Cars service manual

2006 Land Rover LR3 Reviews Specs

Exceptional drive! I test drove many large SUVs (MB GL 450, Lexus GL & LX, BMW X5, Audi Q7, Volvo XC 90, Caddy Escalade, etc.) and none compared to this truck. It handles well with great road feedback similar to my BMW 545i & it is one of the only True 7 seaters (MB GL 450 is the other) out there. Luxurious interior, especially with the optional wood grain & the DVD player.


Recommend the running boards if you have small kids or elderly parents; the air suspension will lower but can be a pain to use each and every time.


Pros: Smooth ride, quiet engine, excellent active suspension technology, clean understated design, superb view from any seat, cooler box option, sunroofs for each row, comfortable ADULT seating for 7

Cons: Gas Mileage, but you knew that @ 5000+ lbs

New For 2006

LR3 is Land Rovers least-expensive model, and the only one available with seven-passenger seating. It comes in base form with a 216-hp V6 and as SE and HSE models with a 300-hp V8. All have a 6-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift capability. A 3rd-row seat for seven-passenger capacity is standard on HSE, optional on Base and SE models. Front side airbags and curtain side airbags for all seating rows are standard. LR3s have all-wheel drive with low-range gearing and Land Rovers Terrain Response system.

This system has a console switch that enables the driver to change suspension and powertrain calibrations to accommodate normal driving, slippery pavement, mud, sand, and low-speed off-roading. A locking center differential is standard, a locking rear differential is available. ABS, traction/antiskid control with rollover sensors, and hill descent control are standard. LR3 has an air-spring suspension with four available ride heights and load leveling. A navigation system is standard on HSE, available on SE. Also available are leather upholstery, bi-xenon headlights, and heated front seats.

Interior

The Land Rover LR3 is a comfortable vehicle. Seating comfort was notably improved over the old Discovery. Driver and front passenger get power-adjustable seats with adjustable armrests, and the second-row seats have generous headroom and legroom. Even the third-row seats can be considered habitable for adults.

The large windows, longer wheelbase, and two overhead sunroofs, create a spacious, airy interior. The low beltline, with window sills well below shoulder level, not only helps lower the center of gravity, but also improves forward and downward vision, an important advantage when driving through rugged terrain or traversing narrow tracks, especially those with exposures to seemingly bottomless ravines. The instrument panel is clean, modern, and in keeping with the geometric exterior design. Controls are good sized, tactile, and significantly more intuitively arrayed than Land Rovers of the past.

The new interior design gives up nothing to other SUVs in practical flexibility, which is welcome departure from past Land Rovers. The second-row seats fold down into the footwell, leaving a perfectly flat surface. Many SUVs do not offer the benefit of flat cargo areas. The third-row seats, if so equipped, can also fold flat, creating a six-foot load floor. Each rear seat folds independently, leaving numerous options for seating and cargo.

As with every previous Land Rover, practicality in the outback is reflected in functional interior appointments. For the variety of stuff carried on a camping trip, there are four glove boxes, readily accessible stash zones and numerous drink holders. Flip-down grab handles are located at all four doors, and comfortable, solid grab points built into the front-seat headrests give occupants something to hold on to when the driver is exploring the LR3s impressive tilt, climb, and descent limits.

Safety

Safety features include adaptive headlights that "look" around corners and adjust up and down to counter the effects of hard braking, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, active antiroll technology, hill-descent control, side-impact and head curtain airbags and even an electronic parking brake.

Powertrains and Performance

The 2006 Land Rover LR3 has two available engines. The SE model can be ordered with either a 216-hp, 4.0-liter V6 or a 300-hp, 4.4-liter V8. The HSE comes with the V8 only. Both engines have an adaptive six-speed automatic transmission that channels power to the ground through a sophisticated Terrain Response four-wheel-drive system. With a rotary knob controlling five settings (general, snow-grass-gravel, mud and ruts, sand, and rock crawl), the 4WD system optimizes everything from throttle response to the stability control system to the differentials for the conditions. The LR3 also features a fully independent suspension, which utilizes electronically controlled air springs to automatically adapt to virtually any terrain or off-road challenge. Properly equipped, the V8-engined LR3 can tow up to 7,700 pounds.

Body Styles, Trim Levels and Options

The Land Rover LR3 is offered in two trim levels, SE and HSE. Both come standard with leather upholstery, stadium seating, fold-flat rear seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, a nine-speaker 240-watt Harman Kardon audio system with a six-disc CD changer and all-wheel drive. HSE models get 19-inch alloy wheels, a third-row fold-flat seat (boosting seating capacity to seven), a 14-speaker 550-watt Logic 7 digital surround sound system, a navigation system and rear parking sensors.

Driving Impressions

Even with 300 horsepower on tap, the 5,700-pound LR3 is no rocket, but thanks to a stellar four-wheel-drive system and the adaptive six-speed transmission, there is always plenty of power (and traction) available underfoot. The advanced suspension makes for a comfortable ride on the highway and ensures plenty of traction if you ever feel the need to go exploring off-road. Nimble rack and pinion steering lends the Rover a crisp feel behind the wheel. If youre looking for a midsize luxury SUV that can do it all, the 2006 Land Rover LR3 is about as good as it gets.

Favorite Features

Air suspension. Beautiful interior and exterior color - alpaca beige leather and buckingham blue mettalic paint - so pretty! Comfy, smooth ride. High seating position. Heated windshield and split fold liftgate. Great sounds system too!

Overall Review:

LR3 screams class, distinction and purpose. Amazingly solid, roomy, functional -- heavy, responsive, gives you the feeling of total control and readiness on the road. So far everyone who sits in it keeps using the word "quality". Thats a good thing. Impeccable fit and finish. Occasionally the 6-spd trans is not as responsive as I would like, esp. in low gear.

No weird lumps or gimmicks in the design inside or out, useless body panels or kitsch styling. Makes Escalade seem childish in the SUV class. Makes the Yukon seem so commonplace it vanishes into the everyday. An order of magnitude up from Jeep Commander, although the presentation is similar. Simple purposeful styling means LR3s appearance will hold its own for years to come.

LR3s technical capabilities, clean design and sophistication appeal to this software engineer by training. What is the cost for superior performance and design? About 14.2 mpg @ $3.19 premium here in Wash, DC. But the truck fits my esthetic and worldview perfectly with a minimum of dischord and on balance the tradeoffs are worth every penny. I think its the best SUV in its class, on top of which you wont pass five of them on the way to work -- that itself is priceless.