Land Rover LRX Concept

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What is it?
Land Rover LRX Concept

What's special about it?
Part eco-SUV, part upscale compact crossover coupe. Yes, this neatly describes the Land Rover LRX concept.

It's Gerry McGovern's first new concept since becoming Land Rover's latest design director. He calls the LRX different, relevant, engaging and exciting, among other things. "LRX has a highly desirable identity and the design alludes strongly to its capability, while clearly underlining our forward-looking philosophy — it's a Land Rover that would be comfortable on Bond Street or Fifth Avenue, but wouldn't flinch at getting its wheels dirty," explains McGovern.

So with that marketingspeak out of the way, we'll try to explain the idea of a compact crossover coupe. The LRX concept is physically smaller than the current LR2 (Land Rover has not provided any specifications), and like the LR2, the LRX is not designed for serious off-road excursions. It has full-time all-wheel drive and hill-descent control, but its 20-inch wheels and low-profile tires suggest that anything more than a flat dirt road might be a problem.

Its two-door configuration also limits the LRX's appeal as a practical SUV, but Land Rover doesn't see this as a problem. It says the LRX has been conceived as a premium vehicle that will appeal to the luxury and executive sector, where presence is more important that practicality. In other words, the LRX is for customers who want a smaller Land Rover that has all the style of the full-size Range Rover.

According to Land Rover, going small is also a nod to improved efficiency. The LRX is designed as a showcase for environmentally conscious technologies, and its size is just the beginning. To reduce weight, the LRX uses polycarbonate windows that are 40 percent lighter than glass. There's also a revised version of Land Rover's Terrain Response all-wheel-drive system that has an "urban mode," which Land Rover says further enhances the vehicle's efficiency during city driving.

On the inside, the green-washing continues with the LRX's vegetable-tanned leather. It's apparently chromium-free, which makes it more recyclable. Then there's the felt carpet made from sustainable resources and a headliner material that was a plastic bottle in a former life.

Environmental grandstanding aside, the interior of the LRX looks worthy of the Land Rover name. Chocolate-color leather contrasts with brushed aluminum trim to create a cabin that would make any executive feel right at home. Instead of numerous buttons and switches, the LRX uses a single touchscreen display. It can exchange data with the main gauge cluster screen or sync up with your iPhone through a dock in the center console. It sounds complicated, but looks good.

What's Edmunds' take?
Land Rover should forget all the environmental charades and stick to what it does best — high-end, off-road-worthy SUVs for people who can afford not to care about their gas mileage. — Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor