Automotive Reviews
Posts tagged 4×4
2003 Land Rover Range Rover
Jul 21st
For years the undisputed king of luxury off-roaders, Land Rover’s Range Rover has been outshined in recent years. That’s why it’s completely redesigned for 2003 with the goal of putting it back on top. In recent years, challengers like Cadillac’s Escalade and Lexus’ LX470 have been knocking at the gate with similar levels of luxury and off-road ability. Land Rover has finally acknowledged that it’s not the only game in town any more, and improved the Range Rover accordingly.
The new luxury SUV has more than just Cadillac, BMW and Lexus to compete with. Given Land Rover’s honored history, the new Range Rover can easily list its own predecessor as a valid competitor as well. Those are some big shoes to fill, indeed.
The blocky, dated styling of the Range Rover has been modernized, simplified, and left the same all in one master stroke. The upright, wagon-style body is similar in silhouette to previous Range Rovers, with its flat face, wraparound hood and wide, horizontal-slat grille. That’s where the similarity ends, however. The Range Rover has been smoothed out, with more aerodynamic and flush-fitting bumpers and sheer side panels. Vents on the fenders just aft of the front wheels add a sports car-like touch. At the rear, round taillights and turn signals give the 4×4 a whole new look. Underneath the skin, the new Range Rover is a unibody, rather than a body-on-frame vehicle as past Range Rovers have been. Computer-aided design systems helped Land Rover to build the necessary strength and stiffness into the body without resorting to a separate frame. The massive 19″ wheels that are standard equipment mask the Range Rover’s size. It doesn’t look like it at a glance, but the new Range Rover is both longer and taller than its predecessor.
Inside, the Range Rover has interior appointments that borrow a page from Jaguar’s Brit-luxury handbook. Unique shapes and textures abound, and the Range Rover seems to be on par with handbuilt yachts for sheer elegance. It’s one of the prettiest interiors in any car or truck today. The steering wheel houses audio and cruise control buttons in a U-shaped ring, and if there are a few too many buttons in the center console, they can be chalked up as part of the Range Rover’s British charm. Luxury abounds, of course, from the deeply tinted sunroof down to the plush floormats. There’s a GPS in the dash of course, for off-road adventures, and a six-disc CD changer sound system with twelve speakers. What you don’t see are no less than eight airbags that have been installed to protect passengers front and rear. The only downside is Land Rover’s continued insistence on scattering controls haphazardly around the cabin.
Under the hood is 4.4 liter 32-valve V8. The new Range Rover weighs over five thousand pounds, but its 282 horsepower engine will have no trouble keeping up with the Joneses in their Lexus. The new engine is smaller than that of the outgoing Range Rover, yet it’s more powerful. Unlike BMW’s version of this engine, Range Rover has prepared its V8 for heavy-duty towing, steep-angle operation, and even fording streams. With 325 lb-ft of torque on hand, the Range Rover can tow up to 7700 pounds, and an integrated Class III receiver hitch is part of the package. A five-speed automatic transmission is standard equipment, and shifts are eerily silky. The Range Rover plays luxury car well, on the pavement, with a silent ride and none of the pitching and tossing normally associated with big SUVs.
To ensure that the ride is equally smooth on freeways or on the worst two-tracks, a four-wheel independent, subframe-mounted air suspension keeps the tires in contact with the road. Like previous Range Rovers, it can be lowered manually for easy entry and exit or raised to avoid off-road obstacles. The suspension also incorporates an automatic load-leveling feature. Can the big guy still dance off-road? Sure it can–but you might want to put on some more aggressive tires. In the unlikely event that you want to take this work of art in the mud, an army of acronyms representing traction control systems is on hand in lieu of an actual professional driver to keep everything uneventful: Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Hill Descent Control (HDC), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) Park Distance Control (PDC) and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD). And, of course, the new Range Rover has anti-lock brakes (ABS). It’s capable, but far removed from the on-the-edge, back-to-nature experience offered by other hard-core off-roaders like the Jeep Wrangler.
Naturally, almost everything is standard equipment. The only options are Bi-xenon high-intensity discharge headlamps and a Heated Accessories Package which warms the front seats, rear seats, and steering wheel. Pricing for the new Range Rover has been set at $69,330, and from the driver’s seat or the curb, it looks like it’s worth it. Land Rover reports that over 2000 have already been sold.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2003 Land Rover Range Rover.
Length: 194.9 in.
Width: 77.0 in.
Height: 73.3 in.
Wheelbase: 113.4 in.
Curb weight: 5374 lb.
Cargo space: 62.0 cu.ft (seats folded)
Base price: $69,330
Price as tested: $72,045
Towing capacity: 7700 lb.
Engine: 4.4 liter 32-valve V8
Drivetrain: five-speed automatic, four wheel drive
Horsepower: 282 @ 5400
Torque: 325 @ 3600
Fuel capacity: 26.4 gal.
