Land Rover LR3

mark156 · November 2006

Hey Folks, I am approaching 10,000 miles on my LR3. I will have owned it for one year in about a week or so.

I'm currently in the middle of a 2,000 driving trip. Everything is going great. My gas mileage has increased since taking it in to service for an update.

I'm getting about 18.5-19.5 on the highway depending on wind and changes in elevation. I'm really loaded as I've got luggage, a heavy piece of furniture and 6 cases of wine from the wine country when I was visiting northern California this summer (taking the wine to another house). I have all of the seats down and can't see out the back. And, I'm even getting decent gas mileage.

Before I started my trip, I just had my LR3 at the dealer for service and a check of the rear end (recall). My tires seem fine and show no abnormal wear (lucky me).

I asked the dealership to balance and rotate the tires as well and they didn't do it. I would not have caught it but the front passenger tire didn't have a weight on it. When I picked up the vehicle, the tires appeared to be in the same position as when I dropped it off. So, I called them back and they couldn't tell me whether they did the rotation or not. I'm still waiting for a call from the service manager after two weeks. :confuse:

Before I left on the trip and no call from the service manager, I took the LR3 to my local private mechanic (where I take my antique) to do the work.

I will never take my LR3 to the dealer in Rancho Mirage California unless I need warranty work only. I find it very disappointing but they are the only dealership in the area unless I go to LA or Newport Beach (which I might do). :mad:

Other than that, I'm really pleased with my vehicle.

Mark156

morocco2 · November 2006

I picked up my 2007 LR3 HSE this morning from Land Rover of Ottawa. Thus far the buying experience has been second to none. My salesperson picked my up at home and drove me to the dealership where we spent about 90 minutes going over all the features including emergency braking, command shift and a quick trip on the dealer off road track in order to get a sense of the LR3's off road capabilities.

The vehicle itself is great and I especially enjoy the Nav and the Logic 7 Sound. I am looking forward to experimenting more with the multitude of features on my LR3 :shades:

Will keep you posted

dandrews1 · December 2006

Can I beg a favour? I've got a 2006 HSE, and I was trying to get some info from LR north america about the Sat Nav.

I want to get my locatin to display in Degrees Minutes fractions of minutes(ie. W 78 54.084), not degrees minutes seconds (ie. W 78 54' 51")

Can you tell me what your 2007 format is when you go into offroad GPS mode?

Thank you!

/DA

dandrews1 · December 2006

Forgot to say:

CONGRATULATIONS!

Will you be frequenting the Ottawa Valley Land Rovers Club meetings now? (I'm in Toronto and haven't been to any OVLR events yet, but the Ottawa club gets great mention even in the LRM magazine I get from the UK.)

Does anyone here go to the Toronto Land Rover Adventure Association of Ontario events?

/DA

morocco2 · December 2006

dandrews1

Just check the settings for off-road Nav and the are displayed as follows: W 78 54' 51"). I have not verified if these settings can be modified. If I find the definitive answer I will let you know

Cheers

RM

morocco2 · December 2006

dandrews1

I am trying to ascertain what would be the benefit of participating in the activities of the Ottawa Valley Land Rovers Club.

My dealership is also putting on workshops every three months. This service is offered for Land Rover and Jaguar owners. Each session acts as a get together but they split in two groups and discuss or get in depth information on various features of your vehicle. Looking forward to the first event.

RM

british_rover · December 2006

Glad to see you finaly got your gas mileage situation resolved. 18-19 mpg pure highway is normal for a LR3. I bet if you weren't so loaded down and had flat land to deal with the truck would easily break 20 mpg.

I stretched one of our service loaners out to 23 mpg, according to the trip computer when I delivered it to a client a couple of months ago.

dandrews1 · December 2006

The OVLR group is just a bunch of people who love Land Rovers.. the benefit you get from it is just getting to know other people with the same interests...

I met a guy from the LRAA of Ontario when I was doing my offroad driving course in Montebello, QC (Which I highly recommend - it is much more challenging than the dealer vents - and much more rewarding).

dandrews1 · December 2006

I did a nice flat 2.5 hour ride from Whitby, ON to Guelph, ON with no traffic - averaged 25.8 mpg (9.1 l/100km)travelling at a steady 108 km/h (67 mph)

Must have had a tail wind the whole way!

Had just filled the tires up to the max recommended inflation, and was using 91 octane Sunoco gas.

