2008 LR2 SE

Luxury sports utility vehicle Land Rover has always been thought of by many as priced way beyond their budget. The price range of their LR3s are $40,000-$50,000, Range Rover Sport is over $50,000-$70,000, and the Range Rover Sport is over $70,000-$90,000.

But hope is still in the air as Land Rover has just introduced the all-new 2008 model LR2 SE with a price range that begins at a relatively affordable price of $34,700. It doesn’t have all the extra features and goodies that the other models have but it is not really stripped off other Land Rover accessories.

They even had it tested and it more than upheld the reputation of the Land Rover has as a producer of luxurious sports utility vehicles that are capable of trudging through rocks, ford streams, off road routes, and pavements as well.

This new compact, five-passenger LR2 model will be replacing the Freelander in the line-up of the British-based SUV manufacturer under the ownership of Ford Motor Co. This is the best choice for those wanting to experience the performance branded by Land Rover but at the same time not wanting to take out too much cash from savings.

What’s good about it is that it handles like a passenger car because of its design which is under the Ford car platform. The LR2’s body rides smoothly both on straight rows and mountain twisters and its strength is much more evident on off-road trails.

Another plus point is that passengers could comfortably relax inside while it passes through off-road courses.

It was also great in off-pavements as it showed stability and was sure-footed. The engineers behind the LR2 did great as its four-wheel traction control, continuously varying front/rear torque split system and the Terrain Response system allow the driver to choose settings for grass, gravel, mud, ruts, snow, and other off-road conditions. It could also tread through stream almost 20 inches deep but still not experiencing any problems.

The exterior is also as good as its engine performance as it has the traditional Land Rover styling cues. It sports a 3.2-liter in-line 6-rated at 230 horsepower and its acceleration speed from 0-60mph takes about 8.5 seconds.

The standard features and other Land Rover parts are still present like the nine-speaker Alpine sound system, a six-disc CD changer, steering wheel-mounted controls, push-button engine start, leather-wrapped steering wheels, trip computer, power sunroof and a second fixed-position sunroof, and quality Land Rover exhaust for emission control.

Its safety package includes air bags all-around, rear park distance monitor, front/rear fog lamps, and rain-sensing windshield wipers.

Auto Express New Car Honors 2007 has recently awarded Land Rover with two prestigious honors of the Best 4×4 Recreational and Best 4×4 Off Roader, beating its tough competition.

Land Rover Freelander 2 was the model which received this award as it was able to defeat its Honda CR-V and Hyundai Santa Fe competitor in one of the most hot competition, the Best 4×4 Recreational. The Discovery 3 was also able to beat its competition in the form of the Mercedes M-class and BMW X5, thus winning the title Best 4×4 Off Roader.

LAND ROVER FREELANDER 2

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 3

Ollie Marriage, the editor of Auto Express road test said, “The off-road king is back. The Freelander 2 has returned to the top of its class with a neatly designed and beautifully executed second-generation car.”

Land Rover was extremely happy to have received this award with the automaker’s Managing Director Phil Popham saying, “We are absolutely delighted to win these awards from Auto Express for both the Freelander 2 and the Discovery 3, in a year where we will have a third successive sales record.”

He added, “Achieving the Best 4×4 Off Roader award for the Discovery 3 - a car that continues to be an outstanding success, consistently beating new entrants from other manufacturers - is a testament to its class-leading diesel engine, its versatility and its all-round package.”

This is already on sale at UK and it carries a price tag of £20,935 in Land Rover dealerships throughout UK and this includes the contribution to offset carbon dioxide emissions. Since it went on sale in UK, it was already able to generate sales of over 8,000 units.

On the other hand, the Discovery 3 was able to sell 34,000 units in UK since its introduction in 2004 and it still continues to garner great compliments around the world and also nearly 100 international awards today, especially with the Land Rover Discovery parts that are incorporated in it.

This would be of no wonder as the Land Rover parts have always been known to produce quality performance, making this SUV one of the hottest grabs in any season.