My First 4x4...
Discussion
I'm the type who doesn't bother with big 4x4/SUV vehicles. Driven a few before abroad (Toyota Prados/Fortuners) which IMO = 
In fact I'd be happy to attack this winter with the MR2 on it's stock tyres.
But when a friend of my old man was selling his for peanuts I thought f
k it 
... and finally a properish photo
Few notes;
2+ tonnes, old & vague & short ratio gearbox and smallish TDi means it's comically slow off the line if you don't rush it. Seems to take forever to get to 30mph (thankfully it's size means you don't notice the queue of cars behind you). Once in 4th and above 30mph it's not bad actually getting to and maintaining 60/70+ without much bother.
Sure it big, but doesn't seem to make much difference unless you're parking (excellent visibility though). What you do notice it how high up you are - even higher than a motorbike - and see things you didn't notice before. In fact I seemed to looking down on practically every single car on the road - even fractionally higher than Discovery 3's and Range Rovers.
Old school diesel/tractor noise from the 200TDi, which I quite like
There also seems to be a bit of turbo woosh but still seems quite strong given the power and weight so I don't think it's leaking boost.
People warning me just because its a 4x4 it's not invincible - no st Sherlock in fact around a wet Aberdeenshire today it was understeering at a speed that would not register in the MR2 in the same conditions despite all weather tyres with good tread. That said it is completely unphased by puddles unlike the MR2.
It also seems to handle a lot better than my grandad's new Citroen C3 which quite franky felt fking dangerous when trying corner anything above 15 mph. The body control on the Disco is quite good - however the ride is not a good as I was expecting as you can still tell the roads around Aberdeenshire are st. It's better than the MR2, but not by a huge amount.
In fact I'd be happy to attack this winter with the MR2 on it's stock tyres.But when a friend of my old man was selling his for peanuts I thought f
k it ... and finally a properish photo
Few notes;
2+ tonnes, old & vague & short ratio gearbox and smallish TDi means it's comically slow off the line if you don't rush it. Seems to take forever to get to 30mph (thankfully it's size means you don't notice the queue of cars behind you). Once in 4th and above 30mph it's not bad actually getting to and maintaining 60/70+ without much bother.
Sure it big, but doesn't seem to make much difference unless you're parking (excellent visibility though). What you do notice it how high up you are - even higher than a motorbike - and see things you didn't notice before. In fact I seemed to looking down on practically every single car on the road - even fractionally higher than Discovery 3's and Range Rovers.
Old school diesel/tractor noise from the 200TDi, which I quite like
There also seems to be a bit of turbo woosh but still seems quite strong given the power and weight so I don't think it's leaking boost.People warning me just because its a 4x4 it's not invincible - no s
t Sherlock in fact around a wet Aberdeenshire today it was understeering at a speed that would not register in the MR2 in the same conditions despite all weather tyres with good tread. That said it is completely unphased by puddles unlike the MR2. It also seems to handle a lot better than my grandad's new Citroen C3 which quite franky felt f
king dangerous when trying corner anything above 15 mph. The body control on the Disco is quite good - however the ride is not a good as I was expecting as you can still tell the roads around Aberdeenshire are st. It's better than the MR2, but not by a huge amount.Edited by MarkRSi on Sunday 2nd October 21:02
Dr G said:
Go get it muddy!
Did you mean unphased rather than unsettled?
Corrected, cheers Did you mean unphased rather than unsettled?
Might give it a go if I have the opportunity - but I would have to clean it underneath afterwards which I'm not sure I could be arsed doing since it's a shed
Max_Torque said:
Treat her to a new set of radius arm bushes, some fresh springs and dampers and probably nip the steering box adjuster up a bit and she'll be a good 'un ;-)
I am a total novice when it comes to these things but IMO for a 20 year old 4x4 and handling and body control is excellent 
It's got loads of receipts for work done so I wouldn't be surprised if springs/shocks and bushes have been replaced recently.Edited by MarkRSi on Sunday 2nd October 21:16
MarkRSi said:
...There also seems to be a bit of turbo woosh but still seems quite strong given the power and weight so I don't think it's leaking boost...
Well I found out why the turbo was so loud - pipe between the turbo intake and airbox was disconnected at the airbox side 
There's still boost but the turbo whistle is much quieter now...
somewhat annoying I didn't spot this earlier since I've had the bonnet up a few times - mainly checking out the temperature at the water pipes since the gauge doesn't increase past the 1/4 mark. It does warm up quickly enough and pipe seems very hot so might be ok but probably going to check out the thermostat this weekend anyway.Other than that I like it
Feels like a mobile living room compared to my MR2 
Also my MR2 & motorbike seem much quicker and pointy than usual too... MarkRSi said:
checking out the temperature at the water pipes since the gauge doesn't increase past the 1/4 mark.
Bit of a pain to check temperature the way you described. It could even be the sender or the gauge itself, best replace (when checked and if needed) with genuine items rather then aftermarket, imo. Stat should be an easy enough job, 10 minutes on my v8.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff