New Discovery Owner (July 7th)
 

I'm a current 2009 VW Touareg TDI owner.
My vehicle is being bought back for a fair amount of money from VW.
The Touareg has been a great vehicle for me and I have loved owning it but VW is offering me a significant amount more than I could ever sell it for. I was disappointed having to give it back to VW because I felt that I really couldn't find an equivalent replacement vehicle with a diesel engine...

Until I visited the LA Auto show on Thanksgiving day. I remember really excited to see the new ZR2 Colorado diesel but was very disappointed when I sat in it and discovered there are very few options available for it like no sunroof.

Then came the Land Rover section and needless to say I fell in love with the new discovery it was everything I could have wanted (diesel engine, 7 seater, air suspension, over 7,000 lbs towing package and a low range transfer case) and more but it did have a hefty price tag fully equipt.

Anyway I pre-ordered one once the VW buyback was confirmed and the delivery date is set for July 7th.

I am curious if anybody has taken delivery of a new discovery yet?

Also I am very curious as to the difference between the Discovery and the Range Rover Sport it seems all the same options are available... is it just the looks really?

Anyway obviously I'm excited I get to use words like the boot and I get to say cheers plus I get to join the land rover clubs and I hope visit the LR Experience Center!

Cheers,
Erik

Welcome Erik, you are one of the first to order a new Discovery.

To answer your question, LR is doing what everyone else is doing (Especially Audi & MB) by making their vehicles look similar, just in different sizes. The Discovery is basically a bigger RR Sport. Unless you get a RR Sport with the SC V8. That is more like a Cayenne than a Discovery.

And at least now we know who is going to buy the new Discovery. We knew it wasn't going to be LR4 owners.

Perfect 1st & 2nd Gen Touareg TDI replacement.

There are not many options if you want a seven seater, 2 speed xfer case and a diesel engine!

also for me I wanted full-time 4wd (not auto) and towing capacity over 7,000 lbs like my Touareg.

Also a former Touareg TDI owner. Loved the car. Had a 2004 which was a nightmare but bought a 2012 and it has been bulletproof. 2004 was the first year though, so that is making me nervous about the new Discovery. It's really the only diesel option, now that Mercedes, BMW and Jeep have all stopped selling diesels too. The dealers all say it is VW's fault making people nervous about diesels in general. Unfortunate. Anyway, how nervous should I be about a new model from Land Rover? I have 3 Lotus's so am used to unreliable British cars, but hoping this is much better. Any thoughts?

The new Discovery is basically a larger Range Rover Sport. Hopefully the first year issues are minimal. The engine and transmission have been used since 2014 and are very reliable. Our LR3 had many issues but the dealer always knew how to fix them on one attempt. Nice to have loaner cars available too.

Congrats, can't wait to see it.

Thanks, Paul. I spent yesterday doing research on TrueDelta and the US News and World Report sites looking for repair record stuff and have decided I don't want the air suspension due to reliability complaints. Also talked to a colleague who has. Had both an LR3 and LR4 and loves them, only complaint being 12mpg, and goes through brakes. So I researched brakes and they aren't much different from Touareg ones I've done myself so not an issue. And the diesel Discovery should be similar to the VW TDI which has been 22 around town and 28 on our 1200 mile one day drives from Chicago to Wyoming to our vacation home. The 2004 gas V8 Touareg got single digits when towing but the TDI got 16-18 so hoping that is the same too. Been contacting dealers for pricing and they aren't dealing much because it is so new. Checking out a candidate today and may have one shortly!

If you beat me to it please share and send pictures... there are no actual owner reviews on the Internet (that I can find) just tons of press reviews!!!

I believe the diesel engine is sourced from Ford? and has been in use in Europe for a while. I think I read somewhere Ford is bringing that engine to their F150 and SUV lineup in the near future. That made me feel better about the engine to be honest.

Also yes it being the first year bothers me a bit but with the lack of choices and the perfect timing in line with my Touareg buyback I'm just gonna have to do it. I hope being that it is so similar to the other vehicles they have already produced they will have got it right the first time.

I may consider a short lease with option just in-case we'll see...

and I was told to expect to pay full MSRP being that it is new so we'll see but I'd be curious if you are able to get any discount... please let us know!

