Discovery 4 v Discovery Sport
Discussion
I’m thinking about getting a Land Rover, I now need 7 seats so started looking at the Discovery Sport but tbh although they look better in comparison to other SUVs on the market the engine choice is a bit limited and having run Mercedes for the last few years I am a touch concerned re reliability.
The Discovery 4 for the same money is quite a bit older but I can get a 3.0 which appeals and I also prefer the look.
Anyone have any thoughts?
The Discovery 4 for the same money is quite a bit older but I can get a 3.0 which appeals and I also prefer the look.
Anyone have any thoughts?
The sport is a 5+2 in reality.
The 3rd row would be for kids most of the time, adults for short trips.
Disco 4 is a proper 7 seat model.
My Disco 3, has carried 7 adults plenty of times and no one has complained about space.
They are very different for running costs though.
The sport will be cheaper to run, it will do more mpg, have cheaper ved and parts/services will be cheaper.
Disco 4 will be more expensive.
Mpg will be in the 20s, ved is £600+ depending on model, some are cheaper.
They do have well known wear parts, some can be expensive if you need to change.
Front lower and rear upper arms for example.
The 3rd row would be for kids most of the time, adults for short trips.
Disco 4 is a proper 7 seat model.
My Disco 3, has carried 7 adults plenty of times and no one has complained about space.
They are very different for running costs though.
The sport will be cheaper to run, it will do more mpg, have cheaper ved and parts/services will be cheaper.
Disco 4 will be more expensive.
Mpg will be in the 20s, ved is £600+ depending on model, some are cheaper.
They do have well known wear parts, some can be expensive if you need to change.
Front lower and rear upper arms for example.
Running costs will be quite different. £600 VED and 25mpg for the D4 and 35 ish and £250 ish for the Discovery 4. Tyres on the D4 are a big expense too.
Air suspension on the D4 vs traditional coils and springs on the Sport . Much more to go wrong with Air suspension and believe me it will go wrong.
Interior quality will be better on the D4. In my view the Discovery Sport interior isn't the best from Land Rover. In fact to me, it's the worst.
Engines….
D4, it's well documented what a POS the 3.0 is and if you go down the D4 route, then I would advise you have 6-9k in the bank if the crank snaps.
Early versions of the ingenium 2.0 diesel in the DS is also known to be complete garbage as well and there are stories of people on their third engine in 100k!!
The Ford sourced 2.2 diesel on early Discovery Sport is more robust but less refined.
The D4 is a brilliant car and prices reflect their demand on the used market. It's also helped that the D5 didn't really hit the mark and prices on those are depreciating heavily.
Sense of space in the D4 is class leading though and probabaly better than the current D5.
Air suspension on the D4 vs traditional coils and springs on the Sport . Much more to go wrong with Air suspension and believe me it will go wrong.
Interior quality will be better on the D4. In my view the Discovery Sport interior isn't the best from Land Rover. In fact to me, it's the worst.
Engines….
D4, it's well documented what a POS the 3.0 is and if you go down the D4 route, then I would advise you have 6-9k in the bank if the crank snaps.
Early versions of the ingenium 2.0 diesel in the DS is also known to be complete garbage as well and there are stories of people on their third engine in 100k!!
The Ford sourced 2.2 diesel on early Discovery Sport is more robust but less refined.
The D4 is a brilliant car and prices reflect their demand on the used market. It's also helped that the D5 didn't really hit the mark and prices on those are depreciating heavily.
Sense of space in the D4 is class leading though and probabaly better than the current D5.
D4. It's a "real" workhorse if that's what you need. My wife's has nearly 280k on it now. It needed a new gearbox about 2k ago. Apart from that nothing apart from tyres, brakes and expected items. It has always been serviced on, or ahead of schedule. You always hear about the problems, but never the good ones.
Thank you for the replies. The prices on the D4 seem really strong, as they do on the D3 as well (some big mileage ones still commanding good money) and tbh I prefer the more rugged look (but the wife prefers the DS). Although 7 seat requirement is only infrequent it is a requirement so I think I need to have a look at both.
I didn’t really want to spend more than £25k, ideally less which leaves quite a few options.
I didn’t really want to spend more than £25k, ideally less which leaves quite a few options.
I have a DS.
It's a 7 seater but really only a 5+2 as been said already. I use the 7 seats occasionally and children do seem to be happy to jump in there for reasonably short journeys...could be the novelty! I have also had adults there but for very short journeys. Note that when in 7 seats mode boot space is very very small.
