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2008 Land Rover LR3 Quality Review

July 28, 2008

COMFORT AND QUALITY | 7 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

seats are comfortable and supportive despite firm cushioning
Cars.com

LR3 offers a commanding driving position
ConsumerGuide

Leather seating is firm but comfortable
Kelley Blue Book

vast cargo space
Edmunds

The 2008 Land Rover LR3 has enough room for almost anyone and everything you want to put in it, but some awkward mechanisms and access bottlenecks drop its overall rating for comfort and quality.

ConsumerGuide reports that the 2008 Land Rover LR3 "is the only Land Rover with seven-passenger seating" and that it "offers a commanding driving position with comfortable and upright seats." They also note "second and 3rd-row seats are unusually comfortable, with ample headroom and legroom"; however, while "three adults fit in the 2nd row...we wouldn't recommend it on long drives." This source adds, "climbing to the 3rd row is complicated by the tall step-in and a narrow pass-through."

According to Cars.com, "Three-row seating is standard for all 2008 [Land Rover] LR3s; leather seating surfaces for the first and second rows, eight-way power-adjustable driver and front passenger seats...are also standard." This source adds the "seats are comfortable and supportive despite firm cushioning." While "many of the bewildering controls may seldom be used...the suspension's access setting helps ease entry and exit." Kelley Blue Book warns that "although the third row offers decent room, the seating mechanisms aren't as slick and easy to operate as we've experienced in the competition."

There is no shortage of storage and cargo space aboard the Land Rover LR3, however, which the reviewers at Mother Proof declare is "to-die-for," noting that they "shoved so much into the back of this car, and it swallowed everything and even seemed to want more." They add, "there are also two glove compartments and mucho cupholders." Edmunds notes, "in terms of everyday usability, the LR3 shines, with fold-flat second- and third-row seats, and a vast cargo space with a maximum of 90 available cubic feet." ConsumerGuide, however, had mixed reactions on storage and cargo issues: "some testers say it complicates loading and unloading, while others praise its versatility" and that "the glovebox is difficult to open if the passenger seat is occupied."

ConsumerGuide also notes that "interior materials are of high quality," but the Land Rover LR3's "gauges have small print that makes them difficult to read at a glance...The controls are a somewhat confusing jumble of switches, knobs, and buttons, [and] radio, navigation, and climate systems are hard to decipher." Edmunds admires the "comfortable and well-appointed interior...[but] testing experiences have shown that build quality isn't universally solid." ConsumerGuide reports that as far as extraneous sound levels aboard the Land Rover LR3 are concerned, "some highway-speed wind noise is the only demerit of note."

Conclusion

The 2008 Land Rover LR3 has good interior space and materials, but third-row access and confusing controls cloud the picture.

COMFORT AND QUALITY | 7 out of 10Expert Quotes:seats are comfortable and supportive despite firm cushioningCars.comLR3 offers a commanding driving positionConsumerGuideLeather seating is firm but comfortableKelley Blue Bookvast cargo spaceEdmunds The 2008 Land Rover LR3 has enough room for almost anyone and everything you want to put in it, but some awkward mechanisms and access bottlenecks drop its overall rating for comfort and quality. ConsumerGuide reports that the 2008 Land Rover LR3 "is the only Land Rover with seven-passenger seating" and that it "offers a commanding driving position with comfortable and upright seats." They also note "second and 3rd-row seats are unusually comfortable, with ample headroom and legroom"; however, while "three adults fit in the 2nd row...we wouldn't recommend it on long drives." This source adds, "climbing to the 3rd row is complicated by the tall step-in and a narrow pass-through." According to Cars.com, "Three-row seating is standard for all 2008 [Land Rover] LR3s; leather seating surfaces for the first and second rows, eight-way power-adjustable driver and front passenger seats...are also standard." This source adds the "seats are comfortable and supportive despite firm cushioning." While "many of the bewildering controls may seldom be used...the suspension's access setting helps ease entry and exit." Kelley Blue Book warns that "although the third row offers decent room, the seating mechanisms aren't as slick and easy to operate as we've experienced in the competition." There is no shortage of storage and cargo space aboard the Land Rover LR3, however, which the reviewers at Mother Proof declare is "to-die-for," noting that they "shoved so much into the back of this car, and it swallowed everything and even seemed to want more." They add, "there are also two glove compartments and mucho cupholders." Edmunds notes, "in terms of everyday usability, the LR3 shines, with fold-flat second- and third-row seats, and a vast cargo space with a maximum of 90 available cubic feet." ConsumerGuide, however, had mixed reactions on storage and cargo issues: "some testers say it complicates loading and unloading, while others praise its versatility" and that "the glovebox is difficult to open if the passenger seat is occupied." ConsumerGuide also notes that "interior materials are of high quality," but the Land Rover LR3's "gauges have small print that makes them difficult to read at a glance...The controls are a somewhat confusing jumble of switches, knobs, and buttons, [and] radio, navigation, and climate systems are hard to decipher." Edmunds admires the "comfortable and well-appointed interior...[but] testing experiences have shown that build quality isn't universally solid." ConsumerGuide reports that as far as extraneous sound levels aboard the Land Rover LR3 are concerned, "some highway-speed wind noise is the only demerit of note." ConclusionThe 2008 Land Rover LR3 has good interior space and materials, but third-row access and confusing controls cloud the picture. 2008 LAND ROVER LR3 STYLING | [8 out of 10] Cars.com: "upright, angular" Edmunds: "offers an unparalleled rugged image" Kelley Blue Book: "extreme geometric styling all the way down" ConsumerGuide: "leans to upscale outdoorsy rather than uptown opulent" Most who are looking for an ...

Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

Buyers looking to the 2008 Land Rover LR3 as a fashion statement should consider the Jeep Commander, which also has tall, boxy styling and serious off-road ability. However, the Jeep doesn't have the LR3's breadth of luxury equipment or its well-laid-out, space-efficient interior design. Then there are several large European SUVs in a similar, if not slightly pricier range. The Audi Q7 has some measure of off-road ability, though it's configured more for good on-road performance. However, it's very heavy, and its fuel economy is almost as low as the LR3's. The Porsche Cayenne is a bit lighter and more road-oriented, matching a sporty exterior to a more basic interior design that parallels those in Porsche sportscars, but it's not nearly as roomy inside. The Mercedes M-Class offers an especially intriguing alternative for those who are conscious about gas-guzzling: the diesel ML320 CDI, which gets 18 mpg city, 24 mpg highway.

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See the Land Rover LR3 in Other Years:

2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005

Comments (1 total)

  1. By Harbmaster #1, Posted: 9/3/2008

    The landrover lr3

    First of all this review is kinda full of crap. Lets face it. The Landrover LR3 is very capable, can easily manuever around tight corners, how I know that is becauase i own a 2007 Landrover LR3 and im 18 y/o, I got the car when i was 16, almost 17. Kids my age love to speed, we take sharp turnes, and the vehicle has proven more than capable at handling a good ride, especially since the height adjustable air-ride suspension surely helpes the car make the road seem much smoother. The sounds system of the vehicle is phenominal and is comparable to systems that teens make on their cars, you know the ones with 13" subwoofers. Every seat of every car will always be uncomortable, not because the seat is uncomfortable, but the position in which the person is in is very uncomfortable, yet the seats of the car is completly comfortable, no one that has sat in my car has yet to disagree with me on that. Third row seating? Are you kiding me, it cannot be any easier to climb back their, all you need is one half and barely any strenth to pull a string, and fold, pull a tab and fold, it cant be any easier, unless you want the car to pick you up and sit you in the third row seat, but you go ahead and tell me who offers that option? you want a little more throttle in a car? The lr3 is a very heavy car, so what kind of throttle response do you expect from the lr3? 0-60 in 8 seconds? 6 if you put it in sports more maybe less in transcommand, ya i would know cuz i constantly speed in my car, im always speeding in fact, i have raced many cars, and suvs, i have not lost a sinle time. so what are you talking about the throttle response for? and why are you comparing an suv to a crossover? suv and crossover are two different things, otherwise it would be called the landrover lr3 crossover...so watch what you say and quit looking for things to pick on the car about, you have nothing to say, all your cons about the lr3 dont make any sense and pretty much are inelgible in any debate over the rating of a car.

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