Land Rover LR3

gxorlr

I test drove a LR3 and a 2005 Lexus GX470. Its hands down Winner! You guess which one or see the title of my post. LR3 has just begun to stick to its reputation of "unreliable". I wish them luck with their ridiculous pricing and nonsense dealerships. Lexus on the other hand was a "Maaavalous" experience. Bought one will have one in 10 days. Its loaded and I will remember "December to remember" from Lexus. No no one is paying me to tout a good product except for my own will. 270 hp feels just about right for this fancy truck. Good luck and Happy new year to all current Lexus owners and potential owners.

Thanks

Chase

ps: I'm not trying to talk down LR3 its just my humble opinion. Good Luck Disco05ers!

johnmajor

Having sold my GX470 (2004) back to Lexus & purchased a LR3 I can tell you there is no comparison.

Power was not a problem with the Lexus it was all the things that it could not do or could not be fixed such as the 1700 rpm vibration drone.

 

New balls, your service!

mmac1

I have had my new LR3 for a couple weeks now. It is a dream. Took it through some light off road stuff this weekend. Handled great. So now I am looking at some extras for it. Mostly the a bar and maybe the winch. I see the same winch that LR sells for 70% less elsewhere. So would probably by it from somewhere else. Anyone have any experience with this set up yet?

trm2

I have an SE. One press does it for me. Maybe it depends on your car lock settings (you can change these).

jeblr3

I just purchased an SE. I was very surprised and disappointed it did not have an 8 way driver seat. From all the literature, both in print and on the Land Rover website I expected an 8 way driver seat. It states clearly in three locations on the website that the 8 way driver seat is standard in the SE. Thus I did not inspect this prior to purchasing. I believe you are correct that only the HSE can have memory seating. But from all the literature, memory seating is not required to get an 8 way seat. I will be pushing on my dealer's management channel. Please post any information pertaining to this.

thanks

jebLR3

ypshan

btn,

 

Did you turn your Terrain Response knob to the snow/ice position when it happened?

 

Also most often the grip of the vehicle has more to do with the tires instead of the subtle differences in the 4wd design. True snow tires on icy roads make a world of difference. I know it first handed since our sports car (which used to be completely useless in the winter) on snow tires significantly out performs the X5 with all season S+M tires.

brad6

Yes, the Lexus is a lovely car - er truck. My mom uses hers to deliver meals-on-wheels and couldnt' be happier.

yogidoc

after 600 miles passenger air bag warning light remains on???? ; have to bring the LR3 to be checked out with service in a couple of weeks; this is definitely what i didn't want right off the bat.....hope the LR3 doesn't turn out to be unreliable like my 2000 discovery

anyone else experience similar problem???

grommet

I posted about this months ago in this very forum -- before anyone purchased a LR3. It should be no surprise to anyone here that the SE has 6-way power seats.

 

Anyway, it's a typo/error on the web site and brochure. (The web site had many, many more errors; most have been fixed.) This is why you see all those nice "specifications subject to change" disclaimers on documentation; typos & errors happen. Any LR3 SE on the lot would have been exactly the same; didn't you test drive or at least sit in one before dropping 50K?!

gw123

Just got my LR3 on Sunday. Regarding an erlier post, my upper tailgate opens with one push of the button.

doctrix

Picking up my HSE tomorrow. The dealership is about 80 miles away, so will be very careful during drive home for break-in.... vary speeds, not too fast, etc.

 

It has the adaptive headlights. I'm eager to see how they and the GPS work.

michaelwillems

Just drove my LR3 HSE5 from Toronto to Fort Worth, Texas and back: 5000 km. Will gladly write a detailed report if anyone is interested.

 

Mike

ypshan

Please do share the report. Thanks.

michaelwillems

OK - report in progress: I shall write in in the next hour or so. Will post the link here as soon as I am done.

webbuzz

Anyone know where I can find the "How to read a Land Rover Vin."

