New D4 is ordered - now some questions!

[mickyd24969]

Hi,

Well finally placed the order on a D4 yesterday!!! Moving from a Landcruiser to a D4 is a HUGE decision!!!!

I'm getting the 2.7ltr - the only reason being the stupid 19" rims on the 3.0ltr.

Now tonight I see the thread about the legality of the D3 & after market 17" rims :eek::eek::eek:

So please someone tell me I will easily be able to fit legal 17" rims!!! (I intend to trade from new - and the Dealer has been somewhat reluctant to help :twisted:)

Otherwise I will change my order to the 3.0ltr tomorrow!!!! Cause the 18" aren't much better than the 19" rims!!!

Thanks,

[Disco4SE]

Hi Mickyd, I too have gone from Landcruisers to Discos. I am interested to know why you changed

[Dorko]

Go the 3L... much better power you dont need the 17's... just get some MTR on the 19's

Dorko

[Graeme]

Neither 17" nor 18" will currently fit the 3.0 without brake modifications.

[mickyd24969]

Well, the V8 100 Series has been 4 years of rock solid, bullet proof and reliable 4WDing. :D I've installed a ARB Bull Bar, winch, Lightforce spotties, roof rack, Blackwidow storage and a long range fuel tank. :cool: For Sale if you're interested!

Hence my reluctance to change!:(:(

But it just lacks character! And I've always wanted a Disco :p Furthermore the new Cruiser is too big and poor value for money!

So hopefully the D4 will be as rock solid, reliable and bullet proof - with some character!!!

Now back to the 17" - will I be able to easily purchase legal 17" rims that fit??? Or else it's back to the 3.0ltr :(

[Dorko]

Many long debates about the 3L vs 2.7L rims. You wont get smaller rims on the 3L. only option is for AT or MTR on the 19's. Do a search and you get a big drink, because they are long reads....

I would seriously and strongly recommend the 3L. Its such a better drive with the extra power on and offroad.

Did you drive the 3L?

Dorko

[mickyd24969]

Dorko, yep, drove both... The 3.0ltr is spectacular :o But after much consideration I just couldn't bear spending my 4wding worrying about tire and rim damage - hence the decision on the 2.7ltr.

But if I can't easily find a legal 17" rim to put on the 2.7ltr I'll change my order to the 3.0ltr!!!

Man I feel like I'm back at square one:mad:

[Dorko]

You should easily find 17's on the 2.7L as it has the smaller brakes.

Wont LR swap you for smaller rims?

Dorko

[mickyd24969]

My friendly LR dealer stated "our internal policy is not to fit 17" rims as they are not a standard option. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do...but I can send you down the road" :mad:

[Dorko]

Sounds like a wang!

Do they realize LR has genuine 17 inch rims?

Is there another dealer, that wants the sale?

Dorko

[AGRO]

Hi Mickyd24969,

I've just purchased a D4, 2.7 and have been through the same dilema as you.

The LR factory delivers base model D4 with factory fitted 17" rims to the French market but LR Australia WILL NOT deliver them factory fitted to the Australian markey.

I was informed by LR Australia that my only option is if I want LR Genuine rims is to put them on as an accessory after delivery. There are several 17" steel rims availableif you want a set of off road wheels. I suggest as does Dorko - do the Search or have a look at the FAQ

[Owl]

Dorko, yep, drove both... The 3.0ltr is spectacular :o But after much consideration I just couldn't bear spending my 4wding worrying about tire and rim damage - hence the decision on the 2.7ltr.

But if I can't easily find a legal 17" rim to put on the 2.7ltr I'll change my order to the 3.0ltr!!!

Man I feel like I'm back at square one:mad:

Aftermarket Performance Wheels BB-6 is available in 17" X 8" and legal. Read it all here:;
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/86757-legality-aftermarket-17-rims-d3.html

Ian

[mowog]

I have a D4 3.0L with 20" rims....

I have been following the 18" rim threads. If the 18" don't come up then I will get a set of 19's with suitable tyres for a trip I am planning next year.

[Disco4SE]

Hey mickyd, I'm with Dorko. Go the 3.0Lt. Once you put the right foot down (especially if you are towing) all your wheel size problems will disappear. I have had the 2.7 and now have the 3.0.

