H3 vs. LR3 V6

[XM DUDE]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by wannabeH3:
if the lr3 was the supercharged one i would be all over that.... hey for the price of a fully loaded H3 you can get a lotus elise too so think about that! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yah but think of the repair bills!, no thanks.

[evomind]

i have a lotus elise...awesome, very fun car.
and the engine and drivetrain are toyota, so the maint. costs/repair bills arent that bad..

[evomind]

a little size comparo..

[evomind]

oops...heres the pic

[XM DUDE]

Damm it looks like a go cart!

[oneworld]

Looked and drove LR when it first came out > before I looked at the H3 or even knew about the H3. At that time could not get a lease for under $650.00 per month, and it seemed to wierd inside, nicey appointed but funky controls and just a little over the top. One of my customers has since got one > she is a mom, she told me that she was disapointed with the fit and finish, she has had a lot of small problems, with the power windows, and some other things that she has had to take it back to the dealer for several times for each thing. She saw my H3 about a month ago > I gave her a ride (in the H3) and she thought it was made better then her LR3 > quality wise. That was her opinion. Oh her glove box door latch broke and she was driving to Baltimore, and she was pissed that she had to isten to the door bang aroung the hole trip.

[Mr. I - Man]

Nice lotus, My MR-2 Spyder had the same engine w/some mods and it was pretty fast. I can't image how well the Elise does with the same powertrain, but weighing less.

[SledgeHummer]

Allow me guys to make small contribution here, in September 2004 ( a year ago), I was invited by Land Rover for a preview Test Drive in Wick -Scotland. I spent 3 days with the LR3 driving it on roads, mud, water, sand...etc.

Videos can be seen on my site here : http://www.uae4x4.com/vids/lr3.htm

For those of you who posted saying they owned a Disco, the LR3 is NOTHING like the Discovery, COMPLETELY redesigned from scratch. The LR3 is more like a Range Rover with Offroad capabilities rather than a new Disco.

Onroad, the LR3 drives like a Range Rover, very smooth. but lacks power in a way.

In terms of offroad, as an Offroader I found the LR3 to be very controversial. It has very good offroad capabilities....BUT, and a biiiiig but. it's just tooooo full of electronics.

I asked the LR Engineers, everything was great and nice gadgets and all, but being electronic, how reliable are they ? even the engineers could not answer, they're hoping for the best, I dont blame them, the vehicle is very new and needs to be tested.

The vehicle is designed in a very foolproof manner, there is no high and LO (well there is but presented in a different way) there's a knob in the center console that says " Sand, Mud, Rocks...etc" you turn the knob to the desired type of terrain, and the engine, T-case, suspension adjusts itself accordingly.

When I say Engine, yes this knob actually controls engine speed as well, which I found to be very stupid. when I was driving on the main road, one engineer was riding with me, I told him it lacks power, he said, turn the knob to "sand" I did and it gave me more power, hehehe, who on earth would think of that ???

I prefer the more conventional H3. at least I AM in control, not the electronics.

SledgeHummer

[XM DUDE]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The vehicle is designed in a very foolproof manner, there is no high and LO (well there is but presented in a different way) there's a knob in the center console that says " Sand, Mud, Rocks...etc" you turn the knob to the desired type of terrain, and the engine, T-case, suspension adjusts itself accordingly </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
The vehicle is designed in a very foolproof manner, there is no high and LO (well there is but presented in a different way) there's a knob in the center console that says " Sand, Mud, Rocks...etc" you turn the knob to the desired type of terrain, and the engine, T-case, suspension adjusts itself accordingly
I agree that has to be the dumbest set up I ever heard of.

[kacyk]

A real useful wheeling option my Disco had was Descent Control. I got to test it out on the sand dune area of Moses Lake, WA and it was cool crawling down terrain in a sloth-like manner.

But then, I guess that's why the manual tranny option on the H3.

[signals34]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by evomind a little size comparo.. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


Hey Evomind....that Lotis is a beauty...I always wanted to look into them...how is the handling???

[XM DUDE]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by kacyk:
A real useful wheeling option my Disco had was Descent Control. I got to test it out on the sand dune area of Moses Lake, WA and it was cool crawling down terrain in a sloth-like manner.

But then, I guess that's why the manual tranny option on the H3. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I see too many things to go wrong with the LR3 with alll the electronics, making it a potential nightmare down the road.

