05 4.8is or 09 Land Rover LR3

[rneedham1979]

Gents,
I would like to hear opinions or experience. I currently have an 05 4.8is that is now out of warranty. I love the X5 but the BMW service I have received is absolutely atrocious. The X5 has 84k miles and runs like a top and we get really good gas mileage but... it has limited seating and only a 6k tow capacity.

The Land Rover, much to my surprise is an extremely capable SUV. It can tow 7700lbs, seats 7 and has much more room than the X5. It's a really nice vehicle and the wife loves it.

Have any of you owned, driven both or have experience with the Land Rover? I really appreciate any feedback.

[CT_X5_Joe]

I've only experience the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. Both are a complete disappointment. From the twice replaced (under warranty) blower on the RR Supercharged to the broken everything inside the RR Sport.

Why not another X5??

[rneedham1979]

Well, the X5 hasn't necessarily been a picnic. I had tons of issues with the X5 as well, although it's pretty good now. The new X5, while they seat seven, there is much less room than in the land rover + the new X5 is still limited at a 6k towing capacity.

[CT_X5_Joe]

Again, I don't know the LR3, however the other Land Rovers I have been in have been a total disappointment.

I obviously don't know your exact situation for a replacement vehicle for the X5, however if seating for 7 and towing capacity are both major needs, I would have a look at the Chevy Tahoe or Lexus GX. Both have loads of room and adiquate power. While they both made my short list, they both ended up not working for me as the X5 is a more manageable size, better appointed interior, and a much sportier feel/ride.

[Z3inSC]

I've owned 2 LR Discoveries (series 1(95)-7 seat and 2 (04)-5 seat). My experience with both was good and I still like the marque BUT I had a few issues in ownership that you may want to keep in mind.

(1) the parts cost comparatively to my X5 (01 4.4i) and my Z3 (00 2.3) is night and day. LR is VERY proud of their parts and even when sourcing them through discount shops (online or networked) they were still expensive. And if you need some heavy mechanics work done that you cannot do yourself (time, space, skill...) DON'T go to the dealership...They are even more proud of their work than most BMW dealerships.

(2) the gas mileage was terrible on both-about 16-17 mpg hwy on average...In town about 11-12mpg. Believe it or not my Series 1 had better fuel mileage than the Series 2. They both had to run on premium fuel since the engines were just inherently dirty running <-a bored and stroked GM designed engine from the 60's. I've read the new LR engines are Jaguar sourced and much smoother running, but have read nothing that the fuel mileage has been improved <- Still have to consider that the shapes of the brand are "washing machines" with big wheels and they are geared low, so aerodynamics and gearing certainly won't be playing a part in mpg.

(3) Maintenance...they are more maintenance intensive then your X5 and, again, expect that to be expensive.

(4) Finding a good , honest and sharp LR mechanic vs. the Land Rover dealership was pretty hard. I still have a great relationship with one here in Greenville and would certainly trust him on any car of mine, but I've heard, seen and read of nightmares with independent mechanics that claimed to be LR mechanics and trucks left their shops worse off than they went in.

(5) Finally, the depreciation on those vehicles is horrible.

As you have read, my experience has only been on older models, but I did talk to my LR mechanic about a LR3 before I bought the X5 and he said it's a well built truck but he said it is still a LR (so it can be quirky and expect it to be expensive). Suffice to say, I hope to get into another one day when my road travel slows, but for now my chariot will be my X5.

As for towing, I would recommend as CT X5 Joe mentioned...look at a Tahoe, Toyota Land Cruiser or Lexus GX.

Hope this may help a little.

[gitchies]

i haven't owned ant land rovers, but was seriously considering a 04 range rover sport hse before my x...after reading up about range rovers...i was like heck no!!! so true, about how proud they are...but seriously, proud of making junk? i read stories of people buying brand new range rovers for 95k and up, and more service then ever....

[TerryJenk]

I suppose it's all down to personal experience - I had a Range Rover a few years ago and it was a heap of junk - I would not have another one .

My X5 , up to now , is a far better car both for comfort, performance and running costs. I do look after it though after reading some of the horror stories on this forum.

Having said that I have a couple of friends who have a LR3 and a Range Rover HSE and they both love them .

[c4racer]

do you really need to tow something over 6K lbs? And do you really need more space than the X5 has?

If the answer to both is yes, I would get a 2500 Suburban, or a Nissan Armada / Infiniti QX56 and skip right over the LR3 - it's sightly bigger, but isn't in the league of a burb or the Nissan Titan based SUV's. I have owned several suburbans including a 2500, plus an Armada and a Titan back in the days when I did a lot of towing. 1/2 ton burb and Tahoe left a lot to be desired in towing compared to the Nissan's and the 3/4ton burbs.

[X5Sport]

Having run a fleet of Landrovers and Discoveries I would never go near one as a personal vehicle. The LR3 still has reliability issues albeit less so than te earlier models, is underpowered, overweight, very thirsty and does not handle particularly well. It is very good off road and it is this that causes a number of compromises to have to be made. The BMW X5 is not a hugely capable off roader so it rides and drives well, but that is as it was intended to be used. The LR3 is very capable off road and is set up to do that which means the ride is softer as it needs to be.

My X5 has not exactly been a showpiece for German reliability, but I would much rather have it than a LR3 any day.

[ekimv65]

I had an 08 brand new LR 3, the day I picked it up, half way to Wisconsin Dells, the Rack and pinion fell out as i was driving down the road!

From there, I had it in the shop 16 times in 8 months! LR would not lemon it so I had to have the state get involved.

I would never purchase another vehicle from LR or Bergstrom dealerships regardless of brand! They both sucked!

That was a wasted 10 months of my life!