[Watpub]

Well, the V8 100 Series has been 4 years of rock solid, bullet proof and reliable 4WDing. :D I've installed a ARB Bull Bar, winch, Lightforce spotties, roof rack, Blackwidow storage and a long range fuel tank. :cool: For Sale if you're interested!

Hence my reluctance to change!:(:(

But it just lacks character! And I've always wanted a Disco :p Furthermore the new Cruiser is too big and poor value for money!

So hopefully the D4 will be as rock solid, reliable and bullet proof - with some character!!!

:(

Hi Mickey,

I'm in the same boat as you. After years and many models of Cruisers I ordered by first Disco last December - it's now been built and hopefully will arrive in June. You're right about a lot of things - the Cruisers are a sturdy, reliable vehicle; they do lack character and sex appeal; and the new ones just aren't value for money - and I reckon since the Toyota range have taken on the Kluger look with those stupid wing rear lights they are just plain awful. So (hopefully) we've both made the right decision.

My Cruiser had a heap of options on it also - about $12,000 of ARB stuff alone! I listed it on CarSales.Com and it sold after only two weeks. I should have held out longer - though. Initially the interest was slow but after I sold it I had literally dozens of enquiries :mad:. My advice would be give it a good detail inside and especially outside before listing - I actually waxed mine twice in about a month and it gleamed. It's really surprising the simple things you can do to get a sale!

Oh, and another tip. With D4's it's a long time between order and delivery and things get lost in the process! I gave the LandRover dealer a purchase order for the vehicle clearly listing what options I wanted and the final negotiated and agreed price. Turns out when they placed the order for the vehicle they left off the sunroof I'd requested :mad: - I have the choice of taking the vehicle sans sunroof or waiting until December before they build another one! I'm taking it without the roof but now we're haggling over the price adjustments. So advice: get EVERYTHING in writing and make sure you see the order they place on LandRover in the UK to ensure everything you want is there. I must say in retrospect that I found Toyota dealers to be much slicker and better polished than LandRover ones.

The main difference I've found with LandRovers vs Cruisers is that the simple aftermarket things you take for granted with Cruisers such as bull bars, auxiliary batteries, brake controllers, etc, etc, seem to be more difficult to source for the new Discos. All I can say is thank God for this forum! :D

Sorry about the long post but I've just been down the road you're taking and thought this might help.

Ron

[Disco4SE]

Hi Mickyd & Ron & everyone else, I bought my new D3 2.7D in April last year and sold it in December (only lost $1,800.00 BTW and had done 27,000 Klm's). Sold it privately. I now have the 3.0D D4.

I too have had cruisers.....an 80 Series petrol and a 100 Series TD.
When trying to choose between the 200 Cruiser TD & the D3 TD, I was fortunate enough to know an MD of a Toyota dealership and an MD of a Landrover dealership, hence I was able to have new demo's of each vehicle for the whole weekend (Friday to Monday). And how's this......they both had tow bars.
I was able to tow my boat & tool trailer etc with one, unhook then hitch onto the other vehicle. Likewise, I was able to drive through hills and various roads jumping from one vehicle to the other without trailers etc.

My Conclusion: The Cruiser had more grunt on the hills towing and didnt require as many gear changes. The Disco kept up the pace but with an extra gear change. The Disco was quicker to 100Kph with the boat and the tool trailer. Handling with boat etc was much the same.
Where the Disco shined was day to day driving. It was more comfortable to drive and more responsive around town. I fealt like I had to push the cruiser to get it going. The automatic suspenion was great with the Disco when the trailers were hooked up.

Now that I have the 3.0TD D4 I am confident that it would outdo the Cruiser on the hills.

Hope this helps anyone looking to choose or at least confirm your choice if you have already purchased.

BTW: I had my father-in-law with me for the weekend to check out both vehicles. He is a diesel engineer / mechanic. He liked the Disco motor better and also the Disco chasis.

If anyone wants to know anything else about my comparison, please send me a message.

Cheers, Craig

[brad72]

I spoke to my dealer yesterday about the wheels and brake on D4's etc. I have the 2.7 so 17" rims are no problem. He did say that you can legally put smaller brakes on the 3.0L D4's as long as they and land rover parts.

What he did say however is that the speed rating of the tires is where the biggest problem comes in legality wise. The new tires must be rated to the same speed and weight as the stock ones delivered with the car.

Whether the above is correct or not i do not know but though I would pass it on.

[Watpub]

I too have had cruisers.....an 80 Series petrol and a 100 Series TD.


