New Discovery 5
Discussion
I spoke with a friend who has an 18 month old HSE Luxury (which was his first Disco) and he's got his name down for one of the first new models. He's genuinely excited by the look of the car and the potential enhanced driving dynamics of it (and he's come from several Cayennes and Q7s). He's just waiting to hear if he can get one of the 300 First Edition/launch models that are being produced and said that his local dealer has already taken 33 deposits as of yesterday morning so it can't be all bad and I guess the true test will be when prospective owners can open/close/pull/push the parts of the car around for themselves rather than reading what the journos have to say.
Followed one down the M4 this morning. It must be one of the development ones as it had plastic all over the front.
It really looks horrific from the rear. A total ungainly mess. I felt very pleased with my disco 4 I was sat in at the time.
Also saw an orange one in the services at the end of the M50 last weekend. Unprompted my Land Rover mad, 6 year old son said it looked horrible...
What have they done...poor Discovery.
It really looks horrific from the rear. A total ungainly mess. I felt very pleased with my disco 4 I was sat in at the time.
Also saw an orange one in the services at the end of the M50 last weekend. Unprompted my Land Rover mad, 6 year old son said it looked horrible...
What have they done...poor Discovery.
I'm sticking with my D4 until they bring out the new six cylinder engines and am a bit annoyed at the prices rises but I disagree about spec. I have looked at replicating my D4 HSE and it needed £1k of extras making it c£60k for a V6 diesel. Percentage residuals are the same so over thee years it will likely cost £3k more in deprecation.
There are reports of things I don't like the sound of on the new car but I will go and have a look in time and make my own mind up as there is another three years left in my D4 for me. I might feel it is less functional than the D4 but it is still likely to be the best car in it's space.
There are reports of things I don't like the sound of on the new car but I will go and have a look in time and make my own mind up as there is another three years left in my D4 for me. I might feel it is less functional than the D4 but it is still likely to be the best car in it's space.
Went to a launch event at my local dealer (Peterborough) this week and was quite impressed with it in the metal. It was a pre-production model (left hooker too) but in HSE Luxe type spec with all the bells and whistles. Rear and 3rd row seats seemed fine to me (you feel like you sit in rather than on the car in the back now), AV/Nav and overall cabin ambience much nicer. They had all the colour/leather/dash options to look at which was interesting. First test drives in Feb and deliveries in June apparently. Will probably hold onto our D4 for longer but useful for future reference.
wildcat45 said:
I like it and want one.
Is this 2-litre engine an updated/tweaked version of the Ingenium in my DS?
Having had a sniff around a D5 at my local dealer, I'd like to revise my statement.Is this 2-litre engine an updated/tweaked version of the Ingenium in my DS?
While the cabin equipment and dynamics are great, it's not a looker.
I have a DS and I love it's styling. You'd think that the new car being a scaled-up version would appeal to me too. All the problems are round the arse end. It's bloated, like a DS that has been pumped up with air rather than being scaled up. It's tall, but not as tall as its predecessor but it somehow looks narrow.
Initially I liked the tailgate offset number plate when I saw it on the Vision concept. In production, it just looks wrong and will no doubt annoy any symmetry fanatics sitting behind it in traffic.
I don't think the load space is as big as the old D4. That's what D4 owners were telling me at the event. The split tailgate has gone but there's a sort of flap thing you can use instead as a seat.
The Disco has been around for 25 years now so it has its own heritage. A slight kink in the roofline but with no alpine lights really doesn't cut it. I guess the offset plate is a nod to the past too but with no spare wheel on the back, what's the point?
The dealer probably thought it would be good to have a new D4 next to the launch car to highlight how great the new car is. Climbing from new to old it became obvious to me which I preferred. It might not be pretty or a new design but the D4 felt robust tough luxurious and full of enough tech to keep me happy.
I wonder how the Discovery customer demographic will take to it. The event was full for 40-plus GoreTex wearing outdoorsy urban people and a lot of country types. Few appeared that impressed. Maybe the new car is a little too bling for this sort of customer base. The car appeared quite up market in a Range Rover sort of way.
My wife - a 35 year old potential
Disco 5 owner - wondered, as we looked round a new RRS where the new car fits in to the range. There's plenty of bling in the Land Rover range if you want it already.
She concluded that the new car could be - looking at the back end - something from South Korea.
We'll stick with the Discovery Sport for now and will give the F-Pace a good look next time we consider changing.
