The wife and I are expecting another baby and it has us thinking about a bigger vehicle. We are going to be unloading her 335i and are thinking of an lr3 as we have a couple discoveries and like the utility and being able to drive on the beach. We picked up an x1 last year, but it still is a bit small for two kids so it would be nice to have something else for practical purposes and an lr3 seems to fit the bill nicely.

From others with experience driving the d2 and lr3, would you say that it drives somewhat similarly to a discovery? I like the firm steering and feel of the d2, my mother in law has an evoque and I hate it and am just a little concerned that the newer generation has become too soft. The steering is way too over assisted and the gas and brake pedal feel like on off switches, making it very difficult to drive smoothly coming from mostly bmws which are pretty tight. Is the lr3 still somewhat old school is firmness and feel?

Any input is greatly appreciated

 

I have driven a D2...not real extensively but enough to know that the LR3 feels more like that than an Evoque (which I've also driven). I'd say it's closest to feeling like a P38, but I've never driven an L322 either...prolly feels like this.

You should probably just go drive one if you can find one to test drive.

 

My wife and I bought a '12 LR4 when we were expecting our second son. She upsized from a 2010 Outback and had driven my D2. There's not much "soft feeling" about the LR4. I can't comment on the LR3's motor but the v8 in the 4 is a beast.
I know what you mean about the Evoque. My brother has one. I did a brake job on it last year and so got underneath of it. It's a nice car, not a truck. The LR4 still feels like a truck despite the level of refinement. I bet the LR3's feels the same way.

 

I drive a D1 to work. I drove a D3 for a few years every day too. Have driven defenders.

D3 has the best on road manners. Loved every minute behind the wheel. Very quick for sharp movements, avoiding potholes/debris. Very little play. My number one complaint is still complexity. Find one with the suspension in decent shape with good alignment and tires. It has one of the better auto boxes I have seen, but compared to manual it does get annoying when it slips a bit (search LR3 california stop).

 

I haven't driven a D2, but I have spent a fair amount of time in V8 LR3s and LR4s with both engine, so maybe my comparison combined with the above will help give you a sense.

They all three feel the same chassis/steering/brake-wise. The 5.0L is the strongest of the bunch, but the 4.4L is a nice engine. I also like the supercharger on the '14+. The LR4 has a more posh interior with a smoother design but it still has an overall rugged truck feel. The LR3 has a bit more of an old-school chunky interior, that I also like.

They're all great. I just bought a 2011 LR4 but would have been happy with an LR3 if I could have found a clean one at a decent price.

One issue that I had with purchasing an LR3 was that the valuation guides (KBB, Edmunds, and BlackBook) are all showing values a lot lower than what dealers and most private parties are actually willing to sell for. Almost 50% more in many cases. When you sell it down the road the value put on it by the person or dealer buying it then will be informed by those guides, so you're basically building in a pretty big depreciation hit on a 8-12 year old truck. Based on that, I felt that the LR4 was a better purchase financially.