[SledgeHummer]

Kacyk : the HDC (Hill Descent Control) on the Land Rover is not such an ingenious invention. It's another foolproof way of doing things (no offense). I can do that on my 2000 Blazer. what the HDC does is, it places the t-case in LO, and gearbox in 1st gear and activates (and controls) the vehicl's ABS brakes.

So if you're an experienced offroader you can do that yourself, I do it all the time when needed on the Blazer. I put the t-case on 4LO, the auto-transmission ghear on 1st and baaarely touch the brakes as and when required which activates the ABS sensors. and you go down sloooowly. just like HDC.

The difference with HDC, is that it's self driving in a way, it allows you to STEP OUT of the vehicle and walk alongside the vehicle while steering it from the outside through the window while its sliding down at 5 km/h. LR had this option as a failsafe technique in case the vehicle rolls over. of course it has to roll over to the right side to be effective, if it rolls over to its left it will crush you heheheh

XM DUDE : the Brits have a weird way of coming up with solution to very simple problems, have you heard of ACE ? before the LR3 I tested the Land Rover Discovery 2003 (last model before the LR3). every car has body roll specially 4x4s, on the Disco 2003 they installed a system called ACE (Active Cornering Enhancement) and another system called SLS (Sefl Levelling Suspoension. Basically during hard cornering, a lateral suspension pushes the leaning body tip upwards to level the vehicle. I have tested it at high speeds it's VERY effective, but the negative side is, it's tooooo heavy in components for such a small problem. If you add a multi-level adjestment suspension like the one from Rancho or Fabtech with cockpit adjustment control...voila, you dont need all that heavy metal gear.....weird.

Attached piture shows the ACE system components.

SledgeHummer

[DWPC]

Point One: We looked at the LR3. Unless you find a dealer willing to do a factory order and you're willing to wait several months, you're not likely to find a LR3 for less than low $40's (MSRP). They only import 'em with lots of accessories, even the 'basic' V6. (at least at the SoCA LR dealers we visited.)

Point Two: Land Rovers are a cult object. The build quality is abyssmal British and maintenance is expensive. For some goofy reason LR Owners don't seem to mind an expensive vehicle that breaks down a lot. I'd be afraid to get out of sight of a paved road in a LR3. At least the old 4-banger LRs could be fixed on nthe trail with a hammer and crescent wrench and whatever you couldn't fix you could disconnect and limp out. The Disco and LR3 need a team of mechanics and electronics techs following behind. The LR3 forum on Edmunds is one bitch session after another.

Point Three: In the recent Truck Trends 4X4 comparison, the only stated reason the LR3 beat out the H3 for 1st Place was high speed capability though the LR (V8) cost $53K vs. H3's $33K (thats 60% more!). The LR3 will do 130. Hey TT..it was an offroad contest. The H3 did better or as well in every contest (and the H3's manual trans was the deciding factor in the grade climb that the auto LR3 did better in.). I think TT really blew it by ignoring a HUGE price differential; (underscored by their phoney tilted pic indicating an LR3 could climb a 100% grade.) If they'd used a V6 LR3, or an H3 with automatic the H3 would have trounced it...still with a 30% price advantage. You can almost buy two base H3's for the price of the LR3 tested in the comparison.

We just returned from a 2000 mile trip around N. Arizona in the H3 (write up & pics coming)and I was amazed how comfortable it was on the highway and astonished at how capable it was right out of the showroom on some pretty rough trails. (BTW, we passed a struggling Disco on one rocky rise.)

In lots of serious mountain driving, I found the steering to be very precise and had a very good feel; no mush. Further, the H3 exhibited no appreciable roll in corners. I thought 500 miles at a stretch in the H3 would be fatigueing, but I hate to admit it was no worse and maybe less so than my beloved Audi A6 2.7T. If it had quiet highway tires (though the 33" Duellers aren't noisy for an A/T) it would be as quiet as the Audi too. Very comfortable seats (cloth). Surprisingly low wind noise.

The H3, however, will frustrate you if you like to put your foot in it. Its fine at 75 on the level, but believe me, theres NOTHING left for grades or headwinds. Driving the long long grade up from Palm Springs CA in a stiff headwind at 60-65 at 3500 RPM in 3rd gear watching Hyundais fly by at 80 was pretty frustrating, but the overall great cruising and offroad performance more than made up for it. Cruising at over 70 sucks gas up pretty good too. That 5-banger is a hog under high load.

I think GM hit a home run with the H3. Add some reserve power for highway driving and it'll be a grand slam.