Had a rare visit into Leeds today and as I was around the corner from the Jag dealer went into to see a F Pace in the flesh. Not for me I am afraid at any price, no room in the back for all my dirty kit without collateral damage to the Roof Lining etc. Yet another Chelsea Tractor.

Mind you the Red F Type caught my eye until I saw the price.  FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

I've just put a deposit down on a Disco 5

I don't think I could go back to a smaller car. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

Are you sure the D5 isn't a smaller car  my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

If the concept is anything to go by its every bit as big as the current Disco. The slope of the rear screen may eat into luggage space but it will still seat 7 adults rather than the useless seats in the DS.

When I say smaller I mean Fl2, Evoque, F-Pace etc 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

Today I made my first long distance trip in my Subaru. From Emley in Huddersfield to Greystoke in Cumbria, with a short stop in Penrith all in all about 129 miles. From the M1 at Wakefield up to Scotch Corner . I just set the adaptive cruise a tad short of 70 and drove feet off all the way to that junction. For a bit of fun on the 66 we used the " flappy paddles " to downshift on some overtakes, fun, but to be fair the CVT box doesn't really need it, I think they will be more usefull off road at low speed.

The overall mpg on the trip computer was 49.9 mpg. I know from the last 3 tanks that the calculated consumption from filled litres and mileage will be marginally better. So all in all not to shabby for a euro 6 compliant diesel, running real full time AWD thought a CVT . I expect as I get some mileage on to increase that a little , mixed local running / A roads I've constantly hit 39 to 40 mpg.

I still like the Freelander, but I am very ,very pleased with the Subaru. The amount of fishing gear we have in the boot would have meant dropping the Freelander seats, but we got everything in and under the load cover.

Tomorrow we will ( weather permitting) be giving it its first off-road run on the fishing beats of the Eden Lacey estates, I know the Freelander handles this with no issues so looking forward to seeing what the Outback performs like in X Mode. 2009 GS Auto Zermatt Silver - Sold June 21 after 10 years of ownership

2016 Subaru Outback SE 2.0 diesel SE Premium Lineartronic Sold 2024 after 8 years and 80k miles . Best Car I ever owned !

2023 Toyota Hilux invincible X 2.8 Auto .

will be interested in the results of the offroad comparison and your opinion.

Iain

I'll be really interested in that comparison. The Outback is looking like a possible successor to the FL2 for me, maybe in 18 months time or so. 2011 SD4 HSE Auto
(Previously 2007 TD4 XS Manual)

j77 wrote:

I've just put a deposit down on a Disco 5

I don't think I could go back to a smaller car.

Agreed I just drove my dad's old V70 D5 (pre 2007 - a proper one!) and much as I loved mine, I would hate to go back now. I can't be getting down to get into a car! It's unnatural!!

Could always spend a fortune on this, the Range Rover Velar, it's not been officially named but that's what it's referred to by JLR or code name L560. It should it showrooms the end of next year and sit between the Evoque and RRS. It's basically a rebadge F-Pace.

EDIT - It will be named Range Rover Sport Coupé

Click image to enlarge

iain cooper wrote:

will be interested in the results of the offroad comparison and your opinion.

Iain

I think the use I put the car to will not test it to the point of being " cross axled" .
It will never be driven "off road " for fun, just the odd path, field, logging road,leading to a fishing beat or sporting clay shoot , the sort that would have bumped the sump or taken the mudflaps off of my last A4 Avant . The ground clearance on the latest Outback is pretty much the same as the Freelander2 both around 220mm, where the Freelander2 scores , are the superior approach and departure angles which true to LandRover's off road heritage were class leading when the car was introduced but in 5 years of ownership I've never needed to use them.

To be fair I suspect 99%of all SUVs in the UK never see anything more challenging than a 4" kerb in Sainsbury's car park or a muddy field at the stables . For me , where I live a good AWD is necessary 4 winters out of 5 . If I ever suspected the Subaru would ever be disadvantaged I'd just have to take the Freelander 2  2009 GS Auto Zermatt Silver - Sold June 21 after 10 years of ownership

2016 Subaru Outback SE 2.0 diesel SE Premium Lineartronic Sold 2024 after 8 years and 80k miles . Best Car I ever owned !

2023 Toyota Hilux invincible X 2.8 Auto .

Jag looking like a good car, I will definatly check it out when I get round to car changing, Mind you the supposedly 'terrible awful' disco sport seems to be selling like hot cakes round here.

Never trust a forum review its seems

as for subuaru, come on what are you thinking??? 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

The DS ain't awful but it's far from perfect. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

ok, for Iain and D-Man : I took the outback " off road " for about 3 miles. By off road I mean the fishing beats alongside the river Eden on the Eden Lacey estate. There was a mixture of grass, rutted old dirt track, one quite steep descent and climb back and towards the bottom beats driving through fields where a new track had to be " driven in " due to the old one being washed away in the floods. On Sunday evening there had been torrential rain so wet grass, slippy tracks, etc.

First the ground clearance on both cars is around the same about 220 mm , where the Freelander two scores is the body is higher, you have more wheel arch clearance, more suspension travel, and better attack and departure angles, but you have to ask yourself " do I need them ?" We've had the Freelander for 5 years and never put in in a situation that needed its ultimate performance.

The Freelander being higher has a terrific command driving position, but the Subaru is higher than a conventional road car so no problems when we were off the tarmac, the standard folding door mirrors are mounted on the door not the glass so there is no blind spot looking forward

The Outback handled the tracks and ruts without any drama, and the X drive mode was very good at controlling the descent down a slippy rutted descent. It went back up easily , and if it was needed there is hill hold assist if you found yourself stuck going up and needed to start again from stop. It drove in an assured manner across flat slippy grass and made short work anything I needed from it ( on standard Bridgestone Duellers which are on road biased )

In long grass the black plastic thing that is part of the front bumper is nicely shaped and stops the paint being scraped as do the black plastic side trims, a bit like our 09 GS

What I might do is splash £150 on the optional steel engine under tray, and steel rear diff guard just in case I ever drop a wheel into a deep rut and bottom it.

So it meets my requirements, I don't venture off road for fun, I'm normally on my own so wouldn't risk putting the car where I could not extract it . As a fishing bus, or Shooting Brake it makes a lot of sense, the load space is far bigger than the FL2 or DS, my final MPG over 250 miles including the off road was 47.5 . You get a very nicely specced car for your money and a very honest one , might not have the " prestige" in some eyes, but one man's prestige is another man's stigma

So really it's what do you want from a car, if you are going to do trails like our pals " Down Under " or pay and play in mud it's probably not the car you need. If I wanted to tow two horses in a box, I'd pick the Freelander or DS, But I do none of those and 6 weeks into ownership I'm still finding new things to like 2009 GS Auto Zermatt Silver - Sold June 21 after 10 years of ownership

2016 Subaru Outback SE 2.0 diesel SE Premium Lineartronic Sold 2024 after 8 years and 80k miles . Best Car I ever owned !

2023 Toyota Hilux invincible X 2.8 Auto .

Enough about the motor - any salmon????  MY 09 GS manual in Lago Grey, Wood Co arm rest and side bumper strips - now sold.

MY 15 SD4 SE Auto Orkney Grey with colour coded Bumper Door Mouldings