Drivin’ Around
When I was first approached by the folks at Land Rover of Greenville asking if I’d like to drive a Land Rover 2 for a month to see what it was like, I though it’d be pretty nice. My car is an older Mustang ragtop, so going to an SUV would be different.
It’s actually been VERY different and I’m getting spoiled. I guess the L.R. people knew that once I drove the “2″ for a while this would happen.
I’ve driven a lot of different SUV’s before, but this one is by far the nicest. At one time or another I didn’t own but I drove a Lincoln Navigator, a Cadillac Escallade, A Ford Explorer and a Chevy/GMC Suburban. All of those had a very different feel than the Land Rover. They are bulkier and frankly, the handling is not as crisp.
Here’s some specs on the LR2;
• MSRP starting at $34,700* I think the one I’m driving, which is identical to the black one pictured on their website at ;http://www.landrovercarolinas.com/greenville/newproduct.html goes for right around $40k. But the difference is that the LR2 has a ton of standard features that are options on the BMW it most directly competes with.
Because it has a 3.2-litre inline 6 engine with 230 horsepower there is plenty of juice for getting up to interstate speed quickly. Nice to know if there’s an 18 wheeler bearing down on you.
And with 59 cubic feet of space (largely because of the engine being in transverse, or sideways) it feels much bigger than it is. Best of both worlds; tons of space, great sightlines from the driver’s seat, but not so big you feel like you need a harbor tug to help you park it.
It also has great safety features like a 7-Airbag SRS system.
The ride is also enhanced by the 18″ Alloy Wheels and oversize tires. Great ride, again, like a much bigger SUV.
And it hasn’t been bad on gas either, a fill-up has run me just under $50 and I’ve filled it up once a week, driving mainly back and forth to work here at the station (about 15 miles each way) and for shopping trips and golf course runs on the week-end.
It just runs great with a new six-speed automatic transmission with CommandShift™
And WORD as well as the other Entercom stations (Magic 98.9, Rock 101, B-93 and The Planet 98.9) all sound super on the 9 speaker Alpine audio system with 320 watts of sound.
If there were any negatives I had found in the LR 2, I’d share them with you because I feel I’d have too. Honestly it’s been a treat to drive it and if you are thinking about an SUV because your lifestyle, family, etc demand it, I suggest before you buy anything you drive one of these LR2’s. I think you’ll love it as much as I have. I’m going to hate to give it up!