Please assist a prospective LR3 owner.

[trackstar]

Wife and I are shopping for a true 7 passenger vehicle that can easily handle snowy New England hills (and maybe I can sneak it offroad ), and the LR3 is on our short list. 2006MY SE w/ V8 specifically. I''ve tried to do as much research as possible but I''m looking for more input.

1) LRs as a brand get a real bad rap for reliability, and I can''t seem to get objective answers about the LR3 reliability. I''ve seen complaints about air suspension faults, leaky roofs/windshields, and some rattles, but I''ve no idea how widespread the issues are, or if there are any other serious complaints.

2) I have a small (short) garage - 72" to be exact. I''ve seen the height of the LR3 listed at 74.5", but since the suspension is height adjustable, at what setting is this measured? Can the truck be driven in the lowest mode (access mode, I believe)?

3) Can anyone comment on the ease/difficulty of accessing the 3rd row with 2 carseats in the 2nd row?

Thanks!

 

[gtc]

trackstar - I'm picking mine up today (06 SE V8 7 passenger!), so I can't comment directly on reliability, however the LR3 is supposed to be much improved over older Land Rover models. I did have a Land Rover Freelander, widely regarded to be one of the least reliable LRs to hit North America; ours was so-so - in the shop more then any other vehicle we had (possibly combined!), but still fun to drive. A good local dealer made the experience bearable since they were mostly pleasant, even if repairs often took two trips (helps that we live close to them!).

In terms of accessing the third row, my plan is to put the car seats on the outside, and leave the center seat permanently stowed down, with a rubber mat on it to protect the seat back. This will probably require a bit of effort to access the third row, but it should be easier then moving a car seat around to roll one of the side seats.

I believe that the user "mustbeaudi" has tried this, and may be able to comment.

Good luck with your search!

gtc

 

[PaulLR3]

The problems you mentioned were mostly on the 2005 MY. Those and a few other new model issues such as a gas tank problem and transmission problem are long gone. Our 2008 has been perfect through 9 months and 10K miles. We have had Audis for years so I'm not afraid to deal with some issues as long as I like the way the vehicle drives. The LR3 is awesome offroad and very good on-road. We like it better than our Q7 that it replaced. (Q7 was not good at beach driving)


Not sure what the height is in access mode. Bring one home and slowly see if it fits with someone's help watching the clearance.

You need to tumble forward one of the outside second row seats to access the third row. It's really easy once you learn the sequence. If we are driving a car pool with 4 booster seats, then we need to take one out of the second row to load the third row first. If we have 3 booster seat passengers, we put 2 in the third row, one in the second row and leave a second row seat folded forward for easy third row access.

 

[toddjb122]

1) LRs as a brand get a real bad rap for reliability, and I can''t seem to get objective answers about the LR3 reliability. I''ve seen complaints about air suspension faults, leaky roofs/windshields, and some rattles, but I''ve no idea how widespread the issues are, or if there are any other serious complaints.

If your dealer is within a reasonable drive distance you'll be fine. You will have to take it in for random things, but the truck has never stranded me and it is worth the hassle (let's be honest, there are going to be more nitpick issues than if you bought a Toyota). Its a great truck. You'll love it.

2) I have a small (short) garage - 72" to be exact. I''ve seen the height of the LR3 listed at 74.5", but since the suspension is height adjustable, at what setting is this measured? Can the truck be driven in the lowest mode (access mode, I believe)?

Yes, you can drive it in Access mode. Go on a test drive and bring it home to check for fit. A dealer should let you take it out for an extended time if you let them know. You may not have to lower, depends on the roof rack. However, it could be a pain in the butt for the one time you or your wife are in a rush and forget to lower it. Ouch.

3) Can anyone comment on the ease/difficulty of accessing the 3rd row with 2 carseats in the 2nd row?
Thanks!

We often put our baby seat in the center position. I have put two seats in the back (one on the side, one in the center (using seat belt) and you can then lift up the side seat to access the 3rd row. Assuming your baby/booster seat has the clearance for the seat to fold. It should. Again, bring a seat to the dealer, install it in the center, and try it out!

Let us know what you decide.

 

[PicnSav]

2) I have a small (short) garage - 72" to be exact. I''ve seen the height of the LR3 listed at 74.5", but since the suspension is height adjustable, at what setting is this measured? Can the truck be driven in the lowest mode (access mode, I believe)?



Mine measures at 74 inches in access mode.

 

[gtc]

We often put our baby seat in the center position. I have put two seats in the back (one on the side, one in the center (using seat belt) and you can then lift up the side seat to access the 3rd row. Assuming your baby/booster seat has the clearance for the seat to fold. It should. Again, bring a seat to the dealer, install it in the center, and try it out!