Edit to say I've just been on the configurator. The bog standard base model isn't cheap when you consider its lack of kit.
Edited by wildcat45 on Thursday 1st December 21:02
Yep, it's the back end which is just so wrong. The offset plate just looks terrible, without the kinked rear screen. On the road, following it, it does indeed look too narrow. Maybe it is because it tapers in vertically now.
I'm sure technically it is superior in pretty much every facet, but externally it is wrong. Sticking with the D4 for a few years to come!
I'm sure technically it is superior in pretty much every facet, but externally it is wrong. Sticking with the D4 for a few years to come!
wildcat45 said:
My wife - a 35 year old potential
Disco 5 owner - wondered, as we looked round a new RRS where the new car fits in to the range. There's plenty of bling in the Land Rover range if you want it already.
Land Rover's plan is take the RR and RRS more upmarket to flight the SUVs from Bentley, Alfa and Masterati. The D5 will then move up a step to RRS/FFR. (hence the rise in prices) Disco 5 owner - wondered, as we looked round a new RRS where the new car fits in to the range. There's plenty of bling in the Land Rover range if you want it already.
Edited by wildcat45 on Thursday 1st December 21:02
Rumour suggests that the Defender will be more in tune with Discos of old. Its all ready well known that the new defender will take the D4's platform.
bakerstreet said:
Land Rover's plan is take the RR and RRS more upmarket to flight the SUVs from Bentley, Alfa and Masterati. The D5 will then move up a step to RRS/FFR. (hence the rise in prices)
Rumour suggests that the Defender will be more in tune with Discos of old. Its all ready well known that the new defender will take the D4's platform.
Really? That's good news (If like me you hanker after something like the original Disco) When's the Defender replacement due out?Rumour suggests that the Defender will be more in tune with Discos of old. Its all ready well known that the new defender will take the D4's platform.
There are conflicting reports out there about it.
I'd like to know more.
Much as I love my DS, the prospect of a more rugged Landy that can be specified with options to make it more comfortable sounds great.
It's a shame they didn't move the D4 production to India and build utility versions.
I'd like to know more.
Much as I love my DS, the prospect of a more rugged Landy that can be specified with options to make it more comfortable sounds great.
It's a shame they didn't move the D4 production to India and build utility versions.
Had a good look round one in Glasgow last month.
2.0 diesel Hse in silver, 21 inch alloys with black interior.
Prices are from £43k for 2.0 S model. Then SE, HSE and HSE lux. This is obviously for the UK market for prices and likely specs as well.
The 2.0 is a small engine, plenty of space under the bonnet.
Windscreen washer on left side, ad blue fill on right side of engine bay sides, a charging point is under the bonnet as well. Suspension air lines are also under the bonnet.
Interior is nice, seats have finally got a decent head rest compared to the fixed ones in the 3/4.
2nd row isn't as comfy as a D3/4 as the seat foam is thinner.
2nd and 3rd row can only be lowered or raised by the electric motors. Low spec models will have a manual control and DS style strap to pull.
I didn't like that idea. It's too much of a novelty feature for my liking and just something to go wrong.
The tailgate is motor driven for upper and the small boot flap. Which I feel is stupid and WILL break.
There is NO decent lower tailgate for sitting on like the D3/4 model has. Which imho is a backwords step.
Boot is 17cm wider, but has lost 8cm of height, the seats folded flat don't sit as low as a 3/4 does, plus the seat back to boot seems shorter than 3/4. It's lost 50 litres of space and you won't be using it like a van like the 3/4 is.
Dash is well laid out, decent space but I'm 5.8 and under 12 stone so not the best judge for that.
Still got a few controls on a dash panel so it's thankfully not 100% touch screen. Which is miles faster than a 3/4 screen and is very up to date. Has a phone cradle built in which can take a 6S easily. How that will cope with larger phones in the future.... May get outdated very quickly the way phone sizes are going.
Decent cubby bins and such in it. Lot's of storage space.
Front bumper sits too low for my liking. It's going to get damaged off road and imho doesn't need to be anywhere near as low. I don't see how you will get an ARB or similar bumper on it as the grill and headlights are odd shapes and don't have a simple flat edge like the D3/4 has.
Likewise the back bumper and roof. It's got a spoiler so how you get a rear ladder and a roof rack on it will also be interesting.
