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Comments
1st impression:
- all previous issue have been tweaked and fixed with regards to electronics and software (everything works flawlessly)
- Tire issue will take more time to draw a conclusion.
rear tires are running at a higher temperature on long high way trips (4psi gain on rear 2 to 3 psi gain on front)
- Gas mileage is amazing, trip to and from Canada netted 20-mpg, using BP-93 octane in the US and Sunoco 94 in Canada.
I will talk to Service Manager on how soon I can change to Synthetic oil to try to preserve the engine in this condition.
Tire Pressure warning comes on at 32 psi front and 35 psi (cold)rear. It has the sensor unit attached to the interior side of valve stem, the external hardware for the sensor looks just like what I got from tire rack (Smart Tire). It has a lithium battery that powers the radio transmitter for 5 to 7-years. the transmitter only operates when a motion sensor detects tire rotation.
For other readers, I have about 13K miles and love the truck. Highway mileage maxes out at about 19.5 mpg (flat, 65 mph), city is 12-15 mpg depending on terrain. Air suspension compressor was replaced and no subsequent issues. Nav system software update was installed when screen went blank. Transmission still jerks somewhat from a rolling start despite claimed software upgrade. The 2006 loaners do not seem to have the problem.
1.) I understand that the fuel mileage is not that great. With recent price hikes this seems to be holding me back from purchasing. Does anyone have any idea if Landrover is going to take the ethanol approach in 2007 so that the engine can operate on both gas and ethanol similiar to GM?
2.) I have always heard Landrovers can be a maintenance nightmare....is this true?
Thank you in advance for any responses....
TSV
2) Land Rover vehicles are never at the top of reliability statistics, but LR3 (and RRS) are a brand new design. They're less than 2 years old and are all still under warranty.
2) If you are under warranty you should be in good shape. And as others will respond here the LR3 and RR Sport are a new platform. The jury is out but so far so good.
If the 2006 models have corrected the first year ills then the 2006 LR3 is a good one. I have one but am only 725 miles into it. My expectations are high! Finally - i compared it to others similar in class and price. The others were cars - this is a true utility vehicle and is much nicer bumper to bumper than the others.
Also do any of the LR people on here know if there is a TSB on the tire issue? It seems to repeat with many folks
My 06 SE V8 has only 1600 miles on it. I know there are potential issues that could go wrong, but so far, the only glitch I had was the outside air temperature sensor which was not showing the right ambient air temp. The dealer fixed this. No other issues and I am very fussy. There are no rattles or buzzes, and my radio sounds great to me.
My previous truck was a Mercedes ML which replaced a new 4Runner before that. The ML was far more refined, smoother, and quiet than the 4Runner. This LR3 puts the ML to shame - it is even quieter still and rides better, and has more power, and is smoother and more comfortable. The radio is 10 times better than the $1500 Bose upgrade in the ML. The interior is built better and it doesn't have the rattles and buzzes that the ML had since the day I bought it. Mercedes replaced my ML radio at least 4 times and attempted to fix rattles about every 6 months.
My wife loves her Lexus RX330 even more than her previous RX300 which got destroyed in a hail storm. Until I got the LR3 you could not have gotten the RX330 out of her grip. She now admits to me that she never liked the ML but it was my choice so she never said that. While riding in the LR3 she told me she liked it more than her RX330. Now I have to watch out because I don't really want to end up driving the RX330 as nice as it is.
I did not buy the LR3 for the 7 passenger seating - in fact I had ordered my LR3 to get it the way I wanted it without the 3rd row seat. I didn't buy it for the gas mileage either - I figured it wouldn't do as well as the ML. I got 19.4 MPG for the 4 year average that I owned the ML. So far, I have gotton 17 MPG on the first two tanks of the LR3 and 19 MPG on the last one which had mostly highway driving though I did go over Vail Pass and climbed up to the Eisenhower Tunnel at about 70 MPH to see how well the truck would run. It runs great and has plenty of power. I normally drive it pretty easy though.
