I have the opportunity (and final) to purchase a new 2015 Land Rover LR2, which is expected to be Land Rover's most-reliable (and highest they can do) vehicle ever built in company history, before it goes downhill all over again starting in 2016. But I don't know if it's worth buying a 7-year old design.

While there's no Consumer Reports or other data to support this claim, I'll just provide predictable and common sense facts. First, it has a 2.0 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine made by Ford under the hood, and Ford builds far more-reliable engines than the Rover V6/V8 and Jaguar engines before. Second, the 6-speed transmission is built in Japan by Aisin (30% owned by Toyota), which is a Toyota transmission in most cases found in previous Lexus models. The transmission is expected to be highly-reliable with minimal trouble.

Great combo for both, and I should expect to see electronic reliability improved up to 50% as well since its first year in 2008 with all the lastest firmware and updates LR engineers put into them.

Only the LR2 qualify at this time due to its more-simple and less-complex design. 2015 is also its final year (usually last and newest are the best). Range Rover/Sport and Evoque, sorry, not at this time.

Now that Land Rover has decided to ditch the Ford engines next year and replace them with Jaguar's own new Ingenium I4 turbocharged engines (uh, oh) with no past reliability record on them (we know Jaguar has a poor reputation on reliability in the past), plus a 9-speed ZF (Mercedes-Benz) transmission made in Germany, there's a very strange and confident feeling that Land Rover is going to drop up to 70% in reliability from where it is now. Complexity increase again, and Land Rover's infamous reputation on reliability is back on table again like 15 years ago. You know what I'm talking about...

Let me know what you think. Lots of 4X4 enthusiasts I know of refuse to drive a Land Rover out in the middle of desert or mountain due to poor reliability in them (no one wants to be stranded in the middle of Death Valley desert). Now the 2015 LR2 is going to be one of very few Land Rovers built that will fill the 4X4 enthusiasts for the first-time in more than 30 years.

 

The 6 cyl engine on my 2008 LR2 is made by Volvo and has been very reliable. I thought it was odd when they switched to a 4 cyl engine, especially on a vehicle that weighs about 2 tons.

Past reliability problems have not been in the engine. The most common repairs have involved the alternator, starter, and rear diff.

The 2015 model is so new that you won't find any experience-based reviews. IMO, the biggest advantage to the LR2 is its size. It's small enough to fit into a compact parking space but has a lot of interior room for people or cargo. By comparison, most other SUVS are too small or too big.

 

It's actually made by Ford for Volvo as the OEM engine producer. The first-year 2008 LR2s were a little troublesome and about 30% less reliability than a new 2015 LR2 I calculated.

 

I don't know where you get the Mercedes connection for the ZF 9-speed, ZF absolutely nothing to do with Merc, never supplied them any transmissions as Merc make their own.

If you want to know more about the 2.0L / 9-speed combination then search around for reviews of the Evoque, same driveline.

As for Jag engine reliablility, it's not the 1980's anymore...