Help me decide on my first Land Rover...please

[DAZLR4]

Hi all, my name is Darryn from Perth I am on the verge of buying my wife and I a new car. I have narrowed it down to a new Prado Kakadu...(flame suit on) and a TDV6 HSE LR4....I see pros and cons in both but feel the LR is that bit more prestigious for the money and am generally impressed by how good the car is. I currently have a 2007 Kluger Grande which has been great but we want to get off road again and also are looking at buying a Jayco/Coromel off road Camper. One question I would love to have answered by a LR4 owner is how good is it in soft sand with the 19" wheels as alot of Perth is soft beach's and I know the prado is good in this area. I am yet to drive either car and this may help seal the deal but so far the Disco is ahead in my books but sand performance would be good to know...
Sorry for the long first post and I look forward to getting involved in this great site..Cheers

Daz

[rmp]

Darren

Welcome. A few things...

Check out www.greenovalexperience.com.au who are local to you and Gordon regularly posts here, and in fact he's just been posting about 19" tyres and sand. The short answer is the 19s do work provided they are replaced with tougher rubber than the factory standard. However 19" rubber is expensive and only available in a few sizes, and no matter how good the tyre the rim ends up closer to the ground that you'd really like, particuarly in rocky areas. I don't think there's any question a 17" rim is better offroad, the question is whether the 19s are adequate and the answer is yes, with care.

In Australia the vehicle is a Discovery 4, it's an LR4 in North America.

Jayco vs Coromal -- don't buy a Jayco and tow it offroad or on dirt roads as they're not desiged for this. They work fine for bitumen trips from caravan park to caravan park.

Either the Prado or D4 will be light years ahead of the Kluger offroad which is pretty hopeless, but neither will match it away from the lights.

We don't flame Prado owners here, no need to add to their misery.

[DiscoWeb]

DAZLR4,

Welcome and hope you make the right decision.

With regard to soft sand driving the most common mistake seems to be forgetting to TURN OFF THE DSC (dynamic stability control).

The excellent terrain response system found in the D3, D4, RRS etc has the annoying trait of turning on the DSC on each time you restart the car, change the TR setting etc.

This seems to catch most people in soft sand as the DSC kicks in to stop the spinning wheels and by the time you realise your mistake the thing is stuck.

Once you get use to turning off the DSC every time you get in, the D3 and D4 are very good vehicles in sand, mud, and pretty much any terrain taking into account them being a large and heavy 4wd.

Whilst I did not test drive the Prado when I purchased my D3 over a year ago I can with some confidence suggest that if you are doing a lot of Km, and living in WA that is almost a given you will not regret the Land Rover decision. They are simply awesome at eating up long trips. Some would question the touring range of 800 - 850 km but I do not think that is really a limiting factor, simply plan you fuel stops.

As RMP said below, check out the posts from Gordon aka gghaggis on this site regarding 19 inch rubber and soft sand, seems to go ok.

Hope this helps,

George
2008 TDV6 D3

[ADMIRAL]

Hi Daz. I took the step a few months ago, and went from a Patrol to a 2.7 D4. I have a fair bit to do with 4wd's, and the Prado is not in the same league. Too small by far and way underpowered. My only other serious consideration ( apart from the RRS & D4 3.0litre ) was the 200 series, and I ruled that out because it was too big for serious off road work. IMHO. ( for tow work only perhaps a different story )
I find the D4 is superb as a country cruiser, and I think this is where the others lose out. The compromise between a nice town and cruise vehicle, and offroad capability. The D4 can still perform off road, courtesy of the Terrain Response systems and the air suspension.
Check out the reports on the caravan web sites, and the D3/4 also has a top reputation as a tow vehicle.
You will no doubt read and hear a lot of negatives about the electronics in the D3/4. Mostly about their presence rather than actual issues. You cannot avoid the electronics in the modern 4wd. Either accept the benefits and the glitches that come with them, or go back to the older 4wd's

I intend fitting a longrange tank, and that necessitates also fitting a spare wheel carrier. I am prepared for the convenience compromise, to gain the extra range. One of the few deficiences in the std D3/4 spec.

If you wish to go seriously offroad ( and the D4 can certainly take you there ) the Jayco and Coramel options will not take the punishment. I suggest you look at the reputable offroad campers. Plenty of data out there on the net, and a lot of owners on the Aulro site.

I don't expect the D4 ownership will be entirely troublefree, but it is going to be a good ride.

Take the plunge, you won't regret it.

[mowog]

I am a couple of months into Discovery 4 land. Mine is an SE 3.0l, I came in eyes open to potential issues and other than dealer issues the car has been fantastic.

I haven't done any off road stuff yet so I cant comment. On road performance is just simply amazing. The official performance figures for the D4 must be understated because the car feels much quicker than you would expect.

HSE spec would be a nice car. I do miss the memory seat that was on my Territory.