D5 vs D4

[SimmAus]

Quick question to those folk in a D5 now:

I wrote off my D4 last year and am now looking to replace with a vehicle that can do remote travel (Simpson desert ish) and some more serious off-road (VIC high country).

Do you think the D5 (or “all new discovery”) is up to the above travel, and accessories available?

I’m not worried about the reliability / scratches to paintwork....more about practical touring with this more “Range Rover type vehicle”.

My deliberation is:
Do I buy a used D4 with low Kms or a new D5 for remote travel


Interested to hear from anyone that has used a “D5” for remote travel so far...

Cheers
Mark

[IndusD4]

I don't see why the D5 wouldn't do this, but depending on what accessories you need you may struggle a bit. There is only one bull bar for the D5 available which sits over the existing bumper bar. There are vehicles with a hidden winch, but so far I only know of a company in the USA making the cradle. Anyway, it is possible to fit one. Roof racks are available too, off road tyres too but depends on the wheel size - for 19 inch wheels there's not much choice. If you have a 5 seater there is some useful under floor storage in the boot - second battery could go there, I keep the recovery kit in there.

Are there any specific accessories you wanted to fit?

Ron

[weeds]

Ben at APT as a D5 and has set it up for travel.......RTT, Tyres, pretty sure he has under body protection and roof rack done.

[tony_s]

Hi Mark.
We moved from a D4 Tdv6 2.7 to a 3.0SE D5. We have done about 32,000km with 17,000 on a trip to WA including the Plenty, Tanami, Purnululu and Great Central Road towing a 2.5T camper. The D5 handled everything well and was a pleasure to drive.
The OEM tyres - supposedly all terrain (!) - are rubbish on these roads. We have 19” wheels and of course there are no real tyres available in 255 60 r19. So far we have replaced four tyres. Before our next trip we will replace the lot with something more suitable, perhaps on 18” steel rims.
The D4 was absolutely dust free, the D5 less so, although not too bad.
We had bull bar, LR tank with rear wheel carrier, luggage barrier etc - now we have nothing because there is nothing available except the ugly ECB bar.
The rear loadspace is lower than the D4 and I miss the drop down tailgate.
The D5 has DEF and seems to use more than LR say.
No rear aircon unlike the D4 (unbelievable really in Australian conditions) makes it less pleasant for passengers.
We like the extra power. This was one of our main reasons for the changeover as the D4 was struggling a bit on hills when towing. The D5 eats them up.
in summary, if we had had a 3.0 D4 we may well have kept it and been very happy with it. In retrospect we perhaps should have kept our 2.7, especially considering the crap price we got for it, the lack of suitable accessories for the D5, and considering the high depreciation these cars suffer. In my opinion the ‘improvement’ of the D5 over the D4 is not that significant for what we do.
But your question is slightly different as we already owned a D4. I’m sure you would be pretty happy either way - I don’t think there is another vehicle that can match the Disco for comfort in long range travel.
Tony

[weeds]

Awesome comparison, thanks Tony

[gavinadams]

I have an SD4 HSE MY19 on order. So can’t speak from experience on how it will handle the long runs. On specs though there are a couple of differences going from the SE to the HSE could make a small difference.
20” rims so have read other switching wheels to duratracs.
3 zone climate so aircon in the rear.
The others are
Meridian sound system, keyless entry, power tailgate, inner tailgate.
I really struggled with a decision between sd6/se and sd4/HSE. As the price was very close for these two
In the end went with higher trim level and more comfort over power. I don’t have a trailer, caravan etc and think for my use that the sd4 will be plenty.

[SimmAus]

I don't see why the D5 wouldn't do this, but depending on what accessories you need you may struggle a bit. There is only one bull bar for the D5 available which sits over the existing bumper bar. There are vehicles with a hidden winch, but so far I only know of a company in the USA making the cradle. Anyway, it is possible to fit one. Roof racks are available too, off road tyres too but depends on the wheel size - for 19 inch wheels there's not much choice. If you have a 5 seater there is some useful under floor storage in the boot - second battery could go there, I keep the recovery kit in there.

Are there any specific accessories you wanted to fit?

Ron

Thanks for the responses so far.