 

I have seen a few. But, they do not include the LR3

enginex

I have an HSE with the adapative headlights. They are very cool. When you first start the car with lights set to auto, they do a configuration routine that will freak out valets. On tight turns at normal speeds, the light nearest the turn (right turn, right light) sweeps toward the turn direction while the other stays forward. I thought this would be a little gimmicky, but it really is quite useful. At speed (freeway), you really don't notice it as much because the lights turn together and it's subtle. Also, as the car slows down, the lights dip so that when you pull up behind someone, your lights are not illuminating their passenger compartment. As you roll off, you can see them tilt back up. As for the GPS, I highly recommend learning the voice commands. Once you get the hang of it, it really works well and you don't have to deal with the menus while driving. The voice commands for the radio and cd are also very cool. After only a couple of days, the voice recognition has locked onto my voice and is working flawlessly. Hope you enjoy your HSE. So far, I'm loving mine.

michaelwillems

This is a first-impressions review, after my just-completed 5000 km roadtrip with the new LR3. I have a few more things and pics to add later.

 

http://www.mvw.net/lr3/roadtest.php

 

-Mike

beachbum

Refer to post #517

 

I have already gone through this with LRNA and am not satisfied as well. Good luck. If you get a different response please post it.

 

Thanks

stever

Nice write-up but when did they move the CN Tower from your home town to Dallas?

 

Please keep us posted on Imogen!

 

Steve, Host

tincup47

The LR3 tent functions as a stand alone tent also. It has a flap that attaches to the vehicle with 2 quick disconect fittings that attach to the roof rails. So you can detach the tent and drive the vehicle without having to take it down.

tincup47

What information are you looking for? I do know the first 3 digits are the country designator (always SAL), 4 and 5 depict trim level and seating configuration(all early vehicles have "AA" regardless of trim, but later this will change to indicate SE, HSE trim in 5 and 7 seat configurations). 6th digit is the body style, 7th is the engine code, 8th is the transmission, 9 is a check digit, 10 is the year code (5 for 2005), 11 is assembly plant code (A for Solihull), and 12-17 are numerical sequence of assembly. Currently there is only one body style (5 door wagon), one engine and one transmission so all of the North American vehicles will have the same first 8 digits.

nomad232

I posted regarding accessories I have installed already but I thought I might as well refresh and give new input:

 

Just incase you didn't see my previous post my LR3 SE7 has the following: (All are LR original accessories installed by my dealer)

 

WARN 9.5XT Winch

Winch Compatable A Bar (super strong plastic)

Off Road Lighting Kit (attached to A Bar)

Sill Plates

Rubber Mud/Water Mats

Winch Accessory Kit

Rear Rubber Loading Tray

 

According to the Land Rover parts disto. for NA, they said that my car is the first in the US to have a winch installed. I have to say it was an adventure. It wasn't complicated but I'm just happy my dealership is so wonderful (Land Rover San Antonio).

   First things first it looks amazing. It give the entire front an extreme rugged look. Personally I could care less I needed the functionality. The lighting package is really nice since they come with a couple hefty lamps that really light up the path. The winch is installed really solid. Its botled to the FRAME of the car not the sub frame. I strongly believe it could suspend the car in mid air with just the wire of the winch (winch max is 9500 lbs.).

   I went on a trail just after getting the winch and used it to pull out a buddy in a jeep in the middle of the night in a river. With my car in about 10 in. of water (messy, cabin got nasty but clean up wasn't hard at all), I pulled him out even with water all over the winch and remote. WARN makes a really great solid porduct that is very water resistent and lasts forever.

