technical differences between discovery 3 & LR3

[ronLR3]

I see in the UK, the discovery 3 is what is the LR3 in the US. Why the different model name, and are they the same hardware?

 

[gtc]

Yes, they are the same vehicles; trim and options differ (notably the available diesel and manual transmissions in the UK). The "Discovery" has been the traditional LR name; it hasn't been as kindly regarded in the US (mainly due to reliability), so there was a switch to the "LR3" naming convention - it's just a marketing move. The same happened with the Freelander, which is called the Freelander2 in the UK, and the LR2 in the US.

 

[mustbeaudi]

Brits are more forgiving of their local product quirks, whereas LR mucked up its own image so badly here in the New World that it started over with naming conventions to try and fool us into forgetting about our prior negative associations. Worked for me!

 

[Houm_WA]

I have been offroad with enough DIIs and seen them kick enough a$$ that I proudly refer to my rig as a D3. If the Discovery's name and rep were sullied, it was only amongst the yuppies and dip$hit reporters who don't know what they're for.

 

[yrbender]

I just debaged the rear it looks great. Thinking about the bonnet next.

 

[mustbeaudi]

"it was only amongst the yuppies and dip$hit reporters who don't know what they're for"

Hardly. The Disco series in the US consistently fell to the bottom of quality and reliability surveys. As capable and comfortable as LR products may be, this was true. None of that makes your truck any less capable or comfortable, but it partly explains why it's worth so little now compared to its MSRP. This is in contrast to much less capable vehicles that retain higher resale values, namely Toyota/Lexus or BMW products, regardless of whether they are more deserving of them. Don't confuse fact with emotion.

 

[SoCalLR3]

This is in contrast to much less capable vehicles that retain higher resale values, namely Toyota/Lexus

Land Cruiser / LX 570 excluded of course...

 

[Houm_WA]

audi...I stand by what I'm saying, but can tone down the language a bit. I don't think that Land Rover needs to feel embarassed by the Disco enough that they would change the name of the D3. I think most LR Enthusiasts appreciate the DI and DII for what it is.

 

[gtc]

audi...I stand by what I'm saying, but can tone down the language a bit. I don't think that Land Rover needs to feel embarassed by the Disco enough that they would change the name of the D3. I think most LR Enthusiasts appreciate the DI and DII for what it is.

While I agree with the sentiment, LR isn't in (or is moving out of!) the business of selling to enthusiasts - thus the marketing change. With the removal of the Defender from NA, and the upgrades to the Discovery, it seems relatively apparent that LR is focusing on a completely different demographic here. (In the UK, a stripper LR3 is a pretty basic vehicle)

I agree that that a LR (of any sort) is more capable then 99% of vehicles produced - I've been on the other side of the argument many times, having owned a Freelander for a few years; there was very little love from even the Disco folk (lack of low range - which only hampered the Freelander on the rock crawl, and extremely steep inclines - for everything else like mud, snow, sand and on-road, the Freelander was a more compelling vehicle).

 

[mustbeaudi]

gtc gets it, and while I respect Houm and the many useful contributions you make here (really!), LR can't just sell to enthusiasts and stay in business. Enthusiasts like us are a true minority (and I am not like you, we're never going to wheel ours, but we are passionate about our family truckster). You and I are part of the vocal minority of the minority just by virtue of being on this affinity site. The other 95% of LR and RR buyers are who LR marketing must convince, not to mention the rest of the potential buying public that don't yet consider the marque. Disco disassociation was a pure marketing move and clearly understandable and justifiable. (Freelander disassociation showed that LR was still alive - that car really sucked (sorry, gtc, I get to offend you too)! On top of sucking, brakelights out of sightline down in the bumper? Amazing that LR failed to notice how miserably that trick played out on those old time Chevy Malibu and El Camino models even with their real heavy metal bumpers. You and I might love our LR, but those Brits make plenty of mistakes, too.)