Review: 2010 Land Rover LR4 makes a better boxy SUV

Wanting to sample the latest iteration of Land Rover's middle-management cruiser, we set off in search of the 2010 LR4's natural environment. Minutes later, the Rover's new 5.0-liter, 375-horsepower V8 led us to Nordstrom. What? You expected Monument Valley?

With the wallet-denting expedition complete, we took solace in the luxuriously updated interior during the homeward jaunt. Sybaritic pleasures and tried-and-true off-roading abilities are the extremes of its range, so how does the LR4 fare in the middle?

Unmistakably a Land Rover, the LR4 comes in for an exceedingly subtle outward metamorphosis. Look (very) hard and you'll notice the reworked grille and fascia. There's also a larger intake in the restyled front bumper, which itself has been reshaped to enhance aerodynamics – not that the LR4's squared-off look screams "wind tunnel-tested." New headlamps, LED taillamps, a trio of new paint colors and new 19- and 20-inch wheel designs round out the exterior tweaks. No one's complaining about the conservative approach to the visual facelift; iconic styling is an asset changed at your own peril.

Inside, Solihull has lavished substantial attention on the LR4 accommodations. The dashboard and center stack have been cleanly restyled and simplified, exorcising many of the buttons that used to clutter up the space. Much like the exterior, changes to the dashboard and controls are refinements rather than revolutionary alterations. Things are generally where they were in the LR3, but the materials and design are vastly improved. Some elements, like the new piano black accent that extends from the lower center stack and extends back to surround the shifter, may be in vogue, but it's dastardly to keep free of smudged fingerprints.

The relocation plan moves the controls for the updated Terrain Response into a more logical location by the shifter. Thanks to the upgraded materials, Range Rover drivers will feel right at home when they get an LR4 loaner at the service department. Front and second-row seating is revised, and HSE buyers can choose the Premium Leather Pack and its electrically-adjustable seat bolstering. The third row is still coach-class, largely the domain of priveleged brats, but grown-ups do fit more easily than in some other three-row vehicles with a similar footprint.

The interior refit pays off by improving the LR4's driving experience. Were it not for the obscene amount of fuel required to shove a tall, blocky, heavy thing through the air, this would be a nearly ideal vehicle for long-legged journeys. The seating position is high, and visibility is fantastic. The front and middle-row seats are fantastically comfortable, and a heated steering wheel feels decadent on subzero mornings. Equally sublime is an electrically heated windshield, though the squiggly grid can be initially distracting.

The LCD that serves as command center and navigation display is the lone quibble in the interior, and our gripe centers around the software. The user interface is tedious and non-intuitive, though at least the speed of the system is improved over past implementations. A flattening of menu structures would be more welcome, though. Beyond usability complaints, the audio system sounds great and chats nicely with iPods or thumb drives, as well as offering satellite radio. Premium automakers, with their longer development cycles and niche sales numbers, seem to be more afflicted by obtuse electronics than bread-and-butter brands. Land Rover's entire lineup would benefit from a wholesale electronics update.

All in good time, perhaps, as the engine and chassis have just received that kind of fine-tuning, turning the sow-like LR3 into the responsive, nimble LR4. Anti-roll bars have been enlarged, dampers stiffened and a new steering rack is also part of the remix, which perks up the LR4's tiller and makes it respond attentively to driver inputs.

One quick boot of the accelerator pedal delivers results of the most significant upgrade to the LR4. The new 5.0-liter V8 speaks with authority and pushes the LR4 with the assertion to match. With 375 horsepower and 375 lb-ft of torque, the new NA mill puts out nearly as much as the old supercharged V8. Despite the robust gain in power, direct injection allows a ULEV2 emissions rating, and there's more bandwidth to the power curve. Efficiency is improved too, though the weight of your right foot will be the main determinant in achieving good fuel economy. Variable camshaft timing and a squeezy 11.5:1 compression ratio are directly responsible for the attentive throttle response and refined manners. This new 5.0 is an engine that's Johnny-on-the-spot, has a musclecar-worthy exhaust note and offers a significant power increase over its predecessor without any economy penalty, even with more than a half-liter of extra displacement.

