Disco 4 vs. LC 200 V8 D-4D vs. LC Prado

[flatso]

Good day to all. We are in the market for a 7-seater and originally thought a regular minivan would do. However the car will be mostly used for longer family journeys (the grandma comes along sometimes) and in about 18 months some off-roading and caravaning is in the planing.
The requirments are therefore a slightly used comfortable 7 seater with some off road and possibly towing capabilities all with an automatic transmission.
The Disco 4 is an attractive package. Even though I'm not too crazy about the fussy new facelifted looks, the new 3,0 diesel and 8-speed auto are compelling. My only worry is the horrible reliability stories.
The Land Cruiser 200 is obviously an absolute hammer of a vehicle, especially because of the stonking V8 bi-turbo diesel. The legendary reliability and off-road prowess somehow speak for the eyewatering second hand prices, but man are they expensive.
The Landcruiser J12 Prado is also an interesting proposition, a lot more sensible prices but perhaps not as comfortable (maybe?) as the above contenders and.

I am also open to alternative suggestions ; like a late model LC 100, preferably with the detuned Lexus V8 and Lexus trim (very expensive), a Patrol, Pathfinder or Pajero.

Thanks to all

[minerva]

Honest John of the telegraph thinks that Discos are better than they were. They are run by Highway Patrols and clock up huge mileages. However, I have had two arrange Rover sports (brand new, this and last year) and whilst this may sound harsh because nothing has actually stopped working, they do have an air of fragility that's the land cruisers really do not have. The panel gaps were so much larger and the rear doors often take two goes at shutting to actually get them to close. I would definitely go for the Toyota. I would if I could get them on the same deal my work gets the Range Rover.

My experience has also put a nail in the coffin of road testers for magazines as far as I am concerned. I do not know how or why they write what they do, but they certainly have over written British products with their reviews of LandRover products .

[longblackcoat]

Look at the Mercedes GL as well - 7 seats, tough as old boots, big inside. Against that, they're thirsty and don't have such a good image as the Disco. As a car, however, they're a lot better (and I've owned both).

The Mercedes is a nicer place to be than the Toyota, but the residuals aren't as good. And getting it serviced at an official Mercedes dealer is a joke, if my local experience is anything to go by.

In any case, worthy of consideration.

[K974]

200series cruiser , the other stuff isn't even comparable

[K974]

200series cruiser , the other stuff isn't even comparable

[IroningMan]

If you need five seats every day and seven seats occasionally then you need a better middle back seat than the 200 series I've seen - maybe there's an option with a proper three-seater bench, but the ones I looked at were two seats plus an armrest.

[Sarge 4x4]

Been with Toyota for very many years, five Amazons and a 200 but have gone back to the Amazon as the steering on the 200 did not suite me and it was getting trashed by my other drivers.

[flatso]

longblackcoat said:

Look at the Mercedes GL as well - 7 seats, tough as old boots, big inside. Against that, they're thirsty and don't have such a good image as the Disco. As a car, however, they're a lot better (and I've owned both).

The Mercedes is a nicer place to be than the Toyota, but the residuals aren't as good. And getting it serviced at an official Mercedes dealer is a joke, if my local experience is anything to go by.

In any case, worthy of consideration.

How is the offroad performance of the GL? At the end of the day its still on the M-Klasse platform (along with the R-Klass). They did receive a lifting last year I believe, with a much better interior now then the original GL. A lot of threads on german forums complain about GL fit&finish and general reliability of the first gen. cars. They do however have a big V( diesel.

[longblackcoat]

flatso said:

longblackcoat said:

Look at the Mercedes GL as well - 7 seats, tough as old boots, big inside. Against that, they're thirsty and don't have such a good image as the Disco. As a car, however, they're a lot better (and I've owned both).

The Mercedes is a nicer place to be than the Toyota, but the residuals aren't as good. And getting it serviced at an official Mercedes dealer is a joke, if my local experience is anything to go by.

In any case, worthy of consideration.

How is the offroad performance of the GL? At the end of the day its still on the M-Klasse platform (along with the R-Klass). They did receive a lifting last year I believe, with a much better interior now then the original GL. A lot of threads on german forums complain about GL fit&finish and general reliability of the first gen. cars. They do however have a big V( diesel.

I've got the GL420 - socking great engine, cruises beautifully. Fit and finish is every bit as good as you'd hope, and I've had no reliability issues, though the guy who had it before me treated it incredibly badly and broke stuff.

It's a lot more car-like to drive than either of the others, but has easily enough off-road ability (locking rear and centre diffs, low ratio box, choice of ride heights) to deal with foot-deep snow (the Alps) and horribly deep mud/ruts/roots (shooting in Yorkshire). The engine's an absolute peach; towing is hilariously easy. The brakes are awesome (particularly compared to the rather woeful Disco3/4 setup).

Downsides are that the 3rd row of seats is fine for adults for up to an hour but not much further, the COMAND system is dated, and it's thirsty if you drive it fast (duh). And the exhaust can ground out off-road if you go over really rough ground (as I've found out) but that's the case for most cars - amplified in this case by the long wheelbase, I think. Finally, axle articulation limits just how much you can deal with transverse bumps, but they have to be really big to be a serious issue.

As a large family car that will swallow everyhing you could ever want to take, will cruise quietly at high speed and will accelerate WAY faster than you'd expect, as well as having a lot of off-road ability that you use occasionally, it's great. If you want something that's used off-road all the time, you may well look elsewhere, but for me it's been truly excellent.