The step in the roof is ok. It means it's 2 large glass sun roof panels instead of 3 like you got on 3/4 models. I would have brought it forward personally a bit as it doesn't seem right.
The rear doors are massive and the curve in them may make tight bays a squeeze for access.
Overall.
A nice car.
But not a Discovery as we know it. Too gimmicky and it's too mini Range Rover and less family car.
I don't think I could use one in the way I use my 3 and for it to cope.
I also don't think it will get modified in the same way the previous generations can and have been.
I didn't get much info from the people who were showing around it about factory add on's. The D3/4 could from the get go be turned into a G4 replica.
I don't see that ability with the D5.
Tried it all, chatted to the sales people who were there to look after the car and came away knowing my next LR will be a L405 instead. But a few years from now, will let the prices soften up a fair bit then go for an SDV8 Autobiography.
The D3 will stay on. It's well on the way from normal DD, to DD and overland prepped car so will be keeping that.
2.0 diesel Hse in silver, 21 inch alloys with black interior.
Prices are from £43k for 2.0 S model. Then SE, HSE and HSE lux. This is obviously for the UK market for prices and likely specs as well.
The 2.0 is a small engine, plenty of space under the bonnet.
Windscreen washer on left side, ad blue fill on right side of engine bay sides, a charging point is under the bonnet as well. Suspension air lines are also under the bonnet.
Interior is nice, seats have finally got a decent head rest compared to the fixed ones in the 3/4.
2nd row isn't as comfy as a D3/4 as the seat foam is thinner.
2nd and 3rd row can only be lowered or raised by the electric motors. Low spec models will have a manual control and DS style strap to pull.
I didn't like that idea. It's too much of a novelty feature for my liking and just something to go wrong.
The tailgate is motor driven for upper and the small boot flap. Which I feel is stupid and WILL break.
There is NO decent lower tailgate for sitting on like the D3/4 model has. Which imho is a backwords step.
Boot is 17cm wider, but has lost 8cm of height, the seats folded flat don't sit as low as a 3/4 does, plus the seat back to boot seems shorter than 3/4. It's lost 50 litres of space and you won't be using it like a van like the 3/4 is.
Dash is well laid out, decent space but I'm 5.8 and under 12 stone so not the best judge for that.
Still got a few controls on a dash panel so it's thankfully not 100% touch screen. Which is miles faster than a 3/4 screen and is very up to date. Has a phone cradle built in which can take a 6S easily. How that will cope with larger phones in the future.... May get outdated very quickly the way phone sizes are going.
Decent cubby bins and such in it. Lot's of storage space.
Front bumper sits too low for my liking. It's going to get damaged off road and imho doesn't need to be anywhere near as low. I don't see how you will get an ARB or similar bumper on it as the grill and headlights are odd shapes and don't have a simple flat edge like the D3/4 has.
Likewise the back bumper and roof. It's got a spoiler so how you get a rear ladder and a roof rack on it will also be interesting.
The step in the roof is ok. It means it's 2 large glass sun roof panels instead of 3 like you got on 3/4 models. I would have brought it forward personally a bit as it doesn't seem right.
The rear doors are massive and the curve in them may make tight bays a squeeze for access.
Overall.
A nice car.
But not a Discovery as we know it. Too gimmicky and it's too mini Range Rover and less family car.
I don't think I could use one in the way I use my 3 and for it to cope.
I also don't think it will get modified in the same way the previous generations can and have been.
I didn't get much info from the people who were showing around it about factory add on's. The D3/4 could from the get go be turned into a G4 replica.
I don't see that ability with the D5.
Tried it all, chatted to the sales people who were there to look after the car and came away knowing my next LR will be a L405 instead. But a few years from now, will let the prices soften up a fair bit then go for an SDV8 Autobiography.
The D3 will stay on. It's well on the way from normal DD, to DD and overland prepped car so will be keeping that.
Olf said:
This well known bit about the new Defender taking the D4 platform - have you got some references or further info?
I've spoken to someone who has seen it and even driven it. Also it makes sense. We know the Defender will run multiple body styles and to support that, it has to resort to using a traditional ladder chassis and the only one that they have to work with is the the D4 platform.
Its a perfect disguise for test mules too as they will all be Discovery 4s!
Can't wait for the launch of the new Defender. If they can get close to the lease deals of the Golf R, then I may take the plunge and have one on a two year lease.
The launch of the new MINI in 2001 was pretty special, but I think the expectation for the Defender is even greater.
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