There's also a feeling of solidity to the LR4's structure that comes from its unique mix of monocoque and ladder frame that Land Rover calls Integrated Body Frame. It adds to the curb weight, but building the passenger compartment and engine bay like a unibody vehicle while bolting the drivetrain and suspension to a ladder frame pays off. Doubtless, the weight makes for a comfortable ride, especially since the air suspension is so adaptive and the T-Square bodywork doesn't jiggle or flex noticeably.

As we've described it so far, you might be thinking of the LR4 as a British interpretation of the '88 Caprice Classic wagon. Obviously, that would be patently wrong. Even without attempting the Rubicon, the LR4 lets you smugly comfort yourself with the thought you could go rock crawling if you wanted to. Both on- and off-road, the ride is impressively cloud-like. Off the blacktopped path, the structure doesn't turn into an oscillating chamber of horror, either. Everything stayed put, with just the Jaguar-sourced V8 providing the main soundtrack as we sipped our coffee and tried to avoid high-centering.

In most cases, selecting 4WD while on the fly will suffice, though Land Rover hasn't rested on its serious off-roading laurels. Terrain Response has a new "Sand" mode, as well as tweaked calibrations to account for the new engine and improve its prowess on different surfaces. A lap of the deep snow around the backyard swingset showed off the capability of the system in low-range with the differentials locked. The neighbors were not amused.

A $57,000 family truckster that sucks fuel at the rate of less than 20 miles per gallon isn't always the right choice. There are those that need three rows of seats along with four-wheel drive that's capable of conquering the Himalayas, but all three of those people already have cars. The luxury and style of the LR4, along with the new powertrain and sharpened reflexes are what's going to close sales. It's not the most logical family vehicle, but it's one of the most capable.




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First Drive: 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera LP570-4

Duck your head, limbo in, probe the footwell for legroom, lower yourself carefully into the Sparco tub, stretch out, breathe out, and relax if you can. No, the Gallardo cockpit is not made for tall fatsos whose Gold's Gym membership expired in 1972. Which is a shame, because the Superleggera epitomizes luxury in a modern, laidback fashion - super, yes; leggera, less so. Almost the entire passenger cell is lined with black Alcantara, which looks and feels like suede. To reduce weight, the door panels, the transmission tunnel cover, and the seat buckets are made of shiny carbon fiber. Other nice touches include bespoke instrument faces, body-color accents like contrasting stitching and piping, aluminum pedals, and a meaty steering wheel with an ever-so-slightly squared-off bottom.

Painted orange metallic, our fully loaded test car was charmingly over the top, what with orange weaving in the seat faces and orange brake calipers. To shed the 154 pounds required to bring the power-to-weight ratio down to 5.2 lb/hp, the engineers switched the rear side windows and backlight to distortion-prone polycarbonate. The high-gloss engine compartment cover, rear diffuser, front splitter, full-length undertray, and the extra-wide rocker panels are baked from carbon fiber. Not exactly essential - but nonetheless available at extra cost - are such attention grabbers as the LED engine bay, cabin and puddle lighting packs, and the stacked, nonadjustable, Countach-style tail spoiler. All in all, the more radical material mix helps to push down the curb weight to 2955 pounds, which isn't bad at all for a fully loaded, V-10-engined, four-wheel-drive supercoupe.

The tight-fitting Superleggera makes for an extremely intense driving experience. The one-size-fits-few seats are suction-cup fixtures that a dominatrix would be proud of. The instant throttle response launches you forward like an ejector. The ultra-quick steering feels like a high-voltage handshake. The merciless brakes threaten to inflict reverse whiplash injury. The suspension holds the road like an unsprung magnetic field. Dressed to impress with go-faster stripework and plenty of drag-cutting add-ons, the Superleggera marks the transition from boulevard racer to hardcore supercar that can't wait to be unleashed. This Lamborghini redefines the demarcation line between pain and pleasure, punishment and reward. Its helm dismisses you with chimney-sweeper palms, its exhaust system temporarily impairs your hearing, its chassis is liable to blur your field of vision, and its transmission combs your hair backwards as it changes gear at 8500 rpm sharp. The term cruise missile comes to mind as phenomenal grip and insane traction make the mighty orange wedge stick to its flight path as if inertia, mass, and g-force were totally negligible dynamic commodities

