Deep Drive: 2008 Land Rover LR2

Britain's four-wheel-drive specialist swells the ranks of premium compact SUVs with the 2008 LR2. This new entry-level Land Rover replaces the Freelander, last sold as an '05 model. Land Rover, a part of Ford Motor Company since 1999, aims the five-passenger LR2 at the BMW X3 and recently launched Acura RDX. Ford-owned Volvo will soon join the class with its XC60, a platform cousin of the LR2. And word is that Infiniti, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz are readying entries of their own. With all this, the premium compact-SUV sector is the latest battleground for upscale automotive brands.

The 2008 Land Rover LR2 replaces the Freelander, last sold as an '05 model.

Origin of the Species
The first Land Rover appeared some 60 years ago as Britain's answer to the U.S. Army Jeep: a simple, rugged four-wheel-drive runabout that could serve anywhere from English farms to remote outposts in a shrinking empire. Like early Jeeps, "Landies" fast made friends around the world with their go-anywhere stamina and multitask utility, but were too crude and agricultural for mainstream buyers, let alone the country-club set.

That changed when the Range Rover came along in 1970. By adding car-like style and comfort to established Land Rover virtues, the Range Rover attracted a more upscale clientele that gave the brand a certain snob appeal. The trend accelerated when Range Rover came to America in 1987, followed by the less-expensive Land Rover Discovery and the steady addition of luxury appointments and high-tech features to both models. As a result, today's Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and the Discovery-replacing LR3 are posh, pricey, sophisticated rigs far removed from their workhorse ancestors. Indeed, these British SUVs, like General Motors' Hummers, sell mainly as status symbols to moneyed urban dwellers and well-to-do countryfolk who seldom venture off the paved path, but like to know they could conquer the wilderness if the mood strikes. Advertising fuels these fantasies with dramatic images of Land Rovers fording raging rivers, flying across desert sands, and other exploits worthy of Indiana Jones.

Volvo developed LR2's 3.2-liter inline 6-cylinder engine, which sits
crosswise, as in the S80, rather than lengthwise--unusual for an SUV.

The LR2 trades on this cachet as much as any Land Rover despite being the least costly member of the clan. Though not exactly cheap for a compact SUV, a $33,985 starting price (excluding destination) puts LR2 only $1000 above the base RDX and a sizeable $4000 below a bare-bones X3, so pricing is quite competitive.

Born for the U.S.A.
North America is Land Rover's biggest single market, and the LR2 was designed for it from the outset. The old Freelander, by contrast, was planned mainly for the UK and Europe, then adapted to U.S. requirements after Land Rover belatedly decided to sell it here. Though Land Rover enjoyed record worldwide sales in 2006, the company still loses money on its large models, so it needs the LR2 to be a big hit in North America. So does beleaguered parent Ford Motor Company, needless to say.

Though it might look like an everyday Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner with Range Roverish styling, the British-built LR2 is essentially a unique vehicle, though one that uses major components from the Ford empire. For example, it shares some structural elements with the redesigned S80 flagship sedan at corporate cousin Volvo, which originated this "EUCD" platform for Ford Europe. Volvo's upcoming XC60 uses this car-type foundation too.

2008 Land Rover LR2 Specifications

Wheelbase: 104.7
Overall length: 177.1
Overall width: 85.7
Overall height: 68.5
Curb weight: 4255
Cargo volume: 58.9
Fuel capacity: 18.5
Seating capacity: 5
Front head room: 40.2
Front leg room: 41.9
Rear head room: 39.4
Rear leg room: 36.4

Volvo also developed the LR2's inline 6-cylinder engine, which sits crosswise, as in the S80, rather than lengthwise--unusual for an SUV. The 3.2-liter unit features weight-saving all-aluminum construction, twin overhead camshafts, and four valves per cylinder. A variable-valve-timing system works with Land Rover's patented new Cam Profile Switching System to optimize low-rpm torque-important for off-road slogs-without compromising top-end power. Outputs are a creditable 230 horsepower at 6300 rpm and 234 pound-feet of torque at 3200 rpm. That peak-torque speed is a bit high for a "truck," but Land Rover claims 189 lb-ft is available from 1400 rpm to the 6400-rpm redline. Even so, the X3's 3.0-liter inline-6 delivers 260 hp and 225 lb-ft, while the RDX's turbocharged 2.3-liter 4-cyl offers 240 hp and 260 lb-ft. At least LR2 outmuscles the old Freelander, whose elderly 2.5-liter V6 managed only 174 hp and 177 lb-ft.

As expected these days, the LR2 uses a 6-speed automatic transmission with manual shift gate. A new-design unit, it also includes a "Sport Automatic" mode that delays upshifts and provides faster "kickdown" shifts to enhance performance. Also mandatory is a new "intelligent" all-wheel-drive system that lacks low-range gears, but employs several electronic tricks to provide Land Rover-style off-road ability.

Premium-Class Equipment
Offered in a single trim level, the LR2 is much better equipped than the old Freelander, if not current competitors. On the functional side are four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, Land Rover's Electronic Traction Control and antiskid Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), and the company's Hill Descent Control, which automatically limits vehicle speed down steep grades. A class exclusive is Land Rover's Terrain Response Control, which adjusts powertrain electronics according to four driver-selected settings: normal driving, grass/gravel/snow, sand, and mud/ruts. Standard alloy wheels mount 18-inch all-terrain tires, the only combination available for now. Front side airbags are standard. So are curtain side airbags with rollover deployment, and a driver's knee airbag.

