Land Rover LR2 History
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The Land Rover LR2 is a mid-size luxury crossover vehicle with seating for five, and a price tag starting in the mid-$30,000 range. A replacement for the old Freelander, the LR2 competes with the Audi Q5, Volvo XC60, Cadillac SRX, Mercedes-Benz GLK and the BMW X3.
The LR2 got a splashy introduction in London in 2005, as Land Rover leveraged its sponsorship of women's tennis to show off the LR2 with Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova. However, the LR2 wouldn't go on sale in the U.S. until 2007, with a 2008 model-year tag.
Part of the Land Rover "family" vehicle lineup, the LR2 joined the seven-seat LR3 (now the LR4) in a distinct mission to sell more mass-market SUVs with the Land Rover image--distinct from the more upscale Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. It arrived in showrooms with a single powertrain configuration that it shared with the Volvo S80, one of the final fruit of the Ford Motor Company's ownership of both brands. The LR2's 3.2-liter in-line six-cylinder engine pumps out enough power to push it to 60 mph in about 8.4 seconds, within the range of other compact luxo-utes. There's a six-speed automatic to provide clean, effortless gear shifts, and it comes with a manual-shift and a sport-shift mode. It's also the conduit for power to flow to all four wheels; the Haldex all-wheel-drive system in the LR2 can shuffle power around, but it lacks the low transmission range of the rest of the Land Rover lineup. The LR2 does have more than 8 inches of ground clearance, though.
The steering isn't quick or particularly communicative, but the Land Rover LR2 maneuvers very easily in parking lots, tight city streets, and narrow country roads alike, and it corners with little of the lean or drama of larger, heftier, and more trucklike SUVs. It also has a balanced ride quality.
With only minor changes in its five years on the market, the LR2 still sports the crisp lines that distinguish it from the softer Audi, Volvo and BMW utes. It's recognizable Land Rover heritage on a smaller scale--better outside than inside, where a typical jumble of buttons is missing the heavier dose of wood trim that makes amends for Land Rover's spotty ergonomics. The interior has enough room for adults--just enough in the back seat--and enough cargo room for a few roll-aboard suitcases.
Crash-test scores aren't available for the LR2. It offers side curtain airbags and stability control with anti-roll software built in--but could use a rearview camera, since its thick rear pillars make visibility more of a problem than in larger Land Rovers that seat the driver higher.
A new version of the LR2 platform has gone into production, but it's hard to recognize it as such. Dubbed the LRX as a concept, the new vehicle is now on sale as the Range Rover Evoque. Offered in three- and five-door models, the Evoque shares some of its architecture with the LR2, though its powertrains are based on Ford four-cylinders.
