My Experience with Land Rover Discovery SDV6 SE 2016

Lucky he didn’t buy a Defender. Looking forward to post no.2.....

An interesting read,,, And having owned Other brands,, I'll say this.

Unlike Mr Wilson here,, I can only say that I feel just the opposite.
Mine, as I understand, was THE last D4 HSE to come into Australia. We too had the option to wait for the "All new Discovery" (D5 [wink11]), but I don't like the idea of buying the first of a new model, and at that point, prices/specs were unclear as well. But having said that, we prefer the look of the D4 over the D5. Its in our opinion, the smartest looking 4x4 on the market,,, still.

We bought our vehicle with a very specific reasoning behind our decision. Form and function were key factors, and mostly based around a touring lifestyle. Its comfort is absolutely excellent for long hours behind the wheel,,, very ergonomically designed, and certainly built with me in mind,, nice chaps over there in England ehh [wink11]
The economics of driving for hours on end with a large van in tow is excellent,, which leaves one to wonder how other brand owners can justify their choice,, and then be hamstrung with fuel costs etc whilst on the road.

Things like the "electronics"of the sat nav etc, are something I am personally not worried about. As tourers, we expect to have different devices to do different jobs. We've had both Tom Tom's and Garmins,, and they both make mistakes, or take you weird ways etc etc etc.

The four wheel drive functions are streets ahead of anything else on the market, and of course lead the way.
On that, I actually fail to see why LR did not actually make a Disco that was essentially just two wheel drive for the city folk who will never even see a dirt road in anger, let alone a rocky mountain track, or sand dunes etc. I'm sure many many people buy these cars JUST because they drive very well on bitumen, and have some severely good safety factors that work well. Of course, now we have the Evoque and Disco Sport.

All I can see in the letter is some gripes, and if it was presented to LR, I think they would view it in the same light. At the end of the day, a car company starts out to fill a market, more often than not, to satisfy a majority of people,, not just one person.

I think the post is fair enough.
Its was an outdated car as compared to its competition which is why they made a new one.
Id like to know thoughts on reliability though.
'How is the build quality etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by timax

Its was an outdated car as compared to its competition

Hmm its competition was developed at about the same time and is still around - the competition was never as advanced as the D4 and is still not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ljwilson1

I’ve had my 2016 Land Rover Discovery 4 for 18 months now, and unfortunately believe the purchase was floored, and I should have stuck by replacing my 22-year-old 80 series Toyota Land Cruiser with a 200 series. While I liked the idea of a British Marque, the decision was my mistake, as I didn’t do enough research.

I did consider waiting for your newer model, but judging by the delays, uncertainty and no indication price or options, my instincts said No, which proved correct.

I took delivery of my 2016 Discovery, which was a run out vehicle, in September 2016. In hindsight it lacked the options that I would now not accept for a modern vehicle. This is particularly the case with the GPS, which could not locate a street in Perth that had been gazetted more than five years earlier, and this is the market the vehicle was being sold into-very frustrating. Furthermore, where I live, I have totally given up on its reliability and nearly always use Google maps via Wi-Fi or my TOM TOM GO 5100 as the information is live and up to date. Furthermore, it doesn’t cost the earth, and it has lifetime maps for the whole world. (I appreciate there are updates now, but the hardware is hardly cutting edge, so lacking in any real usefulness)

I don’t wish to dwell on my lack of judgement but we have holidayed in Europe recent years, and hired a standard VW Passat, and a Renault Kadjar. Each of these vehicles had All the top end features, including GPS Data, which constantly let one know whether we were speeding, including adaptive cruise control, which should be basic tools. And these vehicles are less than half the price of the Discovery, so why is this? Do their profits need to so high or your overheads so owner us.

The Land Rover Discovery 2016 is a box on wheels, and the current vehicle looks like someone has set off a hand grenade and blown it out on all sides. But then the new local dealer in Bunbury said that you get used to it, and it grows on you.

With the 2016 model, these are some of the things that annoy me about it. Judging, I would say your most recent vehicles have similar issues, as LR doesn’t seem to learn the lessons well: -

· The tow bar cover is cheap and nasty, somewhat trashy plastic clips holding it on, which fall-off easily;
· The towing plug should be an external arrangement because of this fiddly cover plate as you need to get down under the vehicle to fix-it;
· No tread protection on the doorsills (In the interim, I have bought some on line, which are easy to fit)-another extra;
· Doors should be double sealed like the Toyota Land Cruiser, as the Discovery’s require more force to close, and are therefore quite unsophisticated when there is no need to be;
· Body Shape is terribly dated, and its replacement is disappointing (The VELAR/RR Sport are a much better shapes, and with diesel becoming persona non-grata, concentrating on hybrids is for LR is probably their best option);
· You could easily ditch the Discovery as I believe you have more than enough models and technology can be incorporated in these vehicles reducing your costs;
· The vehicle is way to heavy, even for a 2016 model;
· Wiper blades don’t lift off the glass back and front for easier cleaning like the Cruiser;
· Not much thought has gone into the registration plate fixing arrangements…if it doesn’t suit the UK number plate- don’t worry about, the Colonials and other recipients will just have to wear it! From this sought of thing, I really wonder why they sell into Australia, as the vehicle doesn’t seem to meet any of our expectations as LR has to much of a laisser-faire attitude and needs to lift their Game.

