RE: Land Rover Discovery vs. mud
Discussion
skyrover said:
Andehh said:
What evidence do you have to back that statement up? Land Rovers being little more then mall roamers? I am genuinely intrigued.
How many modern discovery's do you see being taken offroad to pay and play day's or driven overland by resourceful African's or utilized by waring militias?Andehh said:
There are youtube videos of the new Disco 5 being put through 'Sand Dune Impact tests', as well as fording through nearly 1m of water. Not least the ubiquitous videos of it going up and down the muddiest of tracks - far more so then any other vehicle in it's class would ever be seen near.
How much does said vehicle cost to repair when it goes wrong? How easy is it to repair in the field?Andehh said:
Fair enough it might not have 6ft of axle articulation - but how often does real world ''off roader'' require that?
Articulation is very important from a stability perspective, but the Discovery achilies heel is cost and complexity.Andehh said:
What other vehicle could do a fraction of the Discos 'out of the box' abilities? Even the newer generation of Land Cruisers, Jeeps etc all wouldn't be able to embarrass it.
A standard wrangler will match a discovery offroad, and walk all over it with a few cheap modifications. How many people bother to make offroad parts/modification for land rover's these day's other than the Defender? Of that's right they dont/ because nobody offroads them on a regular basis.
Andehh said:
e all acknowledge 90% of them will never go anywhere off tarmac, but to say the vehicles aren't capable anymore is simply untrue.
Your confusing initial "Capability" with "Suitability"However - you can't discount ''capability'' because most people are too risk averse/financially restricted at damaging the paint work. If you could afford to, you could take it further off road then 90% of it's rivals.
I am not arguing with ''suitability'' but I am with people saying it isn't a ''capable'' vehicle. It is a very capable vehicle, if you can afford to scratch the damn thing. The only difference between the two is people's risk aversion - not the car's capability.
TooMany2cvs said:
The company is called Jaguar Land Rover.
They have three brands. Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover.
For marketing purposes, Range Rover is a sub-brand of Land Rover.
http://www.landrover.co.uk/vehicles/index.html
I should rephrase that then They have three brands. Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover.
For marketing purposes, Range Rover is a sub-brand of Land Rover.
http://www.landrover.co.uk/vehicles/index.html
The division of JLR in question is called Land Rover
It's why every Range Rover also wears a Land Rover badge
TooMany2cvs said:
The company is called Jaguar Land Rover.
They have three brands. Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover.
For marketing purposes, Range Rover is a sub-brand of Land Rover.
http://www.landrover.co.uk/vehicles/index.html
There are 2 brands not 3, Jaguar and Land Rover. Range Rover is a product range under Land Rover the same as Discovery is. They have three brands. Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover.
For marketing purposes, Range Rover is a sub-brand of Land Rover.
http://www.landrover.co.uk/vehicles/index.html
Cold said:
This thread is about the Land Rover Discovery. It says so in the title.
Which also wears a Land Rover badge.But not the garb of a "resourceful African"
Nor a string of bullets across its chest
But does have an orange face.
Am I there yet ?
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 3rd April 13:41
skyrover said:
Your confusing initial "Capability" with "Suitability"
Why on earth would anyone wanting an ultra-basic, stripped-out utility vehicle even be thinking about at a Discovery? In any case, the idea that your average bush mechanic could do anything much with a broken "new" 70 Series Land Cruiser is pretty fanciful - stability/traction control, hill-start assist, trailer sway control, brake assist, electronic brake-force distribution, diesel particulate filter etc.
Cars like this aren't simple anymore because farmers, quarry operators, aid organisations etc. want more comfortable, capable, refined and safer cars - and those don't have separate chassis, solid axles, cart springs and NA diesels.
I have to agree, they are all looking the same. LandRover where late coming to the look-a-like party and where better for it. Is it a case of lazy designers or profit hungry marketeers ?
I do not know but I would like to see LandRovers looking like LandRovers and each keeping to it's own.
They are riding the crest of a wave at the moment and I hope the current copy cat trend does not lead to their downfall.
I do not know but I would like to see LandRovers looking like LandRovers and each keeping to it's own.
They are riding the crest of a wave at the moment and I hope the current copy cat trend does not lead to their downfall.
Great car, now ruined by the rear end. Don't care how it drives or how deep a puddle it can pootle through, with one of them sitting on my driveway I'd be forever lamenting how the old shape was far more pleasing.
I was actually going to upgrade the wife's Touareg (read my car for when I go shooting/the dump/buy anything big!) for one at the end of the year, but LR has lost a customer here. Bet the older Disco 4s will hold their value though!
