Just wanna share what i've read..
Advantages Good towing, driving position.
Disadvantages Appalling build quality , Hopelessly unreliable
4x4 vehicles are bought by people buy for a number of reasons. Some people do buy them because of a genuine need for a vehicle which can get them through mud-plugged fields and up or down severe inclines but being realistic this is probably not a high percentage of 4x4 sales. There are probably four market sectors which cover the whole 4WD market.
Firstly there would be the small 4x4 such as the Freelander, Rav4 or Suzuki products. These are more lifestyle vehicles, once sneeringly dismissed as the hairdressers 4x4 they are quite useful vehicles and apparently well-liked by many owners.
Secondly we have the original 4x4 such as Land Rovers Defender range and some Toyota products. These are 4x4s which the owner will use to carry sheep, dogs, straw and expect to reach areas of land where many other vehicles could not reach Not chosen for aesthetics they employ designs little changed in 40 years and why change them.
Then we have the new 4 wheel drive versions of regular saloons or estates. Audis long standing Quattro range is now challenged by products from BMW and Volvo
Finally there is the up-market 4x4. A market first defined by the Range Rover and now occupied with luxury products from Toyota, Isuzu, Mitsubishi and new entrants from the USA such as the Jeep Cherokee or the Chevvy Blazer. It is in this market that the Discovery now starting at about £22k sits.
When paying this much for a vehicle you have a product competing with luxury products from Germany and Japan. To pay so much you have to need the 4x4 performance or you may as well stay with an estate from BMW, Volvo or possibly Mercedes.
My Land Rover Discovery was my first dip into the world of Land Rover and of 4x4s and it was an immense disappointment. Paying £25k for a Tdi S 7-seater stretched the budget but my reason for buying a 4x4 was to tow a larger than average caravan.
For this requirement it was ideal. The weight, power and torque is perfect for towing and with a caravan behind performance is completely unaffected. But the that is part of the problem the engine was so low revving you always felt you were towing something and everything was hard work.
The ride in a straight line was OK but negotiating bends required forward planning. This is a vehicle which has its cornering limits and reaches them very quickly. Brakes (without ABS on my vehicle) did not inspire great confidence either.
A positive point is the driving position which affords a great view particularly across junctions. This allows you to drive more smoothly as you can identify and anticipate problems sooner.
What finally determined whether the Discovery stayed or went was reliability. Mine was as reliable as Nicholas Anelka. Any review of a Discovery you read will certainly mention the gearbox, my review is no exception. It started whining after about 18 month and finally locked itself another 18 months later.
In the meantime Land Rover agents had kindly offered to strip the gearbox and look at the extent of the problem at a cost of £55/hour labour. Having had so many gearbox failures you would have thought firstly they knew what the answer was and secondly Land Rover would have had a contingency to look after the plethora of customer complaints. The dealers are very poor and having used delaers in Scotland and in Chester where I am now I would say they are all as bad as each other and thats pretty bad.
Then there was the electrical problems, windscreen wipers that stopped working inexplicably and restarted. Many suggestions were offered by the agents and the explanations just stopped short of hinting the wipers were haunted and needed exorcising. The electric windows also got stuck half -open or more optimistically half-closed . You could sit there for ages pressing one button only for a completely different window to open (or close). Eventually you had to get out a nd close it by pressing your hands on each side of the glass.
The nearside rear door wouldnt open from the inside thus requiring you to get out and let the rear passenger out that way like a member of the Royal family arriving. The alarm was disconnected after the third night of it inexplicably and continuously going off. Perhaps it was the ghost of wipers past. Its piece de resistance was that you could stop, turn the ignition key to off, get out of the car, lock it and walk away and the engine would still be running.
I do not have the car now and do you know I do not miss it one bit!
