Disco 5: Let the depression set in

JackW

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2005
675
69
Bump...



I've got a friend looking at the new Disco. Jack - how do you like yours now that you've had it 6+ months?

Of course I'm going to say I like it.... You don't spend this kind of money on something you don't like.
But for all the haters out there it is a really nice truck that gets great mileage - usually 20-21 around town and over 27 mpg on the highway. Its amazingly quiet at 80 mph - much reduced wind noise compared to my LR3.
I'm usually getting 400 miles on a tank of fuel - over 500 miles on one tank on the highway. Recently did a quick run from Atlanta down to Winter Haven, FL on one tank of fuel - 510 miles at (ahem) 78 mph...

You can really feel how much lighter the D5 is compared to the LR3 - almost 800 lbs less. It handles better and is great in the stop light grand prix (torque rules). Its a supremely comfortable road car and the suspension isn't as harsh as the LR3.
I've only done some dirt road rides in it - no real off roading, that's what I have a Defender for. It tows the travel trailer like its not even back there.

I'm even getting used to the looks - but a lot of us were slow to warm up to the LR3 when it came out.
I did like the tailgate of the LR3 better than the hatch - already banged my head on the hatch once - ouch.
Rear visibility isn't as good as the old car but the rear camera helps with that. It does have a lot of room inside - much better than the Range Rover Sport which shares the chassis. All in all I'm pretty happy with it and love the diesel - can't understand why anyone would buy one without the diesel engine.

I also thought the heated steering wheel was sort of silly until today when it was 23 degrees when I got in the car - now its very much appreciated...

He needs to go drive one - its a pretty nice car. But I'm still planning on trading it in on a new Defender when they come out. The Ingenium six will have even more torque and power than the TDV6.
 

jymmiejamz

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2004
6,008
361
35
Los Angeles, Ca
I actually just drove one on the highway for the first time this week. It drives really well. I still don't love the looks, but I could say that about every new car on the market. I wish it had InControl Touch Duo like the Velar.
 

SGaynor

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2006
7,148
162
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Bristol, TN
My friend is a Dr's wife - it's not going to see any off road other than maybe a grassy field for parking.

She's looking to replace a 10ish year old Volvo SUV, and likes the new Disco.
 

mgreenspan

Well-known member
Feb 28, 2005
4,723
130
Briggs's Back Yard
Yes. That's it. My wife gave me the Ben Fogle book Land Rover: The Story Of The Car That Conquered The World. The grand daughter of the inventor of the Land Rover basically said the same thing. They aren't Land Rover anymore.
 

SGaynor

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2006
7,148
162
52
Bristol, TN
So it's a nice car? Is that all a LR is anymore?

IMO, you're basically right...more capable than most vehicles, more refined than a lot of them.

But, if we are asking is it still a utilitarian farm truck? No. Not even close.

But then again, even modern day farm equipment has a lot more features/refinements then they did in the 40s/50s. Time moves on.
 

JackW

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2005
675
69
I have driven the new Discovery on the mild off road course at the Biltmore during Overland Expo. It did very well even though I was taking deliberately stupid lines to try to get it stuck or hung up. I'm confident that they will perform very well off road, I've seen what stock LR3's can do and the new Discovery should be even better than those. With more gears, better traction control, more suspension travel, and the diesel engine I'm sure it will go places I'm not comfortable driving a $70k vehicle. I'd say the limitation is more with the driver than the vehicle at this point.
 
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Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
I'd say the limitation is more with the driver than the vehicle at this point.

Herein lies the rub for me. The new Rovers are so good and loaded with so much technology to improve their performance (both on-road and off) that the driving experience demands ever less human input. I drove an LR4 off-road last summer and it left me with two main impressions:

1. It effortlessly handled difficult terrain, and
2. It was boring.

I like feeling like I'm driving the car. I like getting feedback from the surface and the controls. I enjoy the intellectual challenge of having to think behind the wheel - balancing throttle with gearing and braking and momentum and reading the terrain and predicting where you'll have traction and where you won't. The technology of the newer Rovers removes all that from the driving experience. You just turn a knob and point the steering wheel. You don't even shift a transfer case lever. It's dull, even if the LR4 is more capable than my D1.

By contrast, I also drove a 1949 80" Series 1 last fall. That was on the other end of the spectrum for driver input. No power steering, no power brakes, four shift levers, a twitchy throttle, I had to be on top of my game the entire time I was at the wheel. Going back to my Disco 1 after the Series 1 felt like an even bigger jump than the D1-LR4 difference.

So is the Discovery 5 a worthy off-road vehicle? Yes, probably, in the sense that it can handle difficult terrain. But the more important question to me remains "Is it fun to drive?" I don't know the answer to that yet, but look forward to having a go in the D5 to find out.
 

ERover82

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2011
3,899
450
Darien Gap
Just so I'm clear where you stand on this, where does the LR3 fall as far as being a car or a Land Rover?

It's halfway between the reliable gayness that is the D5 and the character/utility of the D1. LR3, relative to predecessors, is an abomination. Relative to the lacking modern alternatives; expensive Land Cruisers, bug-eyed 4Runners, mall-crawler baller G-wagons, dilapidated classic 4x4s, and every other egg shaped modern cross-over/soccer-mom suv, its a livable compromise. They are ugly though. The right color, tires, wheels, extended cross-bar rails, grill, etc makes the best of it. It wasn't until the last LR4s that the ugly duckling grew up, minus the altezza tail-lights, girly trim, and itty-bitty stock skateboard tires.


