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2011 Land Rover LR4 HSE (photos)

The 2011 Land Rover LR4 may not be sophisticated from a cabin tech standpoint, but its power train technology is most certainly worth noting.

Antuan Goodwin
Antuan Goodwin gained his automotive knowledge the old fashioned way, by turning wrenches in a driveway and picking up speeding tickets. From drivetrain tech and electrification to car audio installs and cabin tech, if it's on wheels, Antuan is knowledgeable.
Antuan Goodwin
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1 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
It's big. It's strong. It's the 2011 Land Rover LR4 HSE LUX.
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2 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
This new Rover presents a modern reinterpretation of the classic Land Rover aesthetic.
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Under it's hood is a 375-horsepower V-8 engine.
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Power flows through a six-speed automatic transmission with a Command-shift manual mode.
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The LR4 is definitely one of the most capable off-road vehicles to pass through the CNET garage.
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A complex Terrain Management system ties together the LR4's various drive systems for maximum available traction.
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Users can view information about the selected drive mode on the Rover's information display.
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8 of 22 Antuan Goodwin/CNET
The Rover's air suspension is adjustable to three levels. The lowest is an access mode for easy entrance and egress, the normal mode sits about 4 inches higher, and the off-road mode raises the SUV for maximum ground clearance.
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9 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
Fuel economy leaves much to be desired, with an EPA estimate that sits in the low teens.
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One thing that the Rover does have plenty of is storage space.
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The rear hatch splits open for easy loading and unloading. Not visible here is the HSE trim level's fold-flat third-row seating.
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Inside, the Rover's luxurious cabin belies its rugged nature, particularly in our premium leather-trimmed LUX model.
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Steering-wheel controls are easy to reach and understand, with buttons and toggles that fall easily in hand.
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Land Rover gives users physical controls that somehow manage to feel rugged without looking cheap.
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Instrumentation is simple. Although there is a monochromatic display between the analog gauges, it displays a surprisingly low amount of info and is rather difficult to use.
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16 of 22 Josh Miller/CNET
The LR4 features standard Bluetooth hands-free calling, but the system is among the most difficult we've ever used with no visual and few audible prompts.
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The Rover's color display features an interface that wastes far too much space on interface chrome and not nearly enough on the displaying of information.
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Navigation is a simple affair. There is no traffic data available.
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Once paired, users can download and access their phone books using the color touch screen, but voice command is still a bit lacking.
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Nowhere is this more prevalent than on the audio source selection screen, where we can barely see what song is currently playing.
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The receiver is iPod-compatible via a proprietary connection and cable.
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Tucked away in the center console, this small refrigerator is, literally, the coolest feature of the LUX trim level.

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