Land Rover Discovery reviews

My Landrover is a comfortable spacious car with plenty of room for 5 passengers and luggage. We regularly travel with a boot full of camping equipment whilst towing a trailer and a roof box on and the car copes with ease. It is a very capable motorway cruiser and the added high driving position means i can see a lot further ahead allowing me to anticipate my actions earlier.As its an older vehicle parts are now cheaper as I mainly buy patent parts if need be. The down side to owning this car is sometimes other drivers attitude to me because I am in a 4x4 and the extra tax I have to pay for owning it. I currently drive about 8000 miles per year but have to pay £265 for road tax where people who drive a lot further than my self pay a lot less because of "emissions" i.e even though another car may pollute less over one mile the fact its driven further means it is producing more overall pollution. Fuelling my Landrover can be scary as a full tank of diesel casts about £125 at current prices. Overall I am generally very happy with my car and would recommend it and would definitely consider upgrading to a series 3 Discovery.

The Land Rover Discovery 3 is an excellent 4x4 and great for mud plugging and pulling horse boxes and the like. However, aerodynamically it is a very heavy brick and returns poor fuel economy. Surprisingly, parts which are freely available are expensive, particularly as this is a British car, manufactured not far from where we live. There are a couple of major niggles with this vehicle which relate to the electrics and spare wheel. Electronics seem generally OK but there are some unusual glitches, where the 'memory' forgets settings and the like quite frequently and the sat nav screen annoyingly fades in and out for no apparent reason. Also the design of the spare wheel stowage is an open invitation to thieves, as we have found to our cost - with replacement parts being astronomically expensive. A simple shield which is available as an after market product, should be fitted as a factory fit, where it could be installed for negligible cost.

Very comfortable, quiet and practical vehicle, and great if you need the luggage room, as I do for weekend hobby gear. The car doubles as a good executive car during the week, and as a weekend off-roader on a small holding, or as a caravan or horsebox tow vehicle. The ability to get to most places during the 2012 floods was invaluable, and the regular water dunking appears to have done no harm. I suspect it is great in the snow but I prefer to downsize to my Freelander when there is a chance of getting it sideways - the Discovery is simply too big and heavy to slither around on icy UK A and B roads. Fuel comsumption averages over 30 mpg which is very good for the size of car, but servicing costs are painful - one thing I strongly dislike is that I have returned to doing much of my own servicing to avoid main dealer costs, where labour is well over £100/hour. My next car will probably be another Discovery.

On first sight of this second hand motor, I was stunned at its immaculate condition for its year, but I was slightly put off by the lack of the central locking not working correctly, that the near side left is ok but the offside right doesn't work at all. I am also concerned over the fact that only one key was handed over at the point of sale. The economy side of it is that as yet I've no idea on how it will perform. Manual gear changing in this vehicle is very unforgiving in that you need to depress the clutch pedal a very long way before a gear is engaged. Reverse gear position or the handbrake could have had a bit more thought as when reverse is engaged the gear shift lever is far to voles to the handbrake. As for space it's got a lot going for it as its massive room allows for even the hardest of campers yo carry just about every conceivable type of gear on the planet.

Based on a Range Rover chassis the ride comfort is good and the interior is spacious and comfortable- quite capable of carrying you all day on the road or off it- however it is a diesel 4x4, weighs in at 2.5tons and has slightly better aerodynamics than your house- so it is not very efficient (I get around 18-20mpg)! That said it is easy to maintain by a reasonably capable owner (why I replaced my Isuzu Trooper with it) and the spares are cheap and easily sourced. As you would expect, it tows beautifully and safely, as it was designed to do with enough weight and braking ability to stop all trailers up to the legal limit. I would definately recommend them and I will be replacing mine with another when the time comes (although probably a TD5 Mk2 by then)

Best car I have ever had. Excellent visibility, adequate performance, 7 good seats (all adult sized) for the occasional family trip, tow assist function, helps control caravan sway, and greatly simplifies hooking up. Very good lights for night driving, raised rear seats mean children can see out easily this makes them quieter on long journeys. Comfortable, airy, and very relaxing to drive. Loads of space. Economy not bad for such a big vehicle, if your priority is economy buy something else. Downside, expensive to maintain properly, large car to park. Just in case you think this is OTT, We have 2 other cars, Alfa Julietta and Porsche Boxster, the Discovery is the vehicle of choice for nearly every journey. My next car? I'm keeping this one!

Purchased new I have experienced some reliability problems with immobiliser system which operated when driving on narrow roads with no engine power and hence loss of brake and steering assistance. Repairs involved a wiring modification which was not subject of Land Rover recall!!! Major operating costs have involved a number of weld repairs to chassis. Pity that Land rover did not specify a higher level of protection or improved materials. However even after 135,000 miles I still enjoy the driving experience and the ability of the vehicle to deal with all driving conditions. I have suggested that Land Rover make more direct contact with vehicle owners when experiencing safety problems etc, rather than relying on the main agents

I have owned Land Rovers on and off since I was 19 and having experienced most of the range at some time during this my life. The Discovery 2 I have at present is probably the vehicle that I enjoy owning and driving the most of all. It is very practical for all occasions and pulls my boat with great ease even on journeys to Scotland. It is a lovely vehicle to drive, very comfortable and whatever features it hasn't got I don't want. Excellent on long journeys and a dream off road or in snow. Yes I have had some problems with it but nothing that could not be easily rectified. People complain about the running costs but my view is, I want to drive a Land Rover and that is what it costs. Well worth every penny.

