Land Rover holds on to iconic look

The need to change the name of the tall, boxy vehicle from LR3 is debatable. But other changes make the five- to seven-passenger SUV better.

Base pricing didn’t go up by much. Starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $48,100 for a base, 2010 LR4 with 375-horsepower V-8, automatic transmission, five-passenger seating and standard four-wheel drive. This is $1,275 more than the starting price of the 300-horsepower 2009 LR3.

Option packages, however, can be pricey. For example, on the test LR4, a lux package that added third-row seats, totaled $11,115, so the final posted price was $61,715.

That compares with the $65,995 starting retail price for a four-wheel-drive, 2010 Cadillac Escalade with 403-horsepower V-8, automatic transmission and three rows of seats. BMW’s 2010 X5 with 350-horsepower V-8, automatic tranny and all-wheel drive starts at $57,025.

Note that Cadillac offers a two-wheel drive version of Escalade that starts at $63,445, and BMW has V-6-powered versions of 2010 X5 that start at $48,325.

But all LR4s have four-wheel drive and a new, 5-liter, direct injection V-8 that delivers a noteworthy 375 foot-pounds at 3,500 rpm. This is up from 315 foot-pounds in the old, 4.8-liter V-8.

Power came on steadily in the test LR4, and engine sounds were pleasing. At more than 5,600 pounds without any passengers or cargo, this SUV has a heavy feel, so the increased horsepower and torque provide a much needed robust driving experience.

It took just a couple seconds for the LR4 tester to respond when I pushed hard on the accelerator, and then the SUV could move quickly to grab an open spot in traffic. The accelerator pedal responded well when I wanted to slow down, too, as I lifted off the gas. There wasn’t an artificial feeling of long coasting down the road like you can get in some vehicles.

Through it all, the six-speed automatic handled shifts competently and without noticeable shift points.

On light off-road terrain, the LR4’s power and easy-to-learn throttle response helped give confidence and a sense of security. Engineers appeared to have done well to combine on-road power with the need for a driver to make sensitive power adjustments off road.

But fuel economy remains poor in this four-door vehicle. The LR4 is rated at only 12 miles a gallon in city driving. On the highway, the federal rating rises to 17 mpg. This is the lower tier of SUV fuel mileage.

I can’t complain about the views out front of the LR4. This SUV stands more than 6.1 feet tall, and passengers must climb up to get to their seats.

I wished there was something more prominent to grab hold of as I hoisted myself into the LR4. As it was, I sort of bounded up energetically and hoped I landed mostly on the driver seat. A grab handle at the ceiling was a bit too high for me.

The LR4 interior was quieter than I expected. Even with big, 19-inch tires, this SUV didn’t transmit a lot of road noise to passengers. Wind noise was noticeable, though, as soon as I got near highway speeds.

Land Rover retuned the suspension and put bigger brake discs into the LR4, and both updates give a more poised ride than the predecessor LR3 had.

There’s a constant sense that the roof is so high above passenger heads, and it’s not an illusion. Everyone, including people in the third row, get at least 40 inches of headroom, which is unusual. Headroom in the rearmost seat of an Escalade, in comparison, measures 38.2 inches.

This generous headroom in the LR4 comes even though everyone sits high above the pavement. The LR4 has ground clearance of at least 7 inches so it can more easily travel over rocks and other off-road obstacles.

So, a driver naturally expects a tippy kind of behavior, but the LR4 takes corners with surprising composure. I kept pushing the test vehicle, and it maintained a flat, stable feel through curves — something that I did not expect.

Vehicle motions in the test LR4 were managed competently by an electronic air suspension overlaying the independent front and rear configurations. Steering has been upgraded for better response, but it still can feel a bit disconnected in off-road maneuvers.

Inside, the LR4 has nicer materials and a freshened instrument panel that give an upper class feel.

The navigation system still is clunky to use, however, and the split rear tailgate, where the rear part folds down instead of going up and out of the way, can be awkward.

The cargo floor, by the way, is high off the ground. So I sometimes had to get help lifting heavy items inside.

Putting the optional third row seats up — they are two separate units that fold flat into the cargo floor — also takes time and patience. I’d start at a side rear door, and then have to move to the rear and then back again as I maneuvered a seatback up and then got the seat cushion in place. Many other SUVs have far easier rear seats.

Standard safety items on the LR4 include six air bags, including curtain air bags, and electronic stability control.

2010 Land Rover LR4

BASE PRICE: $47,250.

AS TESTED: $61,715.

TYPE: Front-engine, four-wheel drive, seven-passenger, mid-size, luxury sport utility vehicle.

ENGINE: 5-liter, double overhead cam, direct injection V-8.

MILEAGE: 12 mpg (city), 17 mpg (highway).

TOP SPEED: 125 mph.

LENGTH: 190.1 inches.

WHEELBASE: 113.6 inches.

CURB WEIGHT: 5,617 pounds.

xBUILT AT: United Kingdom.

OPTIONS: Seven-seat Lux package (includes premium leather seats, ambient lighting, 19-inch alloy wheels, park distance control, navigation system, eight-way power front seats, 480-watt harmon/kardon audio system, Bluetooth phone connectivity, third row seats) $11,115; rear-seat entertainment system $2,500.

DESTINATION CHARGE: $850.