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In the market for a new 4x4 . ItI is down to these two. If they still made the Trooper i'd be back in one like a shot, alas. Ha d a drive of both and leaning towards the Discovery. Any real world experience of ownership of either? Not incredibly bothered about reputed Land Rover reliability as when forced to I can be handy with a spanner. The cost of parts however is alarming. Anyone have back to back comparisons? I felt the Discovery was less agricultural and a nicer environment to be in. Noticeably more power. Both were 14 plates. Discovery always seems to take a pasting in overall reliability compared to the Toyota.
Have a Discovery 4. Lovely place to be driving. It’s good that you not bothered about reliability. It’s decimated my bank account. Would never buy another out of warranty.
I'm kinda getting that general drift from the internet. What sort of rectification work have you required? Guessing air suspension and electrical gremlins or more sinister engine/gearbox?
Suspension and some other bits and pieces - plus the wiper motor packed up one very early very wet morning down the M4. I mean, who can’t make a wiper motor last longer than almost everything else? When it’s going well it’s a great car. Actually quite fast if you don’t look at the mpg. Had 7 adults in it and hardly noticed it. Had a xc90 before it which was agricultural by comparison but so reliable!!
Hi, I’ve got a 2015 LandCruiser with 45,000km on it. Still feels like new, which is great, because if/when things break it will cost a fortune to fix. Reliability should be a concern as there’s not much to spanner on either car, both of which are full of electronics.
I also looked at the Discovery but chose the Toyota precisely because it is more agricultural and I was looking for a change from my previous SUV. Personally I prefer the inside of the Toyota but that’s just me. Discovery does have a more sorted load space - the third row seats in the Toyota steal space with a raised floor height.
Cant comment on running costs really as mine has fixed price servicing. I’ve got a petrol which I wouldn’t have in the UK with fuel prices there.
If you do try a Toyota, make sure you get one with KDSS - it’s standard at the top end of the range and improves the drive both on and off road. You probably don’t need the full toys of the top range, but the driving modes are fun the one and only time you ever use them.
Really, both are great places to be and cover all your needs, albeit at quite some expense. I’d not go back to an estate now. Sorry environment but the bigger car just works better for me and the things I do. Good job I walk to work 😉
The disco is awesome for what it does. Then it breaks. And it will.
Holed a piston in the one I used to drive, how good is your spannering? Obviously the suspension and electrics broke, but that's pretty much routine maintenance.
Summary: avoid.
unless you are towing I wouldn't bother with either.
Not first hand experience, but the school i work at have a Disco as their pool car/towing pigs to shows etc....
Over the past 2 years they have spent around £6k fixing it, not including fuel and insurance costs.
Funniest one was where the old headmaster took it on a family holiday to the Isle of Wight and the handbrake stuck on (electronic) he had to stay on the ferry and go back and forth 4 times before it released.
lovely looking car and people love driving it, when it works
From what I’ve read about Discovery’s you only want one if it’s in warranty or you own a Land Rover dealership! My brother had one just out of warranty, he loved it, then the battery failed and took one of the plastic brains with it. Very expensive. He sold it after that, not wanting anymore astronomical bills.
My mate is a Marshall for some kind of 4x4 club, they do trials.
His summary is, ‘nobody in the world who actually needs a 4x4 buys a LR, they all buy toyotas.
he drives a Subaru.
I fancy a discovery tbh, but every mechanic ive spoken to instantly says ‘avoid like the plague’
shame, they are great motors to drive.
What's it actually for? Or is that a minefield of need/want justification we don't need to go into?
There’s a garage very near me that specialises in 4x4 repairs/servicing, each bay has its own roller door which is usually open so you can see what’s being worked on. Invariably they’re Discos in 3/4 flavour - it’s a busy place... From someone who would have a D2 in their top 3 want list, a D3/4 doesn’t even register.
Love Stormatt’s story about the IoW.
I had a V8 discovery 3, which was slow, unreliable and not a lot of fun to drive. That said it was massive inside and super comfy. Also had a Q7 which was reliable, fast and tiny inside. I’d have another Q7, I would never have another LR product
I went to see new Discos being built at Halewood with work. Judging by the size of the rework area, problems start before they even leave the factory. It certainly wasn't confidence inspiring from an engineering viewpoint.
Disco 4 here, swapped from a 2.4 90. Felt like driving Buckingham Palace, in a good way.
Old police car, Manual, never stickered or drilled.
Suspension broke on way home. Turns out a pin sized hole in one of the plastic tubes that carryall the air, needed a £6 part. Been mega since! Touch wood.
Landrovers are "nicer" and a bit posher.
However, I'd have a Landcruiser every time. As long as someone has put oil in it regularly they are rock solid and remain tight forever. I see ones out here (in the Middle East) with 300,000km+ regularly on the clock. Bombproof.
