I was reading a Land Rover book yesterday by Dave Pollard and he described multiple times in different places in the book (different chapters) that the 2003 saw the return of the center locking differential. As far as I am understanding, from what I've read, the 03 in the U.S. didn't come with the CDL ....is that correct? Was it offered as an 'option', or standard on 7 seaters..... or was it available on the UK versions? It didn't seem like something he reading from specs.

Thanks in advance

 

was not an option on NAS 03's

 

It was standard on a few... they were called Treks.

 

Here's a UK 03 Disco TD5 ad I just ran across which indicates it has a CDL.. so not sure what's going on.. Maybe available on diesels??

http://www.buyyourcar.co.uk/used-car...90881872015102

 

I'm kind of answering my own question here, but doing a little research (should have done more of that first I guess), here is something from a site I just read:


Locking Center Differential:

A center all-wheel-drive differential always allows some slippage so front and rear driveshafts can turn at different speeds when needed during normal driving. To “lock” a center differential means to literally lock the front and rear driveshafts together, forcing them to rotate at the same speed sending equal power to the front and rear axles. This feature is invaluable for getting out of deep mud or snow where a non-locking center diff would allow wheelspin infinitum.

To save production costs, BMW bosses took some shortcuts on this item. While locking center diffs were still fitted to 1999 to early ’01 Discoverys, the in-cabin lever to operate it was left off the vehicle. BMW studies showed Land Rover was losing money when they bought the brand in the mid-1990s, and that drivers in their target expansion market (United States) never took their SUVs off road. So to save production cost on each vehicle, the shift lever assembly was removed. However, even though the lever to activate the locking diff was gone, it can still be switched on by climbing underneath the vehicle and using a wrench to turn a nut on top of the transfer case 90 degrees

In the middle of model-year ’01 through 2003, they went a step further and removed the locking differential altogether since the shift lever was missing anyway.

While the electronic braking systems worked very effectively, they did not offer the same level of control and smooth operation as vehicles fitted with the diff lock. Customer demand finally led Land Rover management to reinstate the locking differential on 2004 models and for the first time on a Discovery II, install an actual lever to operate it. So ‘04s were the only model year with this feature in full equipped standard on every vehicle, increasing their value to off-roaders and hard core fanatics alike.

from this site:
http://www.classiccarstodayonline.co...n-classic-suv/