LR3 Owner's Thoughts so Far...

[madtownrover]

Another new owner here...Bonatti Grey with black. SE with most of the HSE stuff. Good review! My LR3 has been terrific thus far as well! Looking forward to lots of discussion on how to maximize this rover's capabilities.

 

[quietcoolone]

I'm a proud owner of a 2001 Disco II SE-7, and was a bit skeptical about the new LR3.. after all this is a whole new vehicle with a lot to prove. I've been reading online reviews, viewed a DVD sent to me by LR and also a short review by Motorweek... they are also those who have never given LR it's due, such as Dan Jedlicka's of MSN autos, who seem very bias when it comes to Land Rover and it's owners... he categorize us as "snobs".
"The LR3's more mainstream design should increase Land Rover sales, as should its continuing snob appeal".
Well, despite the DiscoII looks, it can go where others dream to go and has a distinctive look that makes it different which is something that attracted me to the vehicle. I'm not a "snob" but i do like "different", and my Disco II has been an exceptional vehicle, --------- enter the LR3.
I've been reading reviews on other bias newsgroups and i can finally say that the LR is not something to talk about, but something you must experience. That said, i drove down to Richmond's VA LR dealership and ask for a test drive, it was very early in the day so there were no salespeople on hand, but the general manager took the time to test drive an SE model... of course he drove the car for the first 2 miles and it was then that i realized that the LR3 was no Disco--- the ride was smooth and quiet--- when it was my turn to drive he asked if i wanted the highway, local curved road or the turnpike...... i decided on the local curved road because that is the type of road on which i drive my Disco II--- after making some minor seat and mirror adjustments, i was ready to experience the LR3 for the first time.
Needless to say, i was not disappointed, the LR3 has the power and road manners of a luxury sedan and after it all, i was convinced that the LR3 was for me. The dealership had all but the Alverston Red in stock, but i decided on the Zambezi Silver with the ebony black leather, HSE model -- Navigation is a must because i'm new to the area -- i also added the side steps, lockable crossbars, rear mud flaps and loadspace mat-- all accessories added up to approximately $1191 installed-- they offered 10% off which brought the price down to a little over a thousand. This was the only HSE model available (floor model) -- it has only 20 miles and should be ready for delivery by Tuesday December 28. I also received a $17,500 trade-in allowance on my 2001 Disco II SE7 with almost 50K miles.
I'm sure to write more later, but for now i'm excited and sad at the same time and i'm hopping that the LR3 is a true replacement of the Disco II.

 

[mwillems]

My LR3 arrived this morning and I am happier than a pig in.. well let's just say I am happy. Its p[erformace is better than expected and the systems are better than I had dared hope - I have the rain-sensing wipers (the sales guy was not sure if I would or not), the audio operation (ditto) and so on. The GPS works beautifully and the car is a pleasure to drive in the snow and ice we have here (major winter storm this am in Toronto and surrounding area).

More detailed reports soon. Will drive the LR3 to Dallas next Monday - 2 day highway drive. Should be FUN!

M

 

[racingdc9]

Another new owner here...Bonatti Grey with black. SE with most of the HSE stuff. Good review! My LR3 has been terrific thus far as well! Looking forward to lots of discussion on how to maximize this rover's capabilities.

I was just wondering how your car looks in person, I also ordered a Bonatti Grey with black interior. Any chance you could maybe email me some pictures of your car so I can see how that color combo looks on the LR3? I think the LR3 would look awesome with the Bonatti Grey, also, do the grey fender flares match up with the BG well? Or is it alot of contrast? Here's my email [email protected], if you have some time to snap a couple of pictures of your LR3 it would be great.

thanks,

Tommy

 

[JimRoshan]

I LOOVVVEEE My Rover!!!!!

Hi Everybody,

My name is Jim and I live in Bowling Green, Ky. Let me tell you about my LR3 Story!!

You see - I needed a new truck. I had a 2002 Chevy Tahoe that was a great truck. But, Uncle Sam made me get another one before the end of the year (You see, I am self-employeed!) So I started researching for the next mode of transportation for me.

