Considering 2005 LR3

[Duramax_Dually2001]

My wife and I are considering a new 2005 LR3. I have always been a GM owner primarily as I worked on them and understand the engineering. However we are current owners of a 2004 GMC Denali and to be honest, now that we have owned for a year I am not that impressed with it. We have had Nav issues, The MPG is terrible. I do not like the way you have to climb in back door, then through center opening to get to far back seats. I do not like the fold up style far rear seats. With that it and after looking at the LR3, it appears that the LR3 fixes those issues. However. I am not familiar with Rover vehicles. I have been in some earlier RR's but never owned one. I know they are full of electronics and that does place a bit of concern with me as I feel somewhat then tied to Rover to have it fixed. I am a very competent home mechanic and drag race as a hobby.

What are the Pro's and Con's of the new LR3. My wife sure likes it. My daughters enjoyed it as well. We travel to the snow a lot and go camping. Although we use my big truck for most the towing, How does the LR3 tow? I have a 4000 lb Wakeboard boat? This is a first year release and I understand that there will be glitches, I have the 1st year Duramax/Allison Diesel truck from Chevrolet and it had a few, but I was able to fix most at home and not suffer any down time. My wife will use this for business and pleasure. How is Rover service? Are they responsive or do they like to "Pass the buck" on issues?

Any input from owners or Rover tech's would be greatly appreciated. I can say this, the sales approach was very pleasant and not hungry and in your face. Just let us walk the lot, gave us a couple of test drives through the obstacle course, and let us alone.

Thanks in advance

 

[tmiller1]

Your MPG will not be much, if any, better. And the service from LR depends on your dealer. My local dealer has been great. I have posted some of my experiences with my dealer in this thread:

http://www.landroverworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=761

 

[racingdc9]

We've had our SE for 1 month and 1,000 miles now and so far it's been great. Sorry, haven't towed anything. During city/suburb driving we get about 14.6-15.0 mpg, we'll see what we get on the freeway when we go to Dallas this weekend. Also, we have the 3rd row seats, but haven't used them yet, we will this weekend though, hehe.

My wife is 5'5" and with the LR3 lowered to it's entry level height, she has no problems getting in and out of the LR3, we were going to get the running boards but when my wife tried to get in and out of one at the dealership, it was actually harder then getting in and out of a lowered LR3 w/o the running boards. The rear doors do open out pretty wide for entry and exit.

 

[Duramax_Dually2001]

Racindc9,
Thanks for the feedback. My wife who is 5'1" had similar experiences entering the LR3. She liked it alot better than the Denali. I agree. The Denali's running boards seems to be mid step and is awkward. We too agreed that the running boards on the LR3 would not be necessary. We plan on the the optional 3rd row seats. I like how they fold down flat for cargo when not in use. The seats do not feel as comfortable as the Denali but the rest of the ergonomics are much better. The LR3 seems very solid, But again we only did a couple of test drives. We are configuring our planned options for the LR3, I am just doing a bit more leg work and research before purchase.

Thanks again.

 

[tmiller1]

Opinion: towing with the LR3 vs. the Denali - the Denali will probably be a more stable, consistent towing experience because it is a longer wheelbase vehicle. You won't have any problems towing your 4,000 lb boat (BTW, what kind of boat? I have been skiing behind an older barefoot supreme and a newer ski nautique the last few years - granted these are more for slalom though). The travel trailer I was looking at was approx. 5,000 lbs, and there were no concerns with it hooked up.

 

[Duramax_Dually2001]

Thanks TMiller,
I figured that to be the case with the wheel base and I bet the GVW. GMC Yukon/Denali platforms are pretty solid for towing. I usually always tow with my 1 ton truck however there are times where we use the SUV. Would never tow long distances. We have an 04 ****** V210 Wake Series, BTW.

 

[racingdc9]

My hobby is also drag racing, i'm in the process of building a 600 hp import and planning on towing the car (2700 lbs) to and from the track every now and then, would I be looking at getting a regular trailer? or does it have to be brake assisted? I'm new at this towing stuff.

The reason i asked is, I looked up the LR3's spec's, and it stated for towing that if it's a normal trailer the wieight is arond 1500lbs and brake assisted(or something about brakes, don't remember) around 4000lbs and up.

I hope i'm not hijacking your thread, since it's a towing question it might be ok.

 

[SteveA]

Hang on a minute guys...The Denali may or may not be better at towing than the LR3, I don't know, but how can you say that it will be just because of the wheelbase? The LR3 has a 113.6" wheelbase and the Denali is 116". Can 2.4" make a significant difference? We're not talking about the old 100" Discovery.

The LR3 is rated to tow 7700 lbs with a max tongue weight of 550 lbs. In some ways, the LR3 might be better due to the air suspension. It won't let the rear of the car sag when loaded like the convensional spring on the Denali.

 

[tmiller1]

The air suspension is great for towing, except that you cannot use a weight-distribution hitch with the LR air suspension. The LR automatically distributes the weight so there is no need for this type of hitch; however, a weight-distribution hitch also acts as a sway controller for the trailer. Your only option for sway control is to mount sway-control devices to the trailer and the towing ball (since you can't use the weight-distribution hitch).

To tow 7700 lbs, you have to be in low range, I believe that the limit for high range towing is 5000 lbs (or 5500 - check your owner's manual because I can't remember).

Still my opinion: the LR wheelbase, even though it is longer than it was previously, still is designed more for off-road maneuvering, while the Denali is not designed for the same type of handling. This, combined with the shorter wheelbase (granted, not much shorter), still makes the Denali more suited for towing. Again, this is just my opinion - I haven't ever towed the same item with both vehicles for a real comparison. I have towed similar items with a Suburban, but it is a much longer wheelbase.

 

[SteveA]

The LR3 (unlike the Discovery, but like the current Range Rover) is rated to tow 3500kg (7716lbs) in high OR low range.

Land Rover specifially says not to use any type of weight distribution hitch.

I wish I could do some scientific back-to-back comparisons.