Which 7 seater?
Discussion
Am about to start the hunt for the replacement for our 2010 D5 XC90 and am wondering which Land Rover product best fits the bill.
Must have 7 seats ability and have plenty of room. Must also be able to cope with young kids! Off road/all weather ability important. Outside of that anything goes.
I was thinking Discovery. But do the RRS or even Discovery Sport work?
Others being looked at are
- new XC90
- Audi Q7
- Merc GLS
- BMW X5
Also, which flavour engine is the best to go for - diesel or petrol? Or even hybrid??
Must have 7 seats ability and have plenty of room. Must also be able to cope with young kids! Off road/all weather ability important. Outside of that anything goes.
I was thinking Discovery. But do the RRS or even Discovery Sport work?
Others being looked at are
- new XC90
- Audi Q7
- Merc GLS
- BMW X5
Also, which flavour engine is the best to go for - diesel or petrol? Or even hybrid??
Murph7355 said:
Am about to start the hunt for the replacement for our 2010 D5 XC90 and am wondering which Land Rover product best fits the bill.
Must have 7 seats ability and have plenty of room. Must also be able to cope with young kids! Off road/all weather ability important. Outside of that anything goes.
I was thinking Discovery. But do the RRS or even Discovery Sport work?
Others being looked at are
- new XC90
- Audi Q7
- Merc GLS
- BMW X5
Also, which flavour engine is the best to go for - diesel or petrol? Or even hybrid??
Must have 7 seats ability and have plenty of room. Must also be able to cope with young kids! Off road/all weather ability important. Outside of that anything goes.
I was thinking Discovery. But do the RRS or even Discovery Sport work?
Others being looked at are
- new XC90
- Audi Q7
- Merc GLS
- BMW X5
Also, which flavour engine is the best to go for - diesel or petrol? Or even hybrid??
Disco Sport is quite a small platform shared with the Evoque. By all means pop to a local dealer for a first-hand nose around - but I wouldn't want to pack two people into the third row on one of those (even if they are kids).
Disco 3/4/5 are all larger and box-like - the internal space has to be seen to be believed for sheer amount of bodies/junk you can cart around. I can't say about the other options you've come up with - but I suggest the best way is to actually look/test-drive a few in order to have a good benchmark. After all, my idea of 'plenty of room' might be very different from others/yours. In any format, once using the third row (seats 6+7) you are starved of a lot of internal stowage space - so factor in how much stuff you tend to lug around when travelling loaded with family and co.
You could plump for a Range Rover family vehicle - but to be honest most people who go for Range Rovers would probably be just as equally served by a Discovery for less money. Modern Discos are pretty much as good pound-for-pound as the RR or RRS for most purposes anyway - unless the badge image or opulent luxuries are a must.
All LR products are capable of dealing with 90% of off-road UK terrain out of the box - Range Rover Sports on daft 22" alloys notwithstanding (personal pet hate of mine).
As for engine choice, depends on use and mileage as to whether going Diesel or Hybrid. I wouldn't plump for a large Land Rover running on petrol unless I was doing low miles.
We have had several 7 seaters over the years - Latest was a 2016 RRS (with 7 seat option).
The 3rd rear row of seats were ok for long journeys for kids up to 5 feet, but not as roomy (in front of the 3rd row or behind) as a discovery 4 or gen 1 Xc90.
But overall a much more luxurious package, my wife took herself, two other adults and three 15 year old girls away for a long weekend - 550+ mile return journey.
If room is important check out the new xc90 (huge amounts of space behind the 3rd row)
The 3rd rear row of seats were ok for long journeys for kids up to 5 feet, but not as roomy (in front of the 3rd row or behind) as a discovery 4 or gen 1 Xc90.
But overall a much more luxurious package, my wife took herself, two other adults and three 15 year old girls away for a long weekend - 550+ mile return journey.
If room is important check out the new xc90 (huge amounts of space behind the 3rd row)
Thanks guys.
Further research has consigned the Disco Sport to an also ran (which I knew was likely).
I suspect the RRS will go that way too.
Disco 4 is likely to be the pick from the Land Rover stable but think it's getting quite long in the tooth? And I suspect the 5 will be to new to be cost effective.