A bit of chip tuning was all it took to squeeze an additional 10 hp out of the 5.2-liter V-10 Gallardo engine, which now delivers 570 hp at 8000 rpm and an unchanged 398 lb-ft at 6500 rpm. By reprogramming the thrust mode of the e-gear transmission for 5000 take-off revs and an absolute minimum of wheelspin, Lamborghini claims it has shaven a notable 0.3 second off the 0-to-62-mph acceleration time, which is rated at 3.4 seconds. The top speed remains the same at 203 mph. Although Lamborghini still offers the classic manual transmission complete with chrome gate, polished golfball shift knob, and wonderfully positive action, the take rate has dropped to under two percent. How come? Because there are no tangible performance or efficiency benefits (the stick shift car is actually seven percent thirstier), and because the paddle-shift operation makes it a lot easier to cut that torque pie expertly into six even slices.

The Superleggera is, in fact, quite civilized and can be had with navigation, a high-end stereo, iPhone connectivity, a front-axle lift system, rear-view camera, and an automatic mode for the paddle-shift transmission. The Lambo will happily entertain the street café crowd at a mix of 6500 rpm and 15 mph in first all the way down the main drag. It doesn't balk at extensive stop-and-go frustrations, and it will, at the push of a button, perform one head-turning race start after the other. As soon as the road is clear, it begs for the Corsa program, which lowers the ESP threshold and raises the rev limit. This is arms-forward, head-down, hips-back stuff: every full-throttle upshift sends a brief judder through the aluminum monocoque, kicks butt with a vengeance, makes the nineteen-inch Pirellis leave their initials on the tarmac in first, second, and occasionally even in third gear.

The Lamborghini makes you work hard, sweat early, and fear regularly. For a truly uncompromising driving machine, look no further than at our arancia borrealis tarmac peeler. This car is stiff, edgy, impatient, and aggressive, a corner-greedy pothole-hater that's ready to pick a fight and is always on the prowl. The Superleggera needs to be pushed to shed idiosyncrasies like the lumpy low-speed ride, the grotesque tramlining, and the initially passive handling. But as soon as the wide track, the long wheelbase, and the low center of gravity push open that critical velocity window in a concerted action, Dr. Jekyll becomes Mr. Hyde - and minor inputs yield major effects. This is a beautifully modular car gifted with sensuous steering, sensational speed-induced stability, an almost feline feeling for the complexities of the pavement, and a magic maneuverability that pivots around an interplay of invisible axes as though inspired by an M. C. Escher drawing. True, the Superleggera scribes an embarrassingly extrovert turning circle, and its brittle front axle lacks the compliance Porsche has thankfully rediscovered for the GT3 RS, an obvious competitor to the Superleggera. But the Lambo's brakes are more progressive, torque feed is much more seamless, and being really quick doesn't automatically require grand gestures and superhuman saves.

In terms of overall competence, the newest Lamborghini scores a solid ten. In terms of value for money, however, you may be better off with a no-frills Gallardo LP560-4 coupe. Quite a bit better, in fact, since the Superleggera will command a $32,600 premium over the $205,000 LP560-4 when it goes on sale here in June.

First Test: 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Limited, 3.6R Limited

With the launch of its all-new, fifth-generation Legacy, a flagship sedan that now offers competitive performance, passenger volume, and fuel economy, Subaru is poised to make inroads in a segment in which it sold just 64,997 units in 2009. Compare that to '09 sales of the Toyota Camry (356,824) and the Honda Accord (290,056), and the Legacy is unquestionably a small-time player. Nevertheless, 65,000 cars is still a respectable number, and Subaru is confident its new Legacy has the goods to boost that sales figure. Based on our time spent with a four-cylinder Legacy 2.5i Limited and six-cylinder 3.6R Limited, Subaru has every right to be confident.

Given that the Gen V Legacy has grown only 1.4 inches in length and around 50 pounds in curb weight, it doesn't appear much larger than its predecessor. But, thanks to a 3.2-inch stretched wheelbase, a 3.6-inch wider breadth, a 3.2-inch taller roofline, and some clever packaging, the 2010 boasts 9.5 cubic feet of additional passenger volume and 3.9 inches of additional rear legroom. "There's a nice blend of rear-seat support and comfort (not too flat, not too shapely)," says technical editor Kim Reynolds. Tech director Frank Markus adds, "Loads of rear-seat foot room and a great center armrest." The rear doors now offer 15 inches of additional entry/exit space; the trunk has swelled 3.3 cubic feet to 14.7; and the 60/40-split back seat folds flat.