   Back to the install I ran into a problem that you need to know about if you are going to get one done on your LR3. The install manual calls for the winch to be installed to the AC blower fan relay in the fuse box. This is kind of a strange install. See typically you would install the winch directly to the battery considering they useally need some hefty amps to opperate. Its obvious why LR wants it on the relay though, they dont want you to be able to use it with the engine off and drain the battery (which is covered under warrenty). Anyway there wiring diagram had a mistake and when spliced into the blower fan relay feeds electric current back into the AC and fried it. So....after replacing my entire AC control unit (only took 2 hours to fix, COOL), they simply installed it like they do on a discovery, direct to the battery with its own relay that turns on when the remote is plugged in. So this allows for the unit to be opperated with the remote. Comes in handy if you flood your engine (yes WARN winches with opperate underwater for a single pull or more). My mechanic submited the entire work around back to LR and they said that they would look at it and might change the install procedure.

   Another thing that was noticable after installing the winch was the weight of the car. Now the ride height was totally unaltered as the air suspension compensated for it and kept the car level. The car does handel a little but more "heavier", although it is still incredibly nimble when tossing it down a twisty highway.

   The hardware that comes with the winch is stunning. Its holding tray/bracket is made of quarter inch steel and its heftedly bolted to the frame in multiple places; its not going anywhere. The only thing I thought was just stupid was the vinyl winch cover that came with it. I tossed that thing as soon as I saw it. Sure its functional but god its ugly. I am making a cool aluminum cover that matches the angels of the winch tray. Who knows maybe I can stamp them with the W of warn and sell them at the dealership.

   Anyway this has been quite winded but its been quite a long process and its great to have my car back since it was gone at the dealership for almost a week. Atleast I got a cool loaner, Disco 04.

 

If you guys have any questions about any of the acces. I installed above, the winch, off roading feel free to ask. I am currently trying to find a dedicated Land Rover Forum Site to join and post pictures but until them just give me your email and I will send them.

 

Regards,

CGP

michaelwillems

"Nice write-up but when did they move the CN Tower from your home town to Dallas?"

 

Nah, that's the ONE thing that is NOT bigger in Texas. The rollercoasters, the guns, the car dealer lots, the supermarkets: everything is bigger, but we make up for it by our tower which is MUCH bigger than that puny little Texas tower! :-))

btn

Yes I did use snow/ice position, well at least one fo the times. Can it be because the tires haven't been broken in yet. I've only got around 400 miles on the car thus far. Also how have other owners found it handling in slippery conditions? And are any of you switching to snow tires?

backayard

I would like to compliment you on your detailed report... I agree with your assessment of the LR3. I can vouch for your comments based upon first hand experience with a similar trip. We drove from Chicago to Houston, TX right before Christmas and we spent 17 hours on the road to go 500 miles on December 23, through Southern Illinois - Missouri - Arkansas.

 

The road conditions were the absolute worst I have ever seen. We spent 100s of miles on sheer ice, black ice, snowdrifts. We also spent a total of 3 hours stopped in the middle of the interstate waiting for authorities to clear jack-knifed semis. We passed dozens & dozens of SUVs in the ditch and a few cars. 4X4 drivers tend to be cocky and their vehicles were the most popular type found spun out in the ditch.

 

All those Jeeps, RX300s, Suburbans, Escalades, Expeditions, Excursions, etc. have nothing on the LR3. The LR3 was rock steady with the Snow/Ice setting on. There was a marked difference on ice between regular 4X4 and the Snow/Ice setting. I could actually feel the LR3 tighten up with the Snow/Ice setting on. Between Memphis & Little Rock we exited several times to seek a motel with a vacancy... no luck until we pulled into Little Rock at 4:00AM Christmas eve. If you have experienced ice covered and banked exit ramps + steep, ice-covered driveways in the LR3, all of the complaints on this forum mean nothing when you have experienced the confidence and safety of the LR3s Terrain Response System. The smoothness & rock solid feel of the LR3 on the highway in the worst weather may be more important & a greater achievement by LR, for most drivers than its off-road expertise.

 

With our little baby sleeping snugly in the back seat, we felt comfortable and very happy with our decision to purchase the LR3.

