The 2011 Land Rover LR2 combines Land Rover’s legendary off-road ability with the luxury buyers expect from a premium brand SUV in the $40,000 range. The 2011 LR2 starts at $36, 550, which makes it a value compared to the competition from BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz. Unlike the competition, which mostly focuses on luxury and on-road manners while providing just enough capability to get you out of a snowed-in driveway, the 2011 Land Rover LR2 features some of the real off-road technology that made the larger Range Rover a legend.

To give you the most control possible no matter where you drive, the 2011 Land Rover LR2 uses intelligent all-wheel-drive that routes power to the tires with the most traction to keep you in control, along with a terrain response system that adjusts the behavior of the engine, transmission and all-wheel-drive system depending on the conditions. The terrain response system has different settings specifically calibrated for tarmac (roads), grass, gravel, snow, mud, ruts and sand.

The 2011 Land Rover LR2 uses a 3.2-liter V6 engine with 230 horsepower. The LR2 is underpowered compared to the 2011 Mercedes-Benz GLK, which has 268 horsepower, but is competitive with the Audi Q5, which has 211-hp and the 2011 BMW X3, which has 240-hp. Both the BMW and Audi are available with more powerful engines, so if you have a lead foot, the Land Rover LR2 may not be the best choice for you.

The 2011 Land Rover LR2 has more trunk space than its European competition. The LR2 has 58.9 cubic feet of trunk space to the GLK’s 54.7, the BMW’s 27.6 and the Audi Q5’s 57.3 cubic feet.

The Land Rover LR2 has luxury features buyers have come to expect on premium cars and SUVs like leather seats, navigation, privacy glass, Bluetooth connectivity, automatic climate control, premium audio system, Sirius satellite radio and a panoramic sunroof.