Great car, I love its go anywhere, shore-footed driving experience. Mine is a 2.2 with the Ford engine. Had it since 12/2016, was owned by a LR main dealer as their demo/loan car. It's been pretty reliable...I do have a LR extended warranty for peace of mind.
R.
It's a 7 seater but really only a 5+2 as been said already. I use the 7 seats occasionally and children do seem to be happy to jump in there for reasonably short journeys...could be the novelty! I have also had adults there but for very short journeys. Note that when in 7 seats mode boot space is very very small.
Great car, I love its go anywhere, shore-footed driving experience. Mine is a 2.2 with the Ford engine. Had it since 12/2016, was owned by a LR main dealer as their demo/loan car. It's been pretty reliable...I do have a LR extended warranty for peace of mind.
R.
D4 owner here. Fabulous old bus that is more enjoyable to drive than the car it replaced (a bmw330d). It's slower, thirstier, more expensive to keep, yes. But the engine in creamy smooth, 8 speed auto is a great match. For me, it's far nicer to drive because it has bags more steering feel than the BMW did and the ride comfort is loads better. I don't use mine on short trips, I'm lucky to have something more suited for that (apart from tip runs, where its the perfect utility) For long trips, I'd take the Disco every time. I often do 400+ miles in one hit travelling back and forth to Scotland. It'll even hustle along at an indecent rate if you want it to - surprisingly so.
100,000+ miles now (its a 2015 model), just had the belts done. Gearbox oil flushed at 80,000, serviced by a specialist every 10k or less. Given the well publicised issued of D4 engines I've taken the view that skimping on maintenance isn't sensible, but on time and preventative attention is wise. Fingers crossed, no unexpected horrors have appeared to date.
100,000+ miles now (its a 2015 model), just had the belts done. Gearbox oil flushed at 80,000, serviced by a specialist every 10k or less. Given the well publicised issued of D4 engines I've taken the view that skimping on maintenance isn't sensible, but on time and preventative attention is wise. Fingers crossed, no unexpected horrors have appeared to date.
A.J.M said:
The sport is a 5+2 in reality.
The 3rd row would be for kids most of the time, adults for short trips.
Disco 4 is a proper 7 seat model.
My Disco 3, has carried 7 adults plenty of times and no one has complained about space.
agree with this. the DS is a much smaller car, essentially a mk3 freelanderThe 3rd row would be for kids most of the time, adults for short trips.
Disco 4 is a proper 7 seat model.
My Disco 3, has carried 7 adults plenty of times and no one has complained about space.
LR's of all flavours don't seem to fare well in UK weather.
can you get the kia telluride over there? hell of a car for the money and comes with their 7yr warranty. new OTR price here would be under your budget.
Aside from the differences mentioned by others, the DS just doesn’t feel ‘special’ in the way that big Land Rovers do.
I recently picked up a late Freelander 2, which is no use to the OP, but I felt it was a better proposition than the DS. The car I really wanted was a D4 but as a second car I simply couldn’t face the huge risk of the crank snapping and various other expensive work being needed.
I’ve had D3, D4, D5, RRS and FL2; the D4 was easily my favourite and in D4.5 facelift still looks great. Proper theft risk at the moment, though!
That being said, with £25k to spend I’d probably get a Volvo XC90 with a petrol engine or try and find a Disco 5 with a V6 or i4 Petrol.
I recently picked up a late Freelander 2, which is no use to the OP, but I felt it was a better proposition than the DS. The car I really wanted was a D4 but as a second car I simply couldn’t face the huge risk of the crank snapping and various other expensive work being needed.
I’ve had D3, D4, D5, RRS and FL2; the D4 was easily my favourite and in D4.5 facelift still looks great. Proper theft risk at the moment, though!
That being said, with £25k to spend I’d probably get a Volvo XC90 with a petrol engine or try and find a Disco 5 with a V6 or i4 Petrol.
[Quote]
can you get the kia telluride over there? hell of a car for the money and comes with their 7yr warranty. new OTR price here would be under your budget.
[/quote]
No we dont, unfortunately. I saw lots of them around Florida recently and they look great.
We had a Caddy XT6 (?) rental with the 3.6T. God knows where it hid the 310bhp it was supposed to have!
