Teresa’s View
All right. Listen up. We have a substitution from the Land Rover bench. The all-new 2008 LR2 will replace the Freelander, a poor sales performer that left the Land Rover line-up after the 2005 model year.
The LR2 takes its place as the smallest and least expensive of the company’s sport-utes. With its unmistakable European style, the LR2 is a premium, compact player that not only offers an outstanding off-road pedigree, but also adds polished manners.
Nicely sized for typical garages and most parking lot maneuvers, the LR2 is a nimble partner for city life. While the ride is not exactly car-like, it’s considerably more refined than its trucky exterior suggests.
Like all Land Rover’s, the LR2 has serious street cred. You know, the “Tallyho!” and off-you-go-across-the-Sahara-kind of résumé one receives after years of slogging through every earthly surface. That said, the LR2 is expected to spend most of its life traversing the mean city streets. Therefore, it doesn’t come with the low-range gearing required by true off-road aficionados, and thus is considered rather urbanized. Nevertheless, the LR2 will get you out of just about any scrape most owners will encounter. The full-time all-wheel-drive includes driver-selected settings for grass, gravel, snow, mud and sand. Each engages Land Rover’s whiz-bang Terrain Response system that makes the appropriate electronic and traction control adjustments.
The LR2 is more powerful than its predecessor. A new 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder delivers 230 horsepower — a generous jump from the meager 175 horsepower the previous 2.5-liter V-6 produced. A six-speed automatic is the only available transmission option. However, it includes three modes — fully automatic, Sport and CommandShift, which is a manual mode.
The cabin is luxuriously outfitted with leather seats and a long list of comfort features. Fit and finish is appropriately refined and there’s safety features galore. I’m particularly fond of the optional adaptive front headlamps that point the same direction as the steering wheel; the rain-sensing windshield wipers and the outstanding, optional 440-watt sound system with Dolby ProLogic II 7.1 surround sound. A 320-watt Alpine stereo is standard.
What Is It?: The all-new 2008 Land Rover LR2 is a premium, compact, 5-passenger SUV. Base priced at $35K with destination charges, our tester topped out at $40K with options.
Gadget Rating: 8.9 out of 10. Take some time to familiarize yourself with Gadget Central. There’s a lot going on here, especially if you’ve purchased the optional Navi System, as some controls are accessed through the touch screen. Most buttons and knobs are ergonomically placed, although the audio controls sit too low on the dash for easy access by the driver. The ignition “key” looks like a block with buttons. Once inserted into a slot on the dash, the Start/Stop button is engaged.
Cheat Sheet: In 1994, BMW purchased Land Rover, who sold it in 2000 to current owner Ford.
So, Where Are Ya From?: The LR2 is built at the same assembly plant as the Jaguar X-Type — also a Ford company — in Halewood, England.