You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
we are in the process of changing my wife's car. She is now in a co car scheme with a monthly allowance. She wants the lofty driving position and to be honest she likes the perceived image of jlr products. We have 2 large dogs and regular travel to Cornwall from northern England. Like the idea of the Sport have had a Kia Sorento for 3 years so comfortable with size of disco. Any owners out there with first hand experience as a couple of friends have been less than positive about the ownership experience with other models.
A mate has one and I looked at one as well but went with a Jeep instead.
The sport is okay when it works, frequent issues with small niggles seem to be a problem and a dealer network that struggled to cope with the demand for their service teams.
As far as I know they still haven't solved the issue of the DPF filling up and the B pillar rattle can result in a full strip down and weld of the car, not what I would want.
Driving the sport I found the low speed ride was quite firm but once up to speed on a motorway it was okay.
Based on the experience of two colleagues the most likely experience is that of repeatedly taking the car in for repairs.
JLR occupied three of the bottom 5 places in the most recent vehicle reliability rankings across all makes.
Those new Volvo Xc40’s are a very nice car.
F-I-L has been in various JLR vehicles for last 10 years or so, mainly Jag but also a FL2 and a D3 for the MIL.
Hes got a new Volvo XC40 & she’s got a Jazz.
Says as much as he loves JLR they just aren’t reliable enough.
Depends 'how reliable' she wants ? I used to have a fabulous Alfa 147 Selespeed company car, but it was in and out of a garage all the time - pain in the ass, especially when you need it to get to work and do business miles.
JLR cars, although they look good, just aren't reliable enough, my money, or someone else's.
How soon would you get pee'd off ?
You want big and a 4x4, get a 2.0 diesel X-Trail, or if you want a smaller non 4x4 get a Qashqai . We have a squashy and it's great - the JRL lot have stopped trying to barge my wife off the road, having moved from a Yaris to a Qashqai. Japanese cars = reliable. They just work all the time.
perceived image of jlr
Think you nailed it right there.
Perceived and reality are, in this case, polar opposites.
XC40/60 for push button/forget ownership.
As above JLR products seems to be bottom of pretty much every reliability survey which has put me off some of the good lease and pcp deals.
I did also think Japanese cars were reliable but it seems the British made nissans hover bottom of the charts also
https://www.whatcar.com/news/2018-what-car-reliability-survey/n17816
Love the xc40 the 6 month lead time is the problem on the spec she wants
thanks for your feedback so far.
You want big and a 4×4, get a 2.0 diesel X-Trail,
Good luck finding a 4x4 X-trail. They’re a lot rarer than you might imagine.
I was debating one vs a skoda kodiaq recently. I’ve had a couple of freelancers over the yrs ( job took me out in the woods a lot) and they were decent cars but the main dealer service and attitude stank. Mine were ex demos but they treated you with disdain going in to get any servicing or work done and the dealers were very expensive esp given the poor customer service and bad quality workmanship. Lucky to find a local specialist after I had the fl1 for a few yrs but they’d not touch the fl2.
I looked at an Octavia scout at the time I got the 2. I didn’t regret the fl2 though.
Just bought a decent spec kodiaq over a semi decent spec disco sport. Given the price difference, dealer experience and reliability issues frequently reported it was a no brainier to go for the kodiaq. It’s bigger too I reckon or at least there’s more useful room in the boot when the 7 seats are in use. Lots of genuinely clever touches as well.
Theres deffo a significant jlr tax.
As pp says, the current shape is available as 2 wheel drive, and is the most popular option. But if you're buying new not a problem.
Test drove one, read up on the reliability, recalls and dealer experience. Ordered a Skoda.
Loved the look, size, presence of the Sport but I need a car on the road not in the dealers garage.
Sister in law had a older Sport. JLR agreed to full refund after 6 months of endless faults including the thing stopping and refusing to move on motorway twice.
So she bought a Evoque. She is at end of lease and vouching never again, again having had a few breakdowns and more smaller issues.
Father in law bought a two year old XF. In eight months of ownership, it was at dealers for 12 weeks. A full new wiring loom essentially sorted the issue, but left father in law with a car he didn't trust to not go into limp mode. He traded it.
JLR are about the bottom of reliability and warranty claims these days. Comfy. Look nice. But I wouldn't own one.
Kia Sorrento or Hyundai Santa Fe would be a good alternative to LR
4x4 X-Trail - that's why I said the 2.0 diesel - that's about the only one. Rare indeed.
Good luck finding a 4×4 X-trail. They’re a lot rarer than you might imagine.
