Hello Land Rover, I did some searches around the forum looking for some consensus but I was not able to find what I was looking for. Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere.

I am replacing a '14 Subaru Forester XT touring. I really liked this vehicle and it performed well enough for my needs but I need to go bigger. I don't want to sacrifice any of its abilities however and I spend a lot of time on dirt roads (some pretty bad) in the mountains. Sometimes heavy rain creates a fast moving temporary river across a dirt road and I need to be able to drive through it, I go up steep muddy, slippery hills, through snow, and over river rocks alongside a major river for miles. My Subaru could do all this and do it pretty well. It was also reliable and comfortable but I need more interior space.

I found a 2016 LR4 HSE (I'll post the link below) but I am also considering the new Subaru Ascent (it's the first year of that model and that makes me a bit nervous), a '17 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit, or a Toyota 4Runner. I need an off-road capable vehicle but not a rock crawler, with good cargo space that's reliable. Would you please let me know if you think the search can stop with this LR4?

https://www.landrovermonterey.com/ce...13be2d8d56.htm

Thanks for your help

 

Find yourself a good used 2008 LR3 or 2011/12 LR4. With the proper care they will last you for years, capable of loads that will exceed your needs, and truly the best off road capacity out of the box. The newer ones such as your link... they are lack luster. They downgraded the engine, as well as the off road capacity. Save your money, on the 2016. You can spend less than 22k and walk away with a trooper of truck. Jeeps suck, I have done photography work a their testing facility. DONT BUY JEEP.

 

From your link it looks like you are somewhere in Northern California. I am in the Sacramento area and after reading the reply about getting an older LR3, it reminded me of an 05 LR3 with 81k miles I saw on craigslist last week. I thought it looked nice, but have no use for a 4th vehicle
https://sacramento.craigslist.org/ct...842961091.html

I have a 2016 LR4 but haven't owned it long enough to offer an opinion of it. Regardless, it's an upgrade from our old 01 Disco.

 

damn.... that '05 is perfect... put another 3-4 into it for age related stuff and your good to go for another 100+ k. sweet find. That would be worth the 4th.

 

Thank you for the posts but I'm not sure I understand. what is the difference between a 2011/12 LR4 and a 2016? I spoke to a local mechanic and he was not able to clarify (although, to be fair, he seemed disinterested in the conversation and acted like I was bother him). It's difficult to find older Land Rovers and most of the options in my area are 2016 LR4's.

Thanks again for all the assistance. I want to make sure I"m not going to break down on the side of a paved road on my way to the off-road trails lol

 

So with the 2016 they changed the dif settings. along wth downsized the engine to v6 This left the same weight on the truck but with less torque as well as less over all power. They changed to an 8 speed gerbox but it did not make up for the loss in torque and power. I dont know what you are lookign to do with your rover.. .if youare wanting o do some aftermarket upgrades for overlanding etc.. the 2016, in my opinion is not the best route to go. Plus the price. for far less you can ger a 2011 or 2012 with low milage and have an over all better performing vehicle. Once again this is my view.

 

Are you suggesting an lr4 for the looks? Why not get a cheap Lr3 and build that? Or a discovery s1/s2?

 

I am worried about getting a used car with too many miles. I can find lower mileage LR4's without much trouble. I don't mind the look of older Land Rovers though so that's not the reason. I also like some of the creature comforts in newer vehicles but I guess I could do a lot of that after market.

Top needs are
reliability
cargo space
off road ability/ground clearance

 

In hindsight I'm kicking myself for not jumping on that LR3 you brought to my attention. Still looking and not finding anything that sweet. Thanks for sharing, my bad for not making a move when I had the chance.

 

I'm still on the search but, based on previous recommendations in this forum, I have expanded my search to include LR3's and LR4's from 2011 and up. I'm located in the Bay Area, CA and I'm looking locally. What do you think about these finds? Also, still willing to consider something completely different if anyone has any other suggestions. Really missing my Subaru Forester right now

2008 LR3 SE - dealer
2012 LR4 HSE - dealer
2013 LR4 HSE - private party
2013 LR4 HSE - dealer
2016 LR4 HSE - dealer