 

We drove a total of 2600 miles and on the return trip to Chicago, we drove through blinding rain and fog. The soundproofing, incredible front & rear wipers, and the command seating position made the drive easy and effortless. We strapped our lap top w/DVD between the two front seats and our baby happily watched Lion King & Nemo while we carefully passed semis & SUVs on the road and in the ditch.

 

This was my first long road trip in 14 years. (We always fly anything over 500 miles.) After driving for hours, I never felt tired, fatigued, or bored. I feel like I could drive to California next week. We are planning a road trip to Quebec this summer to visit the LR training grounds. Can't wait.

 

Lexus, Mercedes, Jeep and every other 4X4 out there have a lot of catching up to meet the spectacular performance of the LR3.

 

A couple of small warnings... the on board computer tricked me. I was watching the range in conjunction with the fuel level. After the yellow light came on, we began to look for a safe place to get gas. We traveled more than 30 miles and the range readout was steady. Once we hit 20 miles, all of a sudden the miles scrubbed off very quickly. Before I knew it, we hit 10 miles remaining and then within 2 minutes, we were at zero. After a few more miles, we exited, stopped at the end of the ramp and as I stepped on the accelerator and turned, the LR3 shut off and we barely coasted into the gas station... so lucky.

 

At the urging of my child hood buddy, we decided to drive through a muddy/swampy field. Before long we got stuck in a muddy bog. I did not turn on MudnRuts + low range until we were stuck... my mistake. We called LR roadside and they sent a truck in 15 minutes to assess the situation. He refused to pull us out unless we paid him an extra $250. We told him to shove it and LR roadside never called back to check on us or report the tow trucker driver's position. We called a friend with a Chevy dually pick-up. He pulled us out. Be careful, don't depend on LR roadside to help you if you are more than 25' - 50' from a paved road.

 

All-in-all we love our LR3SE.

xiaodong

All these good articules...

 

Do you have to book or reserve for LR training ground in Quebec? Could you please post some information for this?

 

Thanks,

michaelwillems

Well done, that's great; thanks a lot for sharing!

 

Yes, the Terrain Response is excellent, I found the same on snow and ice, and yes, indeed lots of spun out cars but not us. As you say - it was the right decision.

 

I've learned already not to depend on Land Rover support: no-one could tell me what to top off the oil with (synthetic or non-synthetic). They put me through to a dealer who also did not know.

 

Michael

gxorlr

You said GX 2004? I am talking about 2005! 270hp

Plus the 'established' reliability and sweet comforts of luxurious Lexus brand. A sheep with a New fur is still a sheep. I had a 2003 GX470 with 36k which I sold and bought the 2005 with 270 hp. I would not buy a LR unless all the lab mice show me great reuslts in next 12-24 months. LR will show its colors within next 24 months. Btw, all of you who can wait for 6 months to get a LR3 then please wait -40-love!

trm2

A light on your dash or the light indicating that the bag is not on (something light on the passenger seat)?

johnmajor

I realise you are now talking about the re-engined 2005.

Basically everything else is the same apart from minor enhancements.

That said, there are many minor & not so minor problems that do not seem to have been resolved with the Lexus.

How many GX470's have been purchased back by Lexus.

Search "vibration" on the GX470 forum.

The GX470 is more a soccer moms car and really does not compare to the LR3 capability.

Both have niggling snags & I wont fault Lexus who seem to stand by their product.

These vehicles are two different animals.

Ordered my LR3 HSE and waited 6 weeks & spec'd as I wanted it. That said so I did with the Lexus.

Another major consideration is the Lexus GX470 is not 179 qualified. Doesn't meet the weight. Oh I forgot that Lexus accidently mislabelled the GX470 weight and had to bite the bullet on that one!

johnmajor

The 3rd row seating in the GX470 is hopeless. Maybe for small & I mean small kids. Whereas an average sized adult can use the LR3 3rd seating. Really!

