Disco 3 or ??? - help & advice

[ryallm]

Off topic; i see the new engine for the 335 135 etc petrol's are going to be single turbo. Wonder if its going t be the same with the diesels

I would buy a diesel G wagen if I wanted a big, comfy do-it all.

Mike, not surprising given the new M3 is a twin turbo petrol - at least with current 35i vs M3 whilst there was not any real performance difference the M3 sounded better. It just looks like they have had to tweak it so there is a noticeable difference between top-line 3er and the M3. Not read about the diesels.

The 335d in the new 5 series uses a single turbo with variable vane technology which apparently does away with the need for the twin turbos. Twin turbos kinda sounds cooler though doesn't it I guess this engine will make its way into the 3 series and all the other models eventually.

Personally I don't get Discos. The D3 seems to me like a feat of sloppy engineering. 2500kg? No wonder it takes 13 seconds to crawl up to 60mph. In fairness even LR recognise the excess weight and are apparently working to lop a huge 400kg off future models.

535D touring every time

[a4drk]

Andy,
Have you spoken to Sean about his?
I think he is just using that as a back up car - not sure if he will sell it.
Its been re-mapped too. ....

The only bloke in the world who spends £47,000 on a top of the range Discovery & converts it to a van.... !
the bit that got me was the DVD player in the roof!

David

[tuscan_thunder]

Andy - get an old X5 - afaik they've got no reliability issues and are available for buttons thesedays

haha - stand up comedy beckons Greg!

they're horrendous! I would put my money into a RR way before an X5. They are particularly fun when the rear suspension collapses.....

[Mikie711]

Andy, get a RR or RRS you won't be disappointed. We got ours couple of months back and I wish I had bought one years ago. On motorways it's effortless, just kills miles. On back roads it's surprisingly good considering it's size. It'll tow anything, it's a real 4x4 and if you get an HSE then loads of toys to keep you amused.

[Scotty C]

Andy - get an old X5 - afaik they've got no reliability issues and are available for buttons thesedays

haha - stand up comedy beckons Greg!

they're horrendous! I would put my money into a RR way before an X5. They are particularly fun when the rear suspension collapses.....

I would have a x5 or a 535 over a rangie any day. Ask Paul g he's had both

[Mike Scib]

Andy - get an old X5 - afaik they've got no reliability issues and are available for buttons thesedays

haha - stand up comedy beckons Greg!

they're horrendous! I would put my money into a RR way before an X5. They are particularly fun when the rear suspension collapses.....

I would have a x5 or a 535 over a rangie any day. Ask Paul g he's had both

Agree, my dad has had a few X5's over the year and then went for the TDV8 Sport which was quickly sold for the twin turbo diesel X5. Unless your planing on playing in the mud i would stick with the X5 over the Sport but i do like the Disco 3/4

[Modena Scotland]

Andy, I've just bought a new auto Jeep Wrangler unlimited for some snow & off road fun as the X5 got stuck in the heavy snow twice. It's cheap and more capable off road than Disco so you can have some serious off road fun too (which I intend to do this year ). Many custom parts are available to make it sub-zero. BTW, towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes.

[H8OAG]

X5 for road use
Father Gibson can only get around by fitting snow Tyres for winter
Disco 3/4 for the absolute all rounder
What else will transport the Boag Babes, two full size cellos and tow horsebox with two horses without effort?

[Eric K]

We have a Disco 3. It's the 2.7 TDV6 and it's manual.

It's been a great car - particularly in the recent poor weather.

We're going to change it this year but for a peculiar reason - it's too high for the dog to jump in and out of.

If it wasn't for the dog thing, I'd keep it or swap it for an auto.

The manual was selected purely because my wife "doesn't do" automatics ... I know, I know ...

The main function of the car is for dog transportation and towing a sprint car.

Towing on a motorway at 60, it's perfect with the cruise on.

I've never really had cause to use it off road although I've come to the rescue of a number of other competitors getting their trailers out of a muddy paddock.

It's had a few minor problems but the majority have been taken care of on warranty (T&C have never really made an issue out of anything).

It might seem very minor but one thing I really don't like about the car is the electronic handbrake (I once almost lost; Disco, trailer and Westfield into the River Don as a result of it not being as "intuitive" as a conventional cable / ratchet type parking brake).

