Strengths: Luxury, space, power, on and off road capability. Best looking. Best interior.
Weaknesses: Fuel economy could be better.
Summary: I think the Discovery is being unfairly maligned in this forum. I have found only one problem from the factory - the sunroof switch plate had to be replaced and the dealer did that, no problem. We've put about 2,000 miles on it in a month and absolutely LOVE the car. It is AWESOME. I find it comfortable, it handles well (70mph in curves without a problem), etc.
Some of you had problems putting it in 4wd - HELLO - it is FULL TIME 4WD! Some of you think it has a bouncy ride - not on NYC streets - we have the toughest streets in the US and it smooths them out very well. I really cannot find any faults with the car. The fit and finish are luxurious. The engine is the same I had in my Triumph TR8 - basically bullett proof - in fact, this engine was sold to Rover from Buick under pressure from the US steel industry because it is aluminum and outperformed all other steel blocks at the time. Some of you had electrical problems - well your battery will go dead if you don't use it, and that will require a reset of the central locking system. Others of you will take the car into salt water - of course you will corrode your electrical system! If you abuse the machine then it will break, but if you don't abuse it then it won't break. Just to let you know - someone from Brooklyn asked why doesn't a German company buy them - well they DID - BMW who redesigned the Discovery and then sold Land Rover to Ford in 2000 I believe.
I have found most vehicular problems are due to abuse or neglect - usually OWNER error or bad service. I have had none so far.
Similar Products Used: Suburban, Suzuki Samurai, Suzuki Vitara, Mercedes G500, Ford Excursion, Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Would you like to Comment? Join CarReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Strengths: Luxury, space, power, on and off road capability. Best looking. Best interior.
Weaknesses: Fuel economy could be better.
Summary: I think the Discovery is being unfairly maligned in this forum. I have found only one problem from the factory - the sunroof switch plate had to be replaced and the dealer did that, no problem. We've put about 2,000 miles on it in a month and absolutely LOVE the car. It is AWESOME. I find it comfortable, it handles well (70mph in curves without a problem), etc.
Some of you had problems putting it in 4wd - HELLO - it is FULL TIME 4WD! Some of you think it has a bouncy ride - not on NYC streets - we have the toughest streets in the US and it smooths them out very well. I really cannot find any faults with the car. The fit and finish are luxurious. The engine is the same I had in my Triumph TR8 - basically bullett proof - in fact, this engine was sold to Rover from Buick under pressure from the US steel industry because it is aluminum and outperformed all other steel blocks at the time. Some of you had electrical problems - well your battery will go dead if you don't use it, and that will require a reset of the central locking system. Others of you will take the car into salt water - of course you will corrode your electrical system! If you abuse the machine then it will break, but if you don't abuse it then it won't break. Just to let you know - someone from Brooklyn asked why doesn't a German company buy them - well they DID - BMW who redesigned the Discovery and then sold Land Rover to Ford in 2000 I believe.
I have found most vehicular problems are due to abuse or neglect - usually OWNER error or bad service. I have had none so far.
Similar Products Used: Suburban, Suzuki Samurai, Suzuki Vitara, Mercedes G500, Ford Excursion, Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Would you like to Comment? Join CarReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Strengths: Luxury, space, power, on and off road capability. Best looking. Best interior.
Weaknesses: Fuel economy could be better.
Summary: I think the Discovery is being unfairly maligned in this forum. I have found only one problem from the factory - the sunroof switch plate had to be replaced and the dealer did that, no problem. We've put about 2,000 miles on it in a month and absolutely LOVE the car. It is AWESOME. I find it comfortable, it handles well (70mph in curves without a problem), etc.
Some of you had problems putting it in 4wd - HELLO - it is FULL TIME 4WD! Some of you think it has a bouncy ride - not on NYC streets - we have the toughest streets in the US and it smooths them out very well. I really cannot find any faults with the car. The fit and finish are luxurious. The engine is the same I had in my Triumph TR8 - basically bullett proof - in fact, this engine was sold to Rover from Buick under pressure from the US steel industry because it is aluminum and outperformed all other steel blocks at the time. Some of you had electrical problems - well your battery will go dead if you don't use it, and that will require a reset of the central locking system. Others of you will take the car into salt water - of course you will corrode your electrical system! If you abuse the machine then it will break, but if you don't abuse it then it won't break. Just to let you know - someone from Brooklyn asked why doesn't a German company buy them - well they DID - BMW who redesigned the Discovery and then sold Land Rover to Ford in 2000 I believe.
I have found most vehicular problems are due to abuse or neglect - usually OWNER error or bad service. I have had none so far.
Similar Products Used: Suburban, Suzuki Samurai, Suzuki Vitara, Mercedes G500, Ford Excursion, Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Would you like to Comment? Join CarReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Strengths: -High seating is great.
-Off road performance is great, but it's also far and away the best car I've used in the hurricane rain.
-Quirky Brit character is endearing.
-Hate to admit it really draws applause from others.
-Interior leather quality is very nice.
-Jump seats are great with kids.
