Unfortunately somebody pulled out in front of me and my D2 is almost certainly going to be totaled. I really loved it and after seeing how it/I ended up vs the other person and car I’m looking at replacing it with a LR4. Are there any years I should be on the lookout for and what features are useful to have?

 

Sorry to hear about your D2 but glad it looked after you.
The youngest LR4s are now almost 6 YO. Reading through various threads you'll see that the 5.0 V8 and the 3.0 SCV6 all have their issues, being timing chains, coolant crossover pipes that need replacing (hard to get to). The 5L V8 is the only Discovery/LR3 or 4 engine I've never owned so can't speak to what it's like, but these vehicles will be older and (I think) won't have the 8 speed ZF transmission that the SCV6 has. I have a 2016 SCV6, and whilst it sounds like a bag of spanners, I like the engin well enough (though much preferred the 4.4V8 for its notes). A late model 2016 should have all the bells and whilstles; note that when you're looking the HD pack is the only one that gives you the transfer box and the rear diff lock - you can ID the HD pack by checking for a full size spare, but a better way is to look for the locker on the rear diff by peering over the rear axle.

The ZF8 speed box is excellent and good enough reason to splurge on a late model LR4. The Landmark is the top of the range and will come with far better seats than the HSE. Ultimately, I'd recommend buying on condition and history. There should be no corrosion and a good LRSH. I searched for almost 12 months to find my LR4 (one of the last 2K built it turned out after I got it). It was $$$ though.

 

If you’re shopping online, it’s sometimes hard to check these things. But you can look at the interior pics and watch for the high/low range button on the center counsel. If the car doesn’t have HD, the button will be blanked out.

 

A lot of folks try for a 2013 which gets you the V8 and the updated electronics. I opted for the 2016 because it'll see about 10k miles a year and I so age was somewhat important to me.

The quote above is good for identifying the HD pack for the 2010-2013. For 2014-2016 it is considerably easier. If the terrain management has five options it'll have the 2 speed transfer case and the rear locker. The fifth option, rock crawl. It's a pretty capable rig without the rear locker, but that 2 speed transfer case can be helpful.

I'll echo the above advice about get one that has good history. I bought mine across country sight unseen because it checked pretty much all the boxes, and had been maintained under a service agreement at the local JLR Dealer.

A note on oil changes. If the oil change history is available through carfax, and it has been serviced at the JLR Dealer the changes can be up to every 15k miles. That's normal. If the changes are recorded from any other location I would expect to see them every 5-7.5k miles. This is due to the Land Rover dealership using their pretty much proprietary oil spec. Other places, and DIY guys, likely can't get or won't want to offer ($$$) a properly spec'd oil change.

Loving mine, so far so good. Only thing that that needed attention was the transfer case heat shield bracket, which is notorious for cracking at the attachment point and rattles at low RPMs. Not anything mechanically important, and not a hard fix.

Good Luck!

 

It seems like the biggest difference is the V8 on the older ones vs the SC V6 on the nearer ones? Any major differences with that?

 

It's not quite that simple but that's a start. I'll see.if I can keep it somewhat clear. Aside from the engine, my opinion of the major changes go as follows (some of these matter more to some then others,.there might be more that I don't note that just didn't matter to me).

2010-2013
V8
stick gear selector
All had rock crawl mode
All had two speed transfer caseFew had locking rear differential and it's kind of hard to tell
2013
Tech update. I haven't sat in a 2010-2012 but I hear their screen controls, nav, etc..., are much slower.

2014-2016
Supercharged V6Dial gear selector with paddle shiftersStandard single speed transfer caseIf it has rock crawl mode option it will also have two speed transfer case rear locker, and full sized spare.
Tech the same as 2013 but better then the 2010-2012

They pretty much all share similar known issues, control arms, crossover pipes, water pumps, etc...
The 2010-2012 seem to have had more issues with the timing chains but those should have all been swapped out by now.

Good luck and happy hunting!

 

Two additional differences I’ll add: (1) The earlier models had the 6-speed transmission, which went to an 8 speed (ZF8) in the later models (as I think pagoda mentioned above). I believe the switch was in 2013, but not certain; (2) HD package also gives you a different center diff - auto locking diff without HD, torsion limited slip without HD.

I think the OP was also looking for insight on the differences that the SCV6 engine brings compared to the V8. You lose a little HP and torque, and it’s a noisy bugger, but the SCV6 is otherwise not a bad engine. The SC and charge air cooler sits right on top, so it makes it more difficult to service the top end of the engine: coolant lines and fuel lines need to be disconnected, a ton of sensors disconnected, and the whole assembly unbolted and lifted off. Also, I’ve heard the intercooler has its own small radiator that sits in front of the main radiator (I haven’t actually laid eyes on this myself as I’ve not had the front bumper off). This apparently creates a problem for some winch mount designs. Otherwise, the two engines are pretty similar.

 

With the VIN a cooperative owner and dealer can provide you with a complete spec sheet on the LR4 you're interested in.

 

Thank you everyone, very helpful info. When looking at pictures online, do the 2010-2013 LUX have the different badge on the back like the newer ones do or just the standard HSE?

 

I don't know about the badges but if you are trying to confirm a LUX the easiest way might be just looking at a pic of the seats. Non-LUX models have the double seam that goes all the way through, front to back, on the seat cushion. The LUX model seam only goes roughly 2/3 they way through across the seat cushion. The "thigh most" portion of the seat is a single piece with no seam down the center. Hope that makes sense?