Have had a brief run out in the latest XC90 and it's very good. Q7 looks to be the nearest competitor in terms of interior space.
Further research has consigned the Disco Sport to an also ran (which I knew was likely).
I suspect the RRS will go that way too.
Disco 4 is likely to be the pick from the Land Rover stable but think it's getting quite long in the tooth? And I suspect the 5 will be to new to be cost effective.
Have had a brief run out in the latest XC90 and it's very good. Q7 looks to be the nearest competitor in terms of interior space.
I am in exactly the same situation. Usual drive holiday requires seating for x4 adults, a 14yr old and a 7yr old. Outside of holidays we use 7 seats probably once/month.
We had a good look around the Discovery Sport yesterday. I was amazed at how much legroom it offered considering the size. With the movable middle row all the way back it felt more spacious in the 2nd row than the D4.
We are weighing up a DS HSE or nearly new D4 landmark. Current family vote is for the DS on the basis the two younger ones would put up with the occasional use of the cramped 3rd row for the extended 2nd row legroom available for day to day use.
D5 too expensive once you start adding options and delivery too far out for us
XC90's seems too pricey
Q7 headroom in 3rd row is compromised
Haven't looked at x5 (would really rather buy British)
We had a good look around the Discovery Sport yesterday. I was amazed at how much legroom it offered considering the size. With the movable middle row all the way back it felt more spacious in the 2nd row than the D4.
We are weighing up a DS HSE or nearly new D4 landmark. Current family vote is for the DS on the basis the two younger ones would put up with the occasional use of the cramped 3rd row for the extended 2nd row legroom available for day to day use.
D5 too expensive once you start adding options and delivery too far out for us
XC90's seems too pricey
Q7 headroom in 3rd row is compromised
Haven't looked at x5 (would really rather buy British)
Recently acquired a DS Dynamic Lux.
Really impressed with space performance and adaptability and it feels special
Recently had it 7 up all adults albeit the two at the back were only 5 foot and no complaints for them. Access is a little difficult but I don't need a coach! Performance felt no different and if anything ride felt better.
Engine is sweet
Really impressed with space performance and adaptability and it feels special
Recently had it 7 up all adults albeit the two at the back were only 5 foot and no complaints for them. Access is a little difficult but I don't need a coach! Performance felt no different and if anything ride felt better.
Engine is sweet
Edited by Cats on Sunday 8th January 06:23
DS test drive went well. They have it to us for two hours which allowed sufficient time to try out all seating combinations. Our 5"8 14 yr old spent an hour in the 3rd row and had now complaints. We felt it drove more like a 'car' than the D4 which suits us for the lane driving we typically do (less body roll).
We've ordered the HSE Lux black edition in black with ivory interior. I was going to order the grey/black contrast, but somebody was collecting a HSE in all black and it looked great, so opted for that.
LR are doing some great deals at the moment.
We've ordered the HSE Lux black edition in black with ivory interior. I was going to order the grey/black contrast, but somebody was collecting a HSE in all black and it looked great, so opted for that.
LR are doing some great deals at the moment.
chappj said:
murph7355, how is the search going? I'm intrigued to see what car you ended up choosing.
Slowly. Anyone would think people don't want to sell cars.I expected some of this though.
Local dealers don't have Discovery 4's for extended test drives. I'm off down to the show room on Saturday to have a look. I may kidnap a sales rep to get the car up on my usual roads and see how much of our usual crap I can fill it with
MrsM really likes the look of the Disco Sport, but we're both convinced it'll be a bit too small inside. It may well be OK as the next car after this one we get as we won't be quite so encumbered with push chairs and small kid paraphernalia...
Mercedes couldn't be less interested if they tried. There are two reasonably nearby but no real interest in showing them to me. I'm all but ruling these out at present - a lot more expensive, bigger etc. MrsM not keen.
Audi are just checking when they can get me a Q7 to try. They have an SQ7 to test, but I have zero interest in a 90k Q7 (much as I adore my RS4..."sports SUVs? Nah).
Volvo is still where MrsM's heart is. But even they appear to be being less than helpful on testing. I'm due a call back from them too. Prices seem to be softening as expected. These are on par with the Discovery 4s, and a bit cheaper than Q7s.