We went 4 wheeling with it. Went through mud holes and over deep ruts and up some short steep stuff. Tipped it onto 3 wheels briefly. But it never slipped a bit and amazed us with its capabilities. Tried to drive thru some deep spring snow but it couldn't do it - I suspect it would have gone further with more aggressive tires. After it went into the snow and would go no further, I put it in snow mode and raised it up. It then went in another 10 feet or so and then stopped and would go no further. I easily just backed out.
Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to share my positive view. I really like this truck. I have no reservations about buying it.
Ethanol has much less energy per unit volume then reqular gasoline so you are not going to get better gas mileage with it. In fact I would say that the only way ethanol will be a viable fuel alternative for this country is if we take the approach Brazil has. I don't see that happening because I don't think our political leaders here have the stones to do it.
The Diesel V8 recently launched in Europe should be here before the end of the decade. That at least has been the official word from Land Rover.
2.
The only two Land Rovers I have ever sold that I would call problem vehicles, I am defining problem vehicle as a car that either takes more then two visits to fix the same problem or a vehicle that is in the shop more then three times for different problems within one months time, have been two very early build LR3s.
In both cases they were early build LR3s that were sold late in the model year. Basicly this means that they sat a lot and were not driven much during their first year of life. I think that combined with the fact that they were built within the first six months of production is the reason they had problems.
Both of those cars have had all of their issues corrected now and have had no problems in several months. I haven't even sold any problem Freelanders so far, knock on wood, and if any rover was going to have problems it would be a Freelander.
I own a 05 HSE and bought it around August of 05. I was wandering if there is a new navigation dvd update? Also does any one know if Range Rover has same navigation system/dvd as LR3 and if it will work in LR3?
thanks
As regards the mileage, given that the LR3 weighs so much and can certainly hustle on the road pretty well, I wouldn't be worried about only getting say 20k out of a set of tyres with adequate safety margin. I do however expect the general wear & tear to be even (which it doesn't seem to be).
As I've posted here before, my HSE has had most of the irritating rev 1.0 problems found on this list and the appropriate fixes under warranty. I've just come home from a 5k road trip across the south west including deserts, abandoned 'minimal maintenance' roads, 70 miles of punishing wash-board gravel road in Death Valley, 100+ degree baking every day, extended 90mph freeway driving, pulverizing 5mph dirt (rock!) track roads, etc, etc. In addition, the vehicle was loaded with probably at least 3-400lbs of gear in the rear, expedition rack, hi-lift & shovel up top, four pelican cases, camera gear, tripods, cases, computers etc, etc.
What went wrong or failed? Nothing. Personally I'm pretty amazed really as I think I just about bumped, rattled, shook, bump & thumped the LR3 to a degree that must have been similar to LR's test programme. I was sure that at least something would have rattled loose, fallen off or failed but nope, not even a warning light or hint of a flicker.
Now I may regret writing this tomorrow when I go to start the LR3 after a night of rest in it's home garage ...
I'd also like to point out that even when driving anything up to 600 miles a day at times I never felt any discomfort or aches & pains from the journey.
So, after 33000 miles, I can say that my LR3 HSE is working out great. Are there things that I'd change with the vehicle? Sure - after a week in the desert I'm going to have to find a retro-fit cooler box for my '05. I need more storage space around the centre console to hold loose items like cell phones, wallet, and other loose items that I don't necessarily want to put in the glove box compartments. Also, the cup holders need a reducing liner to hold standard sized beverage containers - and slightly larger 'wide' opening to handle a gatorade bottle. I have an AC power transformer added to the passenger footwell that I use for charging cameras, phones, driving a compressor etc. LR really should provide a similar option for the non-'drive it to pick-up the kids' or 'road trip to Starbuck's' crowd. One other suggestion - LR should think about a storage solution for the rear compartment privacy slide cover - if you load up the rear and need to remove this there really isn't an ideal place to stow it. (I used across the rear footwell but it wasn't ideal).
Anyway, I'm back home and even more impressed with this vehicle than ever! :P :shades:
If you had people in the second row then of course this would not work but if you only had one passenger then it would be fine.
Yes, there is an update, at list for North America & Canada DVD. I just purchased one from E-Bay. Dealer wanted $300, I got it on e-bay for 80, brand new.
Current models of Range Rover have the same DVD disc as LR3.