Having driven a recent Landcruiser I'd buy a Jeep Wrangler if I was going to use it off road or a Volvo XC90 for on road.
I need to show my wife this.
She has a Disco that's coming up for four or five years old now and it's had a few hefty bills over the last year or so and has mentioned replacing it... I've suggested looking at alternatives but she's stuck on LR as there's a large dealer in the nearest town several miles away and it is handy having when something goes wrong. I need to remind her again of the irony in this logic...
I've tried to make her at least look at a Landcruiser!
(Horse, large horsebox, etc., so needs the towing capacity.)
A work colleagues Son works for a Landrover main dealer. The biggest problem apart from the woeful reliability seems to be DPF problems. At the back of the workshop there are always several cars doing a cycled DPF clean. Apparently the most reliable are the face lift freelander2’s up to 2010 when they fitted DPF’s. They are very nice to drive though with superb refinement for a car that is still very capable off road.
D4
Bought it new
Love it, just does everything we ever need
No issues, 50k and just had 2nd MOT
(Previous car was D3 ran for 95k from new, few routine niggles but great car, so much so we didn’t even look at any other car when it came to replacement time)
shame, they are great motors to drive.
I have little to add re: reliability and longevity, but I’ve driven a RR Evoke and RR Sport, a Mitsubishi L200 and a Toyota HiLux, plus a couple of other big 4x4 Truck/SUV jobbies, and the two RR’s are leagues ahead in driving and handling qualities. Such a shame reliability is such an issue.
We’re on our second D4. Both bought new. Both will have been replaced before warranty expires, although I am thinking about possibly keeping this one into year 4 with an (expensive) 3rd party warranty extension until the point when even they won’t cover major items.
anecdotal evidence from friends and acquaintances is horrific. I know of two where the engine seized after 3.5 years and less than 60,000 miles, needing replacement engines.
great place to be and tows 3 tonnes barely batting an eyelid.
Landcruiser. If it’s good enough for the Taliban, it’s good enough for me.
Rachel
I’m a country lad, general consensus is that while an excellent bit of kit, a Land Rover is one of the most expensive things you can own. You need to love it as otherwise you just can’t justify the bills to keep it on the road.
Landcruisers (and other Japanese 4x4s) tend to be pretty bombproof although somewhat soul-less.
Apparently the most reliable are the face lift freelander2’s up to 2010 when they fitted DPF’s. They are very nice to drive though with superb refinement for a car that is still very capable off road.
I have one of these. It has indeed been great off-road. But if it’s the most reliable car LR built then god help them. Mine’s currently waiting for yet another major chunk of the drive train to be replaced. It’ll then be sold. I’ll likely be replacing it with a Cruiser
Funny this as I'm on my fifth Disco and in general have found em as reliable as most other vehicles I've had (Shoguns, Jeeps, Volvo's). Use em off road in some pretty crappy conditions and then on 500 mile runs every month. Regularly get it full of logs to window height and the thing just drives like it normally does. Great vehicle to drive anywhere but if you do have one past the warranty consider the extended warranty, its expensive but they are a pig to fix if and when a big bit goes wrong. Have looked at alternatives and the new Disco but have decided to keep my latest one (D4) till its well past its sell by date. Try one but get it from a LR dealer, there are some real bargains at present. I'd suggest though that if its bean abused in an early life it will be trouble.
Landies of the modern age have been the same since the RRC though.
If you’re lucky (like I was with my last Freelander) you’ll get a peach that just goes & goes with minimum maintenance.
If you’re unlucky it will be a complete dog.
Either way, repairs & servicing can be quite expensive. If you’re buying a ‘later life’ car you may we’ll be buying into the latter type rather than the former but with no warranty to back you up the significant costs soon add up for you to shoulder.
They also suffer from that problem so many cars that were once ‘premium’ do; the car itself becomes relatively cheap to purchase but parts are still expensive & complex to repair/replace. Basically if you could have afforded to buy & service a brand new one you are probably alright but if you’re thinking “ooh, they are nice & cheap now”, probably not.
Im a LR fan, had loads of them. Pretty much stopped at FL1, D2 era though as they were still properly home spannerable.
Id take the Japanese alternative in your situation if it was my decision.
The thread has pretty much confirmed my internet findings. Although handy with a spanner I can't afford regular down time . Japanese again it is.Got a Shogun to go and look at today. Same garage where the Landcruiser is located. Sales person phoned me up asking if I was interested. Don't know much about them but quick research they look ok . Good for towing which I need .SG3 model. LWB.
Shogun is a very comfy tractor, pretty reliable and in the right hands will go anywhere. 4x4 system is pretty good but old fashioned by modern standards but its still good enough. 200,000 out of one should not be a problem if cared for, I'd give one a go. Small inside compared to a Disco.
Buy German, get a Touareg.