I'll post back at the weekend on my initial Land Rover thoughts. I want to really like the Disco4. I like the way it looks. I'm concerned it'll feel more cramped than it should and may feel dated. We'll see.
Murph
Take it from me the D4 is massive inside, with the seats down you can get a bathroom suite in there along with a full size bath. My local dealer Stafford Land Rover let me have mine for the morning and it was quite a test drive. Where are you based you welcome to try mine its a MY 15 HSE
Paul
Take it from me the D4 is massive inside, with the seats down you can get a bathroom suite in there along with a full size bath. My local dealer Stafford Land Rover let me have mine for the morning and it was quite a test drive. Where are you based you welcome to try mine its a MY 15 HSE
Paul
Thanks Paul.
I'm confident boot wise it'll be fine. I'm more interested in the rear two rows of seats.
I'm 6'4" and in the Q7 I mooch ed around a while ago seem to recall I could sit behind me driving and also in the third row without feeling too squashed. That may be my memory playing tricks so will be retesting. But it's that sort of thing I'm looking at.
Appreciate the offer of a look - I should be OK for these "tests" at the dealer. It's then just a case of getting them to let me hurl it around my local roads
I'm confident boot wise it'll be fine. I'm more interested in the rear two rows of seats.
I'm 6'4" and in the Q7 I mooch ed around a while ago seem to recall I could sit behind me driving and also in the third row without feeling too squashed. That may be my memory playing tricks so will be retesting. But it's that sort of thing I'm looking at.
Appreciate the offer of a look - I should be OK for these "tests" at the dealer. It's then just a case of getting them to let me hurl it around my local roads
there is no greater luxury than space, when it comes to a family car. I have looked at all the alternatives to the D4 and none of them have the same space, practicality, toughness, utility, ride comfort as the LR D4. I quite fancied the Audi SQ7 but the 3rd row of seats are compromised by a total absence of foot room (u can't put your feet under the 2nd row of seats). The X5's 3rd row are not suitable for adults or teenagers and frankly neither are the Discovery Sports or RRS. The D4 has 7 adult suitable seats. and if you fold one down it still has a sizable boot, and with both the rear seats folded down the boot is massive.
I have checked out the D5 and it does not have the same 'fitness for purpose' as the D4. it's a real shame, but I've got a relatively late D4 which I will now keep until I no longer need 7 seats and a car capable in a rural setting.
I have checked out the D5 and it does not have the same 'fitness for purpose' as the D4. it's a real shame, but I've got a relatively late D4 which I will now keep until I no longer need 7 seats and a car capable in a rural setting.
Edited by seawise on Tuesday 17th January 13:43
Had a good look round the Disco4 and the DiscoSport today.
Disco4
Lovely car. I tested a Landmark - assuming pricing works OK I'll be going for this spec or the "Luxury" in all likelihood. Felt like a premium car. I'd say a little better than my current mkI XC90 (an RDesign so nicely appointed).
Gadget and gizmo count was decent. Touchscreen not as unresponsive as I've heard, but no iPad either. A lot better than my current car in this respect, but then so it should be really. No park assist and a few of the other very latest gadgets...unlikley to be an issue though.
Plenty of space in the front cabin. Felt a bit narrower than the mkI XC90, but I think that's an illusion due to the headroom....which is huge. The sunroofs help lift the interior.
Middle row of seats are spacious enough. Lack of ability to move them forward/back is a shame but there's loads of room (I'm 6'4" and with the seats comfy for me in the front I can sit in the middle row without touching the seatback (just). Pretty sure my knees just touch the seatbacks in the XC90.
Third row of seats are the best I've come across to date. Again plenty of headroom. Legroom is also fine. Getting in and out is way easier than in the mkI XC90 - square door openings and seats that flip out of the way more. Lifting the seats etc wasn't as tricky as I've heard people moan about. They're not heavy and easily done, albeit not one handed. I reckon I could do a long journey sat right at the back. Sunroof again helps here.
Plenty of storage space/trays all round the cabin too.
In 5 seat config the boot's big. I'd say about the same size as the mkI XC90 but perhaps a bit taller and more square. So no issues there.
