Overall, the off-road features of LR3 will be better appreciated in the UK, where there is a significant group of people (the ''landed gentry;'') who can afford such a vehicle and actually live in the country and have to cross dirt, water and various combinations of the two on a regular basis.
There are different priorities on this side of the Atlantic, and Mike O'Driscoll of Land Rover North America says those have been well met. "LR3 is a Land Rover designed to fulfill the needs of the Canadian and American consumer,'' he says.
O'Driscoll notes that the LR is ''optimized for passenger enjoyment,'' and some extended time in a stationary unit suggests he's right about that.
On top of the quality creature comforts found in the seats, entertainment system, GPS-based navigation and much more, there are three sunroofs, which O'Driscoll says ''allows the environment to surround the cabin and compliment the spacious greenhouse.''
There is comfortable seating in all three rows, O'Driscoll claims, though like all vehicles with three rows the people in the tertiary seat will have to be light, limber and patient. The front row has the ''command seating'' that so appeals to women, while the second seat is a little higher and the third row even higher, which allows people to see forward but also cuts down on headroom. Both rear seats also fold flat to maximize the storage possibilities of LR3.
In an interesting departure from the norm, LR3 has an ''asymmetrical'' tailgate, which means it's cut like two grand piano tops that fit together. This allows for a shorter lift of a bag over the bottom half if you only open the top half without putting too much weight into the top half. It will also allow you to reach farther into the cargo bay without having to bend over. Though it sounds gimmicky and gives the tailgate an odd-ish look, it's probably worthwhile.
Whatever it's called and wherever it's driven, the LR3 is also ''unambiguously a Land Rover,'' says designer Upex. ''An absolute priority was that nobody could mistake this vehicle for anything else.''
That's probably okay, as long as the smart buyer realizes that the new LR3 has little in common with the Discovery II it replaces but its exterior shape.
