I've just come back from an open day at Roger Young Land Rover in Saltash.

We were taken out in a Disco 4 by one of the guys from the Honiton Land Rover Experience Centre. I had been really impressed by the Freelander at the Honiton Centre, but the Disco was something else altogether! As a passenger, I had really thought that the engine was petrol powered, until I drove it and it was only the low red line and the massive mid range punch that gave the game away that it was a diesel; certainly, the noise never did!

Off road, it was absolutely unstoppable. Yes, traction control was used, but there seemed to be less wheelspin before the car pulled away. Don't get me wrong, the Freelander was brilliant, but the Disco was just on the next level!

On driving back on tarmac, from the off road track to the dealer, the mid range punch of the V6 was jaw dropping (and I'm comparing it to a 185bhp Volvo D5 and a 300bhp Focus RS here).

Do I wish that I'd ordered the Disco 4 instead of the Freelander? Surprisingly, no.

The Disco was truly brilliant off road, but was still obviously an off roader on the tarmac. While the cabin was a fantastic place to be, the driving position (especially the foot well) seemed much more cramped than the Freelander, while the Disco 4 simply didn't feel so car like on the road. It certainly seemed streets ahead of the wobbly Disco 1 I drove years ago, but it still felt like a, albeit it very distant, cousin of that car.

If I were to use the 4WD ability of the Land Rover every day and money were no object, I'd have the Disco 4 and be very happy For the real world use that I have in mind, the Freelander will do the job better.

Tigger.

PS: It was interesting to see the Isuzu Rodeos that they are now selling alongside the Land Rovers. I can see their logic; they are much cheaper than Defenders and superficially at least, much more modern and practical. Besides, very few of the farmers here go out and buy new Defenders, they usually have Japanese pick up trucks instead. However, what did amaze me was that under all the nice shiny metallic paint, tinted windows and sparkling fake chrome, the mechanicals are from the stone age! Certainly, leaf springs haven't seen the light of day on a Land Rover since the Series III from 1982!

PPS: Nice bunch of people at Roger Young, as are the people from the Honiton Land Rover Experience Centre. Defintely worth buying a Land Rover from them if you happen to be in Saltash!

Last edited by Tigger on 1st May 2011 7:57 pm. Edited 1 time in total

Disco 4 is fantastic off road, no doubt. The purists claim the Defender 90 is the king of off road though.

I wonder which truly is the best... LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

The only answer - book yourself two half-day LR Experience days, one session in each. I think you'll find the instructors would all go for the Defender off road though.

The Doctor wrote:

Disco 4 is fantastic off road, no doubt. The purists claim the Defender 90 is the king of off road though.

I wonder which truly is the best...

Duplicated post deleted.

Past master wrote:

The only answer - book yourself two half-day LR Experience days, one session in each. I think you'll find the instructors would all go for the Defender off road though.

Defender is very good off road indeed, and the anti stall on the new puma engine is out of this world! It will pull an 12 ton artic with the handbrake on! Fairly easy to drive off road, it lacks rear locking differential tho. But I guess there is more skill in driving off road than a disco as you don't have to do much the car does the work.

The defender give you the Confidents to go anywhere! I never got mine stuck, and they got put through there paces!

Last edited by landy19840 on 1st May 2011 8:13 pm. Edited 1 time in total

landy19840 wrote:

Defender is very good off road indeed, and the anti stall on the new puma engine is out of this world! It will pull an artic fully loaded with the handbrake on!

Very true indeed. Demonstrated at the launch of the new defender at eastnor castle 2007! Video on you tube somewhere


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Well, my experience of Roger Young is completely the opposite. I live just 1/2 a mile from the showroom in Saltash and so they were my obvious choice to buy from when we started looking for our new Freelander 2. I really wanted to buy from them. I went for a test drive and right from the start I was practically ignored. After some time just floating about the showroom waiting for someone to become free to talk to me I was then treated almost as if I were stopping them from doing something they would much prefer to be doing. After a test drive of a manual FL2 I went away with a distinctly sour taste in the way that they treated me. Nevertheless, living so near to the showroom I was still determined to buy from them as I reasoned that once I had the car I would only need to speak to the salesman again if I wanted to buy another and so I called them up to place the order. There was no one available to talk to me and so I left my number and I was told someone would call me back with a final price. No one did!

That was the final straw for me. I called Taunton Land Rover and arranged to see them. They were a completely different experience altogether. Very respectful, called me back on every occasion, great price.

May be I just caught them on a bad day, but even though I live so close I would never use them. I am even driving my car to Taunton for servicing and, if needed, repair.

I cannot recommend Taunton enough and if you can possibly accept the drive you will not regret it.

landy19840 wrote:

It will pull an 12 ton artic with the handbrake on!

[pantomime dame]Oh no it won't![/pantomime dame]

As you can see in the film, the truck wheels turn when the Defender tows it so the handbrake is released. When the truck driver applies the brakes the truck and Defender both stop and the Defender spins it's wheels on the spot before continuing once the truck brakes are released.

Sorry to seem pedantic about it.

Chris 2009 Freelander Td4e S in black
2004 Defender Td5 SW in white

That's a shame.

I'm guessing having got to know Roger Young himself fairly well might have improved my chances of being served right!

Chris you need to get out more! That is all!

Your right about the pickup trucks..stone age mechanics and suspension, they hae to be leaf springs in order to carry 1000kg and be classed as commercials. worst thing is the basic 4x4 system which makes them hopeless in 4 wheel drive unless on a slippy surface due to transmission wind up At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

LR Themselves have said more than once that the D3 when it was released was the best off road vehicle they sold.

In a world of computers the Defender needs to catch up slightly now...true, locking diffs and low range activated with a lever may seem more suitable and satisfying for off roading, but tractors and heavy plant have used computers to control power and where to send the power for years, and they wouldn't risk using inferior technology in stuff like that just to make it ever so slightly easier for the operator, but perform worse overall!

Even an off road expert would get further in the new cars. Has anyone ever got a Defender crossed up!?

Another thing, a Disco being driven properly in sand would not sink, quite the opposite in fact. It would tend to give more traction. Look at the Paris Dakar Rally, the trucks run rings round the cars and bikes in the really soft sand.  Mine: 2012 Golf GTI Edition 35
Family's: 2009 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Auto, Stornoway

Yorkshire - God's County