The latest version is Land Rover Part Number: YIW500024
But check with Land Rover North America, I bought mine about 2 months ago, may be there is new version since then.
One question and one comment on you post.
You say you carry a high lift jack. Have you figured out how to use it to jack up you LR3 or is it just for a winch. I haven't gotten one yet because I don't know where you could jack it from. High lift does make a hook type lifter for use on wheels - you could lift your truck by the wheel, then block underneath, then remove the jack and change the wheel. You might be able to use this same hook on the front and maybe the rear tow hooks but you'd need to pad the bumper so the jack's I beam doesnt damage it. I suppose you could lift the back via the trailer hitch and draw bar too. How do you do it?
About the need for more storage space. I found that the removable tray that is provided with the console cooler box option fits perfectly on the top lip of the non cooler box console version. It will hold small items, cell phone, ooins, etc. You have to lift it out to access the area underneath, it doesn't hinge open. I ordered mine, part number FHY500030PVJ from Rover Connection. I have provided them with photos of the before and after. Contact Enzo or Inzo.
I don't have the navigation unit in my LR. The missing screen provides a large cubby hole that I really like having. Great for sunglasses, digital camera, and I also sit my Garmin GPS (the small portable type) there.
http://www.vimeo.com/clip:73729
I think it's amazing that it could pick up a GPS signal within the metal skin of the aircraft!
Certainly it's an interesting piece of fluff, though nothing one couldn't do with a $100 handheld GPS that was either linked to an external antenna (as I suspect the vehicle was), or held up to a plexiglass window. It's also a bit much for them to claim that the LR3 'navigated the plane'.
Still, it's only advertising, and I regularly see much more outrageous claims made by other manufacturers. Very clear video too...........good find!
GL450 Test
1. Acceleration: 35 less horsepower and several 100 lbs more weight.
GL450 0-60 is 6.7 sec which seems impossibly quick
LR3 0-60 8.9 sec
I also just noticed that edmunds has the curb weight listed incorectly for the LR3. They have 7,121 lbs listed as curb weight but that is the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. The curb weight of an LR3 is between 5,426 lbs and 5,796 lbs depending on options.
2. Handling: Slalom on the GL450 is 59 mph even and the LR3 barely breaks past 48 mph. The ARM and DSC program on the LR3 are just wicked agressive and edmunds does mention that.
3. Interior: The mercedes does have a much nicer interior but you have to pay to get it. A LR3 with the same options as the GL450 they tested would be in the 56,000 dollar range while the GL450 was over 63,000 dollars.
In everything else I think the LR3 is superior.
If land Rover would make it so the luxury interior on the LR3 offered real wood trim and upgraded leather then I think the interiors would be much closer to equal.
Even those systems might not be able to keep up with the flow of information coming from a plane traveling at speed.
Remember the Sport is not seven passenger capable though so that does not really fit in with the idea of the GL450. The Range Rover is not 7 passenger capable either and never will be for various reasons.
I could see maybe making another LWB Range Rover and having that be seven passenger but that is it.
I have not yet found a way to get a consistent response.
I was about to throw the blackberry out the window. Now that I know, the blackberry can live and i will live with getting an extra phone for the car. the itegration system is worth it
Toyota, Lexus top most vehicle segments in revised J.D. Power Initial Quality Study.
June 7, 2006: 5:05 PM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Porsche rises to the top in a new J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Survey. The survey was revised this year to take into account inherent design issues as well as malfunctions and manufacturing defects.
According to J.D. Power's survey of new vehicle owners, Porsche had 91 problems per 100 vehicles. Lexus, Toyota's luxury brand, came in a close second with 93 problems per 100 vehicles. Korea-based Hyundai ranked third with 102. The industry average was 124.
Toyota and Lexus ranked highest in most vehicle segments in the survey.
This year's scores are not comparable to those of previous years because this year, for the first time, J.D. Power considered design flaws that bother consumers as well as actual defects. Had the ranking been based on defects alone, Lexus would have ranked first and Porsche second.
"In the eyes of consumers, design flaws can have as much of an impact on their perceptions of quality as can a defect," said Joe Ivers, executive director of quality and customer satisfaction research for J.D. Power and Associates. "Yet, many manufacturers have tended to address quality solely on the plant floor without considering design factors."
