and if you drive them like a sports car, or even just as a car, i guarantee you will have a hefty maintanence and repair bill in less then a years time.

 

25,000 mile brake rebuilds!!!!

 

My truck go's from 0-60 in 12 min flat!!

 

mine goes 0-55 if you throw it out of the back of an airplane, then the mass pulls the earth towards the plummeting disco and cancels out the last 5mph in freefall terminal velocity.

 

That is funny right there I don't care who you are!!!

 

Hello guys! And thanks for all the replies

It appears as if my information was wrong- the 0-60 times are indeed between 6.9 -7.2.

I drove one today, and while I didn't test this, I certainly believe it. I can't believe how powerful and fast they are. I never expected the response. I believe the fastest I ever went was on a snowmobile, when I went 0-140mph in a big hurry, on ice, with a studded track. The whole time I accelerated, I felt this sickening "Am I still in control!?" feeling. The LR4 definitely touched that same nerve for me today.

Phil, the dash cluster definitely has a big computer screen in the middle, but the tach and speed-o-meeter gauge are still physical: http://images.gtcarlot.com/pictures/40389696.jpg

I got to look at a nice '08 LR3 with 14k miles today in addition to the LR4, and I definitely like the LR4 console arrangement and console panel more.

It is disappointing to hear that the seats have become wider to accommodate our widening American bodies. How much wider are they? For curiosity's sake, I will measure it when I take my wife in for a drive. I will say, I didn't notice that the seats were any wider. The console appeared to be a couple inches wider... and the doors are absolutely an inch or two wider (they have a full elbow rest). Since the LR4 is just 5 inches wider than the D2, I'm not sure how much wider the seats could be. The inside adjustable elbow rests are identical to those on the D2, so I figured they were the same exact seat.

Regarding vehicles getting bigger- I actually always used to think the LR3/4 didn't sit up high enough. My tastes have obviously changed though, because now I find the vehicle very sexuh

They sure are less rugged looking, regardless of their capabilities (which I know little about still, after 3 months of reading etc). I appreciate the beauty and dignity the interior has. I appreciate it deeply, on several levels.

But there's something incredible about the D2 that I'll miss. The balance of capability and refinement was a BIT heavy on the capability scale. And, I like that. Nice clothes look the best on a shredded body. I reckon that principal applies to vehicles as well.

And finally, after driving the LR4 around for 25 minutes, I was delighted to get back into my D2 and realize that it DIDN'T feel out-classed, or out of date. And even though my D2 could never trip my "am I still in control?!" alarm, I drive the sum-bizatch like it's a porch (and YES, my God, you should see how fast I go through front-brakes. The wheels are constantly black with soot!).

Over & Out, boys! I'll keep you up to date. If I buy anything, it won't happen until 2 weeks from now.

Pat

 

Pat --

I'm not trying to be a smart aleck on this issue, but have you considered keeping your Discovery and buying a sports car instead? It looks like you like speed (as many of us on this forum do), but a 5,000lb vehicle isn't going to give you near the performance of something actually designed for it. Sloppy Joe has his Ferrari 308 (328? can't remember from the sig.), I think someone out there has a modified Audi S4, and I have a modified Lancer Evo. These are cars that will provide a handling experience unlike anything you can achieve in any SUV (and not in a spooky sense, either). There are sports cars of all kinds, from the 2-seater variants to practical (seriously) 4 doors like the S4/Evo/WRX STI. Depending upon whether new or used, these can be had anywhere from $10K to $40ish, so if you're considering a LR4 they're well within your budget.

Anyway, just my $0.02 worth...

RedAustinIX

 

thats a winning post right there!!!

exactly right. you buy the right tool for the job. you dont use a hammer to do brain surgery and you dont use a scalpel to hammer nails. you have the money in the budget for something small and sporty that will deliver some thrills. hell you can buy a super well taken care of M3 that is 5 years old and drive the ever loving **** out of it and get the thrills you want in a high end sports coupe and still have a DII on tap.

my 308 is a summertime sports car for sunny day drives and some fun mixed in. my ducati is for when i want to enjoy the air and scare the **** out of myself and the DII is my utility rig. it gets me and my dog to the snow for fun and shooting. goes into the mountains in the summer and takes me and my wife to and from. and i even like driving it.

point is you and other people buy a SUV and think the 0-60 times and HP ratings really mean something, when in fact they do not. there is no sense in having the power of a high end sports car if the truck cant move and shake like one. let alone stop like one as well.

take a few moments and think about cars you really like., 911's, BMW's, corvette's, etc. you have the money to buy something that is really really fun to drive and not break over $40k in the process. AND you get to keep your DII.

 

Hello guys!

Thanks for the awesome posts. I have put lots of thought into what cars to buy, and a Defender+Audi TT 3.2 Quattro makes a lot more sense than a Discovery that is driven hard.

And, both of your guys' suggestions really do make perfect sense.

However, there are a couple reasons why that's not practical for me:

1) The biggest (most imminent) reason I can't have a "stable" yet, is because my wife and I are very mobile. We no longer own a home, and we move around a lot. I have lived in 4 states in the last year, as far west as Colorado, and as far east as Michigan. Even though we live lean, we have exactly two 6x12 U-Haul trailer's worth of stuff. There are other options, like hiring a moving service, but we prefer self-reliance. Plus, it's funner. 2 vehicles is our limit, and they both must be able to tow their weight, plus an extra 4,000lbs. The D2s, even the 2000 with the "little" 4 liter, kicks butt at that.

2) More personally, it's not what I prefer. I don't drive "hard" enough to warrant a sports car, and I don't off-road enough to warrant a Defender. In fact, I barely off-road at all.

My D2s are like my GLOCK 26, which is, as usual, in my belt. I don't put myself in positions that will require its use, but it's there if I need it. That's where I draw my value from the Land Rover. It's a comfortable, refined vehicle, every bit as reliable as a Toyota (when you take care of 'em like we do), and yet it could bail me out of a good number of situations.

When I saw "drive it like a Porsche", what I mean to say is I drive it how _I_ would drive a porsche: I love getting into it on entrance ramps, and cruise on the freeway at 80, but that's about it. I don't corner hard, or even stop hard really (I generally time my stops so that Drive->3rd-> coast puts me on the line). I think by most standards (certainly those of the typical Chevy malibu or silverado driver), I baby my rigs.

So, I'm a pretty tame driver, but I love to drive, and I want ONE vehicle that can suit all my needs. Perhaps the G55 could do the same thing, but I like how high-tech the LR4 has become. And, even though it's unorthadox, I like the independent suspension all the way around.

And, I've gotten over the 110" wheel base. Even though we accept 100" as 'the norm', there are millions who say 80 inches is the rule, and everything else is posing.

I'm loving this conversation though, lads. Please keep the thoughts coming,

D2F

 

I kept my Audi when I bought the rover. I still like the handling of the Audi which is track prep'd and I use it for instructor events with the Quattro club. But I liked the convience and utility of the rover. I decided to build a 3 car garage on the new house, but I overlooked 1 important point. A lifted rover doesn't fit in a standard height garage . Oh well I guess she will have to live with the rover parked in front of the garage.

The other option to look at is the Porsche cayenne. It can tow your required 4000#, they handle quite well and can handle some light off road.