I love my old 2003 Discovery 2. She's been a real beast and despite a lot of wrenching, poor paint and plastic, I still enjoy driving her around our island roads. I am considering a future upgrade to a 2010-12 LR4 (V8) and wondering if any of you have any experience or advice regarding the transition. My D2 only has 93k and I've fixed most all mechanical issues, so in theory she should last another 5 years, but driving something without all the plastic exterior pieces (a-pillars) cracked and missing, and the paint not faded and peeled, would be nice. Can't see spending $1500 on a paint job when I could put that toward a newer rig.

Interested in any thoughts you LR4 guys might have.

Thanks,
Scott.

 

I made this exact switch last year, bought myself a 2011 LR4 HD for valentines day.

Short answer the LR4 blows the D2 out of the water in every aspect.

Long answer. There are things I miss about the D2. Some ease of maintenance mostly getting used to a new platform and losing the confidence I had with the D2, also less fear of scratches, dings, off road damage. Having the LR4's 5.0 V8 is an unbelievable improvement. Even test driving the LR3 up mountain roads I was impressed, but the LR4 is extremely powerful, I don't think I could go back to the slow D2. Passenger comfort is another major improvement. And I'm surprised how well it's done off road.

Things that bit me when I bought mine. The rear door actuator fails in seemingly every LR3/LR4, read about the preventative fixes, so that you don't have to force out the rear tailgate panel with the door closed. Also keep an eye out for rust with running boards/rock sliders. I had to remove and ditch my rock sliders because there was just so much rust. I spent a weekend cleaning up and painting the underside of the LR4. Another surprise I've had is brake wear, I just went through a set of brake pads in about 6 months, 10k miles. Same pad brand I used on the disco, this car is much heavier, and wears through pads. I will have to buy more expensive pads this time around.

Overall I'm thrilled with my purchase. I've got 130k miles, and I anticipate very few big ticket items , Transmission fluid, filter, and Mechatronics sleeve replacement, for preventative reasons. And eventually I expect the air suspension to need work.
I was lucky to get mine right after someone had done the timing chain and chain guides, which is one of the biggest risks for higher mileage LR4s. That would be my last work of caution.

 

Thanks John. This is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for. I still love my LRD2 but know that an LR4 is probably in my future. Finding a light color one with reasonable miles and service history, at the right price, will be my challenge. I keep an 07 Jag XK up on the mainland and maybe I can work out a partial trade with someone in the future.

My concerns are future maintenance and how the plastics will hold up longer term. Down here with sun and 85 all year round, and overgrown roads, we don't worry so much about cosmetics so a scratch or dent is no big deal. Most of our driving is under 40mph but we have some hills and the occasional long stretch so the added power is going to be nice. We only do about 3-4k miles per year so even picking up a well maintained one with 110k still easily gives me probably 10+ good years - with regular maintenance.

My alternative to the LR4 would be something like a Nissan Xterra from the 2012-16 era. We have an 05 Frontier (Nismo) that has been awesome since day one, so another 4 liter v6 full frame 4wd would be easy to maintain. My wife prefers the truck for switch on the fly 4wd, rather than the AWD on the LRD2, as part of our driveway is pretty rough and we don't have the CDL option. But I would like the added comfort and visibility of the LR4 for sure. Of course she may then claim it but on the flip side I'd get my truck back!

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

Subscribed to the thread. Will keep my D2 as a hobby car, as it is paid for and drives well. However, want to get something more civil. Heard that going with V6 supercharged is a better option due to the lack of the timing chain issues.

 

I've gone from a 2004 D2 to a 2006 LR3 and just purchased a 2015 LR4...we are pretty much hooked on these things despite some of their quirks. We loved the D2 but the LR3 was a very good step up in power, reliability, drive-ability. The 2015 LR4 is even more of a step up from the LR3. LR4 just seems so much more smooth in every respect. We have also been loving the updated interior, infotainment, etc.

I'd say go for it. Just have it inspected and keep a good $2,000 around for unexpected repairs.

 

Just sold my ‘04 D2 with 90K mi for $14,750 and upgraded to a ‘13 LR4 V8 with 41K mi for $21,900 and it came with 2 years left of an extended warranty.

WHAT I LIKE
Jag V8!
Pillowy air suspension
MUCH less overheating issues
More refined interior
Less maintenance issues overall
Split tail gate

WHAT I MISS
Iconic D2 styling
Quality of the leather
You can “feel” when something’s wrong
Easier maintenance
Rear entry for 3d row

Very pleased with the switch overall. Already used the warranty to replace LCAs, so that’s good peace of mind. My recommendation is take your time, inspect potentials, and get a low mileage V8. These are selling for far more than the newer, more plentiful SCV6, but if you’re patient...