When I started this blog it was all about Jeeps but let’s be honest, they are not the only off-roading vehicles out there. Recently, I’ve been looking more in-depth at the Land Rover Discovery 3 (LR3) and one of my first questions was about what mileage you can get out of these models.

So how many miles can a Land Rover Discovery 3 last? Looking at an average across ten of the highest milers recently on sale on Auto Trader, the number of miles that a Land Rover Discovery 3 can last came out at 205,729 miles. Diesel engined cars had a slightly higher average mileage at 213,034 compared to 198,424 for petrol powered cars.

There are some subtle differences between the UK and North American markets which I cover in my analysis below.

Analysis of Land Rover Discovery 3 / LR3 mileages on Auto Trader

A quick introduction to the Land Rover Discovery 3 / LR3

The third generation Discovery was introduced in 2004 and ran until 2009. The 2008/2009 model year saw a minor facelift for the run-out year. The Discovery 3 was known as the LR3 in North American markets. The Disco 3 marked a changed in chassis design from previous generations, having the engine bay and passenger compartment mated to the ladder frame chassis, a design Land Rover termed the Integrated Integrated Body Frame.

Only 3 engines were available on the LR3. The diesel until was the 2.7 TDv6 which while being very popular in the UK, was not available in North America. The 4.4 V8 petrol unit was available in all markets but the 4.0 V6 petrol was only on sale in North America and Australia. 6 speed manual and automatic gearboxes were available across the range.

Mileage research

One of the ways I could have researched Discovery 3 mileage would have been to speak to dealers of poll some owners. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to that sort of data so I went on AutoTrader.co.uk/.com and simply searched for all Discovery 3 across the US/Canada and the UK, then sorted by highest mileage. I then picked the top 10 vehicles in terms of mileage to get an idea of what mileage to expect.

I had to split the research into two tables as the 4.4 petrol unit is a rare sight in the UK (only 13 were for sale at the time of writing) whereas it’s the most popular (as diesel engines weren’t available) model in North American markets. I have summarized the data in the two tables below.

UK Research

The average mileage of a UK 2.7 TDv6 Discovery 3 was 213,034 miles with the highest being 262k (a 2007 model). Model years ranged from 2005 to 2009 with the average being a 2006 model year. Average selling price was £4,196 with the lowest being around the £3,200 mark.

As mentioned, the 4.4 V8 petrol is rare in the UK (mainly due to its low fuel consumption) and only 13 were for sale in the UK at the time I did my research. The highest mileage examples were a couple of 2005/2006 models with 149k. Based on this you may be concerned about the lower mileage seen on the petrol V8s, but the data from the US (see below) shows that it is comparable with the 2.7 diesel model.

US Research

The average mileage of North American petrol models was 198,424 miles with the highest being 266k (a 2008 model). So not massively different from the UK TDv6 numbers.

Model years ranged from 2005 to 2009 with the average being a 2006 model year. Average selling price was $6,755 with the lowest being around the $4,850 mark. As a side note, average used prices for these cars are double in North American markets compared to the UK.

Land Rover Discovery 3 / LR3 Service Intervals

For UK and EU Discovery models the initial manufacturer recommended services intervals were as follows (up to 10 years or 150,00o miles).

• • 12 months / 15k miles.
  • 24 months / 30k miles.
  • 36 months / 45k miles – includes diesel engine air filter replacement.
  • 48 months / 60k miles – includes petrol engine air filter replacement.
  • 60 months / 75k miles – includes transfer box oil change and locking differential oil change.
  • 72 months / 90k miles – includes diesel engine air filter replacement.
  • 84 months / 105k miles – includes spark plug replacement, ancillary driving belts replacement on diesel engines, &front and rear camshaft timing belts, tensioners and tensioner bolt on diesel engines.
  • 96 months / 120k miles.
  • 108 months / 135k miles.
  • 120 months / 150k miles – includes ancillary driving belts replacement petrol engines, manual or automatic gearbox oil change, transfer box oil change and locking differential oil.

In addition, all flexible brake hoses need replacing every 6 years. and the front and rear axle oil require changing every 10 years. Cars with diesel engines should have an oil and filter change every 3,750 to 7,500 miles, depending on the fuel sulphur content.

As with all high mileage cars it’s important to see records that the required servicing was carried out. For this specific model, I would recommend checking that the 75k, 105k and 150k mile services were completed at a dealer or good independent as these are services that should not be skipped due to the key engine and drivetrain fluid and belt replacements.

Where There Any Major Recalls on the Land Rover Discovery 3 / LR3

The Disco 3 was not immune to recalls during its 5 year production period. The major recalls are summarised below:

• • Ride height sensors can corrode due to water getting into the plastic parts of the sensor.
  • Brake assistance loss – oil collects in the brake booster make it harder to stop (i.e more brake pedal effort required and/or increased stopping distances).
  • High pressure fuel pump failure on TDv6 engines – caused by insufficient lubrication of the fuel pump front bearing.
  • Some cars with coil springs had the incorrect vehicle jack supplied (a scissor jack rather than a bottle type).
  • Problem with the auto transmission in “park” position – indicator light shows that it is parked but brakes might not be applied.
  • Seat belt mounting in the second row setas (left-hand side only) could fail in an accident.
  • In certain cases, the ignition key can be removed from the car even though the auto transmission is not in the parked position.
  • Drivers airbag not operating due to steering wheel clock spring wiring failure
  • Various fuel leak problems affecting UK 2004/2005 models.

A lot of issues then for a car that was only in production for 5 years! As always, make sure that any recall work was carried out by an authorised agent, especially as some of the recalls were for safety-critical components.

Related Questions

What is high mileage for a Land Rover Discovery 3 / LR3?
Just looking at the research I did on the Disco 3 / LR3, 262k miles seems to be a good example of a high mileage car, although I would expect in certain cases these could be higher, it gives a good indication.

What year is the most reliable for a Land Rover Discovery 3 / LR3?
The LR3 was in production from 2004 to 2009 and from my research both in the UK and US, the 2006 model year is the average on my top 10 high mileage list.