Fuel economy: 12/17 (est.)
2003 Land Rover Discovery
Jul 21st
You wouldn’t know it at a glance unless you’re a serious Land Rover fan, but the Land Rover Discovery has been updated and revised yet again. As the rest of the revered off-road breed is modernized, with the arrival of the all-new Range Rover this fall and the new-to-America Freelander, the familiar Disco has been upgraded to keep with the times.
The Discovery has long been the flag-waver for Land Rover’s off-road superiority. The legendary Camel Trophy off-road competition features Discoveries exclusively. As such, the Discovery is a bit of a throwback when compared to other mid-size SUVs. It’s got a sturdy ladder frame instead of a more carlike unibody, old-school solid axles front and rear instead of an independent suspension, and a boxy, upright design that’s intended to go into terrain without roads and come out alive. Unlike the best-selling suburban sport-utes, the Discovery has always kept an eye on the woods and the trails.
Just like the Jeep Wrangler, another legendary hard-core off-roader, the Discovery lacks a truly modern design. The boxy, upright shape with the raised rear roof is such an off-road icon that it’s been copied by other manufacturers. That’s not a bad thing. The familiar Disco stands out among more streamlined sport-utes with a classic look. Now that “retro” is popular, the Discovery might just seem to be ahead of the trend. The new look isn’t all that different from the old look, but the Disco adds rounded multi-unit headlamps (similar to those of the new Range Rover) and a new grille. Sharp eyes will notice redesigned taillights as well. As always, the Discovery is never just about style, though; the revised front bumper increases off-road clearance. SE and HSE models are available with very attractive 18″ wheels.
Inside, apart from a few new trim packages, the Discovery keeps everything that made it unique. The seats are big and chair-like in Land Rover fashion, and the dash layout is somewhat more utilitarian than that of some of the Disco’s plusher competitors. Rear-seat passengers will enjoy the additional headroom offered by the raised roof, as well as the available twin sunroofs, which give back seat passengers some light and air as well. The rear door still opens hearse-style, and the little skylights in the rear roof are still part of the package. Buttons are still scattered insanely throughout the cabin; figuring out how to unlock the doors can be an owner’s manual-consulting challenge.
The new 4.6 liter V8 puts out 217 horsepower. With twenty percent more torque than last year’s 4.0 V8, the new Discovery offers an even more relaxed drive even over the worst terrain. On the smooth pavement of suburbia, the Disco is more or less bored. For those interested in drag racing, Land Rover claims a sub-9.5 second 0-60 time. That’s not impressive by sports car standards, but forget not that the Discovery is a two-ton truck. A four-speed automatic with a two-speed transfer case is the only available transmission, and with it a properly equipped Disco can tow up to 7700 pounds.
The new Discovery exhibits the same decent on-road handling as its predecessor, in spite of its off-road-oriented solid axles front and rear. Actually, let’s amend “decent” to “acceptable.” The Discovery is clearly not built with paved roads in mind, but it won’t scare you too badly on the highway, thanks to the continued use of available stability control systems. Land Rover’s Active Cornering Enhancement (ACE) works with the Disco’s self-leveling suspension to reduce body roll in turns–a distinct problem with the high-roofed Discovery. It feels heavier than any of its competitors on-pavement, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on personal taste. Be forewarned however–this is no Lexus RX300. The Disco feels like a truck, because it is a truck. Overall the ride is less wobbly than in the past, but suspension movements are still harsh.
Four-wheel traction control and a Hill Descent Control (HDC) system enhance the Discovery’s off-road ability by allowing it to creep down hills that would have lesser four-wheelers careening out of control. HDC uses the anti-lock brakes to supplement the lowest gear ratios when heading down a steep, slippery hill. This offers control a step above the normal ultra-low “creeper” gears found in most off-road vehicles. HDC supplements the Discovery’s creeper gear and prevents the wheels from locking. Climbing back up that same slippery slope that HDC brought you down is also easy, with the Disco’s torquey V8 and locking differentials. Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS are also standard equipment.
The revised Discovery’s brand of ruggedness is all but unique in the mid-size SUV segment. It’s priced a bit higher than the competition, as a result of all that hard-core hardware, too. Pricing starts at just over $38,000.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2003 Land Rover Discovery.
Length: 185.2 in.
Width: 74.4 in.
Height: 76.4 in.
Wheelbase: 100.0 in.
Curb weight: 4576 lb.
Cargo space: 63.3 cu.ft. (seats folded)
Base price: $38,350
Price as tested: $39,495
Towing capacity: 7700 lb. (low range only)
Engine: 4.6 liter OHV V8
Drivetrain: four-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive
Horsepower: 217 @ 4750
Torque: 250 @ 2600
Fuel capacity: 24.6 gal.