Old Australian proverb '' if you want to go into the bush get a Land Rover if you want come back get a Toyota''
Buy German, get a Touareg.
This made me think, you don't see many Mk1 Touaregs around. I always liked the look of them, but something seems to be killing them off.
We use Shogun's in work. Very reliable, comfy but not big inside considering the size of the car.
We abuse our fleet and put big miles on. Dpf has never been an issue but watch tyre wear on some.
I love LR stuff and own a 110 but think LR have dropped the ball recently with having no Disco commercial, I expect new Defender will cover a wider base in the model range but its a year or two off.
If I had the money I would buy one of the Toyota LC's in the basic/utility spec they do;
https://www.toyota.co.uk/new-cars/land-cruiser/commercial#
not sure if that helps the OP though?!
Buy German, get a Touareg.
Depends what you want it for, if you want to tow with it and whether you're buying new or used; my wife looked seriously at a used Touareg (1yo from dealer) before deciding on the Disco and was quoted £2.5k to add tow hitch and the enhanced cooling pack.
They are still home spannerable. But one of the additional tools you need is a diagnostic kit ( of which there are plenty which are relatively affordable and pay for themselves if you DIY inclined. ) That being said, I find the D4 is a nice drive, but really poor for room in the back.
Whilst I have a Mk3 Range Rover at the moment, if I were buying again, I seriously consider the Shogun. A few pals have some and I reckon they are what the defender should have evolved into ( and land rover missed a trick with that ). The Shogun seems to be a good balance of all the ruggedness, confiness and looks imho. All the others lack in one of those areas somewhere.
I liked the Shogun today. Had it out for around 40 mins. A little less refined than the Landcruiser but the engine felt stronger . Although comfortable, in the Landcruiser the seat had a lumber support that you could inflate . It made the chair ultra comfortable. Shogun cheaper which could be a factor for me as I couldn't see much of a difference? Paying for brand/heritage with the Landcruiser? Oddly the sales person suggested if I was considering the Landcruiser and Shogun he suggested I seek out a Defender .Had one years ago and loved it. Spent time doing it up as a running project as you do with your first car. Got bored of fixing it all the time though when it got you to rugby games they decided it didn't want to go home again. Went Japanese after that and never looked back. Had hoped the Disco 4 was more reliable .
Landcruiser or Patrol for me - I drove the former across the Amazon and the later is popular in Oz for driving into and out of the outback 😉
Landrover... nah....
I've got a Defender, and have heard a few sorry tales about Discos and Range Rovers from the place that services my Defender. If you're buying second-hand, you'd need to have a stash of cash put aside to cover a full service and on-going repairs. Also, even if you're handy with a spanner, some of the faults they develop look like they require major work to rectify (sometimes just to be able to gain access to a faulty sensor etc.)
What about a Jeep Grand Cherokee? We once had one for a few weeks as an insurance courtesy car, and it was really quite nice. It did seem pretty big and ostentatious at first, and I'm not sure how reliable some of the gadgets will be, but I think they have a Mercedes engine and gearbox, which should be reliable.
Buy German, get a Touareg
Amusing that out here in Asia that german cars are seen as premium but fragile. Reliable cars in the scorching heat and constant dust are seen as far eastern and American. A toureg would be scoffed at as a sensible purchase. Not saying that's right, but interesting how things are seen in different worlds.
Hadn't considered the Grand Cherokee .I thought because it is American it would be rubbish on our roads with corners .Trying to find out if they are Mercedes-Benz engines and gearboxes.
I have a grand cherokee and really like it but I`m based in Canada so they're pretty common. I actually thought it was the other way round and Mercedes-Benz used the Chrysler chassis. I don't find the handling too bad but again I don't have that many corners to worry about.
It must be about 3 or 4 years since we had the Grand Cherokee. It was pretty nippy for such a big car, and wasn't too thirsty. It was comfortable, and long winter journeys, including up and down the A9 were quite relaxing. It had a few gizmos I wouldn't be too bothered about, such as auto-dipping headlights and mirrors, and there were a couple of little bugs in the touch screen interface (possibly since fixed with an update). It was missed when it went back to the car hire company!
While we had it, we were approached by a guy who'd had the earlier version, and he raved about them, and told us about the Mercedes engine etc. He was planning to buy the same model as the one we had. Interestingly, we spotted him in a newer model a few weeks ago, so he obviously did go ahead and upgrade.
I'm not sure what the 'owner experience' would be like, but I'd definitely look into them (and get a decent test drive) if I was looking to buy that type of vehicle.
Deejaying, were you ever amazed by how they made a car that big so small inside?
I live in New Zealand and down here you would only consider a Land Cruiser and it is already flagged as my next car. Do they do the diesel V8 in the UK?
To put their reliability into perspective, there are loads selling for decent cash with excess of 250,000 km on the clock - some nearing 400k km