I currently have an LR3 as my daily driver and about 16 months ago wanted to trade in my VW CC so the choice was between the Discovery Sport and the Touareg. Based on VW service vs the LR service dept. I picked the Touareg, it's a 2016 and really a nice vehicle but it just doesn't have the solid feel to me the Rover has. Looking at reviews for the Discovery sport I'm glad I went with the VW. But, I still am thinking about trading the Touareg for a Disco 5. I need to drive one I guess, and I'm also like a couple of you all, waiting to see how the reliability is compared to the Disco Sport.

I don't believe the RR Sport can't be ordered with a locking rear diff, whereas the D5 can.

I ordered mine at the end of January, and was originally told end of May for delivery. It's now pushed back to August.

Well I've had the new diesel Discovery for about a month now. Initial thoughts and comparisons to the Touareg TDI:

Fuel mileage is the same or better than the Touareg. Got 31 on a trip from Chicago to Nashville. Getting 21-23 around Chicago. Will be towing a 6k pound trailer to Wyoming in a couple of weeks so will see how it does

Feels significantly bigger than the Touareg but in measurements it isn't as much bigger as it feels. Think that's largely due to the more boxy shape, and the height. And you see the hood, which you don't as much on the TDI. It's mostly aluminum and only 200 pounds heavier than the Touareg. Feels just as torquey and powerful.

Has more initial bugs than the 2012 Touareg, but not as many as the 2004. I expected that, since it is a first year car, and its British. I have other British fun cars and always liked them. They have more personality but less reliability historically, but that's changing. I took it in last week for the first round of bugs, the worst of which is occasional serious engine miss. The dealer was able to duplicate it and says it is happening on another one so they are talking to the factory. The CD loader doesn't eject. (CD player, but it is only really there to load CDs to the hard drive). The center console tray is broken.

The onboard connectivity is via ATT cell and supports 3GB per month. All included with no monthly fee for the first 4 years. Plenty for all the live stuff like traffic and fuel prices. Also has Trip Advisor for locations you select and does a Google Street view-style view of locations as you arrive, or you can view maps as satellite view.

Connectivity has been spotty or takes a while to connect though, even in the Chicago area. We hop in the car to take off and it can be a few minutes before we can check traffic.

The app software is what I would call Alpha quality. All the App Store reviews are terrible. Remote start has worked only once so far, and it continually says the car is unlocked when it isn't. As a former software developer, this doesn't bother me as software can be fixed over the air and the car isn't out of service. There is already an update which I haven't tested yet and I'll have fun being an early Beta tester and bugging them. If they don't get it all fixed by winter then I'm sure myself and others will be screaming.

And weirdly, even though ATT supplies the in-car service, the app is incompatible with an email address of att.net! Took the dealer an hour to figure that out, buried in some fine print.

Many cool features we like. Awesome storage and cubbyholes. Really good A/C because you can choose how it runs. We have it on Soft and you can't even hear it but it works fine. One hot day I did try Powerful but too much for Chicago. But should be good for places that are really hot. Have the 12 way seats not the 16 way and 12 is plenty. Love the front camera which reads road signs and displays them on the dash. (If it can't find a speed limit sign it then pulls it from the nav database. ). The trailer hitch area is better laid out. Has both 7 and 4 way plugs, easy to access. No crawling on the ground or feeling around blindly to plug in the power as on the TDI. Love the ability to drop the rear headrests to see out the back better by just hitting an option on the screen. I have yet to figure out the use case for being able to raise and lower the rear seats from my phone. I guess I could freak out the mechanics at the dealer by playing with them from my couch as they try to work on the car. Or if my daughter borrows the car and I see the rear seats go down, I could raise them again. Grin

There are tons of cool technology features I'm slowly figuring out. Doesn't support CarPlay or Android Auto but has their own phone app integration method for Spotify or whatever but haven't tried that yet. Seems to have all the high priority technology stuff. (My career has been in advanced vehicle electronics, especially safety, and that was a priority)

Didn't get the exact set of options I wanted but I searched within 500 miles and only found a couple and no one was willing to deal. Didn't want air suspension due to concerns about reliability, but this one had it. Although it may be fun to try roads in Wyoming that I couldn't do in the VW due to clearance. It also has 3rd row seats which we don't need but oh well. And I wanted the more advanced 4 wheel drive with lockable differentials but we will see if I really need that or not. There are a number of settings for Ice, Mud, Ruts, etc. I'm trying to find out what they actually do so if anyone finds out, please post it! I asked them what setting do I use on a muddy, icy road with deep ruts as we have in Wyoming and they didn't know.