Load was:
Me (approx 210 lbs)
My wife (no comment, but less than 125 - hehe)
My two small dogs in their crates (about 50 lbs combined)
Some other small stuff - about 35 lbs worth.

Oh yeah, I have the 06 LR3 HSE HD

/DA

morocco2 · December 2006

Sounds like the OVLR group is worth checking out. The dealership is offering my a complementary 1/2 at the driving school. I will wait for the spring to take them up on it. I want to make it a weekend event with my wife. With 4 kids we do not get too many chances to do that.

I really enjoyed driving my LR3 in todays ice and snow. It feels solid and stable at all times :shades:

lr3maybe · December 2006

I just had my first chance to drive my LR3 on ice and snow. It has the factory Goodyears with no measureable wear on them.
I tried it in a slippery parking lot - icy with a couple inches of snow here and there. I did a lot of donuts, starts and stops and hard turns. It starts pretty well with not much slippage and stops pretty good too. But trying to turn tight circles had it plowing off line and not turning as tightly as I'd hoped. I tried the snow mode too, not much difference.

My previous vehicle was an ML320. I did the same routine in it in the same parking lot and it seemed to turn almost as well on ice and snow as on dry pavement. The traction control on the ML was very intrusive and controlled the throttle and individual wheel brakes and it amazed me with its handling.

I'm not complaining - I love this LR3. It's the best vehicle I've ever had and would replace it with the exact same thing if I had to replace it. And I don't mind that it doesn't handle on the ice and snow like the ML - the traction controls are obviously less intrusive. But I was surprised a bit that the traction control didn't kick in a little more and make it turn tighter.

I also pushed it over some snowpiles. In normal mode I pushed it into the snow until it didn't want to go further. Then I switched to snow mode. That seems to just limit power and didn't help. I tried locking the differentials in rock crawl mode and it just climbed thru (I have the locking rear differential that is part of the heavy duty package).

Anybody else that had an ML tried this?

mark156 · December 2006

Anybody else that had an ML tried this?

lr3maybe, I had a 2002 ML500 before my 2006 LR3. Where I live, you don't get much snow. When I drive across country, which I do at least once a year, I do run into snow and ice.

I would say the ML was excellent in snowy/icy conditions but so is the LR3. I can't really tell much difference between the two in normal snowy/icy driving. I never tested the vehicles as you did in the parking lot. They just seem the same in normal driving.

One thing is for sure, the ride is SO much better in the LR3. And, the cargo capacity is amazing.

Have a good day! Mark156

sawdusters · December 2006

I live in the mountains outside Durango, Colorado, and I will tell you the snow mode is absolutely fantastic and much better than the ML - we owned one. When going down steep icey roads it works like magic gearing down, braking without sliding. Parking lots are not the problem here so I can't speak to that, but for curving, downhill, icy roads, it is the best.

dandrews1 · December 2006

I went for the free 1/2 day, then added the second half for a full day. It was very much worth it to have the full day experience.

We went in early October during the rainy season, and it was a hoot! We had to winch out several times from getting stuck.

I would recommend going to a dealer-sponsored Wheels event first though. They teach you the basics, and you'll get much more confidence in your new Landy.

We went to a dealer Wheels event first, and it helped us gain immense respect and confidence for the offroad capabilities of the vehicle.

They do go through the same basic education on the Full course at the driving school, but if you've had previous experience, they customize the course based on your previous experience, and you'll spend more time on the trails, and less time on the training course at the school learning how to use the vehicle.

One of the best pieces of information we gained at the driving school that they didn't cover at the Dealer event, was how to properly drive offroad on an automatic vehicle... pretty much with two feet. You rev the engine up a bit to keep the RPMs up, and keep the other foot on the brake to limit the amount of forward momentum.. it takes some getting used to, but really helps when getting out of some sticky situations.

Always remember when going offroad:
As slow as possible; as fast as necessary.

/DA

morocco2 · December 2006

I am planning on going late March/early April. The combination of the ground thawing, the snow melting and possible rain or snow should make the experience interesting. As part of the delivery process, the salesperson took me through their driving course. Unfortunately I had to go back to work and had to cut short the drive. I fully intend to participate in upcoming dealership events in preparation for the spring trip to the driving school.