Another really minor niggle and something I can't get my head around is the fact that it's got heated everything (apart from steering wheel) and one of those arctic heater things yet it doesn't have external temperature indication.

The engine is smooth enough and has sufficient poke for what the car is being used for. I never really push it as I tend to drive at a relaxed pace (either towing or having a dog with a high centre of gravity in the back). It doesn't seem to roll as much as other (lesser) 4x4's I've driven so you can press on a bit.

Space inside is more than enough and folding the back seats is really easy to open up more load space.

All in all, it's been a great car though and I'd recommend them ... but defo an auto, as you say. A thumbs up for sure.

Saying that, we once had a RR Vogue as a courtesy and if I thought they were worth the money or I had a big surplus, that's what I'd go for (it lowered on the suspension to make it a good bit easier for the dog).

Cheers,

Eric

[a4drk]

Eric -
Can you not build a wooden fold away step for the dog to get in / out?
or can you not just lift the dog in ?
(Unless he's a 12 stone Rottweiller!)

David

[Mikie711]

With Eric on this, not suprising really as we have an RRS but it really is an awesome car. If I had to have just one car it would be the RRS, as a do it all motor I think it's hard to beat. Ours has electric heated everything and an outside temp gauge as part of the drivers computer.
One of the guys on the rig used to have an RRS, sold it and bought an X5, which he has just traded for another RRS.
V8 diesel is the one to get but second hand you pay about a 5k premium for that engine and the 2.7 isn't that bad. They got clever with the gearing so it's in gear acceleration is quite good. Economy isn't bad for a 2½ ton car, 86ltr tank between 500 and 600 mile range depending how you drive it. S spec are quite cheap to buy but are very basic inside. SE are a bit better spec'd but HSE is the one to go for if you want all the RR bits and pieces. T&C in Aberdeen are expecting 27 trade ins shortly . Pressumably against the new model.

[Mike Scib]

Saying that, we once had a RR Vogue as a courtesy and if I thought they were worth the money or I had a big surplus, that's what I'd go for (it lowered on the suspension to make it a good bit easier for the dog).

The higher spec Disco's also come with air suspension

[gdr]

We have a new RRS arriving next Monday to replace Freelander (wife's car). Was that or X5. I would have gone for the Disco with same 3l V6 diesel as it is more practical with the seven seats etc, but wifey will have nothing to do with Discoverys as too ugly apparently. The RRS beat the X5 on looks too. It will be white, she should have married a footballer.
From the short test drive it was an impressive machine though, felt reasonably quick - apparently the new V6 not that far off the V8 diesel on grunt but a lot more frugal. Ride very good and handling felt OK for a 2.5 ton behemoth. Very nice inside and lots of toys. Should be good for towing too.
Our LR experience with Freelander has been pretty good, it has been an excellent all purpose family car and very reliable over last 3 years and 50k miles despite scare stories so hopefully the RRS will deliver same customer satisfaction over long term.

[Eric K]

Can you not build a wooden fold away step for the dog to get in / out?
or can you not just lift the dog in ?
(Unless he's a 12 stone Rottweiller!)

Tried a ramp but she wouldn't go near it.

To be clear, here she is ...



I don't want to lift her in and out as she'll likely start expecting it every time and with every car.

It's the stress on her front joints (jumping out) and on her back achilles equivalent (jumping up), that I'm worried about.

The higher spec Disco's also come with air suspension

Aha, I didn't know that. Thanks.

... she should have married a footballer.

Nah, driller's money trumps any premiership wages for sure - she's nae daft.

Cheers,

Eric

[Andy G]

well, its here.

The new AMP3 wheel have arrived.

Range Rover Vogue 3.0TD6

Its had a problematic arrival, but is now working, and has just made a mockery of the blizzard conditions at my house (you wouldnt believe my office and house are int he same city - house has 6" snow, office has 0!!)

The heated steering wheel was the highlight of todays journey, in addition to being the only thing that has driven up the outside lane of the road from Dreghorn roundabout to the Bypass - up a steep hill, 6" deep, hurrah!

A happy hamster now its working, ut having a feeling its far from bulletproof