Is the LR3 a Serious Off-Road Competitor?

[Aubs]

So I went and drove the LR3 today. And it was a good driver, but nothing really exciting. It was way overpriced, and like two models on the lot of 30 had a rear locker. So essentially, unless I wanted the $60,000 model, I couldn't get a locker.

They claimed the LR3 would kill the H3 and H2, but I think that it's a bunch of hooey. It certainly can do a very impressive side slope (we did a 35 degree at the dealership), and the independent suspension works like a solid rear axle in that the air is transferred from one side to another so you get a similar effect.

However, impressive as the specs might be, the underbody is NOT armored in the least, and LR makes no factory parts to solve this problem. The exhaust is also in a position where you would probably pinch it shut as it is the lowest point on the vehicle for the most part.

The transfer case is tucked up inside the frame which I thought was nice. But I wouldn't get this vehicle. I think a Hummer would just beat it out any day. It's got to be modified with sliders and plates for one thing, and it's hard to even find the rear locker on one. It probably wouldn't climb a wall, and the bumper in the back sticks out way too far. As the salesman said to me (and this was probably a deal breaker in itself), "Well, at least it's not some cheap pickup truck that's been made heavier and called a Hummer." He continually pointed out how the H2 and H3 suck balls, and I was kinda pissed.Um, the tow hooks are hidden under plastic parts which you can easily remove, but I thought that was silly. Um, I don't want to write anymore. In the end, maybe the LR3 could keep up with a Hummer, but I think it would probably not be able to follow in the same path and survive for long.