Had an 06 for six years and put close to 50k on it, with zero issues.
Many long trips, including a 3k plus NY-LA cross country trip, super comfortable ride thru varying weather conditions (even with the stock tires), and zero issues.
LR3 has much better ride quality than LR4, both on road and off road, due to the much better suspension tuning, specially at freeway speeds and on the washboard type corrugated dirt roads.
Owing to its soccer mom friendly, sports car wannabe suspension tuning, LR4 is horrible and downright unusable on the washboard type of surfaces, specially with the stock rim/tire combo with practically no sidewall for airing down to mitigate the issue.
Also, because of this firmer setup, LR4 loses traction and grip very easily at freeway speeds if you hit a small patch of uneven surface, and you have to be quite aware and be on top of steering, to keep the truck straight on its intended course. The whole truck just gets unsettled and could be quite unnerving at like 70 mph depending on how long the uneven or bumpy patch is. Add rain to the mix and you better be on top of things.
With my LR3 on the other hand, it used to be a pleasure and confidence inspiring going over such uneven patches. Super calm, stable, and well composed, no matter what the speed or surface type.
What an absolute pleasure it used to be to drive that thing on the long trips. I remember having this subtle constant grin on my face
And to to add insult to injury, the soccer mom friendly over-boosted steering of LR4 further adds to the unstable feel post an uneven patch at freeway speeds.
While LR3 with its 4.4 V8 definitely felt underpowered at times (specially during city driving), LR4' 5.0 NAV8 has just "sufficient" power to propel the truck with less stress. It certainly does not make the truck feel super preppy like a sedan but it does give you a feeling of some effortlessness due to the extra torque when pulling up a freeway entry ramp while fully loaded with passengers and cargo.
The slightly better tuned for a few more horses 5.0 NAV8 with the current ZF 8 would have been a perfect combo in an LR4 and would have made the this V8 cross the threshold of being "barely sufficient" to probably "more than adequate".
But I felt that LR3' 4.4 was quite good at pulling at freeway speeds, with a sense and feeling of constant pull as you pushed it. Could be due to the power band and the gearbox optimizations for the freeway speeds. But I also felt that maintaining high freeway speeds on grades and at high altitudes of lets say 4k, etc, the engine definitely struggled and felt underpowered.
Having driven both 3 and the 4 for about fourteen years now, personally if I had to choose today, I probably would have chosen a lower mileage LR3 over an LR4 simply because of its much better suspension tuning and steering weight. Either that or I would have tried to find a great tire to compensate for the firm suspension of LR4, but then the very light and loose feeling steering weight of LR4 would still be there. Would have been a tough call for me
I would definitely try to test drive LR4 as much as I could under the driving surfaces, conditions, and speeds, you would be doing post purchase. Better to test drive the truck on the same familiar roads you have driven your LR3 on, and then make the decision.
