Not sure if this was posted, apologies if posted twice.
Sorry for the length of this but if you are like me I read anything and everything on the discovery before I ordered, I even read the not so complementary website. I found the http://www.landroverworld.org web site excellent albeit mostly from the States with their very powerful petrol engines they really love our Land Rovers and I envy them being able to drive in so many varied places. I have also posted this on the UK site http://forum.landrovernet.com which I also found to be an excellent site and help me a great deal in understanding the Discovery before deciding.
Well I collected my 2012 Discovery HSE or D4 in the States on 01 March 2012 following an excellent handover by Stratstone. In fact the car was the only one under cover in the showroom which made me feel a little special. So what are my impressions after 800 miles, mostly motorway and a few hills in Yorkshire. Firstly, I did not realise that the rear air-conditioning had been deleted with the roof console now having blanking plates. This was even more of a surprise as the 2012 vehicle I drove on the Land Rover experience (which if you have not been on is great to understand the cars true potential) had the air-condition fitted, also the brochure, hand book and website all show the switch on the dashboard for the rear air conditioning, my switch is now replaced with one elongated switch. Following a call to Land Rover they explained it had been deleted to save weight.
I did not order the TV or rear entertainment system as the use of an ipad I believe will be just as good and all my 7 grandchildren that are old enough use them. However there is a front DVD player which unfortunately on the Discovery does not have the split screen for the passenger. Here is a slight issue which maybe someone can advise me on. The DVD can only be used with the vehicle stationary so I switch on the system without the ignition on and after a while 5 –10 minutes I am told to start the car or the system will power down, Even after 600 miles I receive this message even stating on occasions that the battery is low. The dealer says that this is normal on all new cars not just Land Rover and I need to start the car to conserve the battery power and continue to watch the DVD with the engine running? I have asked them to contact Land Rover just to check that this is the case.
It took me a while to understand how to check the oil as apparently I should have waited more than the recommended 10 ‘handbook minutes’ before checking and let the oil settle. To check you have to just turn on the ignition, not start the car to access the service menu and mine kept showing no oil and the words ’not available’
Regarding petrol consumption, I have taken it really easy on the motorways 60-70 and the reading so far is 33.1 MPG, however I also record separately the amount of fuel purchased and calculate using 4.5460 litres to a UK gallon that I am only getting 26 MPG so I will have to see how things settles down.
I did purchase from Halford’s an interior blind spot mirror which fits neatly on the bottom right hand of the windscreen and into the recess, not sure about the airbag position as it does say underneath where I have located the mirror ‘airbag’, this gives an excellent view of both the side of the car and the third lane for vehicles pulling in. I am surprised Land Rover do not fit a split door mirror
I did not order the side steps reason being is that I had them on my Kia Sorento and took them off to refurbish but liked the look better without them, also the Kia ones were extremely heavy adding weight to the vehicle. Have actually purchased a small fold up step from Dunelm’s for about £5 and it works a treat for getting people in the rear and will support well over 100Kg also handy for stepping up to wipe the windscreen.
Everything you read about the Discovery comfort, people carrier, space, off road is true, it is a vehicle you can easily just cruise slowly in and still get a lot of satisfaction, in fact cruising at about 68 MPH on the MI from Leeds last weekend I was in the inside lane most of the time as every other vehicle seems to go faster, bit like me previously but just sat there enjoying the luxury. So many of my family and friends have commented positively on the car, although I am sure they quietly think I am mad to spend so much on a vehicle.
I cannot see the car going off-road much as it is currently too good to spoil, I might when it gets older as I plan to keep it, that is if I can afford it and the cost are not prohibitive. Never thought though that I would now drive our other car an Astra sport so much as I am currently reluctant to take the Discovery out of the garage for short town journeys.
I have cleaned it at least three times, my wife thinks I am mad, but as I am retired I now have another hobby. As many have said don’t buy for economy but do buy for all the other excellent reasons.
It is also not such a large vehicle to drive, not much larger that my Kia with as good if not better turning circle. The discovery is in fact smaller that the BMW X5 which my son has found out when parking his in supermarket car parks.
Specification:
Discovery 2012my 3.0 SDV6 HSE
Santorini Black / Almond Leather
Options:
Full size spare wheel
20” Split-Spoke Alloy Wheels
Heated Steering Wheel
Vision Assist Pack – Amazing headlights
Remote for the Timed Climate Control & Parking Heater
Privacy Glass
Black extended Roof Rails – really make a difference, most dealers did not know this was now a factory fit option and tried to sell me the more expensive dealer fit.
Tyre Pressure monitoring
Premium carpets – a waste of time and money now stored as I have the rubber mats accessory. Also be careful the brochure states these are standard.
Grand Black Lacquer Door Inserts & Uprights
Mud Flaps
Side body moulding with silver – look good and add to protection.