Todd - what's your make of baby seats? I couldn't get two in locked down tightly side by side (ie side/center) when I did a test fit. Since we currently only have one child, I didn't focus on getting the smallest seat available (though we do have a seat in our Mini Cooper!).

 

[mustbeaudi]

Car Seat

Todd - what's your make of baby seats? I couldn't get two in locked down tightly side by side (ie side/center) when I did a test fit. Since we currently only have one child, I didn't focus on getting the smallest seat available (though we do have a seat in our Mini Cooper!).

http://www.skjp.com/products/skjp_radian_65.php

You need to see this product. Keep rearward facing until 2 y.o. per latest studies (search Autoweek or even web for Wisconsin study within 12 months and new CDC/CSPC guidelines). Then stay in 5 point harness as long as size permits before boosting. The Radian 65 is great. Only issue is when empty, the metal clip securing the buckle sometimes hits other parts beneath the seat -- many are metal -- and might rattle.

Narrowest seat for its capacity that I found. You don't need any 80+ pound seats unless your kid is obese, incredibly huge or disabled, as most growth charts show 65 pounds equating to heights beyond those accepted by any car seat (forgetting even that kids that age won't accept a 5 point harness at 9 years old!).

 

[josh]

Lr3

Trackstar,

Glad to hear the LR3 is on your short list. I thought that I'd tell you my thoughts. I absolutely love my LR3. It is the best truck I've ever had. I heard all the talk about reliability and as has already been stated, this is an issue of the past. I've had mine for about a year now and have had no issues (not one).

It is the most capable off-road vehicle that you can have...it is more capable than you even think or can imagine. I have put a lot into mine, including winch, rock sliders, under armour, new roof rack, HID lights, etc. I used the winch on the first day that I owned it, and that was before I got my bigger tires (haven't needed it since).

As for your questions, the reliability is not an issue anymore and certainly has not been with me even with all my modifications. As for the access height for your garage, I don't have to do this in my garage but often do b/c I like the play with the suspension. I do however use this feature all the time when I park in hospital parking decks and you can certainly drive in the access mode. You can also lock it in access mode to prevent it from accidentally rising back to normal mode in a situation where it would rise and hit the ceiling. At a certain speed (7 mph I think?) it will go back to normal mode automatically, just like when you go ~30 mpg it will lower from off-road height.

Well, you can probably tell how much I enjoy my LR3.

-Josh

 

[mustbeaudi]

More on LR3 and car seats:

The three almost equal seats in the second row of the LR3 make it a very special vehicle and the only minivan alternative acceptable to those who use car seats attached to the car (as opposed to booster seats). In any other non-minivan vehicle, affixing more than one car seat permanently precludes folding the second row for third row access. Passengers can try to climb over the seat or the rear bumper and into the third row - try that with mom-in-law!

The right car seats that are not too very wide at bottom or top (see my suggestion above) fit perfectly upon only one perch, leaving the others capable of folding down for third seat access from row two. This can be via an outer seat or the middle position. I note that though middle access is a bit more difficult and strange, even when this middle seat is in the lowered position closer to the floor, it still beats climbing over the rear bumper of any other SUV or crossover in which you have two seats affixed to the middle row and therefore can't fold forward for access. (Everyone knows that the seat can fold flat and THEN still push down further to get closer toward the floor, right?)

I currently have both outer positions occupied, with the center position open for guests and rear access (very infrequent for us, anyway). It's not difficult to cross in front of the position occupied by the oldest's Radian 65 car seat to get to the center spot. I thought about using one outer and one middle position to enable the bigger child to sit next to and play more with the rear facing baby (but in my case baby still hollers complaints while riding in the car, and this bothers the bigger one's ears too much). With two next to each other, one outer position remains open for guests or easiest rear access. It even permits a parent some space to use inside the LR3 while addressing the kid's needs as in a minivan, either using the space vacated when the seat is flipped or just using the seat itself.

Nothing beats a quad captain's chair minivan's interior access and flexibility along these lines. Nothing beats the LR3 offroad or for image (says my wife). The LR3 more closely approximates the minivan for my wife than did any other crossover or SUV option (albeit at the expense of much greater fuel consumption, but that's another story).


Another plug here for Sunshine Kids Juvenile Products great Radian 65 car seat with metal frame, narrow construction, advance foams, and tall child five point harness slots.
http://www.skjp.com/products/skjp_radian_65.php

 

[toddjb122]

I think we have a Britax car seat. (we had another brand when he was an infant) I don't know what brand the booster was, it was my sister's for her kid. That may have been a Britax as well.

I regularly have him in the seat and keep the other two folded down, or fold them down once the seat is already in the car. Not a problem.