I have a lot of questions – if anyone is able to answer them, I’d be very grateful.

I LOVE the LR4 and am deciding between buying a new LR4 or the new Volvo XC90. I absolutely love the feel of the LR4 – the upright seats and the view – I feel like I’m in control of the car instead of the other way around. And it feels more spacious for my kids who are getting older (13, 10 and 7) The Volvo seems like a smart and safe choice and I always like being safe but I really prefer the LR4.
I live a 3 hour drive (through the mountains) away from the nearest land rover dealer. So it’s hard to get a lot of info about them…
Here are my questions:

• Living so far away from a dealer makes warranty issues very difficult. How much have you all had to use a warranty in the first 4 years of owning an LR4?
  
• When you do have to make repairs/ do service/ oil changes, etc. on your LR4, is it more expensive than a Volvo would be due to specialized parts?
  
• I’ve heard that because it is a tall car, you can feel it lean in turns, roundabouts and in windy conditions. Have any of you experienced that?
  
• Would you think it would be more likely to slip in icy conditions vs. a Volvo? (I will buy studded snow tires for either car.)
  

I test drove a 2010 LR4 today. I’m not sure what has changed since then.

• Are the 3rd row seats any better now? They were a bit difficult to open/close/access.
  
• Is there power liftgate on the back hatch? Keyless entry? Remote start?
  
  
• The clearance of the car is listed at 7 inches, less than 9” for the Volvo. Does anyone know if the front bumper is more than that? I love having a high front bumper so that I don’t have to worry about high sidewalk curbs scratching the bumper
  
• The 2015-16 models didn’t change body shape from the 2010, did they? The car looks narrower than the xc90 but according to the 2016 dimensions, it is wider. Perhaps just an illusion because it’s so tall.

I’m sorry for tall of the questions. If anyone has the answers to any of them, I sure would love to hear it. Thank you so much in advance!!

Katie

 

Oh, and is air suspsension new since 2010? If I bought a Volvo I would opt out of it as I dislike how the car sinks down when you park (both for looks and because I have that worry about hitting sidewalk curbs with my bumper.) I saw on a '15 listing, air suspension - do they all have that or is it an option? And, if they do have it, does the car lower when you park it? Thanks again!!

 

Air suspension is a given on the LR4. Rover had air suspension on the Range in the 90s and the Disco II had air suspension on the rear. The LR4 only goes to easy access height on your demand. It also has a rise over hwy setting of 2". All by switch. You will find that once you park and lower vehicle the ladies have an easier time getting in and out. With all the cameras and warnings if you hit a curb, you would have to be deaf, won't say the other derogatory word. Volvo is altogether different and does not come close to the LR4.

 

You posted elsewhere about height of bumper. In the lower configuration the bumper bottom is 13" off ground, but the air displacers (rubber) are 10" off ground. Raised to hwy mode is another 2" and rock mode another 2". If you are worried about curbs, the vehicle had cameras and warnings, so you should never hit a curb being a capable driver.

 

How close is the Volvo dealer?

There will be issues with the LR4, and three hours to the dealer would be a bummer if it's your sole vehicle. If the Volvo dealer is substantially closer, I would go that route.

If you were looking at an older vehicle, like an LR3 or a DII, and felt comfortable working on it yourself than this would be a non-issue.

 

I have previously owned Volvos for many years - most recently an XC70 and a V70R, so we were looking at either the LR4 or the XC90 too. In the end I opted for an LR4 (about 3 years ago). So my perspectives:
1) No issue on bumper clearance - the car is plenty high. Bumpers are well above kerbs etc...
2) Air suspension - they all have them. But the car does not sink down when you park. It parks in normal ride height (high!). You can push a button to make it sink down if you want - easier for less able people to get in and out. But we never do that
3) I believe 3rd row seats are unchanged (a bit clunky but you quickly get used to them) and tailgate is manual.
4) The front light clusters etc are slightly remodelled vs. 2010 but it's mostly cosmetic. Navigation and audio improved (around 2013/14 I think). And the engine changed from a 5.0L V8 naturally aspirated (on the 2010 you drove) to a 3.0L V6 supercharged - slightly less power but improved fuel economy
5) Reliability is often questioned - Land Rover doesn't have a great reputation for reliability and 3hrs to dealer is a long way. But - mine is a 2010 LR4 with 55k on the clock and aside from annual service it's been to the dealer once for a wheel bearing. Rest has been perfect.
6) No lean in wind and corners - it's rock solid. Handling is terrific.
7) It's a heavy car so winter tyres are good if you drive a lot in snow. But I live in snow zone in north-east USA and I have all seasons - it's terrific in the snow.

Good luck with your decisions. If it were me I'd go with the LR4 - and I'd make the purchase from the dealer contingent on them picking up and dropping back the car if it needs any warranty work. That way the 3-hr drive is their risk, not yours.

 

What type of issues are you assuming the poster would run into with an LR4? I bought my wife a certified '12 LR 18 months ago. Zero warranty issues and she beats the tar out of it.

I'd never consider a Volvo over a Land Rover when it comes to the safety of my kids.

 

Software updates, for starters. Some are annoyances, but some are critical.

All are universally covered under the warranty, and administered by the dealer.

 

We have a 2011 LR4 for about 1 year now and have no issues so far putting 10K miles on it. No problems with the height and wind, very little no sway. it handles way better then our Disco 2 which seems like a sailboat compared to the LR4. Cant say much about the Volvo in comparison but I couldn't imagine giving it up.

 

We have 40k miles on ours now, with about 18k last year as the primary kids hauler and one Seattle-San Diego-Seattle adventure last March.

I do recall a software update carried out while we were getting the 30k service done, other than that there have been no unanticipated needs to visit the dealer. Our previous Subaru Outback spent more time in the shop than the LR4 has