I was actually going to upgrade the wife's Touareg (read my car for when I go shooting/the dump/buy anything big!) for one at the end of the year, but LR has lost a customer here. Bet the older Disco 4s will hold their value though!
theshed said:
I have to agree, they are all looking the same. LandRover where late coming to the look-a-like party and where better for it. Is it a case of lazy designers or profit hungry marketeers ?
I do not know but I would like to see LandRovers looking like LandRovers and each keeping to it's own.
They are riding the crest of a wave at the moment and I hope the current copy cat trend does not lead to their downfall.
I guess the automotive industry has done a lot of research on this and has the data to show that consumers somehow buy significantly more vehicles and/or options when your entire range carries the same look. I do not know but I would like to see LandRovers looking like LandRovers and each keeping to it's own.
They are riding the crest of a wave at the moment and I hope the current copy cat trend does not lead to their downfall.
Someone will know the science but I would hazard that somehow it gets more people in at the bottom as from a distance they can convince themselves they've bought at the top and that people at the top spend more on the outside extras to keep a gap between the people at the bottom?
I've also assumed that it saves huge sums of money in design, development and legislative, regulatory costs and maybe even some additional parts sharing?
I just don't know but there will be a very valid reason, related to increasing profits, for this being done.
To be fair, it seems to work in the Range Rover range. The Range Rover, Sport, Velar and Evoque all carry similar looks but still look different enough and they all look like nice cars.
The Land Rover range doesn't seem to fair so well. The Little Disco looks a nice enough car but I think I agree with many that the back quarter of the big Disco is just odd. Plus, this is probably exacerbated by the fact that the old Disco was the last even remotely utilitarian looking product in the JLR line up and does really signify the end of that era, which, let's face it,isn't really about LR leaving utility products behind but about another brand in the U.K. having to leave the working man behind.
In terms of riding the crest of a wave and getting caught with their pants down, I guess trends do change and maybe there will be a cultural revolt across the planet against brands having styling trends across a range but while JLR might struggle in financial terms to react they at least have 3 different 'brands' within the LR business that have very strong history so should allow them to adapt more easily in that regard.
I've just spent a day playing with a new Discovery on and off road.
What a superbly capable and lovely thing it is!
Big, solid well appointed with loads f clever features, none of which I need, all of which I want.
However the arse end is atrocious. I have a Discovery Sport which is pretty well proportioned. The bigger car looks like it has been upscaled by using a bicycle pump rather than maths and computers.
As for the offset plate, maybe if it was square rather than standard rectangular it would look better?
JLR would have been better grafting the square style back of the D4 onto the D5.
I was invited to a pre-launch event for the D5. The organisers had the new car next to the old. Very few prospective customers who had D4s were impressed.
I only hope that the Defender replacement if it ever arrives will offer customers something like the D4 in terms of styling.
Talking if customers, the Discovery demographic at the event comprised genuine country types, and urban middle class GoreTex wearers. Most there seemed well educated.
The Velar event I went to comprised self important types, footballers, and plastic orange ladies. Most spoke with "local" accents.
In the end, you should buy a car based on what you want. I've not ruled the new Discovery out. Being a JLR fanboy my next big car will probably be a Land Rover of some sort.
Gotta go now Hun. I've got a sunbed booked and I'm having some hair extensions put in l8r.
What a superbly capable and lovely thing it is!
Big, solid well appointed with loads f clever features, none of which I need, all of which I want.
However the arse end is atrocious. I have a Discovery Sport which is pretty well proportioned. The bigger car looks like it has been upscaled by using a bicycle pump rather than maths and computers.
As for the offset plate, maybe if it was square rather than standard rectangular it would look better?
JLR would have been better grafting the square style back of the D4 onto the D5.
I was invited to a pre-launch event for the D5. The organisers had the new car next to the old. Very few prospective customers who had D4s were impressed.
I only hope that the Defender replacement if it ever arrives will offer customers something like the D4 in terms of styling.
Talking if customers, the Discovery demographic at the event comprised genuine country types, and urban middle class GoreTex wearers. Most there seemed well educated.
The Velar event I went to comprised self important types, footballers, and plastic orange ladies. Most spoke with "local" accents.
In the end, you should buy a car based on what you want. I've not ruled the new Discovery out. Being a JLR fanboy my next big car will probably be a Land Rover of some sort.
Gotta go now Hun. I've got a sunbed booked and I'm having some hair extensions put in l8r.
It's not just the stupid no reason offset, its the lights they are squinty and badly placed - again fine on the sport version. I honestly don't know what the f
k they were thinking 
The one I looked at the other day looked (in silver) like it was very tall, and not very wide, with little narrow lights and it just looked.. unbalanced like something on high heels.
