Review: Land Rover LR2 HSE

A motoring enthusiast friend of mine had warned me about the Range Rover LR2 a few weeks before I got hold of the keys. "It's the most agile 4x4 you'll ever drive, just make sure you hand it back".

He wasn't wrong. I didn't want to let go of my new orange four-wheeled toy. When I picked it up from the showroom, however, I immediately knew this was not a vehicle enjoyed on the tarmac.

Turn the silver dial (located in front of the automatic gearshift) onto the car's unique Terrain Response and you have a variety of all-terrain options at your disposal. For road use simply spin the wheel a few notches and it switches the mode off, but flick through the others and any conditions can be taken on. Terrain Response is standard on all but the entry-level model.

Other useful features include a new full-time intelligent 4x4 system for superior traction and better on-road fuel economy, and the patented Gradient Release Control, which improves driver confidence and control when releasing the brakes on hazardous steep and slippery slopes.

Driving off-road on the yellow stuff is what this vehicle was built for. Take it on the road and you'll turn heads but its performance is best experienced while rising and dipping on desert dunes.

Labelled as a compact premium SUV and although far lighter and more sensitive, it feels much like its larger Range Rover stablemates when in control of the wheel. Park somewhere safe and walk out to examine the car, however, and its cute and concise design shows just how clever and busy the Ford designers have been.

Its 3.2 litre i6 petrol engine is performance personified for a smaller sized 4x4, not only that, I hardly notice the fuel gauge dropping as a I motor along proving how, despite heavy criticism, car manufacturers are seriously attempting to improve engine efficiency.