Is the LR3 a Serious Off-Road Competitor?

[dochummer]

Well, unlike you, I also own the H2 and have had chances to wheel both under similar circumstances. The H2 in stock form outperforms the LR3 with oversized all-terrain tires. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the LR3. It would be my fourth choice after the Hummer(1,2,3). It has impressive abilities on paper and on/off-road but my personal experiences show that it is not as capable overall. My most recent test came with some access road wheeling. There was a small stream running across the trail, and the LR3 got stuck in the mud. Even with the LR3 in extended height mode, it didn't go anywhere. Ended up scratching the rims pretty badly as I was trying to get some momentum to get unstuck. The mud was up to the front bumper and driver's side sill. I had my cousin's stock H2 pull me back out, and then tried 2 more times to get through the same area. No good. I finally had to take a completely different line to get around the newly dug hole. Immediately afterwards, the H2 was driven through the middle of the hole, following my original line and had NO issues making it to the other side.