Nothing major here, just had a chance this last weekend to get the kayak up on the roof and out to the lake. The Thule carrier is at the limit for how close together the J frames are, but it carried my 15' yak just fine.



It is a bit of a challenge to load and unload it without any assistance, but I can do it and when asked if it is worth it, well you tell me.



Now on to Disco specific stuff. I've been driving the Disco since last October and I've got a few things I do and don't like, I'll quickly bullet them out.

Good:
[ul][*]My dog has plenty of room in the back storage area[*]The Rover itself handles well and the dual sunroofs are really nice for air circulation[*]The AWD is nice for driving to Tahoe in the snow, no locking hubs to deal with[*]Good clearance without being too tall[*]The seating is very comfortable and is actually not bad in the backseat.[*]The overhead cubby areas fore and aft are very handy as well as the consoles on either side in the back.
[/ul]
Bad:
[ul][*]Fuel economy is not a strongpoint, but that's not what I got it for[*]The electronic locks are twitchy, on occasion one won't unlock while the rest do, thankfully it hasn't been the case that one won't lock while the rest do, but then again I don't check my locks everytime I hit the lock button. Maybe I should.[*]The keyfob is large, the ignition cylinder is very close to the dash making it rather awkward to use. I've gotten used to it, but it is a bad design.[*]The gas and brake pedal are terribly close.[*]The valve cover bolts had come loose and need to be tightened all around as oil started to leak out from around them, alas half the bolts are covered by the air intake plenum, requiring its removal before simply tightening the bolts making a 5 minute job a 3 hour ordeal.[*]An ATF leak has developed, at this time I cannot be sure where from because of the oil leak.[*]The steering wheel needs to be in its highest position and the seat all the way back to not be resting on the tops of my legs. Of course, this conceals the lower third of the instrument panel and blocks out view of the buttons on either side of the display.[*]The reciever doesn't stick out far enough so that the spare tire interferes with standard accessories like a bike carrier and motorcycle rack. (I have made an extension to work around this)
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Overall:
It suffers from an exceptionally poor design in several areas and for a vehicle that had only 60k flawlessly maintained miles, I'm really not impressed with its reliability and have some concerns about how the next 60k miles will go.
I'm still generally happy with the Disco, it is a very nice truck, but I do have my gripes.

 

I have a 135k mile disco and never experienced any of your problems, and i've almost rolled mine over but thankfully that tree lent a helping branch.

I get almost 20 miles to the gallon and at 3:60 a gallon, that's great ..

I'm 6'1' and the Disco is def not a RR, it's made to be extremely comfortable, which it is, yet provide the driver with an adequate view of the road and a good sitting position and control of the vehicle.

The sitting position supports proper driving etiquette.

On the oil and tranny leak, that's a sign of 'not proper maint' either on your part or dealerships.

The keyfob is the same size as the one on my durango or suburban (which have cobwebs causeI never driver them)

I'll agree with the ignition switch, it is a bit hard to get too and turn without removing your hand and twisting it again.

Pedals are fine for me, seem to be in a good position for control driving up a hill or even on the highway, I've actually found I respond faster in the Disco than anything else.

Valve cover bolts don't just 'come loose, unless it has 300k miles' they just weren't tightened properly the first time. (Argue all you wish, but I have a 1995 Suburban that has original motor with 305k miles and never had the heads serviced until I blew the motor up 6 months ago, and the valve cover bolts were fine. And i've forgotten to tighten them on a few smaller cars I owned and paid for it by them rattling loose (because they were loose because of me) and boom ...

I have a 2007 Harley and I ride it, so I haven't dealed with carriers.

Only thing i've towed was my 26' Cuddy Cabin and it handles just fine.


I agree, yet I dont ...

Your disco looks great, hope you stick to it.

Great view on the kayak btw

 

I also mostly agree with you as well, and when driving home I realized I definitely overexaggerated the 1/3 of the console being blocked by the steering wheel, as it is in fact really just the bottom row of lights and the odometer as well as the lower side buttons, though those lights are certainly important. I'm 5'11", 215 and I sit upright, just slightly reclined and honestly the seating position and view are excellent and I'm really not sure what they realistically could have done about the steering wheel, but it really is pretty low.

You've definitely got to share the secret behind how you're getting 20mpg out of a 16mpg vehicle, I'd love to make whatever change it is you've done.

As far as the oil leak, it is definitely a service issue. The Rover has seen every single 7500mi service at the dealer while under warantee and at a British Rover shop since. The leaking valve covers were explained to me as exceptionally common and could have been avoided with a little lock-tite at the factory, cest la vie. Even that is really no big deal, my gripe is the air intake plenum design which obscures several normally easy to repair items like the plug wires for example which are a 5 minute job on either of my Jeeps or my wife's BMW.

Complaints aside, I'm still a fan, I wanted one of these trucks for many years and in spite of her issues, I'm glad to have her. She's like dating an LA girl though.

 

Exactly ! High Maint but you could ride her for hours ! haha

 

I agree with you on some of the design issues. But I will admit, at 6' 4", I actaully like the position of the steering wheel and seat. I like to feel comfortably cocooned in the drivers seat and the disco is perfect. But I think at first i didn't like it because it was VERY different than getting into a suburban drivers seat, which I now don't like. For some having the steering wheel in your lap is uncomfortable but I have grown to like it, especially off road. For me the worst thing is the window, it is WAY to low for me and if I am in line first at a stop light I have to bend over to see it.

As for the pedals, they are close, but off road I love that because there are certain areas where I drive with two feet and that position is the best I have seen. As for on road, like kraelo, I feel I have a much faster response time in the disco. You gotta love the little things about a disco, some you love some you hate!

Yours looks awesome, I think its the best truck you can have for water sports, biking, hiking, and all other outdoor rec stuff. It looks official! You could make it last forever if you keep it up. Good luck, always post pics from your adventures, you seem to be pretty good with cameras!