Land Rover Discovery 2. Bought as an ex demonstrator in 2003, it has been one of the best vehicles I've ever had. Religiously serviced, on time, it has now done 130k+miles, Faults, 1. Air suspension bags every 80k 2. Power steering box at 110k 3. Clutch @ 128k, Drive plate ok, duel mass ok, fingers went on pressure plate. forcep release wore through at gearbox end, 4. Tyres last about 45k per set. 5. original exhaust still sound. It's been a great work horse towing lots of heavy trailers and caravans. 7 seats handy for whole family outings. Only down side is interior has not lasted well, looking very scruffy.

I have owned my 1998 discovery 300tdi for close to 14 years. It has 240000 miles on the clock - 180000 done by myself. The car is so reliable and regular servicing is straight forward and cost effective to carry out. Being an auto gearbox it returns 26 mpg over the year. It can carry and pull anything you ask of it with ease. A totally fantastic vehicle, more than capable of crossing any terrain I wish to cross, this includes wet rocks, grass, fields as well as the obvious Tarmac. I am totally feel confident that my discovery can do the job with ease.

Everything about this car is effortless. It will carry up to 7 adults in supreme comfort, or can be used to carry big loads with all seats lowered to give a flat floor. If driven sedately the air suspension gives a lovely smooth ride, even on today's pot-holed roads, and if driven briskly the performance is stunning for such a large, heavy car - though of course the economy then suffers. It always feels safe and has a certain presence on the road. And off-road it has so far proved unstoppable - sand, mud, snow and wading through floods, it has taken them all in its stride.

Great to drive, expensive to run. Plagued with problems in first 4 years of ownership. Recovered so many times that my neighbour thought I worked for LandRover as I always had a replacement vehicle on my drive! Would love to buy a Discovery 4 but can't bear the animosity given to drivers of 4x4s. Had key scratches on most panels, been bumped in carparks causing damage and not so much as a note on the windscreen left. To top it all my work parking permit wanted an extra £50 as I drove a LandRover which the said was to discourage polluting journeys using 4x4s!

Overall an excellent vehicle, capable of going anywhere in all conditions. Excellent driving position and total visibility, more room than you will ever need and real comfort In leather interior. Cannot speak too highly of this vehicle which is used daily in all conditions, my third Landy and I Will never buy any other make of vehicle. The ultimate go anywhere, do and carry anything vehicle, I'm probably biased but prefer the older disco 2 manual model with the low ratio box option.

I have had 5 or 6 Discoverys over the years, and have first hand experience of some of the reliability issues they had in the past which has tarnished the brand reputation. The model I now drive has been arguably the most reliable car I have ever had, and adding this to the comfort and performance of the Discovery 3 is why I bought the car outright from a private leasing arrangement. It remains in excellent condition despite being 7 years and 75,000 miles old.

Living in a rural area and running two small businesses with the need to transport goods both sort and long distance, the Discovery 3 is perfect. Comfortable and quiet, with a much better and more fuel efficient engine than the Discovery 2, I would thoroughly recommend it. In heavy snow and ice it is reliable and copes with all weather conditions. It can be buffeted by heavy side winds but on the whole it is comfortable, relaible, and a pleasure to drive.

we knew this would not be the cheapest of cars to run, so cost not un expected. how ever owned the car for 6 months, got a power steering leak, the alarm has had to be turned off, due to going off at random, and the car still runs with the alarm going!!! and we new that they do suffer from leaks, and boy has the heavy rain shown that to be true. its a shame because we love the comfort and space,and the car runs well for a diesel, plenty of poke.

My Discovery is now 14 years old,it has more than 130,000 miles on the clock.Every year it has towed our caravan,twice each year mainly in Europe without any problems. Of the total mileage,some 70,000 were done towing a 1500kg.caravan. Being an ES model it is very comprehensively loaded,very comfortable(leather heated seats)rear air suspension with self levelling (for towing). It has a POOR TURNING CIRCLE and is not cheap to run!

This car is a cross between the comfort, style and equipment not even bettered by the most expensive on the market (e.g., Rolls) and the sheer rugged practicability of a go anywhere do anything solid hard working workhorse in the fields on our farm., She will cruise effortlessly from Cornwall (home) to Scotland and I emerge not even feeling tired, or she will ford streams, mud and rubble equally effortlessly in a normal days work.

This is the fifth Land Rover Discovery I have owned and they keep improving. This one has been totally reliable and is very powerful and extremely comfortable with excellent all round vision. I use the car for towing a caravan which it does with ease. I would certainly recommend it. The only drawbacks are the running costs though average mpg is close to that of large saloons, the road fund cost is very high and unrealistic.

This is my second Land Rover Discovery and I would be reluctant to own any other vehicle now. It's very practical for my needs and very good in wet weather and snow, as well as motorway journeys. The visibility is also a great asset. It can be expensive on diesel on short runs and in traffic and parts are expensive compared to smaller cars. They are very prone to rusting underneath. Overall I'm very pleased with it.