Vehicle brands can vary widely in the two quality measures.
"For example, BMW vehicles have among the fewest defects and malfunctions, along with Toyota," said Ivers. "But BMW approaches controls and displays in a way that creates some problems for customers, leading to more design-related problems overall than Toyota incurs."
BMW ranked well below average in the survey with 142 problems per 100 vehicles.
A BMW spokesman attributed the large number of design-related issues to the amount of advanced technology in the company's vehicles.
"We are known, and we are expected to be, a leader in cutting edge technology," said David Buchko, a BMW spokesman.
New owners may have trouble using some of the vehicles' technology simply because it is unfimiliar to them, he said.
Some have suggest that the new J.D. Power rating system creates an "innovation penalty" said J.D. Power's Ivers. But companies can integrate technology in a way that doesn't annoy customers, he said.
"You won't have failures related to a parking assist system if you don't have a parking assist system," he said. "Then lexus comes out with one and customers don't have any propblem with it"
Land Rover, the British luxury SUV brand owned by Ford Motor Co., ranked last in the survey with 204 problems per 100 vehicles. But Jaguar, the British luxury car brand also owned by Ford, ranked fourth overall, just behind Toyota, with 109 problems per 100 vehicles.
J.D. Power's Initial Qualty Study was based on responses from 63,907 owners and lessees of new 2006 model-year cars and trucks. They were surveyed after 90 days of ownership.
Perhaps google search statistical analysis of JD Power and COnsumer Reports will unearth some of these studies
So far, I have a decent vehicle. Nothing "big" since... other than the quick air compressor swap last month. But I wouldn't say I had excellent initial quality.
No surprises for me. These are all just statistics, which you are free to use or ignore in your purchase decisions.
As regards stowage fo the privacy cover, the problem I found is where to put it when you have the rear seats down and the entire rear setup for cargo. I have an HSE 5 seat and so since i can't easily leave the cover in place I need to put it somewhere and the best place I found was in front of the dropped 2nd row of seats. It would be better if there were some latches somewhere to hold it more securely.
I escaped for $514.00. Still riding the stock brake pads! New tires with 20000 miles still not showing any wear. They are Nokian snow tires. Performed very nicely off road last week, by the way. Quiet on the road at highway speed and handle better than stock on the switchbacks out here in Colorado.
To those looking for an LR3 and worried about maintenance issues - NONE HERE! Maybe I am a lucky guy, but that would be a first for me.
Had the factory seat covers off for the first time and threw them in the washer. They came out looking brand new and fit back up like a glove. The leather under the covers looks amazing (3 and 4 year old are in the car nearly every day).
This truck is beast. I plan to take it back from my wife this summer again and put another 40,000 on it (highway, mining roads in WY, CO, KS, NM, & TX). Probably turn a 100k miles by year's end.
Keep you posted of any problems, but doubt there will be any !
LR3 is consistently ranked as a poor quality vehicle in the US and also here in Europe (see for example the latest JD Power ranking). However, the residual values are consistently very high in the US and also here in Europe (see ADAC, Parkers, leasing company stats etc.).
Why is that? Shouldn't there be positive correlation between poor quality and residual value?
To make it more accurate they should come up with two measures.
Measure one just like the current survey and measure two would only show problems that left a vehicle "off-road" to use a service term.
Basicly the second survey would rate how many problems per 100 vehicles left someone stranded by the side of the road.
I am reposting this from you know where Grommet since edmunds won't let me post the URL.
Reposted from...
Stupid gas tanks and weak air compressors caused that. I mean it was the first model year so what do you expect. I guess just hope for the better next year.
One thing I will say though about JD Power is that they have a tendancy to weight complaints oddly. I saw this when I had my MINI all the time.
People would make complaints like this...
Rides Rough, Hard seats, twitchy steering wheel, interior rattles broken cup holder etc.
They bought what at the time was the best handling small car in the world. It could run circles around most cars three times its price complaning that it had a hard ride or twitch steering is stupid.
That is like people buying the LR3 and complaning about gas mileage or brake and tire wear. The truck weighs three tons nothing is going to make it get great gas mileage and it is going to just eat brakes. The truck out stops many "sporty" cars and/or sedans and weighs twice as much what do you expect.
