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Land Rover LR3 is the latest iteration of Discovery the SUV
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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MONTEBELLO, Quebec -- A slab of gnarly granite, creased and cracked but slick from rain, runs at a steep pitch down a two-track trail hacked through woodlands in Canada's French-flavored province of Quebec.
We're crawling over the rock at a pace measured in inches per minute but making sure-footed progress in the new iteration of Discovery, that wily mountain goat disguised as a SUV from Britain's Land Rover.
The wagon, renamed LR3 with the re-do to mark a third generation for Disco, stocks a substantial assortment of sophisticated mechanical hardware geared for heavy-duty four-wheel-drive (4WD) performance.
It also gains a seven-seat passenger compartment laced with fancy fittings that approach the luxurious comfort of Land Rover's flagship SUV, Range Rover.
LR3 even resembles Range Rover in the prow.
Marked by a high stance and boxy profile with the stepped roof seemingly floating above a tall wrap of windows, LR3 projects a blunt face with unusual squared clusters of clear-lens headlamps and a distinctive double-bar grille over the fat-lip bumper.
Protective molding bulges around wheelwells on each side and extends beneath the doors.
Air intake louvers, etched into the front fender on the right side, forecast a massive engine aboard.
The roofline, bumping up behind the driver's door, rises to boost headroom for second and third rows of seats in the cabin. And for the rear tier there's a vast picture window on each side that gives the wagon a distinctive look when viewed from the flanks.
In back the tailgate in two-piece clamshell style is asymmetric in shape to reduce the load height with the lower portion closed or trim the distance required to reach inside when the lower flap is open and folded down.
Structure for LR3 combines a ladder-type chassis with a stiff monocoque body.
This is a larger package than the previous Disco, with wheelbase increasing 13.6 inches and the wheel track width expanding by 2.6 inches in front and 2.1 inches in back.
Overall length stretches 5.7 inches longer, the width grows by an inch but the roofline drops by almost two inches to nix Disco's top-heavy stance.
The extra length makes room for the third tier of seats in the cabin, and the width expansion adds stability for the track as well as more elbow room inside for passengers.
Cabin layout consists of a pair of bucket seats on the front row, a second row bench big enough for three and the optional third row of two seats set higher in stepped-up arrangement like stadium seats.
Front buckets, clad in fine leather hides, adjust in multiple directions through electric power controls.
LR3 also contains armaments to chart a safe course through urban traffic as well as the toughest wilderness. It adds innovations for maneuvering on a trail and a big powertrain borrowed from Jaguar but revamped to produce more low-end torque.
The aluminum 4.4-liter V8, with dual-cam configuration and electronic throttle, generates 300 hp at 5500 rpm and 315 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm.
It translates the torque through an electronically-controlled automatic transmission by ZF of Germany with six forward gears. The shifter stick with H-gate shift pattern for the CommandShift manual mode operates even in lowest range of 4WD.
LR3's 4WD mechanism has a two-speed electronically-shifted transfer case and it's always working, either in high range for normal driving including runs at highway speed or low range for slow-go crawling over rough stuff away from pavement.
A tab positioned at the base of the shifter on the center console is used for switching into the low range -- and LR3 has options for electronically locking of the center and rear differentials.
Adjacent to the lever is a rotary dial for selecting five different terrain settings using Land Rover's patented terrain response system (TRS) that matches various vehicle dynamic systems to the terrain.
Settings include one for pavement cruising, another for slick surfaces like snow or gravel, and three different off-road situations -- mud, sand and rock.
Once a mode is chosen, the TRS goes to work.
It sets up the vehicle in optimum manner for the type of terrain, through electronic controls for suspension ride height via the air suspension system, powertrain response, transmission gear selection, the four-wheel electronic traction control (4ETC), all-terrain dynamic stability control (DSC), and hill descent control (HDC), which keeps the wagon's wheels firmly planted on a steep grade.
The electronic air suspension with automatic load-leveling also has multiple modes -- Standard, Access (2.0 inches lower than Standard), Off-Road (2.2 inches higher than Standard), and Extended, which is way up there.
An optional DVD-based navigation system with dashboard touch screen adds a helpful animated video display that shows alignment of all wheels, steering angles, chassis height plus center and rear differential locking.
We depend on the video display to help guide us safely over dicey rocks on the off-road trail.
And LR3 proves itself as a 4WD master.
In trail skill tests, LR3 demonstrates the ability to climb a hill that tilts upward in a vicious 45-degree slope, or ford a stream where water runs 27 inches deep and clear a ditch with daunting break-over lip of 27 degrees.
An alphabetical melange of computerized electronic safety equipment also comes with this Land Rover.
The gear includes all-terrain anti-lock brake (ABS), emergency brake assist (EBA), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and cornering brake control (CBC).
Curtain-style side air bags for all rows of seats are on-board, as are side-impact air bags for front buckets.
There are two trim designations -- SE and HSE.
LR3 SE, rolling on 18-inch alloy wheels, has a 300-watt Harman/Kardon audio system with six-disc CD changer in the dash and nine speakers, while the HSE on 19-inch wheels boasts a 550-watt LOGIC7 digital surround-sound system with 14 speakers.
Land Rover sets the MSRP on LR3 at $44,995 for SE and $49,995 for HSE.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2005 LAND ROVER Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size off-road SUV |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size off-road SUV |
| Wheelbase: |
113.6 inches |
| Overall Length: |
190.9 inches, Ground clearance: 10.2 inches (front axle), 10.6 inches (rear axle), 09.5 inches (differential) |
| Engine Size: |
DOHC 4.4-L V8 |
| Transmission: |
Auto/6/CommandShift/ZF HP26 |
| Drive: |
4WD TRS |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc, ABS/EBA/EBD/CBC, 4ETC/ARM/DSC/HDC |
| Airbags: |
2 (front), 2 (side), 6 (side curtain) |
| Gross Weight: |
7121 pounds |
| Towing Capacity: |
7716 pounds |
| Gas Mileage: |
14/18 mpg |
| Price: |
LR3 SE: $44,995, LR3 HSE: $49,995 |
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