It's the underside of the windowline to the exhausts, that whole section looks wrong.
k they were thinking The one I looked at the other day looked (in silver) like it was very tall, and not very wide, with little narrow lights and it just looked.. unbalanced like something on high heels.
It's the underside of the windowline to the exhausts, that whole section looks wrong.
Just had this month's Which consumer magazine land on the hall floor
Attached is their car guide to Britain's best and worst cars
Guess which brand is propping up the lists ?
Yup .. Land Rover ! How did you guess ?
Disco sport is listed as a "Don't buy" with a list of reported faults as long as your arm .. with an average of 8 breakdowns per car !!
They say "Major reliability issues dog this model - avoid"
Full size disco fairs not much better, again listed as "don't buy" nor do the Range Rovers
They place the new X1 in first place just ahead of the Subaru SV and F25/6 X3/4 in third place
This would be echoed by my neighbours who's new disco sport is forever back in the garage
It seems "Land Rover" still has a way to go before they make a quality product
Attached is their car guide to Britain's best and worst cars
Guess which brand is propping up the lists ?
Yup .. Land Rover ! How did you guess ?
Disco sport is listed as a "Don't buy" with a list of reported faults as long as your arm .. with an average of 8 breakdowns per car !!
They say "Major reliability issues dog this model - avoid"
Full size disco fairs not much better, again listed as "don't buy" nor do the Range Rovers
They place the new X1 in first place just ahead of the Subaru SV and F25/6 X3/4 in third place
This would be echoed by my neighbours who's new disco sport is forever back in the garage
It seems "Land Rover" still has a way to go before they make a quality product
Having been in a few, and driven a 2.0 HSE.
I'm still not convinced on it.
It lacks the feeling of space that my Disco 3 has, the interior while a lovely place, and the ability to stick some apps on the screen to use is handy, isn't as spacious as the older car.
Plus, look at the door gap for the front door, the gap from A pillar to B pillar is tiny. Which is stupid given the size of the thing.
Back looks horrible, hate the plate. Hate the stupid tiny lights. The massive tailgate is crap compared to the split one on the D3/4 model.
The 2.0 engine is nice around town but lacks the mid range guts for decent performance, the 3.0 would be a better engine for the car.
Back seats are uncomfortable. foam is too thin, base is too short and so is the backing.
It's all well saying how most don't get used off road etc, blah blah whatever, but it should have the ability to do it, sticking 20s, 21s and 22s on a 4x4. Kinda defeats that point.
Also, for the Australian market, they like to tour around the outback in modern Landy's, have seen a few kitted up with a snorkel, roof rack, tailgate ladder, swing away wheel carrier, 2nd fuel tank and ARB or such front bumper. All easily fitted to a D3/4 shape.
In fact, you could spec a D3/4 from the factory with a RAI, winch mount, under body protection, A bar, roof rack, rear access ladder. it was all listed in the options list. Even in 2004 when the shape first came out.
I see no easy way of doing that with the 5. I don't think the options list gives any of that stuff.
Personally, it's a massive missed chance to continue a great car line, the 3 and 4 are a great all rounder. This new one. Isn't.
I won't be replacing my 3 with a 5 in a few years when the used market is awash with examples and i know several other Disco owners who are the same.
I'm still not convinced on it.
It lacks the feeling of space that my Disco 3 has, the interior while a lovely place, and the ability to stick some apps on the screen to use is handy, isn't as spacious as the older car.
Plus, look at the door gap for the front door, the gap from A pillar to B pillar is tiny. Which is stupid given the size of the thing.
Back looks horrible, hate the plate. Hate the stupid tiny lights. The massive tailgate is crap compared to the split one on the D3/4 model.
The 2.0 engine is nice around town but lacks the mid range guts for decent performance, the 3.0 would be a better engine for the car.
Back seats are uncomfortable. foam is too thin, base is too short and so is the backing.
It's all well saying how most don't get used off road etc, blah blah whatever, but it should have the ability to do it, sticking 20s, 21s and 22s on a 4x4. Kinda defeats that point.
Also, for the Australian market, they like to tour around the outback in modern Landy's, have seen a few kitted up with a snorkel, roof rack, tailgate ladder, swing away wheel carrier, 2nd fuel tank and ARB or such front bumper. All easily fitted to a D3/4 shape.
In fact, you could spec a D3/4 from the factory with a RAI, winch mount, under body protection, A bar, roof rack, rear access ladder. it was all listed in the options list. Even in 2004 when the shape first came out.
I see no easy way of doing that with the 5. I don't think the options list gives any of that stuff.
Personally, it's a massive missed chance to continue a great car line, the 3 and 4 are a great all rounder. This new one. Isn't.
I won't be replacing my 3 with a 5 in a few years when the used market is awash with examples and i know several other Disco owners who are the same.
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