Land Rover Discovery 5 (LR5?) in the wild
- Thread starter Derel1cte
- Start date
EricTyrrell
Expo God
Victory_Overland
Explorer
I forgot to mention I'll be hoping someone will have a smaller brake/wheel mod by then too!
Still working that part on my D3.
We knew the look was coming when we saw how the Range Rover's been changing, haven't we?
The new D5 looks nothing like the glory machines of the Camel Trophy. But that was a long time ago. It'll probably sell incredibly well. And it'll work well in snow, mud, and sand, where many SUVs fail their normally-mall-driving owners.
I like my LR4 better, but I can see this growing on me -- they just have to find better ways to give the thing some personality in the future. The wind tunnel has been vicious.
The new D5 looks nothing like the glory machines of the Camel Trophy. But that was a long time ago. It'll probably sell incredibly well. And it'll work well in snow, mud, and sand, where many SUVs fail their normally-mall-driving owners.
I like my LR4 better, but I can see this growing on me -- they just have to find better ways to give the thing some personality in the future. The wind tunnel has been vicious.
454
Exploder
I'm with you. The fact that you can still get a new Rover with a two-speed case, locking rear diff, and now a diesel for any price is worth something. Of course the variation that I want is $65k.
DiscoDavis
Explorer
Despite how good it will be off-road, I wonder how consistently it will do so. Will it be able to do it day after day in mud/snow/sand and not break down all the time? It seems more of a yuppie targeted thing (only do hard stuff maybe once a year), and not something you could buy and spend the next 5 years working on a farm with... But I could be surprised...
454
Exploder
The same thing was said about the Range Rover in 1970 and the Disco in 1989.
DiscoDavis
Explorer
While the comments on styling don't surprise me, they puzzle me. I've always seen Land Rover, and Land Rover folks, as more "function over form" types. I, personally, never saw Land Rover as the "ego" brand it apparently is to many here on this forum.
As long as the IFS/IRS works as well as the LR3/LR4 and the cargo area/rating is as useful, I can't see how this doesn't work better in the long run....1000 pounds lighter, better mileage? About the same size tank? It seems to address the single biggest complaint about the LR3/LR4..the real-world overlanding range - both gas and now diesel. To me that's a win.
I might be able to afford a 2018 sometime around 2028.....
As long as the IFS/IRS works as well as the LR3/LR4 and the cargo area/rating is as useful, I can't see how this doesn't work better in the long run....1000 pounds lighter, better mileage? About the same size tank? It seems to address the single biggest complaint about the LR3/LR4..the real-world overlanding range - both gas and now diesel. To me that's a win.
I might be able to afford a 2018 sometime around 2028.....
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The styling is in line with what land rover is doing these days. Boxy just doesn't appeal to most people and I almost didn't buy a LR3 cause it looked boring(grew on me though).
Legitimate gripes IMO
No more fold down tailgate. Freaking BS! EDIT just saw a post saying it has one.. Anyone have a pic?
2 speed transfercase as an OPTION? The base model doesn't have low range? Also BS.
Likes.
Styling.. It actually has some whether you think its ugly or copied.
Price. I know it sounds crazy but I can build a F150 to surpass the Disco and it costs about the Same as a Yukon. Car's are too expensive these days so don't pick on the Disco.
Its not an LR3. Lets face it the LR4 is just an LR3 with an upgraded engine.. After 11 years of the same look i'm excited for the future.
It'll sell and it will be reliable. LR has cleaned up its act and wont put out another stinker with the Discovery name. Whether you want one or not any SUV geared towards off pavement is a good thing... Not much in the way of industry keeping what we like alive.
Legitimate gripes IMO
No more fold down tailgate. Freaking BS! EDIT just saw a post saying it has one.. Anyone have a pic?
2 speed transfercase as an OPTION? The base model doesn't have low range? Also BS.
Likes.
Styling.. It actually has some whether you think its ugly or copied.
Price. I know it sounds crazy but I can build a F150 to surpass the Disco and it costs about the Same as a Yukon. Car's are too expensive these days so don't pick on the Disco.
Its not an LR3. Lets face it the LR4 is just an LR3 with an upgraded engine.. After 11 years of the same look i'm excited for the future.
It'll sell and it will be reliable. LR has cleaned up its act and wont put out another stinker with the Discovery name. Whether you want one or not any SUV geared towards off pavement is a good thing... Not much in the way of industry keeping what we like alive.
One has to remember that government mandates are driving much of the exterior styling and smaller engines. When they mandate that your entire line of cars must meet a certain average in fuel economy and you only make suvs the manufacturer is forced to squeeze every last bit of efficiency out of them. Hence almost all SUVs are heading toward the same shape. Electric cars are still not very popular but almost every manufacturer has one so they can bring the average of the fleet up and be able to make one gas hogging performance vehicle.
Disco 5 specs and options
Rear locker is an option,
2 speed t-case option lo and hi range
Tailgate goes away
Seats fold down flat 5 and 7 passenger
Air bag suspension option, or you can have Coilovers
Is 1000 lbs lighter than LR4
Diesel is an option looking like 28/30 MPG
29.5 approach
25.5 break over
28 depart angles
35.4" water fording depth
11.18" ground clearance
Wheels size starts at 20"
Larger fuel tank too! 28mpg X 22.5 gallons = 616 miles to tank
The biggest problem with the LR3/4 platform off-road is the poor rocker height and break over clearance. Well that and the ‘road hugging' weight. And the inability to fit decent size tires. Wait…where was I? Oh yeah, angles.
So let's compare LR3 vs D5
Approach 37.2* vs 29.5*
Break over 29* vs 25.5*
Departure 28* vs 28*
This is an improvement how?
To be fair, there are some notable improvements. Ground clearance is up. Wheel travel is up. Fording depth is up. Weight is down – significantly! These are all Good Things. (I'm guessing they finally got the alternator off the bottom of the engine – stupid design!)
But the fact remains it isn't designed to be an off-roader in the technical sense. It will likely do very well on mild trails, better than a stock LR3/4 thanks to its electronic trickery. But given how the LR3/4 platform is already limited in its technical offroad abilities due to design limitations this takes those same problems and amplifies them in the name of luxury and on-road comfort.
The styling is a personal matter and maybe it will grow on me. It certainly looks to have a lot of ‘junk in the trunk'. i.e it's got a big *****. But as stated, you can't keep the same styling forever and big/boxy doesn't work with federal crash and economy requirements these days.
Will it sell? Yeah, I bet it will. The simple fact is more people are looking for a family car that can go off road than an off roader than can serve as a family car.
Will I buy one? No. I've already limited out what I can do with the LR3 and for trail work this is a step backwards. So I'm going REALLY backward and building an RRC to pick up where my LR3 leaves off.
Unless my needs change my only hope for a new Rover is the yet-to-be-seen Defender replacement. I've said it before and I'll say it again – give us a new Defender that has more payload/space/range than a Rubicon but maintains the Rubi's capabilities (it is the reigning champ) with full lockers, big tires (at least optional) great angles, and classic looks. Price it a little above the Rubi so it's within reach of those buyers ($50K?). Splash the word ‘overland' around in the advertising and show it in Africa with a roof top tend and a lion or elephant. Do that, and Land Rover's only problem will be building enough of them.
But I'm not holding my breath…