Hi Craig,

I'm coming off a 100 Series TD Cruiser which I used a lot for towing my caravan and boat. How do you find your D4 3.0 compared to the 100 Series towing wise? I was initally reluctant coming down from a 4.2 litre TD to a 3.0 litre TD.

Ron

[gghaggis]

In most states, for a 4WD the minimum speed rating required for a tyre is 140kph. This is the legal requirement, not the manufacturer's specification.

Cheers,

Gordon

[Disco4SE]

Hi watpub, the D4 3.0 has more power & toque than the 100 Series TD and it is quite noticable especially on hills.
You will be pleasently suprised:).

[Dorko]

I read in the 4WD mag, the 200 cruiser does 0-100 in 10.6secs and the 3L Disco is 9.6secs.

The disco is a weapon and you can hammer around corners. :D

Dorko

[ash333]

Hi Mickyd & Ron & everyone else, I bought my new D3 2.7D in April last year and sold it in December (only lost $1,800.00 BTW and had done 27,000 Klm's). Sold it privately. I now have the 3.0D D4.

You did well there. I bought an 09 D3 in April last year and am thinking of selling and getting a D4. Any thoughts on what i should be asking for it? Mines 09 Spec D3 SE, Stornoway Grey, Rear Air, tint, rubber mats throughout, 10,500kms.

Thanks,
Ash

[ash333]

You did well there. I bought an 09 D3 in April last year and am thinking of selling and getting a D4. Any thoughts on what i should be asking for it? Mines 09 Spec D3 SE, Stornoway Grey, Rear Air, tint, rubber mats throughout, 10,500kms.

Thanks,
Ash

I forgot to mention its a TDV6.

[Dorko]

Why the change so early? Power or styling?

Dorko

[ash333]

Power mainly. I was thinking of getting a RRS.

[Disco4SE]

Hi Dorko, I bought the D3 knowing that I was going to get the D4 when it came out.
I suppose the main reason was that I was able to get the government tax advantage with the D3 for the previous finacial year and get a further tax advantage on the D4 because I purchased it prior to December 31st 09.
$30,000 off my tax x 2 = $60,000..........why wouldn't I?????

[Dorko]

Sounds smart... but i dont really understand the tax side. But i trust ya ;) hahahaha

Whatever the reason... D4 3L... = big smiles ;)

Dorko

[DiscoWeb]

He did say that you can legally put smaller brakes on the 3.0L D4's .

I for one find that a very unusual comment from a dealer or in fact almost anyone. LR have no doubt spent thousands of hours and millions of $ (or pounds) researching and testing these vehicles.

The one thing you would hope to hell they got right is what you need to do to stop them. I for one would not contemplate changing brakes, wheels and tryes completly different.

And for my two cents worth, and noting I have not driven the 3.0 D4 I can honestly say I do not recall one time when I have wanted for more power that I have from my TDV6 SE for the year and 30,000 km I have done.

I do not tow boats or vans but have been fully loaded with 4 adults and 2 kids and associated luggage and the grunt from the 2.7 just seems endless and overtaking, long uphill hauls are no problem at all.

Whilst bigger is usually better the 2.7 has plenty of grunt for 99% of uses in my mind.

Either way I think you will enjoy your new D4.

[Disco4SE]

Hi Discoweb, The old saying you don't miss what you havent got.
I agree, the 2.7Lt is fine, nothing wrong with it, but after having the 2.7Lt and now the 3.0Lt, you really do appreciate the extra power & torque

[Dorko]

When i was looking at a D4... i drove the 2.7 and i was impressed. However when i drove the 3L... it was on a completely different level.

For me i do a fair bit of offroading in sand. With the power in the 3L, i simply cruise over the sand with ease and dont even let the tires down.

Traffic lights and corners i feel like i'm back in a sports car! LR done well i my opinion.

Dorko

[tempestv8]

And I went the other way.

I have a DII V8 4.6 and wanted a new vehicle with diesel power.

I test drive the D3 and D4 2.7L, both very nice and settled on a brand new LC200 when it came to purchase time. ;)

One good thing about the Toyota is 17" wheels. The rest of the vehicle - well, it's my experiment to see just how reliable Toyota's claims really are. I'll report back any issues that I have. :cool:

The LandCruiser, as big as it is, is 5 adults + 3 children carrying capacity, whereas the D3/D4 is 7 adults carrying capacity. This was nearly the deal breaker for the Toyota - the 3rd row seats are really quite pathetic. But in the end, I knew that no one vehicle would be perfect.

