| Test Driver Ratings & Comments |
|---|
| Acceleration comments | Under full throttle acceleration upshifts occur at 6,100rpm and are very positive. Rover's new V8 seems very powerful and provides smooth, even acceleration from idle to redline. We had to power brake the LR3 to 2,000 rpm in order to get the best times out of it, and even though we tried manually shifting the automatic it didn't net any real gains. Power seems to plateau around 5,400rpm, so revving it past their is basically pointless. Overall acceleration is very good for a vehicle of this heft. |
| Braking rating | Good |
| Braking comments | While we didn't notice much in the way of ABS vibration under heaving braking conditions, there was a lot of ABS noise. The body motion was very well controlled, especially for such a large vehicle, and while there was a bit of fade after multiple runs, overall we found the LR3 was confidence inspiring in the braking test. The numbers are very very good, and if there wasn't quite so much noise it would have easily earned an excellent rating. |
| Handling rating | Average |
| Handling comments | Wow. The LR3 has the most agresive dynamic stability control system we have ever encountered. The off button is quite literally a joke, it didn't turn anything off or even dampen the affect. Not only does the DSC cut engine power under even the lightest cornering loads, it also brakes all four wheels independently to pull the vehicle back "in line," which is this case means a straight line right over the cones that mark off our slalom course. The vehicle is capable of much faster slalom speeds theoretically, but with this DSC system there is nothing more the driver can do. |