-ACE is just awesome. Cornering is unbelievable with very little body roll.
-Straightforward mechanics (I found roverparts.com and I'm planning to use it for do-it-yourself issues that arise).
-Solid axles. The wheel articulation is just incredible.
-Great dealership: extremely helpful, patient and no pressure.
-It's not the LR3. This really was the last chance to own a classic utility vehicle.
Weaknesses: -Cramped rear seating.
-Steering wheel should be about an inch higher.
-Gas consumption.
-Noisy.
-18" tires are a problem for offroad use. If you want to double as a serious offroad car, you need to buy a second set of wheels/tires. I have yet to test deflated 18" tires on beach sand. I'm guessing this won't result in pinch flats.
-silly nickle and dime charges (160 for mats). When you're at this price point, the last thing that a dealer/manufacturer should do is try to sneak in unseemly charges.
-surface corrosion should not be present on a new vehicle, regardless of whether it is shipped across the Atlantic. This appeared to be true on all new discos I looked at to some extent. Not a problem, but also not acceptable.
Summary: I will certainly update if the car shows reliability problems, but overall we love it. Put a 1000 miles on her in the first week, plan to drive the heck out of it. It's comfortable, has panache, love the drive, and actually will use it frequently for moderate offroad travel. I struggled with this purchase decision, but decided to give it a go based on discussions with other disco owners. I definitely recommend finding and talking with truck owners.
It's so completely unlike anything else out there that it's easy to know whether you want one or not after a few test drives. It's not for people looking for a car-based SUV.
I gave it a top recommendation, but that's assuming that you don't want a car-based SUV with simple AWD. It won't perform on-road like a car.
I gave it a top recommendation on price because showing up at the dealer gets you (currently) at least 6K off MSRP, making the disco competitively priced. The LR3 is looking like it's going to be 10K more, so 2004 offers a great value (plus the LR3 is largely a street/touring vehicle; I think the disco handles street/touring well, but it's still at heart an offroad monster).
Similar Products Used: 93 Chevy S10 Blazer (absolute junk)
04 Toyota 4Runner (solid and very reliable)
Would you like to Comment? Join CarReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Strengths: Good looking
Solid handling
Plenty of passing power
Reliable
Luxurious interior
Very capable off road
Nice stereo
Very good climate control
Weaknesses: Long turning radius
Sun roofs don't open very far
Driver seat too high and too close to dash.
Wind noise at 80+ when traveling into Santa Ana winds.
Access to back seats
Summary: I got interested in long term maintenance just in case we keep this car more than 2-3 years so was doing some after-the-fact research when I saw this forum's large number of bad reviews on our new favorite car.
Knock on wood, but we are very happy with our 2003 disco SE7. We bought it with 13K miles and have just put 3000 miles on the car across the Mojave in 105 degree heat at 85-110mph, up and down some tough (but not extreme) trails in Utah, through lots of traffic in S. Cal, and buried it to the frame in sand back in Utah. The Disco has not shown up with any problems and compares well with the more than 50 other vehicles I've owned.
The Utah trails we've test beat this thing on are very rocky and require 4L for crawling over good size rocks up and down steep hills east of Zion Natl Park.
Regarding the sand incident, I'm still amazed the disco got itself out of the mess. It was over 103 outside and after an hour of getting more stuck and making minimal progress, we called an expensive back country rescue tow. In the mean time, we kept shoveling and put branches under the rover, getting in and out to cool off in the AC with the motor running the whole time. 1 inch at a time, floored in 4L (4H would not hardly budge) the Disco drug itself backward out of the sand about 50 yards. And it was really buried to the frame!
As soon as we hit more solid footing we cancelled the tow that would have been several hundred bucks. Then we headed for town, greatly relieved to be out of the heat and our predicament, and went to the nearest store to get a bunch of gatorade and (we're not native utahans) some cold beers.
Yep, the legendary Land Rover got stuck, but it also got out, and without stalling or showing up with any problems after some really brutal torture to the engine and tranny. There was sand in every crevice of the car when we got back to Leeds, UT.
Anyway, this car has a really solid feel and good road manners on the interstates while taking on the backcountry. The idea to buy this thing came from always liking the looks of them and wanting to replace my wife's inherited 93 Cadillac Deville and our 2000 Jeep Wrangler Sahara with 1 vehicle that can go from sand dunes to rocky trails to the grocery store to the west coast and pull the boat and haul our junk and carry 3 dog kids. So far, so good.
The only thing is we haven't sold any of the other vehicles yet and really need some garage space!
Similar Products Used: 87 Mitsubishi Montero
2000 Jeep Wrangler Sahara
1996 Chevy 4x4 PU, gas
1996 Dodge 4x4 PU, gas
1998 Dodge 4x4 PU, Diesel
Early 90's Jeep Cherokee
Similar highway feel:
3 BMW's (320, 528, 720)
Saab 900 Turbo
93 Cadillac Deville
lots more!
Would you like to Comment? Join CarReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Link to this page
5 of 5