One day I called Dave Cagle at LandRover Nashville to see about the RangeRover and he told me that it did not have 3rd row seats which I needed really bad. He proceeded to tell me about this new machine coming out at the end of the year called the LR3. It had everything option I told him I needed. So, I paid my deposit and got in line. First I was to get the truck on Oct 1st - then Oct 10 - then the 16th - then the 25th - now Nov 10th. I told them I could not wait that long due to an upcoming trip I had to take starting Nov 3rd. I really need the vehicle before then. I could not use the Tahoe because it was up for sale and needed to set still.

Kenny, the Manager in Nashville (Great guy - BTW) did something he did not really have to do. He helped me find what I needed at another dealership. I finally found the truck coming in before my departure date in Paramus NJ. Karim (my sales guy there) called me on Oct 25th to inform me that my truck was in transit and should be arriving at their facility by noon the next day. I eagerly jumped a flight to Newark to meet the new "LR3" and drive it back to Ky. When we pulled in the drive of the dealership I spotted my truck. It stuck out like a sore thumb among all of the Discos and RangeRovers. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!!!! Schwing would better describe my feelings!!

We went inside and did the paper trail thing and then I was GONE!! What a feeling. You see - I have owned everything from Porsches to Jags to all kinds of other sports cars and SUVs, but, nothing felt like this! This was Jag SUV on steroids!!

Also to my suprise I was told (by a LandRover rep - not the dealership) that LandRover had told all of the dealerships not to release any LR3s until Nov 2nd - the official launch date. They decided to make an exception for me due to my upcoming trip. According to him I was the first cilvilian in the entire country to own the LR3. So, needless to say, for the next 7 days I was the King of the Road!! Then my 15 minutes of fame died really fast when I passed a white one on Nov 3rd!! Oh well!

It is Monday Dec 27 as I write this. To date I have put 5,673 miles on my truck and had it off road twice (minor to moderate trails) and just drove 300+ miles around my part of the state during the worst ice and snow storm since '93. I have also, installed a dual DVD system with a TV tuner that appears in my rearview mirror. A back-up camera installed in the bumper and XM Sat radio - to boot. I plan to add Body Side Moldings, Expedition Roof Rack, Wind Deflectors, Driving Lamp Kit, A-Frame Protection Bar, Warn Winc, Front & Rear Mud Flaps. I would also like to upgrade my tires to a more aggressive tire.

List of problems:
1) I found two small spots in the paint finish that seem to have come from the factory - Warrenty
2) One of the lights under a button on the dash is burned out - Warrenty
3) No wiring harness comes with the towing system. You have to buy that later and have it installed (around $300) I did not find this out until I needed to tow my trailer Christmas Eve around noon O'Clock!! Real bummer!! LR need to tell people that before they need it!!
4) Since my truck is Really first generation I could not get the Adaptive head lights. I really wish I had those.
5) The Bluetooth system for my cell phone will not be working until the module comes in sometime around April 2005. According the LR.
6) Wish I had the Black interior instead of the Alpaca. With the amound of traffice in and out of the truck I am constantly foaming out skid marks from black soled shoes.

This is my list of problems so far. There is nothing on that list to make me regret my decision.

I am so in love with my LR3 that LandRover is really going to have to top it to make me buy something else in the future. My wife loves it so much she wants me to trade her 2004 Volvo SUV for a Silver LR3. even my 3.5 year old daughter can't stop talking about the truck. Even though we have 5 other cars in the family, the LR3 is not the most or least expensive of the bunch, but it tops them all!!

I was most impressed with the handling during the recent ice storm. I have never had a vechile feel like it had spikes pop out of the tire and grip the road for me. I tried hard to make it fishtail and slide in the ice - It did not give me that privlidge. It was like driving on dry pavement. No Joke!! When everyobdy else was doing 10-25 mph I was flying by at more than double that - and not in a careless way at all. I am not about to scratch my LR3!!

This vechile handles great on hot pavement on curvy country roads and high traffice areas in town. It is great crusing through 12" of water, going through mud, flying on snow and ice, and best of all scaring the crap out of yourself when the car in front of you hydroplanes in water and you just stick it all the way through not realizing you can.

I bought the 7 yr 85,000 mile extended warrenty. I don't beleive I will see the 7 years before I see the 85,000 miles - At this rate I might exceed it by mid-summer '05!! LOL!!

I so love my LR3 that I now want another one to use as my classy car (a replacement to my ' 03 BMW 540i) that way I can trek out the one I have to do some really bad Off-Roading!! Anyone want to join me?

Thanks for letting me rant on here about my love of this peice of art. But, you guys understand the feelings I get when I think about my Rover. They won't let me talk about my truck on the Needlepointing forums - just kidding, I prefer Quilting!! LOL (Thats really my wife saying that!!)

Just my $:02 worth.

I welcome the comments or questions.

Your new LR family member and lifelong friend,
Jim Roshan
Bowling Green, Kentucky

FYI - Commercial and Editorial Photographer by trade

 

[cednsan]

Jim, thanks for the write up. My HSE (Black-Alpaca) arrives in a couple of weeks. Can you send pictures of your DVD? I want to install one, but do not want the center pull down (I like using my rear view mirror), and most places I have talked to don't have exact matching headrest units yet. So I am also interested to here about what and how you installed the DVD system, and your recommendations. Thanks.

 

[Cat]

I purchased my LR3 (Adriatic Blue/Alpaca) in November & have been very pleased thus far. We had several days of icy roads the week of Christmas & the LR3 proved it's ability to perform in very difficult conditions. I am very impressed with the smooth & quiet drive/ride under normal conditions as much as anything else to this point. The only creak or squeak I have detected in the cabin is around the moonroof but only when the sunscreen is open...( but it is very slight & I believe it can be alleviated). This particular vehicle does not have a rear park assist feature on it. My wife is the principle driver of this vehicle, so the absence of the park assist is something that she is not happy about. (She has that on another vehicle & on previous vehicles we have owned,... so u might imagine how that story goes...) The rear heated seats with the cold weather package are an added plus that we have not had before and are enjoyed by our teenage daughters on journeys they have had to endure with their parents. Overall this may be the best vehicle I have ever owned... it has it all & does it all quite well. It may not be the prettiest vehicle on the road, but it exudes a quiet confidence that is very attractive.

 

[quietcoolone]

Folks,
I took delivery of my LR3 HSE this past Thursday-- the vehicle looks great with the steps and crossbars. As stated earlier my LR3 has the silver exterior with black interior.
My girlfriend and I went shopping yesterday and drove the truck for about 100 miles on the highway and we were both happy with the LR3 road manners and acceleration---.
The list of minor issues are:
1. Audio system:
There is a vibrant hiss coming out the passenger side door panel especially with the bass level up
2. At speeds above 20 MPH- there is a whistle sound coming from the sunroof area--- i think its because the front crossbar is just above the step-up roof and blocking the air flow

On the plus side:
1. We found that the sound system DOES Play MP3 cd's even though there is no mention of this in the manual (i don't know if this is true on the standard stereo), perhaps owners of the standard stereo should check this out and let others know.
2. The touch-screen navigation works great. I had a Pioneer Touch-screen navigation monitor in my SE-7 that did not list my home address (new street), and other recent highway construction, but the software on the LR3 disc does, so that made us very happy.
3. The front/rear PDC is a plus, our garage space is tight and having this feature makes my girlfriend happy-- she is 5'4" and ran the SE-7 into wall a few times.
4. What else, ummm oh the memory seating which includes mirror positioning is also a welcome feature not available on the SE-7, now we don't have to make any seating adjustments.
5. The rear door is different and something one needs to get used to


I will post some pictures next week.. I'm off the LAS (by air)

In closing:
The LR3 styling, handling, capabilities are well above the SE-7 i drove, and anyone out there looking for a first Class seat should try the LR3.

 

[quietcoolone]

Nomad, I think the "dipping" of the RVM is only available on the HSE with memory seating because it works on mine

 

[manxman4000]

I guess you like it then......

Good review, I feel better about my decision to order. I'm waiting for the HSE in Bonatti Grey with the Alpaca leather. Comes in February...