2014 Land Rover LR4 HSE – Same but Different [review]

The 2014 Land Rover LR4 gets a new supercharged V6 and an 8-speed transmission along with a mild refresh.  Is it enough to keep the aging LR4 interesting and worth your money?

First Impressions

The 2014 LR4 has a slightly revised front end visible only to a keen eye.  You must know your Land Rovers like the back of your hand to notice the new exterior design touches.  The LR4 is bigger on the inside than it may appear from the outside.  The stepped roofline allows for more than adequate headroom and the driving position is tall for a commanding view of the road.

Styling/Design:

Exterior updates are very minor.  The fog light housings are now squared off and the grille gets a trim piece.  The tail lights get a new black surround.  The 2014 LR4 is still a rugged looking and classic Land Rover.

The seats are visibly narrow but still are very comfortable.  It does not take very long to figure out how to fold the 40/20/40 split second row, and the two third row seats are actually adequate for full size adults.  The second row does not slide fore and aft, but all passengers can get usable knee and headroom throughout.  It’s not as large and comfortable as the huge SUVs from GM and Ford, but the packaging is nonetheless impressive.

It’s not all roses and rainbows.  The interior is showing its age and the quality is not as high as some of the competitors (such as the Lexus GX 460).  The terrain management system lost the knob, and now has a collection of buttons.  I was able to activate different traction modes, raise and the lower the suspension, go into low range, but the little buttons are not the best design.  The center information screen is super low resolution and looks about a decade old, which it is.

Powertrain:

The big story is under hood for 2014.  The thirsty V8 is gone and in its place is the 3.0L supercharged V6 that you can also find in many Jaguars, including the 2015 Jaguar F-Type Coupe.  The output for the Land Rover is identical to the sports car: 340 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm and 332 lb-ft @ 3,500.  The torque figure may look low, but this V6 and the 8-speed automatic transmission get this heavy (5,655 lbs of curb weight) SUV down the road in a hurry.  The engine revs quickly and is not afraid to go to the redline.  The transmission is quick to shift and does not hunt for gears.  (Check out the drag race video below).

If you do too many hard launches in the LR4, you will likely see the fuel gauge go down before your eyes.  However, if you are gentle on the accelerator and use cruise control on the highway, you can squeeze respectable MPG.  We took the LR4 on a ski trip to Winter Park, CO and combined with other around city and highway driving, the beast returned 18.2 MPG overall.  This is a big improvement over the previous V8, but you no longer get that V8 sound.  The V6 here does not sound as good as in the F-Type and it’s not supposed to.  It’s not a bad sound, but it’s no eight cylinder burble.  The LR4 is carrying a 22.8 gallon fuel tank, but it needs a bigger one or the EPA average of 328 miles of range is not up to par.

Handling/Ride:

The 2014 LR4 still rides on adjustable air suspension and makes for a smooth ride on pavement.  It’s on par with competitors like the Lexus GX 460.  It’s very difficult to beat riding on air.  This Land Rover is heavy and tall, but it controls the lean in corners nicely.

Competitors:

The LR4 competes with the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Lexus GX 460, Porsche Cayenne, and Volkswagen Touareg.  I just reviewed the 2014 GX 460 and the Lexus has superior interior quality, although less usable space.  The new powertrain on the Land Rover is a big improvement in terms of efficiency, and the LR4 still can tackle very challenging off-road trails.

On the TFLcar scale of:

• Buy it!
• Lease it!
• Rent it!
• … or Forget it!

I give the 2014 Land Rover LR4 HSE a Buy It! This classic SUV has a few small issues on the interior, but it has great utility.  It’s quiet, smooth, and luxurious.  Most importantly, it is also fun.  And the fun factor always prevails.

Take a look at this drag race between this LR4 3.0L and the 2015 GMC Yukon 5.3L.

Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, writer, reporter, and software engineer. He has been a contributor at TFL since 2011. When not working or spending time with the family – you can find him tinkering in the garage or simply ‘going for a drive’.