Not much. The LR3 would remain in stick form, whereas the Rubi would become the weekend trekking rig. Camping, trail riding, etc. The Unlimited gives me the capability to bring the family along with ease.
Hmmm….I had my comments all thought out until I saw this last comment of yours. If you are just doing mild stuff in the LR3, there is no reason not to have it as a daily driver and family excursion vehicle. Get Cooper Zeon's or GY Duratrac tires and some under armor and a cargo barrier inside, and maybe a roof top cargo carrier or better yet a removable roof rack, and you have the best of both worlds. A supremely comfortable daily driver and a GREAT off road vehicle.
Here is my previously tapped out response:
Okay, I have gone down this same rabbit hole. I have/had the following vehicles nearly concurrently:
1 Nissan Armada 4x4
2. LR3 4x4
3. Volvo XC70 AWD
4. Jeep Rubicon Unlimited (2 door LJ), lifted, on 35's.
Nothing beats the
Armada on the road for comfortable cross country touring…on pavement. 11mpg does suck though
My LR3 was the family exploration vehicle. If the 4 of us were going, we took the LR3. It's extremely capable, quite comfortable, and holds a lot of gear. We did several 10 day or longer excursions in excess of 2,000 miles each, with all we needed on board.
It was a tight fit, but it worked okay.
more images:
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http://www.nextstepdesigns.com/images/utah/IMG_1643-800.jpg
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http://nwoods.smugmug.com/Family/Journeys/9363670_njKtT#626685392_Pzkyb-XL-LB
Economy tanked, had to sell the LR3, leaving us with
the Jeep. I can and do
take the Jeep places the
LR3 could not do, but if it's more than an hour or two away, it is not fun getting there, and if it's an overnight trip, it is extremely difficult to fit it all in the Jeep…and 8mpg really sucks, especially with the tiny gas tank. I have less than 150 mile range on windy days or hilly areas.
What I really need is an offroad trailer to
hold my gear, but even with one, driving the Jeep long distances is no fun, especially with the soft top on. The concussions of the soft top billowing in the wind on the highway deafens you, and upsets your inner ear and makes you nausicious and dizzy on long drives. It's not too bad with the hard top, but then, you sacrifice one of the best parts of owning a Jeep…******* on the trail!
So my family recently went through the lineup of vehicles ranked by capability, cost, capacity, and comfort. The winner: 1998-1999 Toyota Land Cruiser 100 series (or Lexus LX470 - same rig). More room than the LR3, half the price, has a rear locker and center diff lock, terrific durability, and bumpers and lifts are available (
www.sleeoffroad.com). You can roll on 35's with a 2.5" lift if you want to go big.
But, the
wife loves Jeep's, and
loves going *******
So,
instead of a Cruiser, we will probably save up for a mildly mod'd JK with the removable Freedom top, AND a trailer. With this combo, we'll have our long distance overland vehicle and rock crawler. I'll stick to the
Volvo as a DD, and the Armada for "Lap around America" style paved road trips….unless my career resurrects itself and I can get another LR3. I still miss it every single day. I hate driving the Volvo in comparison.
