2013 Land Rover LR2 Debuts with Range Rover Evoque's Turbo 2.0L I-4
LR2 Gets Revamped Interior
The Land Rover LR2 (known as the Freelander 2 outside the U.S.) has long been the red-headed stepchild of the Land Rover lineup. Mostly unchanged since its debut in 2006, the 2013 Land Rover LR2 is finally receiving an update, which includes a new turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 also under the Range Rover Evoque's hood.
The biggest update to the 2013 Land Rover LR2 is the addition of the Evoque's four-banger under the hood. There's no difference in power output between the Evoque and new 2013 LR2; the direct-injected 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 makes a healthy 240 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. The turbo-four replaces the LR2's old 3.2-liter 230-hp and 234 lb-ft of toque I-6. Land Rover conservatively estimates a 0-60 mph time of 8.2 seconds.
The lighter engine will improve the LR2's fuel economy, though Land Rover has yet to release any consumption estimates. The outgoing LR2 with the I-6 was EPA rated at 15/22 mpg city/highway, while the LR2's new four-pot is rated at 18/28 mpg under the hood of the Evoque. As before, the LR2's engine is coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission and full-time all-wheel drive.
Outside, the 2013 Land Rover LR2's changes are minor; it gets revised headlights and taillights. Inside the 2013 LR2 gets a more modern interior. The center stack is entirely new, and comes with a 7-inch touch screen. The Terrain Response dial is replaced with buttons to mimic the Evoque's layout. The LR2 also gets a new instrument panel similar to that of the Evoque and Range Rover Sport, with a 5-inch color information screen flanked by the speedometer and tachometer. The LR2 will also have a standard leather interior, rearview camera with hitch assist, and optional 825-watt 17-speaker sound system.
The base 2013 Land Rover LR2 will start at $37,250, the LR2 HSE at $39,750, and the fully loaded LR2 HSE LUX at $42,350. Those prices are $700-$850 above the 2012 Land Rover LR2, but still far below the base-model Range Rover Evoque four-door, which carries a $43,995 base price.
Source: Land Rover
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I generally like writing—especially when it’s about cars—but I hate writing about myself. So instead of blathering on about where I was born (New York City, in case you were wondering) or what type of cars I like (all of ’em, as long as it has a certain sense of soul or purpose), I’ll answer the one question I probably get most, right after what’s your favorite car (see above): How’d you get that job? Luck. Well, mostly. Hard work, too. Lots of it. I sort of fell into my major of journalism/mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and generally liked it a lot. In order to complete my degree senior year, we had to spend our last two semesters on some sort of project. Seeing as I loved cars and already spent a good portion of my time reading about cars on sites such as Motor Trend, I opted to create a car blog. I started a Tumblr, came up with a car-related name (The Stig’s American Cousin), signed up for media access on a bunch of manufacturer’s websites, and started writing. I did everything from cover new trim levels to reviewing my friends’ cars. I even wrote a really bad April Fool’s Day post about the next Subaru Impreza WRX being Toyota-Corolla-based. It was fun, and because it was fun, it never felt like work. Sometime after my blog had gotten off the ground, I noticed that Motor Trend was hiring for what’s now our Daily News Team. I sent in my résumé and a link to my blog. I got the job, and two weeks after graduation I made the move from New York to California. I’ve been happily plugging away at a keyboard—and driving some seriously awesome hardware—ever since.
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