Back on thread - I had a 2011 FL D4 and it was brilliant. All the car you'd ever need, and surprisingly fun to drive.
Sadly mine popped its inlet manifold and suspension compressor in the same week, so I offloaded it for something cheaper to run...5 weeks before we went into lockdown and it would have been affordable to keep. Possibly my biggest motoring regret.
As much as i love the idea of another, I just don't think they're worth the money a good one is going for now, especially given that similar cash will get you something much newer and more reliable if you're prepares to make a couple of compromises.
ive got a 2009 v8 d3 and its been surprisingly devoid of all the issues you hear about other than its habit of eating bushes, the fat get.
its pretty tired body and interior wise now though. would happily take a v8 d4 but they've gone up markedly post covid. everything i love about the disco moved on a bit with an extra 100bhp.
its pretty tired body and interior wise now though. would happily take a v8 d4 but they've gone up markedly post covid. everything i love about the disco moved on a bit with an extra 100bhp.
Thank you for all the feedback, I really appreciate it and I have made a decision having been out and about on test drives…...
I loved the Discovery 4, fabulous to drive, it felt top quality and and for me it ticked every box. But my wife didn’t like it, she felt it was too big so unfortunately it was a no go. We have instead bought a Discovery Sport. Nice car, very different, smaller with a 2.0 rather than the 3.0 in the D4 but it is lighter so felt nippy enough. Well equipped HSE model which is a nice place to be although personally not AS nice as the D4 but it is newer and had less miles for the same money. It is from a JLR dealer and I have taken a 3 year warranty on it too to put aside any concerns that I may have had re reliability. I pick it up at the end of the month.
I loved the Discovery 4, fabulous to drive, it felt top quality and and for me it ticked every box. But my wife didn’t like it, she felt it was too big so unfortunately it was a no go. We have instead bought a Discovery Sport. Nice car, very different, smaller with a 2.0 rather than the 3.0 in the D4 but it is lighter so felt nippy enough. Well equipped HSE model which is a nice place to be although personally not AS nice as the D4 but it is newer and had less miles for the same money. It is from a JLR dealer and I have taken a 3 year warranty on it too to put aside any concerns that I may have had re reliability. I pick it up at the end of the month.
catcha said:
Thank you for all the feedback, I really appreciate it and I have made a decision having been out and about on test drives…...
I loved the Discovery 4, fabulous to drive, it felt top quality and and for me it ticked every box. But my wife didn’t like it, she felt it was too big so unfortunately it was a no go. We have instead bought a Discovery Sport. Nice car, very different, smaller with a 2.0 rather than the 3.0 in the D4 but it is lighter so felt nippy enough. Well equipped HSE model which is a nice place to be although personally not AS nice as the D4 but it is newer and had less miles for the same money. It is from a JLR dealer and I have taken a 3 year warranty on it too to put aside any concerns that I may have had re reliability. I pick it up at the end of the month.
I hope you enjoy the DS as much as we do. We've had ours since December 2016, bought from a JLR main dealer who had owned it as their demo and loan car. Came with a JLR warranty which I have extended every year since it expired.I loved the Discovery 4, fabulous to drive, it felt top quality and and for me it ticked every box. But my wife didn’t like it, she felt it was too big so unfortunately it was a no go. We have instead bought a Discovery Sport. Nice car, very different, smaller with a 2.0 rather than the 3.0 in the D4 but it is lighter so felt nippy enough. Well equipped HSE model which is a nice place to be although personally not AS nice as the D4 but it is newer and had less miles for the same money. It is from a JLR dealer and I have taken a 3 year warranty on it too to put aside any concerns that I may have had re reliability. I pick it up at the end of the month.
R.
wormus said:
D4 is definitely the better car and a proper Land Rover. Mine averages 30mpg. As for size, they are about the same length and width as a 5 series BMW.
The problem is probably more about perception than anything else as I agree re the size. The DS is like a normal car whereas you climb into the D4 and are far higher up. For people that haven’t driven a large 4x4, like my wife, the change can be difficult to adjust to. The new Range Rovers are enormous!Had the car a week now and really impressed, quality feel to it, all the toys and looks good. It is brisk, but having had more powerful cars in the past it would have been nice to have had a 3.0 but the flip side is that I got 42mpg on a longer run during the week to see family.
Edited by catcha on Sunday 2nd April 21:24
Gassing Station | Land Rover | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff