Land Rover Discovery 3
On 2 April 2004, almost four years after Ford's acquisition of Land Rover from BMW, Land Rover introduced the Discovery 3, marketed as the LR3 in North America and the Middle East.
It retained the key features of the Discovery, such as the stepped roofline and steeply raked windscreen.
Land Rover developed a body construction method for the Discovery 3, marketed as Integrated Body Frame (IBF). The engine bay and passenger compartment are built as a monocoque, then mated to a basic ladder-frame chassis for the gearbox and suspension. Land Rover claims IBF combines the virtues of monocoque and ladder-frame – though it makes for a heavier vehicle than a monocoque construction, compromising performance and agility somewhat but adding strength, toughness and adaptability.
The LR3 features full independent suspension (FIS). Like the Range Rover L322, this is an air suspension system, enabling ride-height adjustment by simply pumping up or deflating the air bags. The vehicle can be raised to provide ground clearance when off-road, but automatically lowered at high speeds to improve handling, and manually lowered when stationary to make entry to and exit from the vehicle easier.
The engines used in the Discovery 3 were all taken from Land Rover's sister company at the time, Jaguar. A Ford/PSA-developed 2.7-litre, 195 hp (145 kW), 440 N⋅m (320 lb⋅ft) V6 diesel engine (the TdV6) was intended to be the biggest seller in Europe.
For the US market and as the high-performance option elsewhere, a 4.4-litre petrol V8 of 300 hp (220 kW) was chosen. A 216 hp (161 kW) 4.0-litre SOHC Ford V6 petrol engine was available in North America and Australia.
Land Rover Discovery 3
On 2 April 2004, almost four years after Ford's acquisition of Land Rover from BMW, Land Rover introduced the Discovery 3, marketed as the LR3 in North America and the Middle East.
It retained the key features of the Discovery, such as the stepped roofline and steeply raked windscreen.
Land Rover developed a body construction method for the Discovery 3, marketed as Integrated Body Frame (IBF). The engine bay and passenger compartment are built as a monocoque, then mated to a basic ladder-frame chassis for the gearbox and suspension. Land Rover claims IBF combines the virtues of monocoque and ladder-frame – though it makes for a heavier vehicle than a monocoque construction, compromising performance and agility somewhat but adding strength, toughness and adaptability.
The LR3 features full independent suspension (FIS). Like the Range Rover L322, this is an air suspension system, enabling ride-height adjustment by simply pumping up or deflating the air bags. The vehicle can be raised to provide ground clearance when off-road, but automatically lowered at high speeds to improve handling, and manually lowered when stationary to make entry to and exit from the vehicle easier.
The engines used in the Discovery 3 were all taken from Land Rover's sister company at the time, Jaguar. A Ford/PSA-developed 2.7-litre, 195 hp (145 kW), 440 N⋅m (320 lb⋅ft) V6 diesel engine (the TdV6) was intended to be the biggest seller in Europe.
For the US market and as the high-performance option elsewhere, a 4.4-litre petrol V8 of 300 hp (220 kW) was chosen. A 216 hp (161 kW) 4.0-litre SOHC Ford V6 petrol engine was available in North America and Australia.