Disco to Defender

[RSbandit]

Hello all after a bit of deliberation I ve decided it s time to change my 71 plate Disco D300 to a Defender 110 X-Dynamic HSE D350, test drove one recently and really liked the high seating position and more utilitarian interior. Gone for Woolstone green with tan interior and lots of options like heads up display , Clearsight mirror with family and Explorer pack. Really looking forward to collection in May as think it s gonna look well.

[WH16]

The Disco 5 really divides opinion. I recently did a LR driver day at Skipton and the instructor told me that if he had his pick of the range it would be the Discovery every time, hands-down. Yet my local LR independent says it is the worst, most unreliable car LR have ever produced.

What prompted the change if I may ask?

[RSbandit]

Nothing in particular I’ve had the Disco almost 5 yrs and in fairness to it it’s been v reliable used many times on trips to the Alps and Ireland and never missed a beat. Ive always fancied a Defender tho and said its now or never ! I prefer its interior over the Disco although I think the boot space is a bit less and will miss the little ledge that the Disco has which was quite handy for the kids to sit on etc.

[Jamie-x5ud0]

I've had 2021 Disco 5 to 2023 Defender to 2025 Disco, while they are both great practical cars the Discovery feels more grown up, more comfortable, the seating position is more relaxed and is generally a more comfortable wafty drive. The defender was also great but on a longer trip the Discovery is a more relaxing comfortable place to be.

[RSbandit]

Interesting Jamie, I found the Defender nice and wafty on the 1hr test drive I had in it, I do have some proper road trips planned tho so will give me a good chance to compare it to the Discovery. You only kept the Defender two yrs so looks like the Disco the better car for you. Think Land Rover do these types of cars so well puts them ahead of Audi/Volvo / BMW, I’d take a FFRR over the competition from Bentley, Aston etc too.

[Spuffington]

Interesting and lovely looking vehicle that, OP! Good luck with it.

I'm currently in a 21 plate Discovery D300 R-Dynamic HSE I've had for 2yrs and 21k miles. I've also frequently thought about "upgrading" to the Defender. Having said that, we've just returned from a 1.7k mile excursion to the Austrian Alps for ski holiday and the Disco has absolutely flown it. Not just the 15hrs each way (door to door) with a 550l roofbox, three kids and packed to the gunwales but shrugged off deep snow and sopping wet snowboarding/skiing gear on the deep sided rubber interior mats.

Not a cheap car to run with a penchant for 22" Pirelli Scorpion All Seasons and expensive parts & servicing but after this trip, a similar one two years ago to Loire Valley in 40C of heat and countless trips over to Dublin from Cambridge, we're totally in love with the Disco and would really struggle to loose it from our lives. But aside from a leaky windscreen ahead of us buying it and now a niggly pad sensor wire triggering a false alert on new pads & rotors, it's caused us zero problems in the time we've had it.

I just wish I'd bought the Metropolitan Edition with the massage seats, second a/c condensor/4-zone & winter pack with rear heated seats in the boot.

We'll probably run this one now for the next 5yrs until my eldest goes to Uni then see about what's out there then. A Defender will be sure to be on the list.

[norscot]

That Defender looks great in that colour. Great choice I think.
Same dilemma here, current Discovery Metropolitan owner, swithering over whether to remain in the Discovery fold or jump to Defender! Like the Defender styling and interior a lot, but do value the hatchback practicality of the Discovery, and its a very comfortable and cosseted place to be, although it is becoming a bit of a forgotten child in the Land Rover stable compared to the all-conquering Defender.

[Jamie-x5ud0]

Just one other thing to note that is a big tick in my box for the disco. The defender rear door mounted wheel is a pain if you tow or want a tow bar mounted bike rack.

When hooking up the caravan the wheel fouls the alco hitch. The only way around was to open the rear door and carefully back up, hook up then close the door.

Also with my four bike tow bar mounted rack i could only
Get 3 bikes on, neither of these are an issue with the disco.

[WH16]

Jamie-x5ud0 said:

Just one other thing to note that is a big tick in my box for the disco. The defender rear door mounted wheel is a pain if you tow or want a tow bar mounted bike rack.

Hated that with my Land Cruiser, much prefer the split tailgate of the FFRR. Side slopes were a particular PITA when stopped off-road.

[RSbandit]

Yeah I had thought about this as I'm keen to get a hitch mounted bike carrier, there're youtube vids showing a Thule model that could work as it gives you an adapter bar that extends around the spare wheel, only snag is you can only carry two bikes rather than three. I think its workable and if needs be I could add a normal roof rack single bike carrier also.

[WH16]

RSbandit said:

Yeah I had thought about this as I'm keen to get a hitch mounted bike carrier, there're youtube vids showing a Thule model that could work as it gives you an adapter bar that extends around the spare wheel, only snag is you can only carry two bikes rather than three. I think its workable and if needs be I could add a normal roof rack single bike carrier also.

The perfect bike transport is a pickup (well, or a van). No faff with racks or straps, just sling them over the tailgate, literally seconds to pack up or get away. For all the big 4x4s I've had our Hilux was the go-to bike mover.

[Jamie-x5ud0]

The other secondary issue with my set up was because I had the commercial and you can’t access the back from inside. So when the bikes were on I couldn’t access the back at all.

I sound a bit negative about the Defender which isn’t really true, generally I enjoyed ownership. I had Intended to keep it long term. It did however keep using coolant (23 plate 3.0 D250) Landrover Kings Lynn had it in 3 times for a week each time and coundnt find the cause. I therefore didnt dare keep it out of the 3 year manufacturers warranty.

I keep a keen eye on the new Discovery’s coolant level as I know it’s essentially the same engine (D350), so far so good but it’s things like this that tarnish LR ownership.