MYRON LOVE
Updated: April 13 at 02:00 AM CDT

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/autos/articles/general/story/3941379p-4553128c.html

THE newly-arrived (as of April 5) Land Rover LR2 is a welcome addition to the Land Rover product line. “We’ve been waiting for an SUV of this size for quite a while,” says Birchwood Land Rover sales rep Greg Kindrat. “The mid-sized SUVs are the strongest sellers in this market.”

The new model has a 6-cylinder, 3.2-litre engine and 6-speed automatic transmission, 230 hp at 6300 rpm and 234 lb.-ft.of torque at 3200 rpm. Kindrat points out that the model offers good fuel economy and has a spacious and comfortable interior.

The LR2, he notes, has a number of standard features — such as leather interior, power and heated seats, panoramic sunroof, 18″ wheels and a reverse park sensing system – that are usually options in other models.

The model’s base price is $44,995 (plus shipping). “We have already pre-sold some models,” Kindrat says.

The official unveiling will be later this month.

By: Myron Love (Updated: August 1 at 02:25 PM CDT)

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/autos/story/4206947p-4799299c.html

The Birchwood Auto Group’s nine dealerships have become Winnipeg’s newest Wi-Fi hot spots.

“MTS normally focuses on places such as restaurants and libraries for its Wi-Fi service,” says Kevin McNeill, director of information systems for the Birchwood Group. “We are the first auto dealers to offer the service.”

McNeill reports that there was some demand for the Internet service, particularly from customers from luxury vehicle stores (such as Birchwood BMW MINI, Woodhaven Lexus Toyota and the combination Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover store all at the Pointe West AutoPark in Headingley). “We decided to roll out the program at all of our stores,” McNeill says.

Birchwood customers are now able to bring their laptops with them when they bring their vehicles in for servicing, get the access code and go online for up to 60 minutes at a time while waiting for their vehicles.