Land Rover LR4 Wins Petersen's 4x4 of the Year Competition

Edited by JOSEPH V. KUCA

Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazine has named the 2011 Land Rover LR4 HSE the winner of its coveted 4x4 of the Year award. This is the 29th year of the enthusiast magazine's in-depth competition of new 4x4 vehicles, and the first time a Land Rover product has taken home the award.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PETERSEN'S 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD

The Land Rover LR4 HSE topped the field of four worthy competitors and ranked high in every category of this year's in-depth test. The grueling 1,000-mile trial evaluates each vehicle's suspension, engine, transmission, and transfer case along with the style and creature comforts the vehicle provides. Most importantly, the 4x4s are judged heavily on how well they perform off-road. This year's competitors also included the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford F-150 Raptor SVT, and Lexus GX 460 Premium.

"The Land Rover LR4 HSE pulled ahead of the fierce competition in this year’s test and came out an undisputed champion,” said Rick Pewe, editor-in-chief of Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road. “The off-road capability of the LR4 was remarkable, and the on-road manners were superb. It impressed every judge in the test.” As one judge noted, “Surprising, nay, shocking capabilities both on-road and off. And comfortable too! Like a true English gentleman, it doesn’t get ruffled.”

"At Land Rover we invest a tremendous amount of engineering resources and automotive technology into our vehicles to ensure we remain the most capable luxury vehicles in the world, and that capability includes being able to tackle the most severe off-road conditions imaginable," said Land Rover North America Executive Vice President Chris Marchand. "We appreciate the experts at Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazine taking these vehicles to their limits and reporting back that the Land Rover LR4 is in fact, in their words, an undisputed champion."

To be eligible to compete, a vehicle must be all-new or have improvements that make it perform significantly different from the previous model year. Vehicles must also be available for sale before January 15 of the model year, have a production run of at least 2,500 units, and be equipped with a two-speed transfer case.

The complete test results and vehicle evaluations for the 2011 4x4 of the Year competition will appear in the February 2011 issue, available December 7, 2010.  Information on the test will also be available on the Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road website, www.4wheeloffroad.com.

About Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road...

Launched in 1978, Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazine is published by Source Interlink Media, reaching 2.82 million readers and over 257,554 subscribers worldwide. Its portfolio includes many respected brands such as Motor Trend, Automobile, Hot Rod, Automotive.com, Surfer, and Intellichoice.