Check out the 2010 Land Rover LR4

We found this great article on the all-new 2010 Land Rover LR4 on Market Watch.   Check out the excerpt below, or head over to the Market Watch site to get more information.

"Anyone old enough to remember Marlin Perkins and his trips to the wilds of Africa, knows that the Land Rover is the off-road vehicle of choice when the lions you're photographing are not in the NFL and the tigers are not in Major League Baseball.

While retaining its off-road status, the LR4 was a bit of a surprise when it came to interstate travel. Cruising along at a legal 65, the high-riding sport utility vehicle was comfortable and quiet as it gave the driver and passenger a rather high perch to view the passing scene.

A very cold morning prompted a tryout of the of the seat warmers. In a very short time, you will be lowering the setting, unless your daily commute is in Deadhorse, Alaska. In the words of an old acquaintance in Alaska, "It's cold there even when it's warm."

In its 2010 overhaul, Land Rover greatly improved the interior of the LR4, which is the former LR3 if you are keeping score. The fit and finish was in line with the price tag, most of the major controls could be operated with a gloved hand and the 240-watt, 9-speaker audio system churned out some good sounds.

In the test vehicle, there were seats for seven but it was a bit of mountain climb to get to that third row. However, there was ample room for three in row two. Five-passenger-seating overall is an option. It was not particularly easy to lower the second- and third-row seats, but once down the owner can enjoy a spacious 90.3 cubic feet of storage.

A nifty touch was the low windowsill that gave the long armed driver and passenger a nice place to rest an elbow.

Under the hood for 2010 is a more powerful V-8, which is not a bad idea on a vehicle that has a curb weight north of 5,700 pounds. The 5.0 liter cranked out 375 horsepower and 375 lb-ft of torque through a smooth-as-silk 6-speed automatic. That is a boost of 75 ponies over the LR3 and it propels this square box of an SUV from a standing start to 60 in just over 7.5 seconds.

That brings up the matter of gas mileage. As you may have deduced by this time, it is not great. The EPA rates the LR4 at 12-17 mpg. We got 14 on premium unleaded. Fill-ups can be expensive, but at this price arguments can be made over how big a deal that is.

Snow days

Backing up the old saying that "timing is everything," the LR4 arrived just after a nasty run of heavy snow storms cleared out of the D.C. area. That's because when it comes to winter weather or off-road driving, there simply is nothing better.

Carried over was the Terrain Response Mode that sets up the vital parts to deal with grass/gravel/snow, sand, mud, and the always-fun rock crawl. All are available by turning a knob on the center console. The LR4 also has a Hill Descent Control that makes sure your trip down a steep hill is as easy as the trip up. Handling is about what one would expect in a heavy, upright vehicle.

Yes, many will argue that very few drivers will take the Land Rover out where they can really test its off-road capability. But it is cool to have one in your driveway during a particularly snowy winter.

It was such a hoot to drive that it is unfortunate that the Land Rover brand still carries a rather poor rating in Consumer Reports when it comes to reliability.

I found the LR4 comfortable and fun off-road and on. The pride of Solihull, Great Britain, had a bottom line of $55,710 that includes an $850 delivery fee."

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