I have a quick question for you. I found the voice command option great but at times frustrating :mad: . My first language is french and therefore I have a slight accent in English. I am having great difficulty in getting the system to recognize my voice saying "four". The system seems to confuse it with "store" and ends the operation by storing a partial phone number....This seems only to occur when I am in phone directory or store number functions. If I select the dial number function I can successfully complete the operation :confuse:

dandrews1 · December 2006

Actually, french is my first language as well (I'm originally from Montreal).

It just takes some getting used to. I had difficulty with the voice command for about a month or so, until I learned that the system does make accomodations for your voice eventually. Make certain you always use the same key - the voice learning function is tied to each key.

Also, some of the navigation POI's have some odd-sounding british names (although 'petrol' is not too difficult coming from french)

Can you not alter the voice command system to understand french as well? I think I saw that option, but my wife speaks english, so we leave it in english mode, as my french accent is almost completely gone now.

If it does do french, I would be curious to see if it understands parisian, or quebequois or both?

I may try it out today - I hope it doesn't undo the work I've done so far to get it to understand me..

/DA

morocco2 · December 2006

I initially set up the language to french but upon going thru the manual I realized I did not have the proper voice commands in french and reverted to english. I ask the dealership to find out if they could provide me the voice commands in french. In the interim I guess I will keep playing with it until IT figures out my voice.

RM

british_rover · December 2006

Try variations of using US and UK english to see which one works better for you. Several of my clients that have learned english as a second language have found it easier to use the UK english setting instead of the US english.

morocco2 · December 2006

British_rover

Thank you for the info, I finally succeeded in entering my wife's work phone number by doing my best to imitate the British Accent. By the time I am done with my LR3 I will most likely end up speaking with a British accent

Bloody Hell!!!!

mac24 · December 2006

I've found that speaking UK English into any voice recognition system designed to respond to US English is a waste of time. Same words (generally), but very different intonation. Especially curious as the US systems seem to respond without any trouble to very strong Spanish or Jamaican accents.

mark156 · December 2006

British Rover and all.. First, I have to say as I've said before, after one year of ownership all is going well and I have 10,800 miles now.

I have noticed that, somehow, I scratched the second garage door button and the black is flaking off. I will take it to the dealer to have them replace it.

Has anyone else had that happen?

Roving right along... Mark156

dandrews1 · December 2006

Too funny.

You may wind up sounding like Christopher Lambert in that Tarzan movie where he's supposed to be english, but he only speaks french.

morocco2 · December 2006

Just over a week ago I picked up my 2007 LR3 HSE and the more I drive it the more I like it. Thus far 90% of my driving has been in the city so gas mileage is up there

but not unexpected. I have only racked up 600km on it.

With the exception of some condensation in both front headlamps assembly everything (I am stopping to see the dealership tomorrow but is is almost gone now with the cooler temperature) is fine with the vehicle. I have yet to do some real off road with it but it is only a matter of time before I do so. My family is looking forward to its first long trip in the LR3.

I am most impressed with the overall feeling of security and stability this vehicle provides. It feels solid as a rock. I especially liked the Harman Kardon Logic 7 sound system. The sound is simply impressive. I truly enjoy playing with the NAV/GPS. I found it easy to use. The bluetooth integration is great. I like the voice command option but as some of my previous post in this forum indicated using it can be frustrating at times :mad:

The flexibility of the seating and cargo space is superb and exactly what my family needed. I am making good use of the command shift function. I find it adds to the pleasure of driving to the LR3.

Overall I am highly satisfied with both the service received at the dealership and the vehicle itself. :shades:

I will keep you posted

RM

stillwaters · December 2006

I have a 06 LR3 with the V6,SE, and cold weather package. Since purchasing this AWESOME truck, I have had great fun playing with several of the LR3's "toys", but have yet to experiment with the command shift function. Can anyone tell me the best way to use this feature and what I can expect by engaging it?