Audi RS7 Concept Artist Design Interpretation

This is an artist's imagining of a possible Audi RS7.

This RS7 rendering sees the car with a rear-mounted engine, with design elements much like the current (real) Audi R8, including the contrast in color between the engine bonnet and the rest of the body.

But here the contrast becomes more defined, with a stark black covering the rear engine bay and extending to the rear of the body, covering the rear wheel wells too.

The horizontal design lines resonate Lamborghini, just like the R8 does, but also provide a larger curve over the front wheel wells adding a more organic touch to the RS7.

Mercedes-AMG Driving Academy picks up dates for 2010, adds SLS and Pro-level courses

What do you do after hitting success with a trial product? Bring it back and make it bigger, of course. That's just what Mercedes-Benz has done with its AMG Driving Academy, a program that our own Editor Paukert attended the course last fall at Lime Rock to his great amusement and education.

This year's courses will put participants in the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, SL63 AMG, C63 AMG, SLK55 AMG and, new for this year, the SLS AMG gullwing. After working your way up through Basic and Advanced courses, you're ready for Top Gun testing in the new Pro level course, which means an "intense curriculum" and open lapping at Road Atlanta.

BMW reveals X5 M Sports package details, photos

Initially, BMW revealed that for the 2011BMW X5 would be getting two new turbocharged engines, as well as some very minor visual tweaks to both the front and rear fascias. Now, however, the Bavarians have dished out the details about the X5's new M Sports package, which not only gives the popular SUV a more aggressive appearance, but makes slight improvements to its overall dynamics.

No tweaks have been made to the engine's overall performance, though a slightly revised chassis setup features a high-speed setting for better handling and stability. New 19-inch light-alloy wheels are standard fare for the M kit, and a bi-colored set of 20s are optional, both of which are wrapped in different tires that BMW says are "chosen specifically for the X5." Other exterior upgrades include revised tailpipes for six-cylinder models, an M body kit, new door sills and satin-finished chrome roof rails. The M Sports treatment also adds sporty touches to the cabin, including sport seats, an M-branded leather steering wheel and brushed aluminum trim.

Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid concept gets 78 mpg, hits 62 mph in 3.2 seconds

Here you go, have your cake and eat it too. Porsche is looking to prove that the best of both worlds don't have to be mutually exclusive with the 918 Spyder concept scheduled to debut tomorrow at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Looking a bit like a Carrera GT evolved, the 918 Spyder is powered by both a 500-horsepower V8 and a pair of electric motors (one for each axle) producing an additional 218 hp or 160kW. At full gallop, the concept can theoretically reach 62 mph in 3.2 seconds and nip 198 mph on the high end. On the flip side, Porsche says it can also achieve 78 miles per gallon and emit just 70 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

How does a supercar have such range? Well, the 918 Spyder concept is a parallel hybrid just like your mom's Prius (well not just like). That means the two powertrains, gas and electric, can operate together or separately to motivate the wheels into motion. There are no less than four modes that configure the powertrains for anything from maximum efficiency to maximum performance and everything in between. The E-Drive mode means pure electric power, and the car can reportedly last up to 16 miles on electrons alone. Next up is Hybrid mode, which is just what it sounds like and would probably be the mode for everyday around town driving. The Sport Hybrid mode again uses both powertrains, but tips the needle a bit more towards performance with most power reaching the rear wheels. Finally, the Race Hybrid mode means all systems are go for the lowest lap times possible (Porsche says it can do the Nordschleife in less than 7:30 minutes). There's an even a push-to-pass button (if only it were that easy) that adds a bit of E-boost on the straights and, of course, regenerative braking is present and accounted for.

Lastly, take a good look at the interior because Porsche says it offers a glimpse at future interiors from the automaker. Sounds good enough to buy so far, right? Too bad, because it's just a concept. We'll bring you live shots of the 918 Spyder concept tomorrow after it debuts in Geneva, so sit tight.

[Source: Porsche]