Sorry for the length of this but if you are like me I read anything and everything on the discovery before I ordered, I even read the not so complementary website. I found the http://www.landroverworld.org web site excellent albeit mostly from the States with their very powerful petrol engines they really love our Land Rovers and I envy them being able to drive in so many varied places. I have also posted this on the UK site http://forum.landrovernet.com which I also found to be an excellent site and help me a great deal in understanding the Discovery before deciding.
Well I collected my 2012 Discovery HSE or D4 in the States on 01 March 2012 following an excellent handover by Stratstone. In fact the car was the only one under cover in the showroom which made me feel a little special. So what are my impressions after 800 miles, mostly motorway and a few hills in Yorkshire. Firstly, I did not realise that the rear air-conditioning had been deleted with the roof console now having blanking plates. This was even more of a surprise as the 2012 vehicle I drove on the Land Rover experience (which if you have not been on is great to understand the cars true potential) had the air-condition fitted, also the brochure, hand book and website all show the switch on the dashboard for the rear air conditioning, my switch is now replaced with one elongated switch. Following a call to Land Rover they explained it had been deleted to save weight.
I did not order the TV or rear entertainment system as the use of an ipad I believe will be just as good and all my 7 grandchildren that are old enough use them. However there is a front DVD player which unfortunately on the Discovery does not have the split screen for the passenger. Here is a slight issue which maybe someone can advise me on. The DVD can only be used with the vehicle stationary so I switch on the system without the ignition on and after a while 5 –10 minutes I am told to start the car or the system will power down, Even after 600 miles I receive this message even stating on occasions that the battery is low. The dealer says that this is normal on all new cars not just Land Rover and I need to start the car to conserve the battery power and continue to watch the DVD with the engine running? I have asked them to contact Land Rover just to check that this is the case.
It took me a while to understand how to check the oil as apparently I should have waited more than the recommended 10 ‘handbook minutes’ before checking and let the oil settle. To check you have to just turn on the ignition, not start the car to access the service menu and mine kept showing no oil and the words ’not available’
Regarding petrol consumption, I have taken it really easy on the motorways 60-70 and the reading so far is 33.1 MPG, however I also record separately the amount of fuel purchased and calculate using 4.5460 litres to a UK gallon that I am only getting 26 MPG so I will have to see how things settles down.
I did purchase from Halford’s an interior blind spot mirror which fits neatly on the bottom right hand of the windscreen and into the recess, not sure about the airbag position as it does say underneath where I have located the mirror ‘airbag’, this gives an excellent view of both the side of the car and the third lane for vehicles pulling in. I am surprised Land Rover do not fit a split door mirror
I did not order the side steps reason being is that I had them on my Kia Sorento and took them off to refurbish but liked the look better without them, also the Kia ones were extremely heavy adding weight to the vehicle. Have actually purchased a small fold up step from Dunelm’s for about £5 and it works a treat for getting people in the rear and will support well over 100Kg also handy for stepping up to wipe the windscreen.
Everything you read about the Discovery comfort, people carrier, space, off road is true, it is a vehicle you can easily just cruise slowly in and still get a lot of satisfaction, in fact cruising at about 68 MPH on the MI from Leeds last weekend I was in the inside lane most of the time as every other vehicle seems to go faster, bit like me previously but just sat there enjoying the luxury. So many of my family and friends have commented positively on the car, although I am sure they quietly think I am mad to spend so much on a vehicle.
I cannot see the car going off-road much as it is currently too good to spoil, I might when it gets older as I plan to keep it, that is if I can afford it and the cost are not prohibitive. Never thought though that I would now drive our other car an Astra sport so much as I am currently reluctant to take the Discovery out of the garage for short town journeys.
I have cleaned it at least three times, my wife thinks I am mad, but as I am retired I now have another hobby. As many have said don’t buy for economy but do buy for all the other excellent reasons.
It is also not such a large vehicle to drive, not much larger that my Kia with as good if not better turning circle. The discovery is in fact smaller that the BMW X5 which my son has found out when parking his in supermarket car parks.
Specification:
Discovery 2012my 3.0 SDV6 HSE
Santorini Black / Almond Leather
Options:
Full size spare wheel
20” Split-Spoke Alloy Wheels
Heated Steering Wheel
Vision Assist Pack – Amazing headlights
Remote for the Timed Climate Control & Parking Heater
Privacy Glass
Black extended Roof Rails – really make a difference, most dealers did not know this was now a factory fit option and tried to sell me the more expensive dealer fit.
Tyre Pressure monitoring
Premium carpets – a waste of time and money now stored as I have the rubber mats accessory. Also be careful the brochure states these are standard.
Grand Black Lacquer Door Inserts & Uprights
Mud Flaps
Side body moulding with silver – look good and add to protection.
