2005 Land Rover LR3 SE V8 review from North America
"Great SUV, as long as you get it early on and take care of it!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
So far, amazingly (considering the reliability ratings on LR's), the biggest thing that went wrong was the wiring harness for the hydraulic suspension. It was about a 600-700 dollar repair out of warranty.
2 other minor things are the black plastic panel on the bottom of the driver's side front door came loose. No big deal, though, I ripped the rest out and bought new plastic clips from the dealer and put it back on in 15 minutes.
The other thing was a piece that goes on the back part of the door handle. It broke off (although it was already loose from the previous owner) and still needs to be replaced.
General comments?
I thought that the LR3 was one of the best looking SUV's on the market today. Tough, rugged, roomy as hell, utilitarian.
I also thought that it was going to be a maintenance nightmare, but turned out to be otherwise. We must have gotten a good one, but other than the above listed items, the car has been great. Repairs are relatively expensive at the dealer, but I would recommend finding someone who has worked on Land Rover's for a while and will do the labor cheaper. I believe in using the manufacturer's parts in about 95% of the circumstances, but when a Joe's Land Rover Repair is going to do the same labor for 75-80 bucks in labor as opposed to 140 dollars in labor, I'll take the parts from Land Rover over to Joe. Front brakes (complete set) ran about $430 - not too much over any other large SUV.
As far as the ratings are concerned, 7/10 performance because 300 HP is a little low for a monster of this size, but it can get out of its own way.
8/10 on reliability for the reasons explained above.
9/10 on comfort because I have taken so many 1500 mile trips in that car and for a 6'1" 200lb man, it's very comfortable; the only reason it didn't get 10/10 is because I have felt softer leather on more plush seats.
6/10 on dealer service because they take their sweat F*&%ing time to do anything. 3 hour oil changes, etc.
7/10 on running cost because I would take it to Joe's and bring LR parts. Plus, it really hasn't cost us more than any other SUV would cost us.
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 2005 |
| Year of manufacture | 2004 |
| First year of ownership | 2007 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | 4.2L Jaguar V8 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 32000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 89000 miles |
| Previous car | Honda Accord |
| Date of Entry | 24th August, 2009 |