In 7 seat config it's less good. My test here is to fit our Bugaboo Chameleon in sideways (folded). It could just be made to fit, but the rear wheels had to be taken off and the two sections of the pram stacked one on top of the other, and hence balanced/propped up while the boot was closed. Our XC90 swallows the pram without this hassle and will also take other bags, coats etc too. I'd say in 7 seat config the Disco4 has about 2/3s the usable boot space of the mkI XC90 (and I think the mkII might be bigger again).
Drive wise it was fine. Similar to our XC90 I think, though momre refined engine wise and a bit less general road/suspension noise (our XC90 does have 95k miles on it though!). Still wallowy, but then it's a car that weighs more than 2t. Perfectly OK and not as agricultural as I was expecting (at all). The air suspension can be dropped to ease access which makes a lot of difference (not for me - aged parents/kids etc!). The driving position's fantastic too - very commanding and all extremities very easy to see.
Outside the last of line models look great. It's a shape that will age really well I think.
Overall I enjoyed it. The lack of boot space in 7 seat mode is the only real black mark. It's countered by pretty good seats in the third row, but the lack of space in that mode might end up being an unnecessary compromise if my recollections of the new XC90 and even Q7 are correct.
DiscoSport
Also a nice car.
I didn't drive this one (at least not yet) but did try the size of it out and was very, very surprised.
From a usable seating perspective it's at least as good as the Disco4. In fact I'd say it's better. The sliding middle seats really help matters here. The third row aren't as good as the Disco4's - not as much room for feet or head and harder to access (though easier to put up/down). However they are perfectly usable, and anyone under 5'8"-9" would be perfectly comfy in there for longer trips I reckon.
It doesn't pass the Bugaboo test in 7 seat config, but would fit a smaller buggy and bags in there. In 5 seat mode it's probably 75% of the Disco4 (and readily swallows the pram - it'd take 2 or 3 of them at least).
Finally it felt like a league below the Disco4 in terms of quality. A lot of hard plastics, not great feel when sliding open hatches etc etc. For the price of them I think this is probably fine, but it's more Ford than Audi/Volvo.
It also feels much smaller inside - panoramic roof helps ease that, but doesn't completely overcome the feeling. And the driving position doesn't quite know what it wants to be - the bonnet's vast and you can't see the extremities very well, but you sit quite low.
Depending on how things go with the XC90/Q7 I may have another look at one. I'm not convinced it's the car we want just yet, but it has made me think twice, and when the kids are a bit older it might make a lot of sense. One thing that might swing it is the exterior size - my other half likes the look of them and would love something smaller than the XC90...we'll see.
I should be seeing the other contenders around 4th Feb so will finish off the comparison then
Disco4
Lovely car. I tested a Landmark - assuming pricing works OK I'll be going for this spec or the "Luxury" in all likelihood. Felt like a premium car. I'd say a little better than my current mkI XC90 (an RDesign so nicely appointed).
Gadget and gizmo count was decent. Touchscreen not as unresponsive as I've heard, but no iPad either. A lot better than my current car in this respect, but then so it should be really. No park assist and a few of the other very latest gadgets...unlikley to be an issue though.
Plenty of space in the front cabin. Felt a bit narrower than the mkI XC90, but I think that's an illusion due to the headroom....which is huge. The sunroofs help lift the interior.
Middle row of seats are spacious enough. Lack of ability to move them forward/back is a shame but there's loads of room (I'm 6'4" and with the seats comfy for me in the front I can sit in the middle row without touching the seatback (just). Pretty sure my knees just touch the seatbacks in the XC90.
Third row of seats are the best I've come across to date. Again plenty of headroom. Legroom is also fine. Getting in and out is way easier than in the mkI XC90 - square door openings and seats that flip out of the way more. Lifting the seats etc wasn't as tricky as I've heard people moan about. They're not heavy and easily done, albeit not one handed. I reckon I could do a long journey sat right at the back. Sunroof again helps here.
Plenty of storage space/trays all round the cabin too.
In 5 seat config the boot's big. I'd say about the same size as the mkI XC90 but perhaps a bit taller and more square. So no issues there.
