2015 LR4 Car and Driver article

[manoftaste]

Sad indeed.

Yeap, sad indeed, and definitely end of an era.

I have said this before, with LR4 they had a wonderful opportunity to undo the bad image being unreliable that has been associated with Land Rovers. LR4 was becoming a mature product, still looked damn good and didn't look like a ten year old design by any means, and had the huge potential of being beautifully updated (in an understated fashion) for many many years to come. All this would have contributed in increased confidence in the vehicle, brand, and its worldwide sales. There is a reason why Toyota doesn't mess with the decades old Land Cruiser platform, it just keeps tweaking it, hence the land cruiser everywhere around the planet.

 

[TCM75]

Thought I would chime in as a new owner of a '15 with zero experience on any previous LR versions. I just turned 600 miles this weekend and I am absolutely thrilled with everything about it. One thing I will mention is that my fuel economy is better than expected: I have been averaging mid 15s on my backroad commuting (8 miles each way, hills), and I just completed a 60 mile mostly-highway trip and averaged 19.2. The 8 speed transmission is super-smooth and I would say it would be higher on my list to have that transmission over a particular engine.

I was unsure what to think about the rotary shifter at first but I really don't have a problem with it; it does the job. Same for eco-start, although I will disable it if I need to quickly cut across the oncoming lane of traffic (any delay would not be welcome here).

I have not been off road yet, but I have used the paddle shifters to downshift a bit. One welcome change would be for the paddle shifters to work at all times, and not only after shifting to "S". My father's Flex can do that and it is very convenient.

I decided on the '15 because I really like the current "Lego-truck" styling (as my daughters say) and the future is a bit unknown for the replacement.

 

[JotaDe]

Glad to hear TCM75.

6k in and to me the rotary knob is perfectly fine. Don't miss the stick at all. The rotary is cleaner, modern and pretty slick that it raises and lowers as needed. I enjoy having less "clutter" in that area.

Eco start /stop just took getting used to. If frantic stop and goes are needed I just hit the button and turn it off. Having the car off when idling is actually nice. Sometimes in all the chaotic drama around the feature we lose sight that it can be disabled with the push of a button.

Can we just get a race done between the 13 vs 14/15 to quell the debate for good?

 

[Surfrider77]

I have mentioned it before, but I just find the actual fuel consumption numbers just don't make any sense for the change to me. The difference in combined consumption is absolutely negligible between the outgoing 5.0L V8 and the new SCV6. The 8 speed transmission would be a blessing to have in either truck, for sure. I just don't see why it was necessary to drop a reliable and solid engine that makes more HP / TQ for zero MPG or weight savings.

 

[TLB]

I have mentioned it before, but I just find the actual fuel consumption numbers just don't make any sense for the change to me. The difference in combined consumption is absolutely negligible between the outgoing 5.0L V8 and the new SCV6. The 8 speed transmission would be a blessing to have in either truck, for sure. I just don't see why it was necessary to drop a reliable and solid engine that makes more HP / TQ for zero MPG or weight savings.

Maybe, because, it would not look good to have V6 SC on Rang Rovers and V8 on LR4 which has a lower price tag.

 

[Soda]

Haven't driven the v8, but I certainly do NOT feel my scv6 is slow.
Has every bit of power I've needed this far.

This.

 

[TLB]

Thought I would chime in as a new owner of a '15 with zero experience on any previous LR versions. I just turned 600 miles this weekend and I am absolutely thrilled with everything about it. One thing I will mention is that my fuel economy is better than expected: I have been averaging mid 15s on my backroad commuting (8 miles each way, hills), and I just completed a 60 mile mostly-highway trip and averaged 19.2. The 8 speed transmission is super-smooth and I would say it would be higher on my list to have that transmission over a particular engine.

I was unsure what to think about the rotary shifter at first but I really don't have a problem with it; it does the job. Same for eco-start, although I will disable it if I need to quickly cut across the oncoming lane of traffic (any delay would not be welcome here).

I have not been off road yet, but I have used the paddle shifters to downshift a bit. One welcome change would be for the paddle shifters to work at all times, and not only after shifting to "S". My father's Flex can do that and it is very convenient.

I decided on the '15 because I really like the current "Lego-truck" styling (as my daughters say) and the future is a bit unknown for the replacement.

I am glad you are happy with your LR4.
Personally I would hate to have a rotary knob and paddle shifters. For street driving it is OK ,but a big NO for off roading. I prefer rotary selector for special programs. Let us know how you like it after you start taking your truck on trails.
I agree as for Lego-truck look. Lr3, Lr4 are almost identical and still look fresh after 10 years . They will look fresh in another 10 years.

 

[umbertob]

Maybe, because, it would not look good to have V6 SC on Rang Rovers and V8 on LR4 which has a lower price tag.

That, plus Economics 101: the LR4 would have been the only vehicle in JLR's lineup to still carry over that 5-liter NA V8 engine (all Jaguars have also switched to either SC V6 or V8 power plants), so they axed it.

 

[Waterndirt]

I've never driven a LR with a V-8, however, I've driven my fair share of V-8's, old, new, muscle cars, full size trucks, etc. I've gotta say, I love our SCV6, I think what most people underestimate is the new transmission. That thing flies through the gears, rather than hearing the thumping engine, you hear the tranny winding up, I like it. Even with Compos and BFG's, our 15' pulls just fine for being such a heavy vehicle. I'm a happy camper.

 

[Surfrider77]

I've never driven a LR with a V-8, however, I've driven my fair share of V-8's, old, new, muscle cars, full size trucks, etc. I've gotta say, I love our SCV6, I think what most people underestimate is the new transmission. That thing flies through the gears, rather than hearing the thumping engine, you hear the tranny winding up, I like it. Even with Compos and BFG's, our 15' pulls just fine for being such a heavy vehicle. I'm a happy camper.

As mentioned, they could have put the 8 sp transmission on the old V8 too. No doubt that new transmission is fantastic, I just question the engine change.

They have a limited edition RRS putting out 380hp on the same SCV6 engine, so it is absolutely possible. They simply need to make those figures standard across all models.