Found this video online with a straight piped V8. Seems to flounder a bit ... Does a TD5 have more speed than a V8?

 

Don't think this driver represents off road driving skills very well. Looks like a newbie, a lot of indecision on his part. As far as gas vs diesel, two totally different animals. One's got a lot at the top and one has a lot at the bottom. Plus, these guys from Turkey have some pretty built rigs...so...how can you talk "apples to apples" ...when everything they are driving is modify.

 

Since I am in the land of Td5s, I thoroughly prefer my V8.
There are way more mod options for a Td5. Especially remapping the ECU with 4 different stages that will make the diesel engine go from turtle to having a rocket on a turtle. https://stormtuning.com/
I've raced a few remapped Td5s in my V8 and only the remapped Disco 2s I couldn't beat were the ones with manual transmission vs my automatic.

 

The TD5 will go forever on a tank of fuel and has way more bottom end grunt, but they are not speed demons. I would have preferred a TD5 simply for better range and durability - but when diesel engines go south it can get expensive fast

 

I wonder if the turbo at elevation makes the td5 and v8 a more even comparison as I lose a ton of power here in Denver vs even the mountains in VA.

 

Yeah, a turbo diesel will not lose power at altitude. Still, the V8 starts with a lot more power so probably equals out. Probably no comparison to an LS though.

 

No comparison power wise to an LS I'm sure but the fuel economy boost would at least make the cost of a swap more appealing. A LS wouldn't get a huge boost there but the power increase is appealing. Normally I don't care about mpg at all but after a 3000+ mile road trip in the D2 getting 10 or less was kind of miserable and the car is so comfortable it's a bit of a shame.

 

I for one would love to drive a tuned TD5 model just to see how it feels compared to the V8. I don't think I'd ever go to diesel for my Disco engine of choice though - I'm happy enough with the LS mpg around 15 and plenty of off-the-line power ... and the sound. Although I do wonder if the newer 2.8 / 3.0 Duramax or one of the Ford diesels would be a good diesel swap candidate down the line.

 

People buy a diesel not for power, but for fuel economy. Especially if diesel is cheaper than gas due to different taxation. Add much higher taxes on top of that (double the price at the pump in most European countries compared to the US) and only a few can afford a car with less than 20mpg. Diesels are also easier to drive with a manual transmission because they do not stall that easily compared to a gas engines.

 

Eh, depends. My Duramax probably cost as much to drive as a comparable gas truck but there was no comparison on power. Diesel fuel in the US is more expensive than gas, gas trucks get pretty good mileage these days. I rented a F150 for a trip down to SC last month and got 22MPG driving 80 mph - impressive. But that Duramax would pull 5000 lbs like is wasn't there, it could light up 285's like a dragster (I did have a 150hp tune). Honestly I think LR missed the mark with the too small TD5, something more like the 4.4 VW diesel would have been great. Towed my boat to the lake once with my buddies diesel X5, got like 27 mpg pulling 5000 lbs with 450ft-lbs of torque.