Keith :shades:

morocco2 · December 2006

I picked up my 06 LR3 HSE and I fully agree with you it is an awesome ride. I use command shift every day except when in heavy traffic and when cruising down the highway. If you have driven a manual transmission before it works the same way without a clutch. When you switch from automatic to command shift you will not feel a difference until you play with the gear shift. It first goes in sports mode and command shift is only engaged when you gear down or up. From that point on it is like driving a manual. Gear up by pushing the shifter towards the dash and gear down by pulling towards the terrain response dial. The gear selected will be displayed in the message centre. The more you play with it the easier it will be for you to find the right timing to shift gear using the RPM indicator and the sound of the engine. It is a great feature and saves up on the brakes by using the engine compression to slow the vehicle down. :shades:

Enjoy RM

mark156 · December 2006

Morocoo2, by using the command shift feature, will that change the "memory" in the transmission? I use the lower gear when I leave my house in California as I have a very steep descent for 7/10th of a mile (25% grade?). The elevation is 1,200 above sea level so I'm going from 1,200 down to 400 ft. in 7/10 of a mile.

I put it in "2" and ride down the hill only using the brakes as I get towards the bottom. I have put it in (4x4 low) and just idle to the end of the hill without selecting a gear and the transmission will shift normally. I just let it pick it's own gear and it seems to creep down fine.

PS. I just posted my actual MPG's from my recent 2,000 miles trip in the "real world gas mileage" in this thread if anyone is interested.

Mark156

morocco2 · December 2006

Mark 156

I am not an expert since I only got my LR3 just over a week ago. But given type of steep descent you describe have you considered using the Hill Descent feature on your LR3 ;)instead of using 2nd gear?

Take care

british_rover · December 2006

Better to use 2nd gear over HDC for such a long descent as HDC will wear the brakes out faster. Prolonged use of HDC will also toast the brakes.

morocco2 · December 2006

british_rover

Thank you for that much appreciated

mark156 · December 2006

I've had my LR3 for almost a year and I have never used the "descend" feature... I'm glad that I've been doing it right using 2nd gear.

I'm going to have to read the manual about the different terrain choices as I've forgotten how to engage them.

Thanks for the tip BR.

Mark

macc24 · December 2006

Does anyone know, do some 2006 models have satellite radio and its just no initialized? If so , is there a way to enable this function? (Sort of like the old 99 Disco II's having heated seats installed but no switch to activate them)

I was told by my salesperson that I had satellite radio but now that I'm back from Alaska I clearly do not. Before I really lay into the dealership where I bought my LR3 I'm giving them a few days to respond to an e-mail I sent. I know someone earlier had posted a direct line to a LRNA rep...anyone have that e-mail address handy.

I also found out what was wrong with my fog lights, there was a short in my wiring for the front left fog light. Amazing what a difference in service taking your vehicle to a different dealer can make. I'm on 15,000 miles and that's been the only real glitch...(knock on wood)

Cheers,

MC

P.S. - if you read my post wisely you'll probably have a good chance at what dealership I bought my LR3 from.

british_rover · December 2006

If you have SAT radio then when you hit the AUX button a couple of times the SAT fuction will come up. If you don't have SAT radio then hitting AUX Over and over will only give you the AUX function in the radio head.

As far as I know there is no way to retrofit SAT radio into a LR3 that does not have it.

ssp1 · December 2006

Interesting. I was told by my dealer that you could have sat radio installed post purchase. that it was around $1400. so i never followed up. So are we stuck with the aftermarket things that you stick on the windshield? (i leave it on the floor for now.)

dandrews1 · December 2006

I was also told that there was no factory sat radio available, and that it could only be installed post-purchase.

He even me one in the showroom that was waiting for customer pickup.. the thing was were the ashtray used to be.

british_rover · December 2006

You can have the little aftermarket XM or Sirius radio put in but you cannot have the factory style SAT radio installed where it works from the head unit.

ssp1 · December 2006

But there are factory installed units meaning its an option if your vehicle has it or you order one made with one in it. Thats correct right? you just cant go after the fact and have them put it in. Which raises another issue; why dont all parts/service people who work for LR at dealers know this stuff? How hard can it be to know everything about one vehicle and be good at it (or three vehicles).

british_rover · December 2006

Yeah late build 2006 MY LR3s had SAT radio as an option. I forget when they started making it avaliable as an option but I think it was around January or Feburary of 2006.

stillwaters · December 2006

My 2006 V6 LR3 SE has the button on the radio for the bluetooth connection, but does not have the buttons on the wheel to answer the phone. When I push the Bluetooth button, a message comes up and says "no phone connected", but when I try to log in a phone, it doesn't connect. Is this button just for show? When I purchased my "new" LR3, the sticker was already off the window, so I do not know if it was supposed to come with this option in the first place...I am confused :confuse:

Keith

dandrews1 · December 2006

I mostly use the command shift to downshift when coming up to a stop, or to slow down in traffic.

