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The prevailing sight from the driver鈥檚 seat, save a clear and sensibly laid-out instrument cluster, is the streamlined swathe of dashboard that tapers over a set-back multimedia centre. The sat-nav and its touchscreen functions well enough, even if the menu system and the unit itself, look a little old-fashioned. All too often, when faced with a new four-cylinder diesel engine and a reputable set of manufacturer鈥檚 economy figures, we鈥檝e been underwhelmed by the experience on the ground. The Mazda CX-5 emphatically does not fall into that category. It is a measure of the 2.2-litre diesel鈥檚 performance that for a moment it appears briefly in the same sentence as the mighty 2.0-litre lump that helps to make the latest BMW 3-series a five-star car. There are three factors to highlight: outright speed, refinement and frugality. Our test car鈥檚 9.4sec time to 60mph suggests it is no slouch, but what sets the CX-5 apart is its tractability and genuine sense of verve on the move. The turbo-heavy tug is lusty and assertive, and while its peak twist fades away, a healthy power band sees the engine into high revs with little reduction in enthusiasm. The result is a fine set of figures.
The long-travel suspension uses all the acquired knowledge of Land Rover engineers, and delivers a firm and stable ride in all conditions, while providing superlative cornering for an SUV that's 68.5 inches high. The vented disc brakes are big and bomb-proof. The traction system is made by Haldex, the leader in all-wheel-drive design, and it's state of the art: electronic rather than hydraulic, making it faster and more sensitive than anything that's ever found its way into an SUV. The Land Rover LR2 has it all, for a five-seat SUV. Full Review If the Land Rover LR2 doesn't knock the socks off of shoppers for an SUV of this size and price, nothing will. It offers more content than they have reason to expect, compared to what's out there. Think of it as a baby Range Rover Sport, for at least 20 grand less. 8,000 less than the next Land Rover up the scale, the LR3, and has a more powerful and smoother engine: an all-new, high-tech, inline six-cylinder built by Volvo, mated to a sophisticated six-speed automatic transmission.
Models fitted with the front jump seat come with ClearSight Rear View as standard. This is a frameless interior mirror that becomes a digital screen at the touch of a button to show images from the rear-facing camera mounted on the tailgate. It provides a wider field of vision than a traditional mirror and "removes" the rear pillars and the spare wheel from the line of sight. The popular Blind Spot Assist features comes standard on the Defender and you can pair it to the optional Driver Assist Pack for increased safety while traveling at any speed. This bundle adds Adaptive Cruise Control, Rear Pre-Collision Monitor, Rear Traffic Monitor, and Clear Exit Monitor. Other optional features include Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition, Cruise Control, Speed Limiter, Driver Condition Monitor, and Parking Aid. 49,900. Comparing it to the previous generation is irrelevant since the old SUV was discontinued in North America in 1997, but we can see where it fits in the current lineup pricing-wise. While it鈥檚 not the most affordable Land Rover, it鈥檚 not the most expensive either.
So I sold it. Skipping a few vehicles, back to Land Cruiser, this time a 105 series. Now this is not a pretty car. When I took delivery, I thought there was a hope of good Things to come, and I was right. As I got to own it, it grew on me, and for me, it started to develop its own personality. The trouble is with Land Cruisers, most of them anyway, is that they are boring. They are like the student that gets high marks, never misbehaves, is not tardy and never dresses inappropriately. But are they ever remembered? Not often. They are dull. When you put the key in, they start; and when you take it out, they stop. And they do it year, after year, after year. They have little character, and because of this, The Thing has to be generated by experiencing it. When I eventually sold mine, I was sad, not because of a loss of a friend, but because it was so damn bloody good at everything.
In the early stages of this recall we faced short-term challenges in terms of parts supply and workshop capacity within our retail network, which we went to great lengths to address. Workshop capacity was supplemented by training our roadside assistance team to complete the recall check at owners鈥?homes, minimising the inconvenience to our customers. If, after inspection, the car was found to need repair, it was kept at the retailer鈥檚 premises and alternative transport was offered. In order to provide replacement vehicles we registered additional new cars and rented several thousand more to supplement the normal service loan cars. To improve the speed of parts supply, we used air-freight to fly the parts into the UK. For a number of months there has been a steady supply of parts and retailers can usually offer a customer requiring an inspection or work on their vehicle an appointment within five days. Any customer who has received a letter about the recall but has not yet had their car inspected should contact their local retailer as soon as possible.