Specific accessories that I was thinking of:

Cargo barrier
Traxide kit
Snorkel (needed on D5 ?)
Llams / height rods

The wheels/tyres combo...I assume from reading that the D5 suffers the same fate as the 3.0 D4; but now 18” steelies are available.

Also whether there are any serious “bugs” that users are experiencing that would preclude a Simpson crossing, or long stay in regional areas.

Cheers

[SBD4]

Thanks for the responses so far.

Specific accessories that I was thinking of:

Cargo barrier
Traxide kit
Snorkel (needed on D5 ?)
Llams / height rods

The wheels/tyres combo...I assume from reading that the D5 suffers the same fate as the 3.0 D4; but now 18” steelies are available.

Also whether there are any serious “bugs” that users are experiencing that would preclude a Simpson crossing, or long stay in regional areas.

Cheers
Hi Mark, I am fairly sure that the D5 is similar to the RRS2 where by the air intake is routed through the bonnet and by that I don't mean via the fake vents. When you look under the bonnet, you'll see an intake pointing upwards out of the right fender the will mate with a matching hole in the underside of the bonnet when it's closed. The idea apparently, is that the engine draws the air from channels with in the bonnet where the speed of the air drops such that any contaminants (dust, water etc.) fall away before making it to the intake in the fender. Quite clever.

The downside is, I am not sure there is or even would be a snorkel available. Upside is you have 900mm of wading depth out of the box. How well their design works for dust, I couldn't tell you.

Perhaps Ron can confirm or deny whether I have it right for the D5.

[DiscoMick]

Re cargo barrier, I'm not sure what's available for your vehicle , but I have just fitted a Boab cargo net to my Defender. It is adjustable to various sizes. Rated to 125kg. Cost $179 plus $20 freight on eBay. Could meet your needs.
In my case no drilling as I just fitted it to existing screws for handholds and bolts on the wheel arches. Being adjustable it can be moved aside as required. Easy to remove.
Just a thought.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181201/4bc6088606dd457fb8396b064ce11ae3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181201/45d74f4a310f42ca92c68a90adc1df98.jpg

[IndusD4]

Specific accessories that I was thinking of:

Cargo barrier
Traxide kit
Snorkel (needed on D5 ?)
Llams / height rods


Hi Mark

There are a number of cargo barriers available, I have the full height LR one to keep the dogs in the back.
I believe a Traxide kit is available, there is a thread in this section on it but if you need more information please contact member (vendor) DriveSafe.
I'm not aware of any snorkels available for the D5, but at 900mm wading depth would you need any more? The air intake is not in the bonnet as on the RRS - probably on the front fenders where they were on the D4 - but I'm not 100% sure.
I thought lLLAMS was available for the D5. Having said that, the off road suspension setting on the D5 works a little different where it goes up 75mm. In this setting, when exceeding 50kph the car will drop to "off road 1" (40mm over normal height) and stay there. LLAMS does give you a lot more flexibility so if that is for you, please contact member (vendor) Graeme for more details.

As for "bugs" - I'm sure you've read all about the "oil dilution" saga. This seems a problem on the TD6 models, but SD6 looks promising. Also for theTD6 MY there is a software fix out and people that have it installed appear to have good results but it is early days.

Then there are the technology gremlins. I have an SE so a lot less of these as a result :)

Ron

[SBD4]

OK, I couldn't let this one go as I found it hard to believe that Land Rover would drop a feature already used on two other vehicles (FFRR ans Sport) for it's "most capable" Land Rover yet. it took me ages to find something that adequately described it:

jalopnik.com/the-2017-land-rover-discoverys-air-intake-is-brilliant-1793607086 <==Copy and past this to go to the link...I couldn't post it properly

So, there ya go, air intake is via a labyrinth in the bonnet.

[Zeros]

OK, I couldn't let this one go as I found it hard to believe that Land Rover would drop a feature already used on two other vehicles (FFRR ans Sport) for it's "most capable" Land Rover yet. it took me ages to find something that adequately described it:

jalopnik.com/the-2017-land-rover-discoverys-air-intake-is-brilliant-1793607086 <==Copy and past this to go to the link...I couldn't post it properly

So, there ya go, air intake is via a labyrinth in the bonnet.

