assist, front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags (including the third-row seat when selecting the HSE Lux package or stand-alone third-row seat option).

The LR4′s interior doesn’t swaddle passengers in silky grades of premium leather like the high-buck Range Rover, yet it leaves little to want.

The 2011 Land Rover LR4 shares its powerful V8 with its distant Jaguar relatives, erasing a power deficit that plagued the preceding LR3, while the six-speed transmission is quick-witted and smooth.