2019 Land Rover LR2 Review
Ever since they first appeared, way back in 1948, Land Rovers have been renowned for their ruggedness and off-road prowess. But perhaps what's most impressive about the 2015 Land Rover LR2 is just how well it behaves when mud becomes tarmac, the roads twist and turn and the driver demands sportiness, rather than its famous aptitude for traversing boulders. LR2 is Land Rover's entry-level SUV, but you still get plenty of styling and luxury. Built with unibody construction, LR2 seats five, and sits below the Land Rover LR4 and the upscale Range Rover products. Very popular in the UK, relatively few LR2s are sold in the U.S. The LR2 is being phased out to make way for the upcoming Land Rover Discovery Sport. New Black Pack and Silver Pack option groups are available for 2015, including upgraded 19-inch wheels, hard-disc navigation, and special exterior/interior design elements. A new audio upgrade is offered: an 825-watt 17-speaker Meridian surround-sound system, packaged with SiriusXM and HD radio. Beneath the LR2 hood is a fuel-efficient 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with high-pressure direct fuel injection and variable valve timing, lifted from the Range Rover Evoque.
Jaguar Land Rover will NOT cut back production in the UK, once China plant comes on stream. Range Rover Evoque production in China will not reduce output at the UK factory where the SUV is also built, the plant鈥檚 operations director said. The Evoque is the first local production model built in Jaguar Land Rover鈥檚 new 130,000-unit-a-year factory in Changshu, about 110km (70 miles) northwest of Shanghai. The compact premium SUV's main production plant is in Halewood, northwest England, where it is produced alongside the Land Rover Discovery Sport, which likely will be the second model built at the Changshu factory. Last year 180,000 Evoques and Freelanders were built at the Halewood factory, putting it at maximum capacity use, plant boss Richard Else said. Halewood has just began production of the Discovery Sport, which replaces the Freelander early next year. Else said growth in China鈥檚 premium SUV market means there is enough work for both plants. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 envisage any reduction of volume. China is very much about growth,鈥?he told Automotive News Europe at a press event at the Halewood factory.
Jobs like these can take a year, maybe more to complete. But the results will be worth the wait. If you鈥檙e thinking of restoring a car - Land Rover or otherwise, I urge you to talk to the shop. Learn their philosophy and make sure it鈥檚 in line with what you want. Remember attitudes can vary with car lines. I鈥檇 approach a 1954 Rolls Royce with a very different mindset than the one I鈥檇 apply to a 1978 Land Rover pickup. Some people want to work on one line only but I鈥檓 happy to take a variety. There鈥檚 room in the restoration world for all of us. One final piece of advice - pay attention to how the shop manager communicates with you. Ask whomever you will be dealing with to explain some aspect of their trade and listen close. Do you get the sense they really understand the theory behind what鈥檚 proposed to do? If you have doubts - watch out! Some of the biggest mistakes I see come from well intentioned ignorance. Another thing to watch for is specialized knowledge. If you care about originality the shop should know what is and isn鈥檛 correct for your year and model. Ask how they will update you on progress. We send updates with images and text every week. People may roll their eyes at endless images of wheel bearings and pistons but they sure know what we are doing, every step of the way. We may send a client a thousand images in the course of a job. We want our clients to be fully informed so there are no surprises when they see their finished car.
Greetings, faithful Land Rover Lovers (and other lovers) - It has been a while since I posted anything, and that was a bitter little post, that. It has been grim here, folks. Grim indeed. Have you read THIS yet? So what does this mean for us now? Although, I doubt it. JLRNA seems to be kissing hiney somewhere along the line to keep out old Land Rovers - but why? My guess is, they believe these old primitive Defenders are cutting into their business selling new Range Rovers. I would bet on it. There are other things out there to worry about people! The irony is, a person can being in a truck MORE than 25 years old, presumably without issue, but can NOT bring one in 24.999 years old or newer - DUE TO SAFETY AND EMISSIONS VIOLATIONS. So let me get this straight; I can bring in a 1958 Land rover with drum brakes that spews black exhaust, but can not bring in a 2001 Land Rover with a clean-burning-catalyzed-exhaust and airbags - For safety reasons? Far be it from me to second-guess. ANYWAY - My other guess is that more fellas are going to want to make their Range Rover Classics and Discoveries (as well as Series 88/109 rigs) turbo-diesel and manual transmission. Well, I have engine kits for you. And I can offer installation and/or technical advice. A lot going on lately. I'll be posting more in the near future now that I am breathing again. In the meantime, we have Tdi Range Rovers for sale, and a Defender 90 with soft and hard-tops.