I'm no expert, but I've always done this in any automatic vehicle I've owned.. I find it helps slow down the vehicle, and in my mind, I feel I'm saving the brakes for a little more longevity. Also, these Rover brakes seem to throw off a lot of dust, so downshifting to slow down may help keep oxidization down on the rims.

dandrews1 · December 2006

I've had my LR3 for almost a year and I have never used the "descend" feature... I'm glad that I've been doing it right using 2nd gear.

Just out of curiosity, do you use 2nd gear high or low range?

/DA

mark156 · December 2006

Dandrews1, when going down my street (25% grade or so), I use 2nd gear high. If I put the tranny in 'low', I will let it shift normally and it creeps even in 4th gear without touching the brakes.

Mark156

ssp1 · December 2006

I just reached 10,000 miles on my 06 LR3 SE7 and things have been great. I did have one alignment done at the 7500 mi check. And the speed sensitive auto wipers are noisy in light rainfall(i was told this is how it is and in S Cal thats what we have, fog like rain). Besides that the vehicle has been perfect. Its been everything I expected and a bit more.

morocco2 · December 2006

I mostly use the command shift to downshift when coming up to a stop, or to slow down in traffic

I use it for the same reasons including to cut down on dust brake especially on the front wheels. I also like to use command shift if I want a more involved driving experience mostly on country roads a light city driving when traffic is low. :shades:

mac24 · December 2006

I mostly use the command shift to downshift when coming up to a stop, or to slow down in traffic.

Of course, this technique will require extensive re-training for most of the driving public, who seem to be under the impression that firm pressure must be applied to one pedal or the other at all times (and sometimes both). :shades:

dandrews1 · December 2006

Of course, this technique will require extensive re-training for most of the driving public, who seem to be under the impression that firm pressure must be applied to one pedal or the other at all times (and sometimes both).

I agree - but even I do both when offroading (as I was taught that was the proper procedure when offroading automatic vehicles..)

/DA

mac24 · December 2006

(as I was taught that was the proper procedure when offroading automatic vehicles..)

Ah yes, true offroad driving is a whole different ballgame. Not so much specifically for automatic transmissions, but rather to get the most effective use from limited slip differentials (especially the worm geared type), that technique is generally referred to as BTM.......Brake Throttle Modulation.

Applying just enough brake to fool the diff into locking, while applying enough throttle to overcome the brakes and power the vehicle through. It's hard on the brakes and transmission, especially if you're late on the brakes when a wheel is spinning, but can be very effective.

mark156 · December 2006

I really don't notice that much brake dust on my LR3. Now, my Mercedes does get a lot of brake dust as I clean my wheels almost everyday.

My friends DO make fun of me, but my wheels always look new and not pitted and scratched like other cars the same age.

One way to make your wheels shine, is to put a little bit of Black Magic Tire Wet on the alloy wheels and wipe off. It puts a nice shine on the wheels that will last until the next wash. Even "damp" cleaning to get the brake dust off leaves the wheels nice and shiny.

Mark

british_rover · December 2006

Another good trick to keep allow wheels shiny is to put a couple of good coats of wax on them. You will want to use one of high temp poloymer based waxes like Zanio or Zymol as a carnuba based wax doesn't have the high temp resistance you need on a wheel which is basicly a heat sink for your brakes.

Take the wheels off your car/truck and wax the whole thing. The wax will keep the brake dust and dirt from sticking to the wheel and you can wipe it off with a damp cloth.

Should last for a few months in normal conditions.

mark156 · December 2006

BR, you think I'm going to take the wheels of my car? Ha ha haaaaaa!

Seriously, putting just a little bit of Tire Wet works great!

Actually, I did put wax on the LR3 when it was new (wheel wax at Autozone). I can't tell that it helped all that much to resist brake dust. Since I usually wipe my wheels down almost nightly, I never have much of a build-up anyway.

I wish I had the avenue to do "real" detailing.... I have no tools or the place to really do it.

Thanks for the suggestions! Mark156

ssp1 · December 2006

Is anyone having a loud noise from the speed sensitive auto wipers? in fact they sound noisy whether on auto or not. Is this fixable? The dealer says no and I cant believe how bad they sound for otherwise a relatively perfect vehicle. Let me know what you know

Land Rover LR3

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles