Don’t blame cars, blame drivers

You can take them anywhere. You can live in them. They can earn you money dragging logs or whatever. 4×4s are an indispensable part of off-grid life for many of us. Ideally I would like a stretch Land Rover (as in stretch out and go to sleep), but I couldn’t afford it even if one did exist.

It’s fair to say that 4×4s don’t get the warmest of receptions in the green movement. They’ve been blamed for global warming. But, I’m willing to cut them some slack, even if the world’s hardcore tree-huggers aren’t. Just look at the LRX – Land Rover refers to this three-door concept as a cross-coupé. Roughly translated, it’s a smaller, more agile version of your traditional Chelsea tractor, with the new styling designed to reduce drag and CO2 emissions and increase fuel efficiency. It employs a four-wheel-drive system for tough terrain, but it also includes an ‘Eco’ mode for town. But can you still sleep in it?

and I wouldn’t wear muddy wellies inside the LRX – might get some on the iPhone used to set up and start the car.

TOP Five things about the new Land Rover LRX

1 All your music, navigation and communication settings are stored on an iPhone, which you dock and start the car with.

2 The interior is made from eco-friendly materials, the rear seats fold into a bike rack, and the rear door doubles as a picnic table with fridge.

3 Internal lighting changes according to the driving mode you’re in: red for sports, blue for standard and green for eco-friendly.

4 It gets all the Landy gadgets, like Hill Descent Control and Terrain Response, to deal with grassy car parks, Everest and so on.

5 With utter disdain, Land Rover has cast sunroofs into the dark ages: the LRX’s whole ceiling is transparent.