Those kind of complaints on the MINI would get similar weight to the more serious ones like...
Gear shift linkage breaking stranding the transmission second gear or even worse in neutral or the other more infamous yo-yo acceleration syndrome that some MINIs have even to this day.
Serious complains I can see on the LR3 would be the early air compressors that were too small. The gas tank was not a serious issue for most people but did cause stalling for some.
No word on whether a broken cupholder ranks as highly as a broken air compressor in the problems category.
Not only did Land Rover do poorly with 204 problems per 100 vehicles, they also got the worst rating for design. (consumeraffairs.com). BMW also got hammered for design issues, but had few problems per 100 vehicles.
Jag landed in the top five, so it's not like Ford can't get it right.
Steve, Host
I had my eyes on a new motorola in-ear headphone called the H5 miniblue. It's not out yet. When I got my LR3 last week I was hoping to avoid having to buy a headset. But blackberry connectivity via bluetooth is so sporadic that I may as well turn bluetooth off.
As a side note, I'm quite sure I do not have a speech impediment but when I tell the car "phone dial name" and then "call home" it askes me to confirm with Yes or No. When I say "Yes" most of the time the car replies "dialling cancelled".
I don't know how many different ways I can say "Yes" to try to get the car to agree with me that the call should be placed!
As to the voice command the "yes" command can sometimes be tricky.
You need to really enunciate the "Y" part and then draw out the "S" part.
Imagine you are from the south and you are going to say "Yesssm" just leave off the "M"
Look at the Motorola IHF1000 module.
The kit works really well and works with any bluetooth equipped phone including the Treo700w etc.
You can pick up a kit for about $200.00 and about 2 hours to install.
If you Treo recognises the caller (in your directory) it will announce the caller all through your stereo etc. Host of other capabilities.
I gave up on LR fixing the Bluetooth. They screwed that up royally.
http://www.motorola.com/automotive/solution_blnc.html
http://www.motorola.com/automotive/pdf/blnc_technical.pdf
Any suggestions or recommendations?
My city gas mileage is about 11.4 mpg no matter how I drive. I have gotten as much as 18-19 on the highway.
Occasionally, I will get a tone beep from the dash, when I look at the read-out, there is nothing there telling me why. I know it will beep if I leave the turning signal indicator on too long (waiting at long lights) and if the temperature hits below freezing. Any other time it beeps, there is usually a message to let me know why.
These "stray" beeps usually happen when I'm stopped at a light waiting for it to turn green (no turning signal on). Unless I'm missing something, I don't know what it is for.
I'm very happy with my Land Rover, it rides so much better than the 2002 Mercedes ML500 that it replaced.
I wish the LR3 had automatic pull in mirrors and window controls switches that will allow for "all up or all down" like the drivers window switch. Also, a weather band radio station (like the ML) would be nice.
Roving right along... mark156
The LR3 does have electric mirrors in other markets (but not "automatic"). I wouldn't mind having that, but they barely fold in... so they aren't that useful.
2007 LR3/RRS will get a one-touch passenger window. (Unless plans change.) Sorry, rears stay the same.
Just while sitting in traffic (not moving), I will get a stray tone beep from the dash. I really can't figure it out. My passengers look at me thinking I should know what it is for but I don't.
I'll live with it for several months to see if it works itself out. If not, I'll take it back to the dealer to see what they say. It's not a major problem, just a quirk.
The air conditioning works great in 114 temps... very pleased.
Mark156
If that's the only problem I have with this vehicle, I'm not worried about it. If it happens for the next 6 months, then I'll tell the dealer about it.
Very early on, I had the suspension fault light come on then when I restarted the vehicle it disappeared. Also, I had the "check engine" light come on a couple of times. I made sure that I tightened the gas cap with several clicks and I have not seen those warnings in a long time.
Happily driving my LR3. Mark
Thanks
Talk towards the drivers side door glass. I know that sounds counter intuitive but several people have reported that actually works better then talking towards the mic.
Try and change the voice settings on the nav it self. Try the UK english setting or the female setting and see if that works better.
I have had several people find that they computer better understands them when on the "wrong" gender selection.