There are a number of threads regarding inquiries of people considering a LR4 purchase, and I intend to contribute to that list.

My wife and I have decided an LR4 will be our next vehicle. We definitely want the V8, and were thinking of waiting until next March to make a purchase. We recently ran across a 2011 that we are interested in with very low miles. The carfax looks good.

If buying a 2013, we were looking to purchase a HSE with the climate package. Can anyone provide details about the key differences between 2011 and 2013??

Was the Nav/Radio still an issue in 2011, or was it remedied in 2011? Is this something that can be addressed by a dealer to update the program?

Curious if there's anything that I'd really be missing by going with a 2011 vs a 2013.

Thanks for any insight!

 

Nav/radio was significantly upgraded in 2012 and up model year LR4, such as the ability to stream audio via Bluetooth, connect more than one Bluetooth phone at a time, voice commands significantly upgraded and nav much more user friendly. Air suspension has the new AMK air compressor, which is world's better than the old Hitachi compressor. Those are the biggest differences you will likely notice.

 

Thanks for the response. The Air suspension/Air Compressor; is the Hitachi more likely to fail, or does the AMK operate better/quicker? Would it be noticible during regular driving around town, or primarily off-road? The whole concept of air suspension is totally new to me.

 

Hitachi compressor was very prone to failure. Land Rover released a number of updates to the compressor itself. They finally caved in and decided to totally replace it with a different brand. Much better quality and operation.

The operation of the air suspension itself is mostly autonomous. The only time you will interact with it is if you need to lower the vehicle to "access height" in order to make loading and unloading easier, moving into a low hanging garage etc. "Off road height" is obviously that; makes off roading and going over obstacles much easier and safer.

 

You likely won't notice anything while driving, save for the occasional self leveling whenever any kind if weight is added or removed from the vehicle. It does that in order to maintain an optimal ride height, for comfort and convenience.

 

We bought a 2011 LR4, and the nav cannot be updated. It is a big disappointment, but we work with it. We both have iphones, so the driver gets to connect with the bluetooth, and the passenger has to answer their phone the old-fashioned way. There is no voice recognition, either, and the salesman told us to upgrade it's ridiculously expensive. The whole 2012 nav system is different.

 

2011 Owner as well. Double check the one you are buying for voice recognition, I think they removed it mid-year. Our's does not have the voice recognition. Even if the one you are looking at does have it, I believe the reason it was removed mid year was due to poor functionality.

As others have said the Navigation is different, but works fine. Another downside though, is that it costs money to update the Navigation files to get more current information.

No bluetooth streaming in 2011. There is an I-pod specific connection in the console that requires an adaptor. There is also a usb connection, that I tried to use with my phone for music, but could not get it to work. Bluetooth streaming is so much easier.

 

Our steering wheel button on the 2011 is blank where the voice recognition should be. Is there no way the service dept can program it to work?
And I think both our iPhones can stream apps. Does yours not work?

 

Our 2011 button is blank as well. I am not sure if the service department can program it, but you can check. I know that they did not reinstitute the VR function until 2012 and I think the 2012 software is different so you may need a more serious upgrade to get the VR to work. Honestly, I have it in my other car and rarely use it.

I have an android phone and it has connects fine for phone purposes, but cannot stream to the radio via bluetooth. Maybe I just haven't tried hard enough...