Please forgive this long post. There are no new problems or solutions discussed. Rather, this is for anyone out there who has an LR3 or is considering an LR3, especially if they have a Discovery or Discovery II.

Following a desert misadventure where we got stuck in June of 2013, my husband and I decided that we needed to buy a true 4x4 to safely explore the mountains and desert. In August of 2013, we bought a Discovery II, made sure it was trail-worthy, and proceeded to explore parts of Southern California we had never seen before. Frequently. As time went by I installed the center differential lock shifter, we got a Nanocom Evolution in case the 3 Amigos ever popped up on a trail, and we expanded our off-road safety kit. We took family and friends along so they could see some of the cool stuff that we had seen, too. The Discovery was the pinnacle of off-roading in comfort ...

Until we checked out an LR4 at the L.A. Auto show in late 2013. (I promise I'm getting to something LR3-related.) Now, I've never been a huge fan of the LR4 exterior aesthetics. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I am probably in the minority. To me, the lacy grille and all-painted exterior of the LR4 are more susceptible to damage off-road and the round LED clusters in the taillights would have looked better as squares or rectangles to go with the chunky shape of the vehicle. The interior was another story entirely. The LR3 and LR4 have a flat floor when all seats are folded! The rear doors are wide enough for adult feet to pass through without turning them sideways! All 7 seats are comfortable for a typical adult male! The window switches are on the front doors! The rear climate control cools AND heats! The cup holders actually hold drinks upright! (Well, most of them.)

So I started doing some research on LR3s. I figured that the interior has all of the major benefits that we liked in the LR4 while the exterior should be more damage-resistant. We didn't need something brand new since this is a 4th vehicle and dedicated to off-roading. I truly appreciate all of the discussion on the forum. Your contributions meant that I started looking with more information than I would have had otherwise: weak points, trim levels, how to spot an HD package, etc. If you've contributed to the discussion here, THANK YOU!

I finally found an LR3 in great condition, an HSE with HD package for the locking rear differential and in an acceptable color combination. This past weekend we took our LR3 for its inaugural off-road run and I was stunned. Now, I am still looking for 18" wheels so the 19" 6-spoke HSE wheels and street tires on our LR3 were the limiting factor. Except they weren't. We drove through deep sand, we drove up and down hills with powdery dirt, we drove up and down trails carved into hillsides with deep ruts and rocks up to about 10" in diameter. This was some of the most challenging off-roading we've done. Our Disco could have handled this but it would have been a struggle at times and there would have been some scraping. The LR3 was amazing. There were times we were driving at a walking pace as one of us spotted to pick the best path (walkie talkies are really handy for this) but no matter what we did the LR3 was comfortable and composed.

I am pretty sure that the old-school off-roaders would be appalled by the experience. The driving part was so uneventful that you could consider it boring if there hadn't been over a hundred foot drop off the side of the trail at times. I was not happy about the weight of this beast when I was comparing it to a Discovery II but the handling is about the same, the ride is improved, and the gas mileage is about 20% better than we got in our old Disco. Go figure.

As complex as our Discovery II was, the LR3 is huge leap beyond that. The computers control the 4-corner suspension, parking brake, high-low range shifting, locking center differential, and locking rear differential so there is a LOT more to go wrong. However, when working properly, the tech in the LR3 does a spectacular job. Remapping the throttle response in rock crawl mode is brilliant and makes life much easier for the driver and more comfortable for the passengers. Showing steering angle and wheel articulation can be really helpful when negotiating obstacles.

Still, I am an IT guy so I love technology but I also understand that tech can fail: sometimes at the worst possible moment. I invested in a Gap IIDTool BT, just in case one of the systems ever needs to be coaxed, especially the suspension. We also instituted some new rules to reduce the risk of failure off-road: no parking brake unless absolutely required, no lowering the suspension once raised or switching from low range to high range until back on a known-good trail or pavement. Call me paranoid, but I don't want to walk dozens of miles through the desert because of a problem that we could have avoided.

These vehicles shine when they take you off pavement with the same confidence and comfort they exhibit on-road. If you own an LR3 and you haven't recently (or ever) taken it off-road, I think that you are missing out. Land Rover's terrain response really was a game-changer in making the advanced technology easy to use. If you have stock wheels and street tires then summer may be a great time to start a new adventure: go out and enjoy your LR3.

-Rob

 

x1000. Great post. My LR3 routinely walks over obstacles that seem impossible.

 

I must say that SoCal Rob has an understanding of the 3 and the long post is appreciated.

No, the 3 does not walk on water; well the Australians pretty much routinely do the Moses thing, but then everything there is upside down and on the wrong side, but it is capable.

What I find most different is that to go where ever, the goal and prime technique is not to spin the wheels. I contrast that with most other makes where spinning the wheels seems to be the all terrain solution.

 

Seriously...how many 4x4s are more capable than the LR3?

Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Defender (unavailable new in US)
FFRR?
FJ Cruiser? (I don't think so)
H3 (I don't think so)
F-150 SVT Raptor?

...I think even D2 owners believe in it now!

 

The Ford Raptor is a possible competitor. I think the Ford guys learned alot from the 3. The Raptor has pretty much the same ZF tranny - one can use the Raptor metal pan on our ZF 6HP26X; the engine has lots of power and the suspension a high degree of articulation along with pretty good clearance.

Much like Ford put our LR3 seats and layout into the Ford Flex, the Raptor inherits a lot of design elements from the 3 as well.

The rest, well they try.

You could however add the Mercedes G Wagon; it is rigid and agile, the design is a mix of Defender and Discovery so the result is pretty capable.

 

Good add, bbyer. I actually thought of the G right after I hit "Post Quick Reply." G-Wagens are cool. I'd take one on though. LR3 has better articulation and likely a better crawl ratio. G-Wagen has the lockers, but the LR3 has 2 out of the 3 lockers and 4ETC. Not to mention Terrain Response in general is pretty amazing.

If I had to buy a pick-up, it'd be a Raptor.

 

My understand that the G-Wagon is a maintenance hound, more so than the LR is. That's ultimately why I chose LR, and the fact that your warranty is not voided if you go off road. Read the fine print for most other so called off road 4x4's.

That said, great article. The DII crowd is coming around for to the LR3. When at SCARR, usually a few of the DII guys and I will run some trails, and they "let me" go first. If I can make it, they will try. Side by side, it's clear to see that the 3/4 is a very capable vehicle.

You should be able to find 18" rims, one of the LR boards has them advertised regularly in the classifieds. I'll have a set of 5 I'm selling, but some of them are marred up, and shipping that distance is probably cost prohibitive. (rim ads) http://www.landroverworld.org/forums...splay.php?f=46