I have owned many large, spacious and comfortable vehicles; both 4x4s and cars (Mitsibishi Shoguns, Mercedes...). However, now on my second Discovery (a '52 Reg' TD5 GS) I can safely say that the Land Rover has blitzed the others. It offers a unique blend of ruggedness and comfort without sacrificing luxury. When I bought my first Discovery, again a TD5 back in 2000, friends of mine were sceptical of my choice of Diesel over the V8 petrol. However, when they experienced the smoothness and adequacy of the Turbocharged 5-cylinder unit they quickly congratulated me on my choice. Also in terms of MPG the TD5 offers around 25-30 compared to the horrific consumption of the V8. Indeed it is the coupling of the engine and drivetrain which ultimately makes the Disco TD5, the abundance of torque is after all fundamental to any 4x4 especially ...
Advantages: 4 wheel drive with lowering prices Disadvantages: A little soft on cornering
If you have the money to spare and are looking for a car that has Looks - Style - Comfort - Reliability and a real name that's had a good following over the years, I would highly recommend the Land rover Discovery.
The biggest asset at the moment is that the price throughout the range has been reduced dramatically due to the recent changes in importation and dealership, and if you shop around you really can pick up an excellent deal, Even Secondhand.
With the TD5 ( Turbo Diesel ), you get real quality even with the earlier models. The only drawback with the earlier ones is that the ride tends to be a bit bumpy, but having said that the early models are more economical to run in general averaging 30 - 35 MPG.
The more recent models ( I.E 1997 Onward ) usually run at around 25 - 30 MPG, But obviously they are much more luxurious ...
Advantages: Good driving position, reliability, capacity Disadvantages: MPG, rust, gearbox
I recently bought a 1990 (G) 2.5TDI Land Rover Discovery and have been really impressed with the overall package so far. First of all the driving position is fantastic, you cannot get any better than being up high and being able to see everywhere, the 360 degree visiblity is also very good.
The only part that is difficult is getting used to how they steer, the linkages are different to most cars so you can't make frequent, tiny adjustments or you can get a small wobble on. However drive one for an hour and you will master this. Don't go on a motorway straight away like me and then learn there!
My Disco has done 140, 000 miles, the inside of the car isn't fantastic but it is still clean and once I'd polished it up it looks suprisingly good. The outside has minor marks such as paint bubbles on the rear arches but this is ...
![River Is Wide, The [Remastered] - Forum (The)](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/251/prod_small-6006251.jpg)