In 7 seat config it's less good. My test here is to fit our Bugaboo Chameleon in sideways (folded). It could just be made to fit, but the rear wheels had to be taken off and the two sections of the pram stacked one on top of the other, and hence balanced/propped up while the boot was closed. Our XC90 swallows the pram without this hassle and will also take other bags, coats etc too. I'd say in 7 seat config the Disco4 has about 2/3s the usable boot space of the mkI XC90 (and I think the mkII might be bigger again).
Drive wise it was fine. Similar to our XC90 I think, though momre refined engine wise and a bit less general road/suspension noise (our XC90 does have 95k miles on it though!). Still wallowy, but then it's a car that weighs more than 2t. Perfectly OK and not as agricultural as I was expecting (at all). The air suspension can be dropped to ease access which makes a lot of difference (not for me - aged parents/kids etc!). The driving position's fantastic too - very commanding and all extremities very easy to see.
Outside the last of line models look great. It's a shape that will age really well I think.
Overall I enjoyed it. The lack of boot space in 7 seat mode is the only real black mark. It's countered by pretty good seats in the third row, but the lack of space in that mode might end up being an unnecessary compromise if my recollections of the new XC90 and even Q7 are correct.
DiscoSport
Also a nice car.
I didn't drive this one (at least not yet) but did try the size of it out and was very, very surprised.
From a usable seating perspective it's at least as good as the Disco4. In fact I'd say it's better. The sliding middle seats really help matters here. The third row aren't as good as the Disco4's - not as much room for feet or head and harder to access (though easier to put up/down). However they are perfectly usable, and anyone under 5'8"-9" would be perfectly comfy in there for longer trips I reckon.
It doesn't pass the Bugaboo test in 7 seat config, but would fit a smaller buggy and bags in there. In 5 seat mode it's probably 75% of the Disco4 (and readily swallows the pram - it'd take 2 or 3 of them at least).
Finally it felt like a league below the Disco4 in terms of quality. A lot of hard plastics, not great feel when sliding open hatches etc etc. For the price of them I think this is probably fine, but it's more Ford than Audi/Volvo.
It also feels much smaller inside - panoramic roof helps ease that, but doesn't completely overcome the feeling. And the driving position doesn't quite know what it wants to be - the bonnet's vast and you can't see the extremities very well, but you sit quite low.
Depending on how things go with the XC90/Q7 I may have another look at one. I'm not convinced it's the car we want just yet, but it has made me think twice, and when the kids are a bit older it might make a lot of sense. One thing that might swing it is the exterior size - my other half likes the look of them and would love something smaller than the XC90...we'll see.
I should be seeing the other contenders around 4th Feb so will finish off the comparison then
I went through this for the wife:
Audi Q7
Not impressed.
Some nice aspects - the car drove well; handled nicely; was quiet; well appointed; great tech.
The downside - awful, harsh, jiggly ride (whoever signed that off needs firing); inverse Tardis syndrome (huge on the outside, cramped on the inside); some dreadful cost cutting (cheap sun visors that would be embarrassing on a A1). An estate car on steroids.
Also, the sales process was so turgid. Nice young chap who had to tick all the boxes on his iPad app. Interminably tedious. Give us the keys and let's get going.
Volvo XC90 Hybrid
Very impressive bit of kit. Drove and rode well even on the stupid skinny tyres the R Design model we tried had. The tech was off the scale. A nice interior too (though spartan in the back - almost as though they couldn't be bothered).
Audi Q7
Not impressed.
Some nice aspects - the car drove well; handled nicely; was quiet; well appointed; great tech.
The downside - awful, harsh, jiggly ride (whoever signed that off needs firing); inverse Tardis syndrome (huge on the outside, cramped on the inside); some dreadful cost cutting (cheap sun visors that would be embarrassing on a A1). An estate car on steroids.
Also, the sales process was so turgid. Nice young chap who had to tick all the boxes on his iPad app. Interminably tedious. Give us the keys and let's get going.
Volvo XC90 Hybrid
Very impressive bit of kit. Drove and rode well even on the stupid skinny tyres the R Design model we tried had. The tech was off the scale. A nice interior too (though spartan in the back - almost as though they couldn't be bothered).
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