2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and Liberty Renegade
Jul 21st
As sport-utility vehicles grow in popularity they move farther and farther from their utilitarian roots, sprouting carlike features and pavement-friendly suspensions that are no better in the mud than a Corolla’s. In the face of this evolution, Jeep would like to remind you that its 4x4s, which arguably started the craze in the first place, are still far from civilized. And that’s a good thing. To this end, two special-edition Jeeps hit the showrooms in 2003, and neither of them has grocery-getting on its mind. The Wrangler Rubicon and Liberty Renegade are all about what made Jeep great in the first place: getting dirty.
Both the Jeep Wrangler and Liberty are respectable vehicles in their own right. They may look a lot alike, thanks to Jeep’s signature round headlamps and seven-slot grille, but where the Wrangler uses the classic WWII Jeep as its basic template, the Liberty is a more modern trucklet that hit the streets for the first time in 2001. Both trucks are highly competent off-roaders, and are aimed at drivers who intend to take them off-road.
The Wrangler Rubicon has a face and a name only an off-roader could love. The name comes from a famous California Jeep trail that’s been the site of an annual 4×4 festival since the 1950s. This fierce trail is impassable by all but the most capable vehicles, and Jeep routinely uses it for testing their trucks. Well-versed off-roaders will feel like they already recognize the Rubicon, too, because Jeep has installed a lot of the modifications that are commonly seen on modified trail vehicles. Standard equipment on the Rubicon includes locking front and rear differentials, sturdy Dana 44 axles, 31″ tires, a 4:1 low-range transfer case and diamond-plate sill guards. If you don’t know what all of that means, the Wrangler Rubicon may be out of your league.
To translate all of that equipment into English, just take this Wrangler off-road: in the mud, the Rubicon becomes a cross between a spider and a tank, crawling nimbly over and through anything you throw at it. The lockers can be switched on and off from the driver’s seat, allowing all four wheels to turn together for maximum traction even if two or three wheels are off the ground. The ultra-low gear allows the Rubicon to creep safely down steep, uncertain hills that would have other vehicles careening out of control. The torquey 190-horsepower straight six will power the Rubicon uphill as adeptly as it goes down, and it’s available with automatic or manual transmissions. On the road, it’s just like any other Jeep Wrangler, only more so. The stiff suspension and tall tires make for a bouncy ride that will likely not please anyone who’s just buying a Jeep for the way it looks. Thanks to a short wheelbase, it’s nimble on and off-road. Acceleration is good thanks to the Rubicon’s light weight, but it’s clear from the first turn of the key that this truck would rather be in the mud.
Outwardly, the “RUBICON” graphics on the hood are the only reliable clues to this Jeep’s hard-core nature, because the rocker panel guards and tall tires are common to most off-roading Jeeps!
The Liberty Renegade carries similar name recognition among the Jeep faithful, having been first introduced in 1964. This resurrected model name graces a Liberty equipped with what Jeep calls an “ultimate adventure package.” This special edition is more cosmetic than the Rubicon. First and most obvious is the four-light pod bolted to the roof. The low-rise halogen lights throw out 150,000 candlepower, the better to light up a campsite or nighttime trail. The Renegade also features more aggressive wheel flares, special wheels and a body-colored grille. The 16″ wheels are color-keyed to the body, and tube-style side steps may hamper actual off-roading slightly, but make the Liberty Renegade more curb-friendly. It’s definitely less demure than your run-of-the-mill Liberty.
Inside, you’ll find brushed aluminum on the dash and a cool, leather and cloth interior. The Renegade comes standard with the Liberty’s largest engine, a 3.7 liter V6 that makes 210 horsepower. Beneath the cosmetics, the Renegade is a nice-mannered little Liberty, and that’s a good thing. The V6 provides plenty of power, and rack and pinion steering makes the Renegade almost as nippy as the Wrangler. That light bar doesn’t create very much wind noise on the freeway, either.
Neither of these Jeep special editions will put much of a dent in your wallet. The Wrangler Rubicon, with all its extra equipment, goes out the door for only $24,485. The Liberty Renegade stickers for $22,360 in two-wheel drive form. The price goes up to $23,970 with four-wheel drive.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, which we tested.
Length: 156.1 in.
Width: 68.2 in.
Height: 72.0 in.
Wheelbase: 93.4 in.
Curb weight: 3715 lb.
Cargo space: 12.0 cu.ft.
Base price: $24,485
Engine: 4.0 liter inline six-cylinder
Drivetrain: five-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Horsepower: 190 @ 4600
Torque: 235 @ 3200
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2003 Jeep Liberty Renegade 4wd, which we tested.
Length: 175.0 in.
Width: 71.6 in.
Height: 72.5 in.
Wheelbase: 104.3 in.
Curb weight: 4251 lb (4wd)
Cargo space: 29 cu.ft. (seat up); 69 cu.ft. (seat folded)
Base price: $23,970
Engine: 3.7 liter V6
Drivetrain: four-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Horsepower: 210 @ 5200
Torque: 235 @ 4000