LRX goes where no Land Rover has gone before
While crowds flock to Paris to see the latest models at this year’s motor show, the latest concept from Land Rover was hogging the limelight in Aberdeen. Your Car takes a look at the LRX concept
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LAND Rover reached its 60th birthday this year and, to celebrate, it has created the LRX concept car.
The three-door LRX, with its more compact size, lighter weight and sustainability-focused technologies, “clearly addresses the needs of a changing world”, says Land Rover.
There’s no doubt that when it arrived at Town and County Land Rover in Aberdeen last week it raised a few eyebrows. This is a totally different ball game for Land Rover. The last concept, the Land Rover Freelander 2 has been translated into an attractive and appealing production car, so will the LRX do the same?
Managing director Phil Popham said: “At this stage, LRX is purely a concept, designed to help us develop our thinking as well as gauge customer reaction – but this feels like a hugely exciting direction to take.
“LRX is, in every respect, a Land Rover, but it’s a very different Land Rover. LRX has unmistakable Land Rover design and the breadth of capability that you’d expect from our vehicles. But it carries those essentials into a segment where the brand has never been before, and with a proposed level of efficiency that would make it one of the cleanest vehicles in its class. It is Land Rover’s way of affirming the brand’s responsible approach to future product development.
“The concept delivers the powerful message that we are as serious about sustainability as we are confident about the continuing relevance and desirability of our vehicles.”
The LRX is described as a cross-coupe, and although smaller than Freelander 2, it is conceived as a premium car designed to appeal to new customers in the luxury and executive sector – those who want many of the benefits of a 4x4 and the presence of a larger vehicle, but in a more compact package.
For a start, this is still easily identifiable as a Land Rover. Yes, it’s smaller and, let’s face it, a bit space age, but there’s no mistaking that the LRX has many recognisable Land Rover design cues. The clamshell bonnet is still there, the floating roof has been given a rework and the “wheel-at-each-corner” stance cements this firmly as a Land Rover product.
But this is definitely one of the smallest Landies seen yet. Its compact size is its main selling point – could this be the next big thing with the Chelsea tractor brigade? Its appearance is definitely more car-like, with a tapered roofline, rising belt line and no exposed pillars creating a smooth and modern shape. It even has a glass roof, mirroring the panoramic roofs we expect to see in so many SUVs nowadays. It still has the purposeful stance, sitting on 20in alloys housed in wide wheel arches, but sculpted corners certainly work in creating a smaller image.
Inside, things are still big though.
“Flexible load-carrying capacity is fundamental to the concept of LRX,” says design director Gerry McGovern. “With this car, we’ve interpreted the idea of Land Rover ‘breadth of capability’ to be more about versatility and on-road dynamics than about ultimate off-roading.”
The clear roof is supported by a spider frame which runs into the A pillars, creating a spacious feel in the cabin. The distinctive “floating” seats are supported by individual plinths, helping to create under-seat and under-floor storage space despite their commanding presence.
Key to the large space available is the horizontally split, power-operated tailgate. When the seats are folded down, creating a flat storage area, the generous load space is large enough to accommodate bikes, skis or surfboards – a huge feat for a car which promises to be “compact”.
Sophistication is definitely the aim of the interior, with a sloping centre console packed with the latest equipment. The electronic display uses floating LCD graphics to create a 3D look which can be personalised for different drivers as well as interacting with the LRX’s touch-screen display. The instruments graphics are presented in layers, depending on importance, presenting relevant information with minimum distraction.
A second touch-screen area gives an interactive display for the iPod docking facility situated in the tailgate. Also hidden away at the back of the LRX is a cool box, bottle chiller and two aluminium cup-holders positioned between two padded seating areas, presenting the ultimate in “tailgate lunch”.
Sustainability has been a prime concern for the designers of the LRX, and though the interior appears sophisticated, the materials which have been used to create it are far more impressive.
Vegetable tanned chromium-free leather for the seats, lightweight aluminium and carpet made of felt from sustainable sources are just the beginning of a truly impressive eco-friendly car. Even the “fine-suede” door inserts are made from 100% recycled material made from used plastic bottles.
The concept also adopts intelligent power management systems and other technologies first shown by Land Rover in 2006. The LRX is described as moving subtly from traditional SUV to crossover, with its more car-like appearance and dynamics, which are sportier and on-road biased. With excellent agility, handling and performance, LRX also promises the widest breadth of capability in the class.
This is said to be possible through full-time four-wheel drive and Hill Descent Control, as well as a special version of Land Rover’s Terrain Response system to optimise traction on difficult surfaces ranging from icy roads to wet grass, gravel and snow.
To reflect LRX’s more on-road bias, Terrain Response also gains a new “Eco” mode for lower-emission urban driving.
The lower weight and reduced aerodynamic drag may result in significant gains in fuel efficiency and reduced CO emissions, but what’s most important is the drivetrain at the centre of the LRX.
At the moment, in its concept form, Land Rover is exploring the introduction of diesel-hybrid powertrains.
The LRX is conceived as a highly efficient two-litre turbodiesel hybrid capable of running on biodiesel, and though it is only at the design stage, Land Rover says it “certainly has the potential to deliver an exciting future product with spirited performance”.
With figures such as 60mpg and 120g/km, the LRX certainly would shake up the 4x4 market.
Price-wise, who knows? Land Rover says the LRX would be a premium car, with a top-end LRX being placed higher than the Freelander 2.
Then again, talking about prices and specifications may be pointless as Land Rover is sticking to its guns and denying that a production model will be produced, saying, “internally, our initial response to the concept is incredibly positive, but we have no production plans yet”.
Even with fingers crossed, a car like this could take two or three years at the very least to begin appearing at shows as a fully fledged production car.
With very positive feedback from those who witnessed the powerful concept that is the LRX, it seems that Land Rover may still have a very exciting future ahead of it.
Happy birthday, Land Rover.
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