If Ford made this, I might wish LR bon voyage.
2016-ford-svt-bronco-concept.jpg
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
I actually just drove one on the highway for the first time this week. It drives really well. I still don't love the looks, but I could say that about every new car on the market. I wish it had InControl Touch Duo like the Velar.

I'm still not entirely sure what void the Valar is designed to fill. I mean, it looks cool and all, but what is it?

Cheers,

Kennith
 

JackW

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2005
675
69
I'm still not entirely sure what void the Valar is designed to fill. I mean, it looks cool and all, but what is it?

Cheers,

Kennith

I think Rover is going after the Macan market.

I drove an Evoque for a week while they fixed my A/C leak and was not impressed. The Evoque was too small and rode really roughly - the Velar should be an improvement and a nice step up from the Evoque for someone that wants AWD for inclement weather with a sporty wagon shape. A friend of mine is thinking about getting one with the diesel - he sees it as an alternative to his wife's BMW 328D AWD wagon. He's looking for something that can tow his 16' sailboat.
 

ERover82

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2011
3,899
450
Darien Gap
I think Rover is going after the Macan market.

I drove an Evoque for a week while they fixed my A/C leak and was not impressed. The Evoque was too small and rode really roughly - the Velar should be an improvement and a nice step up from the Evoque for someone that wants AWD for inclement weather with a sporty wagon shape. A friend of mine is thinking about getting one with the diesel - he sees it as an alternative to his wife's BMW 328D AWD wagon. He's looking for something that can tow his 16' sailboat.

Towing a 16' sailboat with an Evoque.. lol please take photos.
 

jwest

Well-known member
May 28, 2006
899
7
WA & NC
Towing a 16' sailboat with an Evoque.. lol please take photos.

Carbon fiber sailboat on aluminum trailer ... might work in easy terrain LOL

Evoque is a stupid toy IMO after being stuck w one for a week as a loaner. I think my lr3 at 8200 lbs trip loaded weighs at least 2x Evoque right?!
 

jymmiejamz

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2004
6,008
361
35
Los Angeles, Ca
It's halfway between the reliable gayness that is the D5 and the character/utility of the D1. LR3, relative to predecessors, is an abomination. Relative to the lacking modern alternatives; expensive Land Cruisers, bug-eyed 4Runners, mall-crawler baller G-wagons, dilapidated classic 4x4s, and every other egg shaped modern cross-over/soccer-mom suv, its a livable compromise. They are ugly though. The right color, tires, wheels, extended cross-bar rails, grill, etc makes the best of it. It wasn't until the last LR4s that the ugly duckling grew up, minus the altezza tail-lights, girly trim, and itty-bitty stock skateboard tires.


If Ford made this, I might wish LR bon voyage.
2016-ford-svt-bronco-concept.jpg

I guess I just find it difficult to comprehend how someone can hate the Discovery so much, but also be okay with the LR3. LR3 is a great commuter and is fine off road, but if you want something for off road, it isn't a great choice. Everything about the LR3 is pretty boring. I won't get into the looks of either one, since they are both pretty awful.

I don't hate the LR4, but I'd still rather have the Discovery. However, I can't stand the V6 in the LR4, it is way too underpowered and the rest of the changes they made all seem like an afterthought, such as the tail lamps and shifter.
 

ERover82

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2011
3,899
450
Darien Gap
The options are very limited. I want something that tows well, is off-road capable, hauls lots of cargo and people, is reliable and comfortable enough to enjoy driving everywhere modern life sends us, and has a respectable and interesting design. The LR3 fails on the interesting design, but at least it's boxy and practical like older Land Rovers. The D5 fails on the off-road (in the reality of 20" tires), cargo, and respectable/interesting design fronts. I'm not paying double or more for an equally boring LC200 , G-Wagen, or Z71 Tahoe.
 

Mike_Rupp

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
3,604
0
Mercer Island, WA
The options are very limited. I want something that tows well, is off-road capable, hauls lots of cargo and people, is reliable and comfortable enough to enjoy driving everywhere modern life sends us, and has a respectable and interesting design. The LR3 fails on the interesting design, but at least it's boxy and practical like older Land Rovers. The D5 fails on the off-road (in the reality of 20" tires), cargo, and respectable/interesting design fronts. I'm not paying double or more for an equally boring LC200 , G-Wagen, or Z71 Tahoe.

I just went to the LR website and the Discovery HSE Luxury has a base price of $65k. The MSRP of a LC200 is around $85K. I'm not sure how that equates to being double or more. The LC200 does everything that you mentioned except having an interesting design. Frankly, I'd rather have a slightly boring LC200 than a hideously ugly Discovery. I saw one recently here and it looks much worse in person.
 

pinkytoe69

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2012
1,689
182
minnesota
I guess I just find it difficult to comprehend how someone can hate the Discovery so much, but also be okay with the LR3. LR3 is a great commuter and is fine off road, but if you want something for off road, it isn't a great choice. Everything about the LR3 is pretty boring.

The LR3 is unique.

This uniqueness may translate to "boring" or "ugly", but it still stands out.

The looks of the new Discovery do very little to distinguish it from everyone else's Generic Modern SUV, and that kinda sucks.