Put your kids in the crumple zone. Lots of things we did then we wouldn't do now, but we got here. p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

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Post #25402320th Feb 2015 7:18 am
Put your kids in the crumple zone. Lots of things we did then we wouldn't do now, but we got here.

I'm sure it's just as safe as the VW Touran, Vauxhall Zafira, Renault Scenic etc. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

You will notice the seats are now facing forward, the kids now no longer scream just before the truck squashes them, thus you are no longer forewarned of the impending impact my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

I think the forthcoming XC90 will give the DS a serious run for its money. Volvo clearly showing how to produce a vehicle that looks new from the offset - the DS looks comparably dated compared to this especially in the interior stakes.











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Personally I feel the outside looks a bit like a Forester. The inside is a bit busy. But like the colour scheme. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

I wouldn't say the DS competes with the XC90, a nice car none the less. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

With a starting price of £45000 the XC90 is more of a Discovery or Range Rover Sport competitor.

Volvo's take on +2 seats ....

"Third-row seating structure and position, until recently a minor factor in child safety, has become a bigger issue because almost all cars with third-row seats are minivans and SUVs, and the occupants of these seats are nearly always children. Volvo’s XC90 also has third-row seating, but Volvo knows from its crash-test research that protecting from rear impacts is as important as front-on crash protection, and that third-row seats have to be set far enough forward that they can actually rock a bit both forward and aft (which Volvo seats are designed to do). Also, if third-row seats are positioned too close to the tailgate, they are, in effect, part of the crumple zone and their occupants will be threatened in a high-speed rear ender, so Volvo puts its third row on line with the rear axle, providing both side- and rear-impact structural protection".

What a stunning interior on the new XC90! And at £45k for a mid spec it's probably better than a DS for those that do need 7 seats, but as road tests have reported Volvo makes no claims for off-road capability. Personally I like the external styling too, thank heavens it's not a BMW / Audi clone?

The main thing to take away from all of this discussion is that each of the cars mentioned (DS, XC90, Forester etc etc etc) are all (or will be) very good cars in their own right. People are either LR nuts, Volvo nuts or whatever, each to their own.
I always used to prefer Vauxhall over Ford, mates of mine would only drive Ford and hated Vauxhall.

The Freelander will be a sadly missed model and name to many of us, some can afford to pay the higher price of the DS, most (including) myself, cannot afford it and so will either stick with Freelander until they disappear completely or move brand.

The D3 was controversial when it was introduced in 2004, it was a marmite car. But now they are everywhere, and the DS will be no different. It will come down in price as the D3 has done, and the Freelander will become rarer as they get older, like the D2. But they will still be on our roads for many years to come

Ok, sensible phylosophic head off and away down to the Spar shop to buy a lottery ticket (how much is a new DS again ? )

Saw a DS last night at Chievely services with an AA van next to it and an awful lot of steam/smoke coming out under the bonnet

Did it look wet? If i wash the lr2 and get the rad wet it 's steam out for a good 10 minutes, also had it when driving in really bad rain

Dan Freelander 57 plate XS Blue Auto

re comment about the DS off road, Having driven all the LR products off road I think it goes pretty well. I would not like to do any heavy stuff, but I would not use a Freelander either, you have to go a long way to match the full Disco for that..

Click image to enlarge

I had a chat with a LR salesman yesterday and said that I wouldn't be in the market for a DS and hoped for something smaller. The main points I learned were.
1. there is an Evoque cabriolet coming next year
2. there was initial resistance to the DS from the Freelander buyers and it was slow to pick up but the sales seem to be coming in now for the "15" plate. People find it hard to believe that the DS is only an inch or two longer and thinks that the low roof line creates this perception.
3. LandRover currently have 6 models in the range and intend to eventually have 10. This could include the new Defender and a smaller baby Freelander type.

We saw our first DS in the flesh yesterday in our village and it definately got mixed reviews between me SWMBO and the kids. None of us really liked the look of the outside and all commented that if Landrover arent carefully all their offerings are going to look the same .

If anything it looks like a bigger evogue than a smaller disco but the inside we all agreed that it looked nice, just probably not for us. Current 2008 Freel2 HSE
Prev 2010 Freel2 GS & 57 Disco3 HSE