taztastic wrote:

I often wonder at the placement of the exhaust, it's on the wrong side for our market, spitting fumes closest to the pavement

Can we now claim that this topic is the most read and commented one of the forum, apart from just one sticky?!

Ok, may be a bit opportunistic in subject matter  Life is not a dress rehearsal!

Wish it was a PHEV

LR have not exactly gone out of their way to woo those who are hacked off by their obsession with bling, complexity, expense and fragility in their recent models. The DS launch has not been one of their finest, particularly as far as the UK market is concerned.
This is most apparent when we look at the initial spec being offered to UK customers - as many have commented, forcing us to take on the extra row of seats in the rear crumple zone instead of a proper spare tyre is frankly daft.
And we can't apparently get it with 17inch wheels, not ideal if you wish to take it off road at all. Add that to the unladen rear axle clearance of 239mm as opposed to the 265 mmm on a Freely2 and perhaps it is understandable why a fair number of Freely2 owners are rather underwhelmed by the DS - and I think that feeling may well be replicated across other markets. No doubt it will sell to some people some of the time in some places........

You can have 17" wheels but only as an accessory. Not offered as standard, no surprise there.


 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

I'm due a terrapod experience with a DS on Wednesday, whether or not there will be an option for a road test I'm not sure, but would seem to be silly not to have a road test. There will be other models also to experience, my worry about the DS is the headroom in the boot, but I will find that out, pooch will not have his pod lowered to fit the DS. I have no objection to LR following a fashion and a specific market, the DS looks OK, but one of the advantages of the LR is its choices for the urban luxury cruiser with a go anywhere capability and the luxury go anywhere utility vehicle that has a load capability of a small van. I suppose the question is, how much of its customer base requires the latter, if it's not much, then it's going the right way, if not it may run into problems, the FFRR,, Disco 4 and FL2 sold well, as do the RRS Ewok and apparently the DS. The traditionalists will always consider LR to have a utility option and RR go its own way to chase the cash, but if the perceived ruggedness disappears with the chase for the urban status symbol and fashion will the appeal be there in future? No one buys a BMW for its ruggedness, though they do for a perceived quality and reliability, but Jaguar is now chasing that market. Depends on your definition of fit for purpose and your purpose  my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

Well it was there, not able to drive it. Yes nice looking, but for my part it was bitty, neither functional enough as country vehicle, too small a tailgate entrance and interior roof line too low for my purposes, no flat floor. Huge panoramic roof but doesn't open, there seems to be a cover but sunburn when travelling through France in the summer or in the dark. I really think it's an Ewok +2. Unless something comes out in the new Defender range it's a Discovery for me or another make, though I don't really want a Disco sized car or it's VED. I really hope they don't go down this route with the new Disco. The DS is not a car that would be practical for me, too many compromises, yes the volume is larger and so is the load length, but it starts getting short after very short 18" above the floor, I don't think it has a practical load area in shape as the FL2 has, also the seating position is for me too low, you almost look along the bonnet as in people carrier even on the highest setting, maybe that is what it is, albeit with excellent off road ability (hopefully) . Yes I know it's the modern emission beating shape, and possibly the way to go for LR but if it doesn't do what you want it to. you don't buy my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

Land Rover have to get the replacement discovery and defender right. Yes, disco sport is a nice enough product, but it's not purposeful enough for me. And why do all the Land Rover products have to look the same? Range Rover and Land rover should each have their own identitities, not morph into one existence. I suppose that's what you get when you have a single designer. unlike Maurice Wilkes, I can't see Gerry designing the next defender on the beach.

I wasn't sure about it at first, I wasn't even going to go to the preview event but I went and had play around with it come away feeling a bit better. It wasn't until I had my test drive that I was really sold on it, for me it's perfect, yeh I would've liked it to be a bit more butch but size wise it fits the bill, the Evoques too small and my current D4 is perhaps too far the other way. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

I agree on size and I don't dislike the shape, however the rear end shape (lower roof line, tailgate entrance) makes it impractical as a utility vehicle. As the salesman said it's a very good car, but it's not a small D4, which is the ultimate LR but bloody big, there again it's not meant to be, unfortunately now, there is no small D4 at the moment. one hopes. You don't even get an electric seat on a D4 now even at £53K. my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

Agreed the D4 is the ultimate LR. Perhaps I'll keep the DS for a few years and see what happens with the Disco 5 or whatever it will be called. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

Saw the Discovery Sport at the dealers today. It looks good but It does seem to be more an Evoque+2 than a Freelander replacement.

Surprised to be told the new engines will not be available in the 4WD version at all and only possibly in a 2WD version during 2016???

I’m not at all keen on the +2 seats, even for children. It’s very claustrophobic in there. And a full size spare wheel is a non negotiable requirement for me.

Maybe I’ll be tempted if I can hold on long enough for a 5 seat version with a full size spare and the new engine preferably as a petrol turbo, even if 2WD. That or see what the new Defender brings. But unfortunately we may not know whether those options are even on the table for another year?

I do hope that JLR gives us some advance hints of what is to come with the future DS variants or plans for the upcoming Defender?

I'm in the same place as you. I was put off by the potential of the Ingenium engine going in with 204 HP but LR adamant that the only Ingenium will be the TD4e (2 while drive version) going into production in June/July. There is no doubt that it will ultimately replace the PSA 2.2 in at the minute at some point, rumoured 2017 when that capacity at the new factory ramps up. In the meantime they are all going into the Jaguar and especially the XC17. Having driven the DS Saturday at a local LR launch event I ordered an HSE the next day. I love my FL2 but it does now look dated next to the DS.

Saw a DS today , what a lovely car . The one I saw was scotia grey , to me it looked good , apart from the grey plastic cover for the pedestrian airbag on the bonnet. Inside I was pleasantly surprise with the cirrus leather seats and with matching dash and door cards. On the Land Rover website cirrus looks a very light grey but in fact it's just a shade lighter than Ivory, all in all it works well . To me that's where the good bits end . As you may have noticed I called it a car not a 4x4 , this is because you sit so low in it , I bet a new mini towers above the DS . The salesmen tried to raise the seat but my headroom disappeared, I'm 6'2" and I couldn't get the command driving position and be comfortable, then there's the rear view mirror, it felt very close to my face . I know some things have to be a bit come and go , but that mirror was just annoying. No stadium seating in the middle row & with the car being lower than the freelander already the view from the Middle row was er car like .
The boot was ok , a bit bigger the FL2 , but I would still have to lower the middle seats to get my golf clubs and electric trolly in . So not a Great Leap Forward there. The third row of seats are a joke, to me this is a sales gimmick. A seven year old kid would be struggle to get in and out without braking their neck . I didn't even try. My last car was a MK3 galaxay and getting in & out of the 3rd row was a doddle.
To some up, in my opinion it's another evoque, a woman's/hairdresser car . When I was in the dealership the salesman pointed out the DS in red body & black roof that was sitting outside , I had walked past it , it was so nondescript. To iadd nsult to injury a DS was returning from a test drive and it was past me before I noticed what it was.
I know some of you guys have ordered one , I hope you enjoy it and have many years of happy motoring. Do it now ! Your a long time dead !!

The brochure shows it with stadium seating

Can't say I noticed the mirror being too close either.

Agree on the 3rd row seating. Waste of space 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200