Ever bought a new car? You can spec what you want.
I really like the look of the F-Pace, but reliability doesn't seem to be there.
If we replace the Kuga, we'll either buy an Edge or a Kodiaq.
XC40 is quite a bit smaller though
to be honest she likes the perceived image of jlr products.
I wondered why the freelander was now called the discovery sport.
Ever bought a new car? You can spec what you want.
Nope. I haven’t
Can you spec them without the massive depreciation as soon as you drive away from the dealership?
Skoda..
Thats the bigger one (don’t know its name)
Most folk on here have/want them and the quality is waaaay better than anything LR produced since like ever.
Or
Peugeot 3008 or that DS4 thingy..
Thatsbif you think the XC40 isn’t big enough, obvz.
Colleague has a new Disco Sport, and it is indeed in and out of the garage (fuel leak most recently). He's seriously thinking about chopping it in for something else.
In the STW tradition of recommending what you have, I'm on my third Hyundai Santa Fe (currently a 2017 model), and not once have any of them failed to start. Few minor issues, but easily solved. 7 seats, so similar to the Disco Sport.
Nope. I haven’t
Can you spec them without the massive depreciation as soon as you drive away from the dealership?
Only in very rare circumstances. However it's a much nicer experience than buying second hand, if you can afford it, or someone else is paying (as is the case here). Unless you are buying a Skoda, where you will only experience shame and misery.
had a 24hr test drive in one last year, then same in a Kodiaq - I preferred the Skoda in just about every way and it was cheaper on the pcp that I needed. Ended up getting an A6 Avant quattro as they were giving huge discounts and it was made much more sense, money wise.
If I was replacing the Audi now, which thankfully I'm not, I'd be negotiating with a Skoda dealer 🙂
An alternative view to some of the posts above... Dealerships are very variable!! We wouldn’t buy another Skoda after the service we’ve had from our local dealership and general niggles and faults with my wife’s Octavia (bought new).
Likewise, hell would have to freeze over before I would give Nissan another penny of my hard earned. Local dealership has been appalling, with Nissan UK being equally bad!
Land Rover on the other hand - couldn’t fault them at all when I had a Defender a couple of years ago. Couple of minor warranty issues sorted out very smoothly. However, I’ll admit I didn’t use them for their eyewateringly expensive servicing 😉
I had a RRS that had nothing but problems, it was the best and worst car I've ever owned. In the end I had enough and got rid after 3 years.
Office colleague got a Disco Sport a few years back, I told him he will have nothing but problems and indeed he has. It's in and out the dealership pretty much every three months.
I love Land Rover but would never have another
Poor old JLR! Mate has a 130,000 mile+ Range Rover, no big issues. I have the same, mine's been fine too. We both use local specialists rather than main dealers, guess new ones/main dealers not so good? Just to balance it up a bit, thinking about all my old work cars...
Vauxhall was awful, loads of issues, kept dumping its power steering fluid from new, left me stranded loads. Audi had electrical gremlins from new, dealer couldn't sort, first BMW faultless, second BMW in and out with failed electrics, air vent dropped into the dash, wipers failed, Skoda was OK but dealer I used pretty poor, and finally a Mitsubishi was the worst of the lot. Complete electrical failure, needed new loom and then was back to the dealers every month until I jacked in the job and was very pleased to hand it back 🙂
We have recently got a Discovery Sport and so far it's been ace. Big, comfy, refined and relaxing. On the buying front Chris at Ripon Land Rover was great and the dealer experience was as good as BMW or Audi and better than many others.
We also have a Kuga and the LR is in a different league. We test drove the BMW X1 + X3 and my sister has a brand new X5. The Disco is at least as refined as the X5 and more so than the other two. I prefer it to a friends Audi Q5 also. 7 seats too, which is what swung it for us.
If you do go for one see if you can get hold of the Landmark special edition like ours. Comes loaded up with extras that really make it feel plusher
Go and ask your Volvo dealer to find you an XC60 through the dealer network; Mrs Gti got a super one with 12,000 miles on it half price, in near-new condition with all the warranties. It has all the winter kit and drives really well.
Ended up getting an A6 Avant quattro... If I was replacing the Audi now, which thankfully I’m not.
I didn't like mine (Quattro V6 diesel auto) current shape. It went back last year and I got an outgoing model XC60 which I prefer in just about every way (apart from it having the turning circle of a cargo ship). IMO a very over-rated car (and my two previous cars were Audis (another A6 but 2.0d manual and a TT) so I have nothing against them.
