Someone wrote a review of the 2012 LR2 for my site and I thought I would share it here as well. It is interesting to see what a normal person (non-LR aficionado) thinks about when looking into the purchase of an LR2.

For more photos, visit the actual review. We all know what an LR2 looks like, so no need to post a bunch here:

ExploringNH Forums - Land Rover LR2 Review - A Good Value For The Options?



I recently had a chance to test drive a 2012 Land Rover LR2. I was looking for a mid range SUV for my daily commute to work that could handle well in the occasional snowstorm that we experience here in the North East. With rising gas prices I was also interested in a vehicle that had reasonable gas mileage. The LR2 immediately attracted with permanent 4 wheel drive and decent highway gas mileage.

The model I tested was the standard six cylinder all-wheel drive with moon roof and standard options. It includes a 320-watt AM/FM/CD drive with as many as 9 speakers, a panoramic sunroof, auto-dimming rear view mirror and folding rear seats. Optional systems include satellite radio options, a USB port, a navigation system, Bluetooth audio, a heated windshield and heated mirrors. None of these additional options struck me as necessary, but a USB port and Bluetooth audio are becoming standards in the industry and should probably be included.

The first thing I noticed when getting in the car was the stylish dash board and instrument cluster. It had a standard dual-zone temperature zone system, leather seats and power-controlled front seats. They were comfortable to sit in and I had no problem fitting into it despite being a tall (6 foot 3) person. While I did not have a chance to test drive the LR2's off-road capabilities, I did notice that it had different settings based on driving terrain. The Terrain Management System allows users to tweak the settings based on terrain and even allows for hill descent control. Moving around cramped city streets I did not find that it was overly large and had no trouble fitting into parking spots.

Under the hood, it is equipped with the standard 3.2 liter 6 cylinder automatic. According to Land Rover, it can go 0-60 in about 8.4 seconds. I felt that it had good acceleration for an SUV,

but unless I really stepped on the accelerator there was not a noticeable amount of acceleration or thrust.

As I said earlier, I like a SUV that could handle well in the snow and liked that the LR2 has always-on 4 wheel drive. While there is no true 4 wheel drive option I felt this was unnecessary since we rarely get a large amounts of snow fall in the north east.

The LR2 handled well and was a very smooth drive. It was nimble for an SUV during urban driving and the suspension system seemed well designed. The only negative was a slight front dip during moderate breaking. I did have some trouble with rear view visibility during highway driving but it was not a big issue. I made several quick turns and had to stop suddenly at points and had no issues with handling. The LR2 is spacious despite being a smaller SUV and has a fair amount of room in the second row.

It is sleek looking without the typical look of an SUV which I think appeals to both sexes. It's not a truck that would be offsetting to a female driver but still has the look of power and sexiness that would still appear to male drivers. There is plenty of cargo space and enough room to seat 4 adults comfortably. I sat in the back seat to test leg room (a rather big issue for people my height) and found I fit comfortably in any of the seats. The LR2 has roughly 27 cubic feet of storage which is pretty much on par with competitors in this bracket. It appears to have a high build quality in both the interior and exterior and is put together well.

As a mid-range SUV the price is a reasonable $35,700 MSRP, especially when compared to similar models and even the higher end Land Rovers.

Unfortunately the LR2 does not have the greatest gas mileage overall and in the end this is what turned me off to the model. While 22 MPG is reasonable on the highway, the LR2 bottoms out at 15 mpg in the city which is where I do the majority of my driving. Even among SUVs, this is a low number. With gas prices hovering around 4 dollars per gallon it was simply unacceptable to have fuel efficiency this low, especially in a vehicle of this size. The Discovery I and II get only slightly less MPG out of their 4.0L and 4.6L V8s. While the LR2 does have a reasonable price tag given the options, the poor fuel efficiency takes away from the value. With BMW, Lexus, and even Kia presenting luxury SUVs at a lower price but higher fuel efficiency, I felt the Land Rover LR2 is lagging behind just a bit.

Overall I ended up passing on the LR2 but it is a solid model and an excellent choice for anyone considering a mid-range luxury SUV. For the price and performance I would rate it around an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10.


Edit: I just realized I only have two posts here. I guess I lurk so much that I forget to post. Time to change that.

 

Not an unreasonable review. Of course, when I think of bad gas mileage I think of my 1984 Dodge Ramcharger that got 8 mpg off a cliff!

 

Overall good review, but you should get him into a 2013 LR2 with the new 2L turbocharged engine. Supposedly gets an additional 2 mpg. I have only about 150 miles on my new LR2, but plan to get it out this long weekend on some local trails of varying difficulty. Most of my driving is city in Phoenix, but will give an update after a few thousand miles. No need to use the heated seats and steering wheel yet!!!