Discovery 5 - Great Vehicle!

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Jim Maxwell

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Discovery 5 Long Term Review - We've owned our Disco 5 for two and a half years and what a fantastic vehicle it's been. It's a MY2017, HSE, Dynamic Package, vision assist, full leather package with all the upgrades including locking differential. The Disco is such a wonderful car to drive...feels like a sports car. The turning radius is very tight especially for a vehicle of this size. In fact it's rare that I have to do a K-turn.
I've had this vehicle driving on High Mountain Jeep trails and she just kept wanting more. Super dependable, I've driven across the country and nary a complaint. Great high-speed cruiser as well.
As a long time Land Rover owner and fan, I highly recommend this vehicle.
 
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flyingdog

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My 2017 Disco 5 is the best car I've ever owned. It meets all my hunting and fishing requirements on and off the roads.Super quiet.
 

DonC

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I was one of the people that put it down when it was first released. Wife and I actually agreed we would not be purchasing the D5 and would wait on the 130 to be released. Well after having the LR4 hit by an underage driver last year we were in a position we could not wait on the 130 to be released and went for a D5 to fill the gap. From the first drive we have been impressed with the vehicle. From towing our RV to off roading it has been beyond what I had expected of the platform. Yes there have been some issues that needed to be addressed (it is a rover after all) but it has been great. Over the past 4 days I have done 2 - 450 miles trips and it has proven to be one if not the best long haul vehicle I have owned. I have another trip slated for next week that will will make 4 such trips in a month (2 towing our RV) and I would jump in it now and do another one if needed.
 

ar077

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Best vehicle I've ever owned -- the quintessential fusion of luxurious interstate highway cruising (and surprisingly awesome handling and maneuverability) with apocalyptic off-road capability. No problems since taking delivery over 5 years ago.

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remember5

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I know AR077 is a diesel but what about the rest of you? And how is your mileage and experience with DEF?
 

ar077

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I know AR077 is a diesel but what about the rest of you? And how is your mileage and experience with DEF?

To answer your first question (second question answered below), I ordered a 5-seater since we had no need for the third row of seats. That also gave us extra storage space under the cargo floor but limited us to the HSE since the HSE Lux only came with 3-row seating. The stock 255/55-20 Goodyear Eagle tires on 20" x 8.5" OEM wheels were sub-optimal for off road activity so, at 16,000 miles, I swapped them out (including the spare) for 285/50-20 Nitto Terra Grappler G2s mounted on 20" x 9.5" Redbourne wheels (no lift required and no clearance problems). Apart from the off-road performance aspect, the wider wheels and tires came with a huge improvement in paved street road holding and maneuverability.

The main reason I ordered a Discovery 5 before they were even in country was the availability of the same big Td6 engine that was only otherwise available at the time in the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. For several reasons, diesels are preferable to gasoline engines in an overlanding environment. Diesel advantages include the following:
1. Low risk of overheating. A properly maintained diesel engine is impervious to hot weather (it's not a proper summer in Las Vegas if we don't see 115 degrees in July).
2. Fuel economy. I don't know what gasoline D5s are seeing but my Td6 gets >26mpg with the cruise control set on 80mph (the speed limit on I-15 between St George and Salt Lake City). Surface street mileage is ~21mpg. DEF is easy to add when the warning light comes on and four gallons (~$50) lasts 4,000 miles.
3. High torque at low RPM (which is optimal when off-roading) as opposed to revving the engine (and wasting fuel) to maximize gasoline engine torque.
4. Safety. Diesel fuel is much less volatile than gasoline, so it's less hazardous to carry multiple containers of spare fuel when overlanding.

I like the looks and features of the previous generation of Land Rover LRs but never considered getting one since a diesel option was not available. It's sad to see diesels being phased out and replaced by battery power.

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DonC

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I know AR077 is a diesel but what about the rest of you? And how is your mileage and experience with DEF?
I went for a gasser. I called a old friend of mine that was at the time the service manager for North Texas British ( A well known repair shop in Dallas) and mentioned I was looking at a D5 for the LR4 replacement. He mentioned that they were seeing a bunch of them coming in due to DPF issues. This issue looked to be due to the vehicles not being driven during lockdown and just parked or used for short trips. I wanted a diesel but decided to go with gas after comparing towing specs. Yes the milage is not a good as the diesel but the additional towing ability of the gas is what made me decide. Now just 3 months later I switched jobs and now just have a 3 mile commute to work (one to two days a week) and no longer the 36 mile one way I was driving. 3 miles might have caused some issues. If you drive long distances I would go with the diesel.
Offroading wise it was fine when i took it out for the first time and tried some hill climbs. I was actually impressed with the D5 and how it handled.
 

Rover Range

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The diesels do need to be driven on the freeway, to clear out the DPF.
Intown driving is the worst.
 

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