Hi! I’ve been a hopeful Discovery owner for ages, and been on the lookout for a D4 SDV6 HSE for about 4 years but never have found the right car and the money at the same time.
It’s crunch time now as my 27 year old Patrol is really needing an upgrade!
Problem is, now I’m doubting whether to buy a 6ish year old car (that I’ve been drooling over for 4+ years) with 150000km on it, or spend the same money (about $40k) for a (sensible) 3yo Isuzu MUX with 50000km. All numbers approximate!
I live on 80 acres, on a dirt road, have sheep and horses, so need some towing power occasionally, and drive an hour each way to work.
Adulting is hard sometimes!
Any advice appreciated!
Life’s to short to drive Boring cars
There’s a guy on this forum who’s selling a pretty smick 3.0 D4. Unfortunately I misunderstood his message and bought something else.
Try sending him a message, user name is: drowell
"Land Rover - making mechanics out of everyday motorists for nearly 70 years"
I just had a quick look on carsales and theres a few D4 SDV6 HSE for sale at $40k with 100k km or less. Not sure if the one has any extra options that make it worth the extra k's, but would one with less mileage make the decision a little easier?
All accounts ive heard of the MUX are that its a decent workhorse and tow mule. Its definitely no D4 HSE though!
Id recommend you spend some time looking through the forum to make sure you know what you're getting (if you haven't already - you probably have but just in case) as there are, as with any car, things to look for before buying.
FINN - '72 88" S3 - 2.286 petrol - yet to go on it's first adventure
SOLD - '08 D3 4.0 V6 - 265/65/R17 on X5 rims
GONE '96 D1 300Tdi - 2" lift, 32" tyres, HD rear axles, lockers :(
I have a 2014 HSE and I'm not convinced that the bits that came standard with the HSE are worth it over the SE or TDV6. Might be worth checking what the relevant standard inclusions are and what you actually want. For example, I initially thought that the arm rests were a good reason to go for the HSE, but now find that they give me back ache on long drives and I don't use them. In which case I'd go for a lower spec but later year and fewer kms.
I like my D4 but the MU-X, which I test drove, is by all accounts a very reliable, comfortable and economical vehicle and is a good tow vehicle that actually can tow both 3t as well as carry its full payload. If I was spending $40k I'd probably look very hard at the MU-X.
P.S. when you're looking at MU-Xs make sure that you're looking at the 4WD ones - about half on the web aren't actually 4WD.
PPS - MU-X hold their prices, so maybe have a look at the Trailblazer. Different engine and gearbox but otherwise the same.
Arapiles
2014 D4 HSE
Trailblazer is a different factory, and all different.
Went their own way a few years back.
Isuzu is okay but the D4 is in another league.
In Nov 2017 I bought a new 4WD MUX, the middle spec one. Sold my 2009 RRS TDV8 which was a very stupid decision. At first the MUX was ok, but I soon became very tired of the engine noise in cabin, the stupid 6 speed auto which wouldn't go into 6th unless doing 90+ kph and as soon as i pushed the slightest down on the accelerator would kick down a gear. Avge fuel around 10.5 lphk which was more than expected.It towed my 2.9T caravan ok but had to add Air Bagman rear air bags and long range fuel tank as the std tank is pathetically small. It blew its turbocharger at 22,000 klms which I have since found out was a problem with them. The 6 speed auto is same as used in Hilux and Prado as Aisin (manufacturer) is part owned by Toyota. This box is very frustrating as it never seems to know what gear it wants to be in. Badly matched to the engine and I read that all Toyotas seem to have mis match when compared to the superb ZF auto matched to the L/R and R/R engines. Sold the Mux after 12 mnths and bought a MY13 TDV6 D4 last October and is like cheese and chalk. The D4 engine/ZF box work superbly in unison and slight acceleration doesn't cause the box to drop down a gear or two, it just uses the brilliant engine torque. My D4 according to computer is around low 9 lphk and often less, but I realise that is probably not accurate. The car is less tiresome to drive long distances and it tows the c/van much easier than the MUX did. Being slightly heavier and in constant 4WD makes a huge difference here. Probably not fair to the MUX to compare it with a D3/4, but inevitably people do in the case of S/h vehicles in similar price ranges, but really there is no comparison, the D3/4 is far superior in every way.
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