If you searching "vibration" why not also search "clunk" in the Lexus forum.

 

Two very different vehicles that should be purchased as to what you need! If you want to compare please look objectively!

threeputt

Started thinking about something since I've been waiting on my HSE. IIRC, the navi screen is positioned such that it would be in the sun around the middle hours of the day. I'm trying to remember/find a pic to see if the screen was hooded. Anyone else noticed or thought about this? Thanks

xiaodong

Only time noticed some difficulty reading the screen was when very strong beam luminiated the screen at such a angle from passenger side window that it bounces directly into driver eyes.

 

For all other times, navi screen display was bright and cripy.

michaelwillems

During the entire road trip I only had trouble reading the screen just once, namely yesterday. So I think it's OK. Oh and the windscreen/window glass stops almost all UV.

outrageous

Thanks for the road trip review--mind if I link it from another forum (Land Rover Chronicle)? As far as the flexible service indicator, my guess is that this is an optional setting that the dealer (if he is so inclined) could switch for you. In the VW Touareg for example, it is adjusted by a dealer or aftermarket computer hook-up by making a numerical (hexadecimal) change. And the showroom LR3 (SE) I saw recently had a locked fuel door, so maybe your dealer could add the locking mechanism to yours.

outrageous

Here are the snow tires I've found so far that will fit the LR3:

 

1. Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow 255/60R18 (see: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.jsp?startIndex=0&width- =255%2F&ratio=60&diameter=18&search=true&pagelen=- 20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&performance=W&x=16&y=- 16 sold out for the season.)

 

2. Dunlop Grandtrek WT M3 235/65R18 (see: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.jsp?startIndex=0&width- =235%2F&ratio=65&diameter=18&search=true&pagelen=- 20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&performance=W&x=9&y=1- 0

also sold out.)

 

3. Hakkapeliitta SUV 255/60R18XL (see: http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/tiresub.cfm?cid=2&sid=1 TBA: to be announced(?)--not yet available. These seem to be the only studded tires in this size and should be very good in the winter.)

michaelwillems

"Thanks for the road trip review--mind if I link it from another forum?"

 

Not at all - go for it.

ypshan

nomad232,

 

How much does the whole kit weigh? Thanks.

midcoast

Is the LR3 HSE Manual available in PDF form? Would like to start reading before the unit arrives, and for archival purposes.

michaelwillems

PDF? I only wish LR/Ford were that modern. Then maybe they could issue updates!!

nomad232

400 lbs at most...

jackmac

Midcoast,

 

There is a "Quick Reference Guide" pdf that provides an overview of many of the features and options. Not quite as detailed as the owners manual, but something to read while waiting for delivery.

 

http://www.landrover.com/gallery/downloads/brochures/veh_discover- y/2005_lr3_quick_reference.pdf?sReferrer=I_LANDROVERGWS_REDIRECT_- 2004

doctrix

Just picked up my HSE... a truly amazing vehicle. Spend time with the manuals... there are many, many features to learn about. I'll post some of the more interesting features as I learn them.

 

One hiccup... this morning after returning to the LR3 after a brief stop, no sound came from the radio. I tried everything I could think of... everything else was working fine (including audio from voice commands), but no sound at all from radio. I stopped and restarted with no results. Then I parked, left the ignition off for about 30 min and when I restarted, the sound returned without any problems as if it had never cut out.

