Jeep vs Land Rover. Which do you favour?...
Discussion
OK, so both manufacturers specialise in a very specific type of vehicle and both have a 60+ year heritage (Jeep have actually been going a bit longer) and with the possible exception of Toyota, arguably have more credibility than any other manufacturers in the SUV sector but which do you favour?
Land Rover have done a great job diversifying from the 3 product lines that they had 20 years ago to the 6 they have today, quality seems greatly improved and I have to say, although I have some friends who are engineers at JLR, the engineering and marketing of today's Land Rover products appears to be top notch.
Having said that, I have had a thing for Jeeps since my friend's dad got an XJ 4.0 Limited Cherokee when I was still back in school. He used to let my friend drive us to school in it sometimes and I thought it was so much cooler than the Discoverys that several other friend's parents owned. By the way, I didn't go to public school and my dad had a Citroen ZX, although another friend's dad had an 80s Aston Martin V8 Vantage briefly that he sold to fund a new business venture. I bet that he wished that he had kept the Aston!
The old Discoverys were comfortable and had nice, airy interiors but I never found them great to drive and preferred my 4.0 WJ Grand Cherokee in that respect. To be fair, up until about 5 years ago, Jeeps were a bit plasticky and had outdated engines, so they have come a long way too recently.
Looking at the current ranges, for Land Rover we have:
Defender (RIP) - they look cool and have some merits as a working vehicle (great off-road, high towing capacity, can fit in many bales of hay) and if I was a collector I would love a last-of-line Defender for posterity but much like a Ford Transit, they are noisy, unrefined, uncomfortable, slow and heavy on fuel. Surely, one would have to be mad to commute in one?
Discovery Sport - looks like a nice car and 7 seats are a bonus but quite expensive and the only engine option is a 4-pot diesel, so a bit meh.
Evoque - can't make my mind up on these (at the moment I rather like them) but are they style over substance? Pretty smart though but perhaps a bit too small? Starting price slightly below the Discovery Sport, so probably seems about right.
Discovery 4 - I always liked the no-nonsense styling and practicality of these. Almost as luxurious as a Range Rover but a lot cheaper and more practical, although it does look rather dated and sticks out like a sore thumb in Land Rover's modern range.
Range Rover - Starting price 75k! I expect a great car and still the go to luxury SUV but unless I start hanging out with millionaires, I would just feel like an ostentatious prick driving one. Looks more at home in Chelsea/Abu Dhabi than the English countryside (who's going to want to get their 75k Range Rover dirty)!
Range Rover Sport - This is probably my favourite Land Rover in the current range. I have thought for years that they should do a 7-seat Range Rover, so you can have some of the style of a Range Rover with some of the practicality of the Discovery and like the more subtle styling compared to the FFRR.
Compare that to Jeep:
Wrangler - Like the Defender, it looks really cool and I expect is just as unrefined and uncomfortable. However, it does have a petrol V6 with twice as much power and you can remove the roof and doors! The 2 door isn't practical but the 4 door doesn't lose the style and has a bit more practicality. I think one of these would be more fun for some weekend green laning or a summer trip to the beach or the occasional commute than a Defender.
Renegade - Again, I think they look great and have a low 17k starting price. Lots of engine options, including the 1.4 Multiair with 4WD and a manual gearbox.
Cherokee - Looks are a bit "marmite" but I quite like them, only 5 seats and a small boot for the class but I drove a V6 Trailhawk the other day and it had a sense of fun that I don't think you would get from a diesel Disco Sport. Fantastic engine and gearbox and due to the jacked-up off-road suspension, it rolled a bit more and the ride was a bit choppier than others that I have driven in this class but it still handled tidily, was comfortable and orange (my kids loved it)!
Grand Cherokee - I absolutely love these and think they have the combination of presence and subtlety that the Range Rover has rather lost in recent generations. This would fit right in whether you're in the city or countryside without looking too ostentatious. OK, it might be a bit smaller than the FFRR but it's still luxurious, has the option of a V8 Hemi and starts at only 40k.
