Drove the new Discovery and I'm totally confused now.

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ryanjl

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My guess is the new Defender will actually be more a spiritual successor to the LR4 than it will be to the D90.

Not sure why they can't have worked on it and introduced it now rather than the D5, Velar, etc.
 

manoftaste

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So if I listen to my accountant, it's going to be a tough decision between the Discovery and Q7. Pricing is nearly identical between a Discovery HSE-LUX and a Q7 Prestige with air suspension. Q7 engine is far better, revs quicker, sounds better and gets better mpg. Disco is better off road, has snow mode and a spare tire. Then there is another contender...Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. Nice square shape, V8 Hemi, and $20K less price tag. Based on friend's Jeep ownership experiences, I figure can only keep the Jeep for 2 years before the warranty expires and it falls apart. I guess I have some time to think about this more since I need to take delivery of a new vehicle before 12/31/17.


The above is exactly what I had told the suites over at the LA Auto show. I had told them that by turning LR4/Discovery into a generic product (which is essentially a cross between an Audi, BMW, Ford, and Volvo), you yourself are forcing me, the "returning" customer, to look else where because if I needed something that looked, behaved, drove like a BMW, Audi or an Explorer, and offered the same limited flexibility (in terms of room, outside view, lack of stadium seating, etc), then I might as well go for the original creators of all those type of vehicles as they have already mastered the art of creating those type of vehicles, hence have matured vehicles with less trouble. Why should I even bother supporting you guys and giving my business to you now?
 

ktm525

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Perhaps buy one of the last new 2016 LR4s left? There are still 13 left across the States.
 

PaulLR3

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Perhaps buy one of the last new 2016 LR4s left? There are still 13 left across the States.

Already passed-up that option in 2014 when I bought my gray CPO 2013 LR4 with 10K miles on it. Wasn't a fan of the SCV6 and mandatory running boards. Maybe worth revisiting now.
 

Surfrider77

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First off, what accountant is telling you to spend $70k to "save" $8k? Makes no sense.

I definitely sympathize with you in that there is no real LR4 replacement on the market currently. LR moved from a 1 of a kind vehicle to competing with half a dozen other crossover soccer mom vehicles. Pretty sad state of affairs.

I too think the upcoming Defender is our last hope. Until then, I am just damn lucky I bought mine (2013 V8) new when I did. Just lucky timing on my part.
 

bash535i

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Hey guys, don't be too tough on the Jeep. For what it's worth, we just got rid of a 2014 GL450 (awesome family vacation vehicle) and I currently have a 2012 LR4 Lux, 2015 F-150 Platinum, 2016 X5 M, and drumroll, 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit.

We wanted something to replace the LR4 when it goes. It has miles that are adding up and it has been problematic it's whole life. The bigger problem is that we love, love, love the vehicle, but hate all the trouble we've had with it.

There is just nothing out there quite like the LR-4 in terms of ride, ability to navigate in tight spots and off-road confidence. With that said, the Jeep Grand Cherokee comes pretty darn close if you get one that has Quadra-Lift (nitrogen ride vs. air ride) and Quadra Drive II with rear electronic limited slip differential (only available with v-8). The ergonomics are different than the LR4, but the ride is good and it's a capable vehicle. For some peace of mind concerning the questionable reliability, take about $2,500 and buy the very best factory backed warranty out there. Mopar lifetime bumper to bumper warranty is pretty much all-inclusive if you purchase the best one.

So far we haven't had any issues with the Jeep that has required a return or even an inquiry to the dealership. Others that I know have had the same good experience, but that's just our perspective.
 

epiclr4

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There is just nothing out there quite like the LR-4 in terms of ride, ability to navigate in tight spots and off-road confidence. With that said, the Jeep Grand Cherokee comes pretty darn close if you get one that has Quadra-Lift (nitrogen ride vs. air ride) and Quadra Drive II with rear electronic limited slip differential (only available with v-8). The ergonomics are different than the LR4, but the ride is good and it's a capable vehicle. For some peace of mind concerning the questionable reliability, take about $2,500 and buy the very best factory backed warranty out there. Mopar lifetime bumper to bumper warranty is pretty much all-inclusive if you purchase the best one.

So far we haven't had any issues with the Jeep that has required a return or even an inquiry to the dealership. Others that I know have had the same good experience, but that's just our perspective.

So to dive deeper into my roughly year and 20k-ish miles I had mine. Because, like you, on paper the JGC is a good blend of LR4/RRS in terms of dimensions and size with suspension and "off-road" capability. Was certainly the reason why I purchased one.

  • The vehicle test drove fine. By the time I drove it 20 miles down the highway the blind spot monitoring system quit working. Sadly I picked it up late on a Saturday at a dealership nearly 4 hours away and when I walked out they were closing up. Needless to say it was a pain as it was a common problem that many peopled struggled to get fixed. Mine was never resolved.
  • I had the EcoDiesel model which could get decent highway mileage typically 27-29 at 75-80 MPH but there was always a transmission issue where it would buck going into 3-4 gears from mostly a cold start. Again, something that mostly didn't seem to get fixed even though Jeep said they could fix it with software many people continued to have issues.
  • I loved the LR4 for carrying Kayaks on the roof with the pop off covers on the bumpers. Not something you can easily do with the JGC because the roof rails are not really roof rails. They are super cheap and flimsy to the point that aftermarket companies quit supporting them. Also, the little cover that pops off the hitch in the back (only a summit issue I believe) starting having the plastic tabs break off after 2-3 times of use.
  • Nitrogen Ride vs Air Ride are two totally different things. The Jeep system is completely closed. I would say on road I felt it was a little softer than the LR4 even though the LR4 weighs more. But off-road in the tallest mode that thing was like a pogo stick. Not nearly as composed and controlled as the LR4. Sounded like the shock was going to go through the tower.
As previously stated, I think if I would have gotten the Hemi I would have been much much happier. Diesel isn't all it is cracked up to be and in the modern age of 8 speed transmissions and cylinder deactivation the fuel difference just isn't what it use to be.

One thing I did do was install airline tracks in the back floor where the metal rails were for the summit model and was able to use that to strap down my ARB Fridge. That worked super well during ownership. I got them from Mac's Tie Downs. If you need something like that reach out to them. They should have them listed on their website or be able to dig up the measurements. I was the first person to do that and ended up selling them off to a guy in the Dominican Republic or something when I got rid of it.
 

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