Only points I agree on are the arm rests, which the cubby box does a good job, and the park brake. I haven't found the D5 to have anymore roll than my D4, but then my one is the heavier 3.0 rather than the feather weight 2.0 . My one is currently running on 19" wheels though they don't provide much more comfort over the 21" fitted to the demo that I tried, so they maybe getting binned at some point as they look lost against the cars shear bulk.

The drivers seat took me a bit of fiddling to find the correct position but I put that down to having too much adjustment options, never been a fan of electrically adjustable seats. Finally mastered getting in without banning my head on the A-pillar.

Overall though I'm happy with it so far. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

As promised, my thoughts so far.

I'll start by saying I love it but it's not perfect

Steering wheel is a lot thinner than the D4 one which I didn't think would be the case as it's straight from the FFRR.

Interior fit and finish feel rock sold no squeaks, creaks or rattles. The one thing I'm not overly impressed with is the aluminium trim finisher, which is plastic and doesn't look like what's in the brochure, ok as a no cost option but not worth £125. Also the armrests are pointless, they are a bit low and just as well using the centre cubby which is at a fine height.

Loving the LED headlights, I thought xenons were good but these are on another level, give a nice crisp white light.

Incontrol system is good, easy to use and in good reach of the driver and so far problem free unlike the Incontrol Pro system, which IMO does too much stuff, messing about with SIM cards, not my thing.

SE spec doesn't benefit from the under cup holder or in fascia storage or a curry hook, which they make a big feature of, having to pay £1.50 delivery for my Lamb Korma and nan the 3rd row storage bins aren't that useful a lot less space than the D4.

Took me a little while to find a comfortable driving position but I put that down to only having the choice of forward or backwards on my D4 finally, I've mastered how to get in without banging my head on the A-Pillar.

Second row seating, I don't have any problems with it, it's lower but from the short periods I've sat in it, I don't find it uncomfortable but time will tell. Third row I haven't tried, it's not something I used on the D4 and don't expect I'll need it on the D5, though access doesn't look as good as the D4.

Tailgate, yes is huge and you have to be mindful when parking, the cat flap, I thought would be a pain but I'm getting along with it so far, sat on it a few times seems sturdy enough and I ain't the lightest person, not as big as the D4s but that's compromise. There is enough space in the boot for my needs but does seem smaller, also seems a bit higher. The buttons in the boot to raise/lower the rear is handy but with auto access height set I haven't really needed to use it.

Overall I'm enjoying it, taking a bit of getting used to but it is a comfortable place to be.

I ain't a reviewer so probably more ramblings than anything. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

npinks wrote:

So you like it then

You know Nick it has to feel right, it just doesn't, all the other LR's I've had, you looked forward to going out, just going for a drive just for the hell of it, but this doesn't, even Sue now looks to get one of her colleagues to pick her up rather than drive it.
Permagrin is no longer whilst I have it.  p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

I'm the opposite, it's reignited my enthusiasm for the brand, just love driving it permagrin is still there for me. This is my 9th LR and I was beginning to wonder whether or not to purchase another, especially with LRs current pricing structure. So the D5 kept me with the brand but very nearly caused me to switch. The problem was, what would I replace the D4 with?

Different strokes for different folkes  21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

What to replace it with will be a problem for me in a few years, unless LR change their policy this will be the last LR, Discovery Sport doesn't excite me, the Velar is a out of my reach. Still I'll let the service plan expire and worry about it then. p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

As Land Rover's march into becoming a successful and profitable manufacturer of urban and suburban road cars continues, I've got the launch of the Velar to attend on Tuesday.

These cars might be a gross distortion of previous Land Rover brand values but, on the positive side, can these be seen as the perfect near direct replacement of some pretty wonderful cars like the Rover P5 and P5B? They'll certainly be sold to a very similar group of customers for sure and their recent photo shoot in, of all place, Canary Wharf really said a lot and their target customers!

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Click image to enlarge

ad210358 wrote:

drive train troubles on the D5 due to towing????

Ad68964690 did you photoshop this picture to exaggerate the bread van look? the rear side window looks massive

and who on the world chose that gastly burgandy for the D5, ?

nice block paving however 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

I've been at the dealers, for a service of the FL2. In the mean time tried the seating in the D5. I'm not impressed.

At least the second row appears to have less legspace once I'm seated comfortably behind the wheel [full rearward position to accomodate my landing gear..].

Our D3 has enough space, even then. The FL2 not, ofcourse.

My children aren't vertically challenged as well, so the inches count. My conclusion is : the D5 is too small for us !

So all of you out there, with children in their -early- teens and a possibility to end up in the 6 to 7 foot range, be ware...

Offcourse this will mainly be an issue for the Netherlands and Scandinavia , or its inhabitants in other countries...  [ Freelander 2 TD4e MY10 Sport manual. SVR badge engineered ] SOLD
& D3 MY06 HSE , many ,many extra's...
& 2011 MiTo 1.4T 135hp Centenario Blue Monte Carlo

What's the supply of used D4's like where you are?

The outlook might not be good, but there shouldn't be any need to have to make do with a D5 just yet

@Tigger. Supply isn't overwhelming. But do not forget, we had a crises here untill a year a go, so as of 2008 not many D3/D4's were sold at all..

The older D1/D2 are in the same graph, so 2004 is a mix and 2009 too.




From these some are also dealer cars, and the vast majority is registered as a van, meaning the inerior behind the front seats is removed and a fiberglass wall is placed.
These are then free of many taxes and the road tax is € 350 per year, not € 3000 as I pay, from my own pocket..

You can see that the LR marker share is on the rise ; mostly Evoque and now DS ; roadtax and CO2 taxes are horrendous..

 [ Freelander 2 TD4e MY10 Sport manual. SVR badge engineered ] SOLD
& D3 MY06 HSE , many ,many extra's...
& 2011 MiTo 1.4T 135hp Centenario Blue Monte Carlo

That's a very thorough answer!

I can see your problem there and I can sympathise with that; we are fortunate as there's s good supply of used D4's, though good recent ones are in much shorter supply than they were when I bought my last one only 6 months ago.

fantastic color, and my first choice on my next LR, I am on the lookout for a HSE LUX / first edition on a 66 plate...
Sadly my local stealer only has one in black.

No rush.

j77 wrote:

Picked my one up on Saturday and so far loving it. It's not everyone ones cup of tea but I've no major gripes with it.

 

I was unsure about the colour initially, having chosen it without seeing it in the flesh but I'm glad I did, looks fantastic in the sunlight. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

I think the D5 looks better with a small plate.
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Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated

I think the metallic orange is a great colour. One think that does set them off is specifying the American spec rear number plate plinth. Not sure why thats denied to us?