My good friend has an Evoque of 4+ years and quite likes it but it has had numerous trips to the garage and a whole new auto gearbox.
I have a Nissan Xtrail petrol as a family car and it is very good. I bought ex demo outright as I plan to keep it for 10 years hopefully.
However, the Bristol Nissan Dealership is hilariously bad. It needed a rubber grommet replaced in the steering as a bit squeaky. First time they greased it, second time replaced. Both times they returned the car to me with steering wheel at a 30 degree angle off centre. The first time they suggested my wife had damaged it. To do it once was a mistake but to do it a second time was pure incompetence.
It's getting a service tomorrow but I'm driving it to a totally different dealership 50 miles away; a hassle but I wouldn't let those clowns touch it again.
Mrs S has a Disco Sport and it's had the DPF problem due to only doing shortish runs and also badly corroded disks which JLR have now moved the goalposts on warranty to say that its a "cosmetic" problem. She's had proper Discos previously and I do prefer them.
Thanks again.
for clarity
Its a company car, 3 year company lease and fully funded service plan.
its not an option buying second hand, Has to be new. We have a Citigo which we love but the Kodiak does not have the image she wants.
As it's a company car look at DS7 Crossback, Infiniti range and Lexus
Luxurious compared to most other company cars, a bit different and mildly posh
this thread has convinced me to stick with reliable (non-selespeed...) Alfa Romeos 🙂
Its a company car, 3 year company lease and fully funded service plan.
Hang on I thought you said she was getting an allowance ? If its a company vehicle in a price bracket then I would strongly recommend she looks at hybrid cars for the better tax
BMW X5 hybrid may be cheaper
Jaguar F Pace etc etc
A friend is absolutely delighted that she has just got rid of hers. It spent an awful lot of time being fixed, or in some cases not fixed.
Its a company car, 3 year company lease and fully funded service plan.
This is good financially, however you still may have the hassle of extra trips to dealership, break downs and general faff time to factor in, if you get a dud.
Don’t go down the Lexus route, you’ll hate it 🤪🔥🤔
Unless you are buying a Skoda, where you will only experience shame and misery.
On PCP, eh Angeldust.
We're on our second - had the first one for three years, swapped it for a new one earlier this year.
Not one single problem with either of them, neither have had anything more than standard servicing.
Perhaps we're lucky!
Fossy - I also had a Alfa 147 Selespeed - one of the best drivers car I've ever owned - but like yours it was staggeringly unreliable. I still miss it though!
On PCP, eh Angeldust.
🙂 yeah, I'm thinking long term effects
Another +ve here. The wife has had a Disco Sport from new - one of the first with the Ingenium 2 litre diesel.
Have to say it has been excellent - been back once in a couple of years for an aircon issue.
She test drove the latest (at the time) Q5 and VW equivalent and preferred the LR in all aspects with the exception of the satnav (which is crap!).
Thanks all for feedback so far.
richard
Just to add that my wife seemed similar to yours in so far as the image of the car appealed to her as much as anything else. She absolutely loves it so if that's what your better half wants it's probably the best option.
If it’s a company car I’d go for it - then at least you can say you’ve experienced JLR ownership and at low risk to yourself.
ive had range rovers (which were awful) and jags which still had some reliability issues but local dealer was superb sorting warranty issues - trouble free for last 12 months. I will prob buy another JLR product but would never do so without manufacturers warranty...
Volvos Skodas etc all great cars but just not my cup of tea
Volvos Skodas etc all great cars but just not my cup of tea
The new XC90 looks a great thing (IMO) and hopefully I can stretch my budget to one when my lease comes up for renewal...
And no fatalities ever recorded in one for drivers or passengers in the UK
A colleague has one of the new XC40s and she's loving it - looks great too.
6 months ago I would have said to look at a Merc. I have had almost 5yrs of trouble free motoring with a new at the time E Class, it went back once to have the auto engine switch off thingy looked at and that has been it. Now the bad news, mate has the new version of the E class for 12 months and it has been in the garage once a month. My view is that they might have reached a tipping point where quality and value engineering have collided. I know the E class isn;t the same car as a Discovery but they do a Merc equivalent and it is very nice, might just have the same issues as the E Class though.
Leased cars are fine - I managed to scratch my itch of having an Alfa, but I wouldn't have 'paid' for it as my car, too many electrical gremlins and visits to a garage. If you can put up with the visits (and have a pre-arranged courtesy car) it's not to bad. A lad in the office has one on PCP and has the 'extended' service options - but we are literally across the road from the dealers.