On balance, I think I prefer Jeeps currently for their better value, more interesting engine options and greater sense of fun but they're clearly lacking some 7-seat options. For Land Rover, I like the Evoque and new Range Rover Sport but it would be nice to see an entry-level Land Rover priced between say 18k-25k aimed at younger people in the same vein as the original Freelander/Jeep Renegade rather than products like the hideous and overpriced 50k+ Evoque convertible, which I'm, sure will nevertheless still sell in bucketloads!
Land Rover have done a great job diversifying from the 3 product lines that they had 20 years ago to the 6 they have today, quality seems greatly improved and I have to say, although I have some friends who are engineers at JLR, the engineering and marketing of today's Land Rover products appears to be top notch.
Having said that, I have had a thing for Jeeps since my friend's dad got an XJ 4.0 Limited Cherokee when I was still back in school. He used to let my friend drive us to school in it sometimes and I thought it was so much cooler than the Discoverys that several other friend's parents owned. By the way, I didn't go to public school and my dad had a Citroen ZX, although another friend's dad had an 80s Aston Martin V8 Vantage briefly that he sold to fund a new business venture. I bet that he wished that he had kept the Aston!
The old Discoverys were comfortable and had nice, airy interiors but I never found them great to drive and preferred my 4.0 WJ Grand Cherokee in that respect. To be fair, up until about 5 years ago, Jeeps were a bit plasticky and had outdated engines, so they have come a long way too recently.
Looking at the current ranges, for Land Rover we have:
Defender (RIP) - they look cool and have some merits as a working vehicle (great off-road, high towing capacity, can fit in many bales of hay) and if I was a collector I would love a last-of-line Defender for posterity but much like a Ford Transit, they are noisy, unrefined, uncomfortable, slow and heavy on fuel. Surely, one would have to be mad to commute in one?
Discovery Sport - looks like a nice car and 7 seats are a bonus but quite expensive and the only engine option is a 4-pot diesel, so a bit meh.
Evoque - can't make my mind up on these (at the moment I rather like them) but are they style over substance? Pretty smart though but perhaps a bit too small? Starting price slightly below the Discovery Sport, so probably seems about right.
Discovery 4 - I always liked the no-nonsense styling and practicality of these. Almost as luxurious as a Range Rover but a lot cheaper and more practical, although it does look rather dated and sticks out like a sore thumb in Land Rover's modern range.
Range Rover - Starting price 75k! I expect a great car and still the go to luxury SUV but unless I start hanging out with millionaires, I would just feel like an ostentatious prick driving one. Looks more at home in Chelsea/Abu Dhabi than the English countryside (who's going to want to get their 75k Range Rover dirty)!
Range Rover Sport - This is probably my favourite Land Rover in the current range. I have thought for years that they should do a 7-seat Range Rover, so you can have some of the style of a Range Rover with some of the practicality of the Discovery and like the more subtle styling compared to the FFRR.
Compare that to Jeep:
Wrangler - Like the Defender, it looks really cool and I expect is just as unrefined and uncomfortable. However, it does have a petrol V6 with twice as much power and you can remove the roof and doors! The 2 door isn't practical but the 4 door doesn't lose the style and has a bit more practicality. I think one of these would be more fun for some weekend green laning or a summer trip to the beach or the occasional commute than a Defender.
Renegade - Again, I think they look great and have a low 17k starting price. Lots of engine options, including the 1.4 Multiair with 4WD and a manual gearbox.
Cherokee - Looks are a bit "marmite" but I quite like them, only 5 seats and a small boot for the class but I drove a V6 Trailhawk the other day and it had a sense of fun that I don't think you would get from a diesel Disco Sport. Fantastic engine and gearbox and due to the jacked-up off-road suspension, it rolled a bit more and the ride was a bit choppier than others that I have driven in this class but it still handled tidily, was comfortable and orange (my kids loved it)!
Grand Cherokee - I absolutely love these and think they have the combination of presence and subtlety that the Range Rover has rather lost in recent generations. This would fit right in whether you're in the city or countryside without looking too ostentatious. OK, it might be a bit smaller than the FFRR but it's still luxurious, has the option of a V8 Hemi and starts at only 40k.
