I Need a Tough Desert SUV with Room for 7: Should I Buy a Land Rover LR4? [Ask TFLcar]

2010 Land Rover LR4 HSE
Is the LR4 tough enough for everyday Mojave Desert duty?[photo: Land Rover]

Is the LR4 the answer? Ask TFLcar

This week, TFLcar reader Yanina A. wrote to us from the desert in California with this question:

I work for a non-profit organization focused on the Mojave Desert. My job is to survey the entire Mojave Desert, monitor, protect and restore the desert. It is a great job! One of the perks is to drive awesome vehicles.

So we have two company vehicles:

Well, the Suburban is on it’s way out, it’s days are over. So, I’m in charge of choosing a new vehicle, yay!

Here’s what we need:

  1. Really reliable off-road capability
  2. Towing capacity
  3. Seats for 7 to 9 passengers
  4. Decent fuel economy
  5. Good value. We are on a budget.

I know I’m asking too much. So I compared different cars and the Land Rover LR4 keeps winning. I’ve been watching your videos on you tube, but I wanted to ask your expert opinion. What do you think? Should I commit to the Land Rover or is there anything better? (I really wanted the Toyota Land Cruiser, but it is over the budget)

Thanks for your input.

TFLCAR’s TAKE: Yanina, we pulled together the braintrust at TFL and came to the conclusion that it’d be wise to add the Toyota Sequoia to your vehicles under consideration. It checks off all your boxes and would be a solid replacement for the Suburban.

[photo: Toyota]
You can check out our video mashup review of the Sequoia below. And readers! Be sure to let Yanina know your thoughts in the comments as well.