tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21828775.post-1138827986437355902006-02-01T12:50:00.000-08:002006-02-01T13:07:45.590-08:00We stopped by a Land Rover dealership a few weeks ago while looking for a vehicle to replace the Jeep. We like the outdoors and going off the paved-trails, so a offroad-capable SUV was a must. We've heard good things about the Toyota 4Runner, so that was in the running. The Jeep, although challenged in maintenance, was in the running. Why not stop by the Land Rover dealer, since it is almost in-between the Jeep and Toyota dealerships? They had interesting videos on our TiVo not too long ago, why not try one out?<br /><br />We tried the 4runner first, and it went better than expected. Tight suspension, and comfortable feel. Good maintenance, according to Consumer Reports.<br /><br />We stopped by the Land Rover dealership next, not even knowing what their product line. The Range Rover seemed capable, but at more than $80,000 MSRP it and the Range Rover Sport were ruled out. The little LR3 looked nice, but could it perform?<br /><br />An extremely patient salesperson (rare!) showed us the vehicle, and let me try out the seat to see if it was tall enough for me. Plenty of headroom.<br /><br />The salesperson then took the car through their short rock course near the dealer. The little car could certainly keep its own off-road!<br /><br />The first on-road test drive was a bit of a disappointment. The car was nice to drive, but the visibility outside the car was poor. My wife was particularly affected by this, but I was pretty sure it was just the sticker on the rear driver-side door blocking the window. We thought it was a nice car, but not great.<br /><br />We tried a Jeep dealership next, and found another nice salesperson who was only on his second day as a car salesmen. (Or so he says?) We tried the Commander (horrible looking!) and the Grand Cherokee (nice, but no nicer than my current Grand Cherokee). Disappointment.<br /><br />We went home, without any certain idea what we would do. The Jeep was getting to be 9 years old, it should be replaced.<br /><br />Over the next week, I read more about the capabilities of the Land Rover, and how other people liked the vehicle.<br /><br />The next weekend, we went to a different Land Rover dealer. We test-drove the LR3 again, without the MSRP sticker in the way. Made a big difference being able to see around the car, and the car didn't seem so small anymore.<br /><br />(We also tried test-driving the Hummer H2 that weekend, fun to drive if you were out in the middle of nowhere, probably, but not that fun around town. Big ugly car.)<br /><br />We knew which car we wanted. LR3 HSE (memory seats, for when your wife is a foot shorter than you) with the Heavy-Duty (locking rear diff, full size spare) package.<br /><br />We also knew that we wanted one made 12/05 or after -- different compressor (Caterpillar), different (better) paint vendor, and other mid-year refinements.roverwhoknowsnoreply@blogger.com