I remember when Interstate batteries were considered one of the best.
Now they seem to worse than some off name bargain battery.
Last year I had to replace the Interstate battery in our Rover. It was only a little over two years old.

 

Eh at the shop I manage we've been an interstate dealer for over 10 years and they're just the same if not better than before. There's a reason they all have different warranties - the 2yr ones have thinner plates, different reinforcements, etc. Small things can tank the batteries with the loads these vehicles put on them, like the OP's dead voltage regulator a few weeks ago for example (some can even throw AC current into battery!) Plus once a lead acid battery gets below ~ 11.2 volts or so, most will lose upwards of 20% total charge capacity for the rest of their lifetime. This varies depending on a lot of factors, but most mfg consider a battery empty (current-wise) by 11.8 volts or so. There are graphs out there that show discharge voltage vs impact on capacity/lifetime. If your battery is dead and you decide to "work on it again in the morning" that might have just cost you a $200 battery.

You can get things like "dead cells" etc, but usually an over-discharge damages the weakest cell anyways and might only fail when it gets cold a year later even though it's because someone left their lights on last summer, etc.

Plus batteries are getting WAY more expensive lately, so most think their $180-$200 battery is a super premium but really it's just as delicate as any other battery. The dead Interstate MTP I took out of my LR3 last fall was 6 years old! We carry Carquest, NAPA, autocraft, etc and use various options from everyone for the hot rods and shop builds or random stuff, but Interstate is still the best IMHO.

FWIW if you get a pulsetech charger you can desulfate the battery and sometimes bring them back from the dead if it's still around 11 volts or so. Those chargers are simply amazing. There are some other companies on amazon with "desulfate chargers" etc that might be good too, but pulsetech developed it. I throw it on lawn mower batteries left out in the dead of winter and they fire up like new lol - use it on everything.

 

This is kinda false logic.

The battery in the LR3 (and basically all vehicles) doesn't really know or care what loads are being used. The alternators on these are 150 amps and are about 1000% overkill for any loads used while driving. The LR3 actually monitors loads (specifically, by item - not just based on total amp/volts) and commands more or less current from the alternator. It even compensates for temperature and battery discharge state.

Basically the battery is "insulated" from whatever else you're using or doing in the vehicle, it's just a giant capacitor that sometimes sees a spike, but the alternator supplies everything. It's only really exposed during starting.

Leaving loads on while vehicle is off, letting it sit for long periods of time, operating in extreme climates, etc can have unavoidable consequences. Maybe the dealer let the battery die on the lot before you bought it, jumped it, and thought it was fine, but actually blew a few cells in it. Who knows. 4 years for a factory battery isn't TOO bad.

edit: ...and wait, as in you were driving and you were 30 miles from home? We should all know what that means.