Thanks, that’s fascinating. Great design. The bonnet is the snorkel. I wonder why no air intake built in up high, utilising the a-pillars? If the bonnet solution works, it’s very elegant.

[Graeme]

I thought lLLAMS was available for the D5. Having said that, the off road suspension setting on the D5 works a little different where it goes up 75mm. In this setting, when exceeding 50kph the car will drop to "off road 1" (40mm over normal height) and stay there. LLAMS does give you a lot more flexibility so if that is for you, please contact member (vendor) Graeme for more details.
Off-road height is a lot better on the L494/L405/L462 than the earlier vehicles but does lower to normal height at 80 kph rather than stay at OR1 and OR1 is not specifically selectable. Yes, Llams is available for these later LRs/RRs.

[RobA]

I's a great question and some good feedback here. We will wait until the Defender eventually arrives in Australia, unless we wear the D4 our first., before making a final decision. But from our current experience the D5 offers as much as we have on the D4 and given there is a hidden winch and small front bar available from the UK already and I do know they are planning on doing a full compliance for Australia, then I don't feel we will be wanting for anything. Having done 92,000km in the last now four years with 95% of that towing an Ultimate and now AOR Q+ we have never been thinking about more power. In regard to a snorkel I can't see the need. We simply carry 2-3 air filters and given the car has spent around 85% of its time off bitumen that has all we have ever needed.

All we budged for with the D4 was; traxide, 18" rims and our custom built rear sliding tray all of which have made the car the best tourer we have owned in the last 20 years. Long range tanks? Nope we carry 3xJC on the roof and can fit four on the camper and so far have never needed any more than that. The second spare travels on the roof

About the only thing I really want to see for the D5 now is the rear ladder. That is a must have and hopefully the UK guys are already working on one

It's going to be fascinating to see what happens in this space over the next year or so.

Rob

[drowell]

Hi
I just damaged a seemingly insignificant part of the chassis on my 2010 3L HSE D4.
Sadly it holds the front diff which is now broken in half as well. No one wants to weld it and the repair is worth more than the car.
It has Llams, ARB bull bar, HID lights, Warn winch, Kaymar dual spare bar, long range tank and a raft of other stuff. This isn't a for sale thread I know but I did a lot of research building the car and I feel your pain. All the bits and a car's worth of spares.
I'm in a quandary as to what to do.
Btw I've been using Cooper Zeons with reasonable success. Not perfect but ok. Through the Simpson, Oodnadatta, Strzelecki tracks etc.
Cheers
Doug

[Zeros]

Hi
I just damaged a seemingly insignificant part of the chassis on my 2010 3L HSE D4.
Sadly it holds the front diff which is now broken in half as well. No one wants to weld it and the repair is worth more than the car.
It has Llams, ARB bull bar, HID lights, Warn winch, Kaymar dual spare bar, long range tank and a raft of other stuff. This isn't a for sale thread I know but I did a lot of research building the car and I feel your pain. All the bits and a car's worth of spares.
I'm in a quandary as to what to do.
Btw I've been using Cooper Zeons with reasonable success. Not perfect but ok. Through the Simpson, Oodnadatta, Strzelecki tracks etc.
Cheers
Doug

Geez drowell, that's tough luck! It's hard hearing these kinds of stories, let alone it being your car! I'm feeling your pain man. Will insurance cover?

How did you damage the chassis / diff?

[Graeme]

That's not good Doug. If the damage can't be claimed on insurance then sometimes its better to pay the repair cost than to spend probably a lot more to get an equivalent vehicle.

[jonesy63]

That's not good Doug. If the damage can't be claimed on insurance then sometimes its better to pay the repair cost than to spend probably a lot more to get an equivalent vehicle.

I've never looked before - but is the VIN for a D3/D4/RRS(1) also recorded somewhere on the chassis rail? I know it's on the body... if it's not on the chassis rail, then surely a body off replacement could be an option.

Re D5 - a friend (mechanic at a LR dealership in Sydney) tells me the latest D5 SDV6 come with Brembo brakes... meaning 18" steel/alloy wheels are not going to fit. Something to ask before laying down $$ on a SDV6.

Cheers,
Rob