The Land Rover product seesm far better value for money, and the Toyota is very expensive for what little you get.

[Disco4SE]

The 8th seat was something I lost when changing from the Cruiser to the Disco, however, I can now seat 7 full size (198cm) adults on a long trip comfortably.

[DiscoWeb]

I agree, the 2.7Lt is fine, nothing wrong with it,

I guess that is my point. Not to taking anything away for the 3.0Lt, I am sure it is a sensational engine that would add to the driving experience etc, only down size appears to be use of 19 inch rims and the limitation they bring to trye choice for serious offraod work.

I just thought it worthwhile noting that the 2.7lt is a perfectly fine piece of equipment and does everthing asked of it without fuss or in my mind wanting for anymore power.

We are talking about a 2.5t 4wd so the concept of it behaving and driving like a sports car is fanciful, and for all the go fast bits, where I notice the bulk is stopping. You can certainly feel the momentum when you want to pull up quickly.

Anyway enough back and forth, whilst the 3.0lt is obviously a step forward you can purchase the 2.7lt without fearing you will be underpowered or have purchased an inferior vehicle. It did win just about every award conveivable with the 2.7 lt TDV6 and other than trye choice will probably win them all over agian with the 3.0lt.

Happy decision making.

George

[AGRO]

Hi All,

I've just taken delivery of a D4, 2.7 and am extremely impressed.

I've driven both the 2.7and the 3.0 during test drives only and grant that both machines are exceptional.

What swayed me to the the base model D4 was cost and the ability to use the reduced initial cost to purchase a Diff Locker and Bi Exnon lights and other after market necessities.

Same drive train, same vehicle just a lot less fruit.

Both an excellent choice and what ever you'll be happy which you go.

In the end they's your dollars.

[Bushwanderer]

Hmmm, I've yet to see an aftermarket diff-locker for either the D3 or D4.

[trobbo]

all I can say is if you want an aftermarket diff lock for your d3 / d4 then we need to keep on asking at our local arb store so they see there is a demand and a business case can be made to support the development $$$.

BTW can you also ask for a sahara bar while you are there ;)

[Disco4SE]

Trobbo, with you on the Sahara bar for the D4. I was at Opposite Lock today. The guy there thinks it will be about mid year.
ARB list the normal bullbar on their website now when in fact the picture is of a D3 ????

[mickyd24969]

Guys, thanks for all the replies - I'm sure I'm going to be wrapped with the 2.7 D4.

Some comments on the D4 3.0 Brakes. Toyota can seem to stop the 200 with smaller brakes - just as heavy and just a powerful... And the 2.7 is just as heavy as the 3.0 and can only travel legally at the same speed????

I just don't get it!

Anyway, I will need to research spending the cash I've saved on the 2.7 to squeeze some more ponies out of it!!!!

Chip or remap anyone???

[Disco4SE]

Hi mickyd, you also get an upgraded transmission. I hear what you are saying about the brakes.......mind you the 3.0Lt does fly!!

Re Extra Power - I have used DP Chips in my Landcruisers with success, however you have to be carefull not to adjust them up too high as it will increase exhaust temperatures. The company that fitted mine adjusted the setting to 7 which I found out later was too high. I ended up with it at 4.
I had an upgrade done on my D3 2.7 at Ritter Landrover in Melbourne. I fealt safer doing this as it was a genuine Landrover upgrade from the UK.
Did make a difference.

[AGRO]

Hmmm,

I never said "an aftermarket" diff-locker that is your interpretation of a my poorly worded sentence.

I should have said a factory fitted Electronic Differential.

[Bushwanderer]

Hi agro,
This has been looked at many times. The conclusion has always been that retrofitting is cost prohibitive as, as well as the diff and actuator, extra ecus, wiring looms, programming etc would be required.

It would be better to sell your vehicle and buy one with the rear diff fitted.

Best Wishes,
Peter

[DiscoSaffa]

Same drive train, same vehicle just a lot less fruit.

Not sure that is quite true, the 3.0 gets a new gearbox, what the differences are I am not quite sure.

But agree with the principle of saving $$s by buying the 2.7 and picking the fruit that you want, rather than a standard fruit salad. Also the 18 inch rims........