 

I imagine there was some sort of electrical resetting that occurred... just be aware of this if it happens to you.

xchicagoan5

GX470 is a good truck. I traded my 2003 GX470 for everything the LR3 is. Lack of road feel, poor load space and no real third row seating are a few things that made my wife and I go to the LR3. In terms of power, the LR3 is more repsonsive, has better transmission (6 Speed) and has lots of little features that have made the Lexus a small after thought. For example, in the Lexus when you lock all the windows, only the driver let windows up or down. Since I have three kids under 10, this is a hassle to have to unlock the windows to let my wife roll down her window. In the LR3, the window lock only locks out the back windows. it is little stuff like this. The rear hatch is another. Instead of a swinging door, we can pop the upper rear hatch and put in groceries. This is huge for us. I am glad you got a good deal. You should have for what your purchased. I'd feel bad for you if you didn't.

ajn999

I went to open my ice frozen door handle today and

off popped the cheap plastic lock cover. One of the plastic tabs is broken and it wont stay on. Silly design feature and its present on all 4 door handles. I also just found out my CD player

doesnt accept CD's and won't load. Gas mileage averaging 13.3 after 1200 miles, not too happy about that. Don't experiment with lower octane regular gas because the truck will run poorly. I learned my lesson!

sta2

Hello all,

 

Ordered our 05' HSE 5 seat with everything except bluetooth & cooler box...April arrival, which is fine for us...It's not like our LX 470 will fall apart before then...

 

Thanks to everybody for keeping us up to date on their LR3 experiences.

 

2 questions.

 

We were told even with the 5 seat package, a 12 volt outlet will be in the cargo area as part of either the convenience package or the rear air package..True or false?

 

Our salesperson also states that since our service intervals are few & far between, the LR3 comes from the factory with synthetic oil...true or false? If false, we'll probably break it in for the first 2k miles or so, and then change to synthetic. Any opinions?

 

tia

michaelwillems

No 12V outlet in the 5-seat car. Just an empty hole.

 

Synthetic oil: I believe this is false but no-one asked: I asked LR and my dealer and no-one knew!

 

Michael ( http://www.mvw.net/lr3/roadtest.php )

todde

Brad6,

I only press the button once on mine to open.

enginex

Okay, I'm half-way there. I had the same problem with the seat memory not always working with the key remote. What I didn't realize is that the message center settings are also key specific. To get everything to work, I started by inserting both keys to position II and resetting the i-button to factory defaults. Then, I reset the seats for each key, and set the i-button settings for each key as I went. To get the remote to set the seats and mirrors, the lazy entry mode must be switched to on. Since I've done this, the remotes and the seats now work flawlessly. Still trying to figure out the mirror dipping issues, but I'm getting closer.

mutthead52

Hi fellow members, I'm new to the discussion and need advice. I have $1000 deposit (Pasadena-LA, CA dealer demand!) on Tonga HSE7 w/ everything except adaptive headlights supposedly already built and in the pipeline, due in March. I live in Mammoth Lakes in the Sierra (20+ feet of snow so far this year, 40+ not unusual). Does anyone know: 1) if Pirelli Ice and Snow (a good snow tire)255/55R/19, w/ low load rate of 107, will be OK for this 3-ton truck? Could move to 18 in. w/ purchase of winter-use rims--would this be better? 2) Only real radio we get is satellite; anyone have any idea when/if LR3s will be satellite-ready? 3)Do side protection tubes have any protective value, or purely cosmetic (side steps on Yukon Denali got mashed in our terrain--would LR3's be any different?)4)does A-frame bar or brush bar give more service and function (e.g. pushing another vehicle, plowing a drift, mashing bitterbrush) or are they also purely cosmetic? 5)Do driving lamps provide any significant advantage over bi-xenon headlights in any likely-to-encounter real-world situation? 6) Is sliding load space really "easily removed to unfold...3rd row seats", or more trouble than it's worth

Most important for someone with no Land Rover Corp. experience: with gas pump stalls, radio/CD problems, etc., would those of you who already own delay your purchase if you had it to do over again--and would a delay help or make any difference (I could start over, order one, and get the adaptive headlights w/o the cooler--it's -5 to 25F half the year already!), or do you just have to plan on a month's worth of revisits to the dealer for initial-quality fix-its, no matter what? When you're 5 hours (in good weather) from your dealer, that amounts to some inconvenience. Any help or advice most welcome.