Filed under: Crossovers/CUVs, Land Rover
Seven-seat Land Rover LR2 could hijack LR3 name
Click above for high-res gallery of the Land Rover LR2 HSE
The LR2 gives Land Rover a semi-affordable entry model that is much more fuel efficient than the rest of the luxury SUV-maker's lineup. To help keep LR2 sales strong in a car market that is increasingly tougher for crossovers and SUVs, Land Rover is reportedly looking at adding a third row of seats by 2010. So the question is, how does Land Rover differentiate the seven-seat LR2 from the five-seater? Sometimes an automaker will just increase the number in the model's name by one, but that apparently doesn't work well with the luxury automaker's brilliantly simple naming convention.
One idea is to shuffle names around to differentiate the two LR2 models. The seven-seat LR2 could be called the LR3, while the current LR3, a different model entirely, would then get bumped up to LR4 status. We understand there aren't many options for Land Rover, but shuffling around model names with which customers are already familiar seems extreme. Why not make the seven-seat model the LR2 L or LR2 XL or LR2 ES? There is, after all, already an LR2 HSE.
Gallery: 2008 Land Rover LR2 HSE
[Source: Auto Week]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Avinash machado 11:40AM (9/05/2008)
I have a better idea. Bring back the Freelander and Discovery names and call the Seven-Seat model the Freelander XL.
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MJL 11:41AM (9/05/2008)
Or how about do what they used to do with the old Disco when it was available with 7 seats and call that edition the SE7? You could even call the up-rated one the HSE7.
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blackEldo 11:49AM (9/05/2008)
Um, why not use, I don't know ACTUAL NAMES??? Names like, hmm,
DISCOVERY, or FREELANDER. Oh, and DEFENDER, yeah, that sounds just
crazy enough to work. Who decided that, in order to increase brand
recognition, LR-USA should abandon INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZABLE
NAMES? You people are killing me and baby Jesus.
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LDMAN 2:29PM (9/05/2008)
Because the Ford boyz took over and thought American customers were too dumb to tell a Disco from Freelander so they made it simple with number. What kills me is that there were talks of Defender being called LR1. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
Markona 11:58AM (9/05/2008)
Keep it simple, Land Rover North America! Just call the LR2 a Freelander and the LR3 a Discovery like the rest of the world does.
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MikeMidd 11:59AM (9/05/2008)
If I were Land Rover, I would avoid using "XL" anywhere near an SUV name. Given the gas crunch, it seems people are downsizing.
I agree, bring back Discovery and Freelander. Make this the Freelander 7S (7 seats) or 3R (3 rows) or something.
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Borger 12:33PM (9/05/2008)
Was this based off the Ford Escape, It looks very similar.
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Dazza 12:58PM (9/05/2008)
No, it uses Ford's EUCD platform along with the likes of the Ford Mondeo, S-max and Galaxy, and the Volvo V70 and S80.
Adam 12:58PM (9/05/2008)
On names, not numbers: agreed.
However, the new vehicle is supposed to be more than a stretched Freelander/LR2, so I think it deserves its own name--not just an XL or SE...
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Tsunami Racer 1:45PM (9/05/2008)
i remember talking with a LR exec once and i asked, Why change Discovery to LR3 in the US only? he said their focus groups told them the name "Discovery" was associated with "Unreliability" in America.
I asked, Are you sure it was "Discovery"? Are you sure it wasn't the name "Land Rover"?
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Soccer Mom 2:03PM (9/05/2008)
I fail to see the luxury of LR2 (Freelander). Isn't it a slightly upgraded Ford Escape? At list it looks, feels and drives like a 20K vehicle.
Stick two more seats in it? What a great idea. I think they can easily fit 4 rows of seats, actually. No one needs that leg room anyway.
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J3-Colt 2:53PM (9/05/2008)
Actually, the LR codes don't stand for Land Rover, but rather:
LR2 - Low Reliability 2
LR3 - Lower Reliability 3
LR4 - Lowest Reliability 4
When they hit LR5, they won't even be able to get them out of the production lines under their own power.
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Joseph 7:21PM (9/05/2008)
This post is idiotic. There has already been a 5 and 7-seat LR3. The LR2 and LR3 are not so similar that you could slap the LR3 name on a LR2 just because there is another row of seats inside.
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