Inside the vehicle the following I don’t find satisfactory either: -

· The GPS doesn’t have a provision for live inputs for speed limits including traffic congestion and there is no way to alter this; The system is so basic, it is unbelievable;
· I am constantly catching my foot on the underside panel in the vicinity of the accelerator pedal, and I only have a size 9 foot;
· Furthermore, I am constantly knocking the flaps on the steering wheel when I do a U turn, which is annoying to reset;
· The screen for the radio is way to small in this day and age, and could have been improved long ago;
· No after-market coloured floor mats for the boot, which are the same as the upholstery that are easily available. In my case, beige, the hardest to match was the boot, which I was able to finally purchase on-line in the US;
· The dealer offered us mudflaps at $550, which I purchased for less than $100 on line, fitting myself. I have seen a number of ‘Discoveries’ without mudflaps as I imagine the owners similarly balked at such a rip-off for a couple of bits of plastic; this experience turned me off LR parts forever.
· Likewise, I purchased electric side steps, and extended roof rails, which would have saved me a lot over their inflated prices;
· Servicing, well that was another issue. LR Perth quoted me at least $760, when my local mechanic did it for $430, and he has a great reputation. There are No secrets that I see your pricing as predatory & it isn’t nearly 200K away.
· Furthermore, LR needs to grips with is servicing. I live in the second largest city in Western Australia. However, I have had to drive to Perth for servicing. Furthermore, I unable to use the online servicing website as there wasn’t any recognised garage in Bunbury when I spoke to your office. I since believe LR has just partnered with GM agent in Bunbury, but my experience with LR so far isn’t good, and I won’t be taking up the option. However, Australia suffers from a tyranny of distance from everywhere, so you need to be more flexible in the provision of Service.
· I would have liked heated seats, but unfortunately I would have to purchase a whole bunch of other stuff, which is next to useless in Australia. Why can’t you tailor vehicles for Australia? In the era of robotics, this task should not insurmountable?
· And why can’t the vehicles be up-graded with such things as Adaptive Cruise Control?... Or similar to other devices like TV’s with 4K and 5K adaptability, which should be part of your aim and culture?
· There is no small change compartment for the driver for parking, or is it that in this case technology has already done away with this? There is a silly little lid in the centre compartment, which looks like an after thought and prone to I don’t know what!

Basically, this an insight into part of my dissatisfaction, as I have never been so disappointed in any vehicle when I reflect on what is available these days, and am angry with myself. Furthermore, I could have said more about your customer service in Australia, but I have Bleated-on enough.

Welcome to the forum mate!
The D4 shape has been around since 2004? Can't say you didn't know what it would look like! The "boxy" shape is in fact unique and very easy to fit a heap of stuff into. I love the practicality and styling....

You should rejoice that we now have a new LR dealer in town! I have been going to Perth FOR AGES for servicing and now have local factory support. I have recently dealt with them for a warranty issue and they have bent over backwards to help me out. I had a loan car for over 3 weeks no questions asked. If your local independent is the garage in Stuart St, then sorry, I can't say anything positive about them from past experience and that of others....

Mate is doesn't have some of the gadgets of a Jap or some euro new cars, but have you used it every day, towed a heavy load, been down the beach or out in the desert? It will do all of those things straight off the showroom floor with aplomb. Not many other vehicles can do all of this I am sure without some form of upgrades required...

Your GPS comments, well I don't have any of that stuff. Your phone mapping is way more accurate than just about any vehicle GPS system these days.

If your wanting to sell, I am sure there are many out there that would love a D4 rather than the curvy offerings these days.

Give me a wave if you see a white D4 in Bunbury. I am usually the one with a big smile enjoying cruising in my D4.

Cheers,
Chris

Quote:

Originally Posted by garrycol

Hmm its competition was developed at about the same time and is still around - the competition was never as advanced as the D4 and is still not.

Yep i guess the competition to us wanting to use the car off road is different to the majority of buyers who are comparing it to an X5 or a Q7 etc
Personally i love the shape and the fact that they are good off road and the others mentioned would never be on my list.
A 200 series may be but i just find the interiors a bit bland and they are huge for me in the city.

I think you blokes have been "Baited"

And I think you bit.

Maybe?

Yep, baited.

And I'm biting.

I have never been a lover of whitegoods. Refrigerators in the kitchen and washing machines in laundry, yes, but not D3/4s.
Mr Ljwilson1, let me do you a favour. I'll swap you a Toyota Camry (yes, your favourite brand) for your Discovery. You'll be much happier. The Camry even has a satnav. Not sure if it has Perth on it. Do you have roads over there?

Oh, and does the D4 have a roo bar?

I'm not a fan of factory GPS on any marque. Updates are very expensive and often out of date.

An update for our Suby is over $350 and isn't as good as stand-alone systems - and one has to stop to be able to do anything. The passenger can't even use it whilst the vehicle is moving (I've found a workaround -pull the handbrake up ever so slightly so the car thinks one is parked.)

Troll.