Thread: I’m out again

Well, I have jumped the fence again.

Due to ongoing issues with my beloved D4 HSE, it let me down once too often. Thinking that our van may have been just a little too close to the limits of the D4, we traded to a smaller van to make it easier on the Disco. The trip to Lake Eyre was the first trip with only around 2.8 tonnes in tow, so, it was very disappointing when we got the dreaded message once again.

On the return trip, whilst 'coasting' downhill toward Lithgow, the trusty "Restricted Performance Mode" came on again.

Enough is enough so it is gone. All of the previous issues, which were caused by the Dealership, were covered by Warranty and Extended Warranty and the rough estimate of what it cost them was around 60 to 80 thousand dollars. This would include the replacement motor, because of their negligence in blowing the original motor up, replacement vehicles whilst the original repairs were completed, The recovery of the vehicle during our holiday to the west from Port Lincoln, and towing our van to Adelaide, accommodation and provision of a courtesy car for 3 weeks whilst they tried fo fix it. Then after failing to rectify the problem, modifying the Range Rover Sport courtesy car so I could continue to finish our holiday, towing the van, whilst they shipped my car on a truck to Melbourne, for them to have a go at it, and failing, and eventually back to my Dealer in Newcastle for them to continue to try and rectify the issues. They had it for another 5 weeks or so whilst i kept LRA's RR Sport. I must say, the service I received from Land Rover Australia was EXCELLENT.

However, as the warranty finally ran out, and any future cost would be mine, YIPEE, the failure coming into Lithgow was the last straw.

So, I have gone to the dark side again.

I have gone to a SSangyong Musso XLV Ultimate Plus, which is doing the job admirably. Yeah, I know, some will say "bloody Chinese Rubbish" well, sorry but they are actually South Korean. With a 3.5 tonne tow capacity, a 7 year warranty, 7 year roadside assist and 7 year capped price servicing and more fruit that the HSE had for only $53,000. I am over the moon. I even have up to date maps and Apple Car Play so I don't get lost.

Yeah, I will miss the Disco as it was my 5th Land Rover, from Series I, Series 2a, Series 3, TD5 Disco and the D4, but the thought of thousands of $$$ and uncertainty that we would get to our intended destinations was too great a risk.

Continue 'Living the Dream', as I will be, but I will be much more confident that I will arrive at my desired destination and not have to wait for assistance by the side of the road.

Chappo

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Damned good vehicle!
Brother got one a few months back ... (to my advantage mind you, as I had the D2 for a few months).
He used to use his D2 as his daily commute to his truck, and he didn't like the idea of using his beloved D2 to do short trips like that.
Also wanted a ute for carrying stuff easier too.

He bought it without consultation, and I'd reckon I'd have advised him against it .. but damned .. what a great ute!

A bit over 12 months ago I was doing some contract work for SES, who use Hiluxes and Rangers, so had a lot of experience with those two utes .. many thousands of klms delivering stuff with them.
Musso kills them for drivability(NVH) by a long way. Little 2.2 motor doesn't feel as powerful, but 6 speed(auto) balances that out a bit. And then the coil rear makes it a far more better all round drive.
He doesn't tow, so outright raw power was low on his list of priorities.

I found the Ranger way too harsh by comparison, and the Hilux engine felt more 'rough'.
Only thing I don't like about his choice for the Musso is that he got those silly 20" very low profile wheel/tyre option which makes the ride a bit jiggly over some roads/speeds.

Originally Posted by Chappo

..... Yeah, I know, some will say "bloody Chinese Rubbish" well, sorry but they are actually South Korean. .....

It's a sad world where folks have to add comments like that above, because so many people have some ingrained prejudice against this product or that brand .. and whatever.
But until they have had actual experience with the thing .. don't mind the thoughts of those that may belittle your choice.

If I was in the market for a ute(dual cab at least), my top 3 choices would have to be Musso (coil rear), Raptor, and maybe a NP300(coiler models) too.