Leather upholstery, power front seats, and dual-zone automatic climate control are standard as well. So, too, a keyless entry/engine-start system, rain-sensing wipers, front/rear foglamps, power headlamp washers, and rear obstacle detection (which Land Rover calls Park Distance Control). There's also a two-panel sunroof with power tilt/slide front section. Other no-cost goodies include manual tilt/telescope steering wheel, trip computer, digital-music-player plug-in, and split-folding rear seat.

Options are limited to three packages. The Technology group bundles a navigation system with 14-speaker Dolby Pro Logic audio, plus satellite radio, rear audio controls, and a wireless cell-phone link. A Cold Climate Package provides heating elements for the front seats, windshield, and windshield washers. The Lighting Package adds steering-linked bi-xenon headlamps, courtesy "puddle lamps" in the door mirrors, and a mirrors/driver's-seat memory system.

Sizing It Up
The LR2 is taller than most compact SUVs, which partly reflects a minimum eight-inch ground clearance, unusually high for the class. Because of that, Land Rover claims its new baby can wade through water up to 19.68 inches deep--and made us do precisely that on the press preview. We forded the stream like a duck.

Leather upholstery, power front seats, and dual-zone automatic
climate control are among LR2's standard features.

This is also one of the heavier compact SUVs, weighing some 300 lb more than a base RDX and 255 lb more than an X3. By contrast, LR2 is short on maximum cargo space compared to those rivals-and most other compact SUVs regardless of price. But other interior dimensions are class-competitive, as is overall size. Wheelbase is fairly long relative to total length, resulting in modest front and rear overhangs that ease clambering over off-road obstacles--or, for that matter, negotiating sharply banked driveways without scraping.

More Than a "Cute Ute"
Like most every other compact SUV--but unlike other Land Rovers--the LR2 is a unibody design, construction widely regarded as lacking the sturdiness needed for serious off-roading versus truck-type body-on-frame. That's why many small unibody SUVs are dismissed as "cute utes" in some quarters. But Land Rover built its reputation on go-anywhere stamina, so it worked hard to make the LR2 as rigid as possible to withstand off-road rigors. Unusually long suspension travel is expected of this brand, and the LR2 has it. Suspension components mount on front and rear subframes that are rubber-isolated for on-road comfort and quietness. The suspension itself comprises all-around coil springs, front struts on lower control arms, rear struts with multilinks, and an anti-roll bar at each end. Also designed with off-roading in mind is a rack-and-pinion steering system geared for just 2.6 turns lock-to-lock and a fairly compact turning circle of 37.1 ft.

AWD Plus
Most small SUVs--and a few larger ones--offer "as you need it" all-wheel drive. Such systems normally drive the front wheels. A hydraulic center coupling directs power aft only when the rear wheels start slipping. Once traction is restored, the system returns to front-wheel drive. This arrangement works well enough in normal conditions, but Land Rover wanted to provide superior off-road capability without full-time all-wheel operation or the added weight and expense of low-range gears in a separate transfer case.

The 2008 Land Rover LR2 starts at $33,985.

To achieve that, Land Rover assigned development of the LR2's AWD to Haldex of Sweden, which came up with a few new wrinkles. First, the system always sends a small amount of power to the rear wheels, which tends to enhance highway stability. Second, unlike most AWD systems, this one can divert almost all power to the rear if needed, depending on input from various sensors and the Terrain Response Control setting. Third, the LR2's center coupling is "pre-loaded" to reduce the time needed to reapportion power. Land Rover claims a full-power response time of just 150 milliseconds or within 15 degrees of wheel-slip rotation. "In effect," says a company press release, "the new Haldex system gives the proactive engagement of [full-time] all-wheel drive and the efficiency and fuel economy of an on-demand system...ideal for a compact SUV."

Our experience during the LR2 press preview supports that claim. Helped by the Terrain Response system, the littlest Landie coped confidently with a specially constructed off-road course that included the above-mentioned stream, plus rocky paths, muddy roads, sandy trails, and some fairly steep descents. The last point brings up Land Rover's new Gradient Release Control, an LR2 exclusive. Tied in with the driver-selected Hill Descent Control, GRC is designed to reduce brake-line pressure gradually when the brake pedal is released, which Land Rover says enhances control in certain situations. We couldn't detect it on the off-road course, but we're glad it's there anyway. (Look for GRC to appear soon in the larger LR3 and Range Rovers.) We did manage to get the LR2 stuck while romping up and down sand dunes, but a desert-wise Land Rover hand got it unstuck without a tow.

How the LR2 Compares
If not quite as much the mountain goat as big-brother LR3, the LR2 is definitely a Land Rover in emphasizing off-road ability more than most all class rivals. Though a less sporty on-road experience than the RDX or X3, it is a pleasant, refined premium compact SUV with enough room for most smaller families and enough luxury trappings for social climbers. It also seems very well built. Keep in mind, though, that Land Rover rates near the bottom in consumer surveys of reliability and dealer service. Considering its importance to the brand, the LR2 will have to score much better on those counts.