LR3 - on road only please

[scotty-OZ]

Just looked at the Discovery 3 that have hit OZ. They do not stand out except for the front. The rest looks like a Ford bread delivery van. Setting aside aesthetics I looked under the guards and the rear passenger side (driver's side in US) has a bunch of very small diameter (1mil) wires (about 15 or so) exposed (no conduit) and within about 5 inches of the wheel - plain as day. What is with that - one stick or rock off road could easily cut through them. God forbid that such a cut might disable the air suspension or locker control for the rear diff!

I have a DII with ETC and no CDL and a 95 D1. I like the idea of a car like ride on road, but at the end of the day I like (genuine) off roading too much to go the Disco 3 and I love the character of the older models.

There is a good comparrison in this months Land Rover Enthuasist Mag from the UK. Series one and two against the LR3. Stock Series one climbs a hill to the top that LR3 cannot climb - slippery mud; very similar tyres. They did not do the series 2 up the hill but would have made it in my opinion. LR3 had diffs locked up and TCS working away and being driven by a very experienced driver who then promptly just drove series one up the same route with more response from steering and it got up. I have seen another write up from UK where a fellow got prematurely stuck in mud up a hill. It seems to me that up slippery hills the LR3 could be just too heavy to complete with earlier series'.

Also there are reports that they are poor in sand on the sand setting. I dont doubt that because they are very heavy and have low profile tyres - even letting them down is not going to significantly increase footprint in a rolling sense. Juding by the size of the guards unless an owner went back to 16 inch wheels then the thing will probably always struggle on sand.

At the end of the day the series II was the most comfortable true off roader on bitumen and the LR3 is probably the most comfortable on roader that can go off road - ie a compromise that is biased towards highway. Me I prefer to go a little slower on road and have the ability off road. Just some thoughts.

Cheers

 

[01001010]

Lets just hope that LR hears and reads about critics such as these and makes improvements. I do agree with scotty on the looks..Ford has influenced WAYYY too much..SIDE NOTE: have you seen the new concept Jaguar XK8s??..they look like Ford Taurus...so yeah, i dislike the independent suspension although i know LR was aiming for a better onroad ride...ive read in several articles it rides better than the Range Rovers...i just dont know..i have mixed thoughts, i like it and i dont all at the same time...give me a few minutes and ill post when i get my thoughts str8...lol

 

[cts]

Test

Will be going to Uwharrie tomorrow, hope to make come comparisons. I sold my D2 for the LR3....had it 3 days now! Hope to see some people there...

Black HSE

 

[jsonova99]

I'm not realy big on the LR3, I can see the advantages on road. What is the towing capacity on it? Also, why did they bump the price up so much from the Series II? They should have kept it comparable to the Series IIs.

 

[NMDiscovery]

I was at the dealer and cked out a LR3 ( not impressed by the looks ) I decided to try it on the road and do the test track ......... my 04 was in the shop and I had nothing better to do .... the salesman showed all the neat things and got the keys . He had to drive it off the lot for ins reasons , he put the key in , tried to crank the motor , dead batt ...... no problem they brought a jumper kit and hooked it up ....... then he turned the key and it cranked and cranked but would not start !!!!! Asked it I would like to try another one ...... NO , then he told me about LR warranty ..... I stopped him short and told him my 04 was in the shop ...... I was just sick of the problems and was thinking about trading , so he recomends the Range Rover ....... I had been sitting in the waiting area talking to a man who had bought a RR sport and he had spent an hour telling me of the constant problems he had had .
I never drove the LR3 or the RR . SAD

 

[Markyd]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/series_5/prog_3/

Sadly the whole clip isn't there. But Clarkson liked it!

I have a theory on the 3's in that because they're built by Germans they're trying to get everyone to buy X5's even if they don't know it.

BTW on the Top gear web site check out some of the down loads of the test they do.
The best one is missing though when they put a RR up against a tank and basically dared the atnk crew (British Challebegr II to get a target lock on him!!) Fabtastic telly

 

[cts]

I have now had my LR3 for almost a year, it has been off road about 1/2 a dozen times. I have had my problems but with one excpetion of a part i clearly broke, all the problems has been taken care of by the dealer. I have never owned a truck that I can take 6 of my physician partners out to a business meal, stop by lowes and pick up plywood, or a double oven, refrigerator...etc....and then head off road and go places than a stock disco could never go.... I have had my share of problems, but I have never had a vehicle this useful.....cheers Land Rover

 

[TN-LR3]

I Agree 100 percent. The only problems I have had with my LR3 are recalls and it is too almost a year old

 

[WCURoverD90]

No problems from our HSE except the recalls

 

[lagged]

If the LR3 could fit a normal size wheel and thus have a better tire selection I think it would perform much better than it can. Are there any kits to put on smaller rotors to fit a smaller wheel?

 

[jsonova99]

The LR3 has grown on me, but my biggest concern is how are they going to hold up over time. I generally like to keep a vehicle for a long time. My D2 is no Toyota, but atleast the the majority of repairs I can do at home (with the help of this site ) The LR3 seems very complex, and a possible nightmare once the warranty is up.

 

[expectthebest]

I would guess there will be suspension problems with time given it now has air springs. If there is ever a serious failure, it will take testbook to reset the computer after the repair. This has been a problem for range rovers owners for a long time, especially those who can make their own repairs. We still need to get to the dealer to clear that hard fault.

 

[Swift]

I just spent a day sand driving (in Australia) with a whole range of Land Rovers - Disco series 1, series 2, my series 2 04MY, Disco 3 (LR3 to the Americans) and Range Rover Sport. Even though I love my 04MY Disco, I can assure you there is absolutely no problem with the new Disco3 (LR3) and Range Rover Sport on the sand. At a particularly difficult climb out of an obstacle called 'the basin' the Disco 3 and Range Rover Sport drove straight out with no problem. The Series 1 Disco (automatic) and my 04MY Disco also had no problems. The Series 1 Disco (manual) and the Series 2 Disco's with no CDL could not make it out the same way and had to use the escape road - and even then they struggled.
Basically, the big difference was the lack of CDL in the Series 2 Disco's, and the manual gearbox in the Series 1 - bogged down too easily during gearchanges, and then ran out of puff on long sand ascents.
If you set your tyre pressures correctly to suit the situation, the Disco 3 and Range Rover Sport are the most capable vehicles off road - in stock condition.

 

[Efox1971]

I sat in one today at the dealer...it was quite nice. I like the fold flat seats, as that really adds to the utility. I like that the cupholders are for real, I like that the tailgate swings up. I hate that the window switches are on top of the door sash. I can't speak for it offroad, but they seemed to have solved a lot of issues in the interior. I am not really keen on the looks of the back end yet, but it is growing on me. I did not realize how low the tow point is though. That would not be good with my ski boat.