On balance, I think I prefer Jeeps currently for their better value, more interesting engine options and greater sense of fun but they're clearly lacking some 7-seat options. For Land Rover, I like the Evoque and new Range Rover Sport but it would be nice to see an entry-level Land Rover priced between say 18k-25k aimed at younger people in the same vein as the original Freelander/Jeep Renegade rather than products like the hideous and overpriced 50k+ Evoque convertible, which I'm, sure will nevertheless still sell in bucketloads!
Edited by white_goodman on Wednesday 10th February 21:09
Recent Jeep products just look really odd, the Renegade looks squishy, which is just utterly wrong and the Cherokee has a pointy nose and again looks totally peculiar. I couldn't live with those looks.
As far as current LR products go, I wouldn't say no to a Disco 4, its the most proper 4x4 they build since ditching the Defender.
As far as current LR products go, I wouldn't say no to a Disco 4, its the most proper 4x4 they build since ditching the Defender.
I had a D3 for 7 years before getting my D4 which is essentially the same but better. Super practical things and very comfy. Image isn't too poncey either which cannot be said these days about the RR. Land Rover run the risk of alienating their original core market but perhaps they have a new one who have no interest in going off road?
Jeeps are interesting things but the styling is a bit weird and wonderful. Land Cruiser has also turned really ugly.
Jeeps are interesting things but the styling is a bit weird and wonderful. Land Cruiser has also turned really ugly.
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 10th February 21:51
Land rover.
I own a l322 Range Rover, had a 87 defender 300tdi conversion.
Mums had a p38 Range Rover, 2x Range Rover classic (one was a lse), her boyfriend drives a disco 300tdi as his offroader.
They also ran an offroad buisness which had about 10x 300tdi discos due to the simplicity of fixing them after people crash/break bits. The local land rover parts guy (not main dealer) used to love us constantly breaking things.
I own a l322 Range Rover, had a 87 defender 300tdi conversion.
Mums had a p38 Range Rover, 2x Range Rover classic (one was a lse), her boyfriend drives a disco 300tdi as his offroader.
They also ran an offroad buisness which had about 10x 300tdi discos due to the simplicity of fixing them after people crash/break bits. The local land rover parts guy (not main dealer) used to love us constantly breaking things.
Ran a 110 commercial as a company car for a couple of years and I thought I was a Land Rover man. End of last year I rented a wrangler and did some off reading in Utah and did the Shafer trail amongst others and was blown away on how much better it was, on and off road. I loved that thing.
Put it this way, the Defender would have killed me on the Shafer trail due to the lousy turning circle.
Put it this way, the Defender would have killed me on the Shafer trail due to the lousy turning circle.
Just had a quick look at the classifieds and checked a few Renegades, apart from some being FWD the 2 litre MJet somehow only has 140bhp even with a turbo. I'd expect an N/A 2 litre to put out more than that in the '90s and even tuned for torque more like 200bhp as a turbo.
Just seems odd.
Just seems odd.
Toltec said:
Just had a quick look at the classifieds and checked a few Renegades, apart from some being FWD the 2 litre MJet somehow only has 140bhp even with a turbo. I'd expect an N/A 2 litre to put out more than that in the '90s and even tuned for torque more like 200bhp as a turbo.
Just seems odd.
Really? You would have expected 140bhp from a naturally aspirated 2 litre diesel in the 90's?Just seems odd.
AnotherClarkey said:
Toltec said:
Just had a quick look at the classifieds and checked a few Renegades, apart from some being FWD the 2 litre MJet somehow only has 140bhp even with a turbo. I'd expect an N/A 2 litre to put out more than that in the '90s and even tuned for torque more like 200bhp as a turbo.
Just seems odd.
Really? You would have expected 140bhp from a naturally aspirated 2 litre diesel in the 90's?Just seems odd.
They look OK anyway, the Jeep site seems to totally avoid any information about the engines, do they put
anything interesting in them?
Toltec said:
DOH! Must be going blind, checked for that too, I'll blame on the wtf the FWD ones caused.
They look OK anyway, the Jeep site seems to totally avoid any information about the engines, do they put
anything interesting in them?
Well the 170bhp 1.4l MultiAir turbo petrol from the Alfa Giulietta is an interesting choice for a small 4x4.They look OK anyway, the Jeep site seems to totally avoid any information about the engines, do they put
anything interesting in them?
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