Land Rover is the gold standard for luxury SUVs. From its top-of-the-line Range Rovers down to the compact and punchy LR2, if you want an import SUV that will impress, you need a Rover. They’ve got all the luxury features anyone could want, and they’re very capable off-road, so whether you’re cruising the town in style or hitting the outback, you can do it all in a Rover.
Take on the Mall or the Wilderness
You may have heard that Land Rover has been sold to an Indian automaker, and that’s true. Tata of India has purchased both Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford, but Tata’s management has declared that the two iconic English brands will remain independent, and the dealer network in America will be retained. So don’t look for sweeping changes at Land Rover anytime soon.
The LR3 sits squarely in the middle of Land Rover’s product line. The LR2 is smaller and less expensive at about $35,000. The Range Rover and Range Rover Sport occupy the high end, commanding up to $72,000 for the Supercharged edition. Between these two, the LR3 HSE comes in at about $54,000. That’s just about the same price as any other brand of SUV, but Land Rover really does give you more for your money than many others. The LR3 I tested came with the leather/cold weather premium package and SIRIUS satellite radio, and stickered out at $57,950.
No Better Interior Anywhere
The LR3 comes with a 5-position selector for its AWD system. The 5 selections are optimized for every condition from smooth dry pavement to snow to desert sand. There’s also high/low range control, hill descent control, and a lever that allows you to drop the suspension to allow easy access to the passenger compartment.
The LR3 HSE comes with a 4.4-liter all-aluminum V8 engine, making 300 horsepower and 315 pound-feet of torque. The power is routed through a 6-speed automatic transmssion with manual shift capability and a locking torque converter. The center differential has limited slip capability, and you can get an optional locking rear differential as well.
A distinctive and handsome ride
That right there is a lot more than many $50,000 SUVs offer you - and those features are tremendously useful if you want to actually rove over land in your Land Rover. But the story’s not done yet. You also get a great luxury SUV - with leather, great stereo, Voice-controlled GPS navigation and Bluetooth hands-free system for your phone, dual-zone automatic climate control, Xenon HID headlights, cruise, power everything, and basically everything that the SUV-buying public has ever thought they might want. And the LR3 seats 7 passengers, so it can double as a school bus.
The driving experience in the LR3 is all Land Rover - this rig is comfortable and pleasant, but I can’t say it was fun to drive. With all the features and the great ride, there’s a tradeoff in handling and perceived performance.
Every feature you can think of
Let me explain - in addition to being large and luxurious, the LR3 is also very safe with 8 airbags and heavy-duty construction. So it weighs a lot: 5796 pounds. The 300 horsepower V8 isn’t to make this a muscle-SUV - it’s there to move the mass.
And that truth is also reflected in the LR3’s fuel economy. The advertised 12/17 MPG is truthful - I got 16 MPG in typical combination driving. So if you’re looking to lay down the power and take corners fast, you’ll probably be more happy in the smaller LR2.
Take it anywhere
But I decided to take the LR3 straight to its target market. I know a lady in my neighborhood - a mother of 3 who has been a die-hard Suburban driver for almost two decades. I showed her the LR3 and asked her opinion - and she loved it. She more than loved it - she positively gushed about how the LR3 is “just right” in every way. Hauling 7 people is really important to this family, as is safety and luxury. When I brought up the fuel economy and the sticker price, she waved off the concern as “about the same as her Suburban.”
So there it is, the bottom line is that if you’re in the market for a 7-passenger SUV, you can buy the LR3 HSE, or spend the same money and get a lot less.