Feels much classier inside than the Touareg Lux. Higher grade materials, softer leather. But, I really liked the double sun visors on the TDI, so you can one in front and the other one the side at the same time. Really miss that already. Such a pain when on a curvy road driving into the sun and having to flip the visor back and forth.

Something like 6 or 7 USB power plugs throughout the car. The one in the console though automatically connects the phone to the car electronics which I don't always want so I end up using one from the back of the console which just charges. And a nice touch -- a tray to put phones in in the console with space for the charge cord. The TDI console lid would pinch the cord.

Kicking to open the tailgate is nice. But the backup warning system is fooled by a bike carrier. Loud warning tones whenever you back up. The blind side backup warning is excellent. Even when you can't see anything in the image, if something is approaching from the side, it warns.

Has an actual spare tire, which is becoming rare these days. Good in our case, since we are often in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming and a space saver spare wouldn't survive if we had a flat. Some vehicles we looked at (Mercedes?) don't even have that and their answer is "just call emergency Mercedes roadside service". Really? From the middle of nowhere with no cell service?

The windshield has a heat shielding component in it which interferes with GPS and toll tags. I knew this before since dashboard products I've been responsible for developing always have issues with Land Rovers, among other cars. There are special places at the top of the windshield for toll tags, but my phone and GPS devices sometimes get lost. They work in clear sky, but any other interference such as rainstorms, trees or urban canyons can make you lose location. Doesn't matter for navigation since the in vehicle one is pretty decent, with the ability to send destinations from your phone to the car easily. The navigation itself though, sure has a bias for major roads. The quickest way between Chicago and Nashville is US 41, which Waze and others find. This nav system kept trying to take us off that and go an extra 60 to 100 miles farther to take I65 or I57.

All in all, very happy with the car so far. Hoping it ends up being as great as the TDI was over time. Purchased extended warranty coverage for the TDI for around $2k from the dealer and never used it. For the Discovery, it would be over $5k but going to wait and see how it goes.

Well I've had the new diesel Discovery for about a month now. Initial thoughts and comparisons to the Touareg TDI:

Fuel mileage is the same or better than the Touareg. Got 31 on a trip from Chicago to Nashville. Getting 21-23 around Chicago. Will be towing a 6k pound trailer to Wyoming in a couple of weeks so will see how it does

Feels significantly bigger than the Touareg but in measurements it isn't as much bigger as it feels. Think that's largely due to the more boxy shape, and the height. And you see the hood, which you don't as much on the TDI. It's mostly aluminum and only 200 pounds heavier than the Touareg. Feels just as torquey and powerful.

Has more initial bugs than the 2012 Touareg, but not as many as the 2004. I expected that, since it is a first year car, and its British. I have other British fun cars and always liked them. They have more personality but less reliability historically, but that's changing. I took it in last week for the first round of bugs, the worst of which is occasional serious engine miss. The dealer was able to duplicate it and says it is happening on another one so they are talking to the factory. The CD loader doesn't eject. (CD player, but it is only really there to load CDs to the hard drive). The center console tray is broken.

The onboard connectivity is via ATT cell and supports 3GB per month. All included with no monthly fee for the first 4 years. Plenty for all the live stuff like traffic and fuel prices. Also has Trip Advisor for locations you select and does a Google Street view-style view of locations as you arrive, or you can view maps as satellite view.

Connectivity has been spotty or takes a while to connect though, even in the Chicago area. We hop in the car to take off and it can be a few minutes before we can check traffic.

The app software is what I would call Alpha quality. All the App Store reviews are terrible. Remote start has worked only once so far, and it continually says the car is unlocked when it isn't. As a former software developer, this doesn't bother me as software can be fixed over the air and the car isn't out of service. There is already an update which I haven't tested yet and I'll have fun being an early Beta tester and bugging them. If they don't get it all fixed by winter then I'm sure myself and others will be screaming.

And weirdly, even though ATT supplies the in-car service, the app is incompatible with an email address of att.net! Took the dealer an hour to figure that out, buried in some fine print.

Many cool features we like. Awesome storage and cubbyholes. Really good A/C because you can choose how it runs. We have it on Soft and you can't even hear it but it works fine. One hot day I did try Powerful but too much for Chicago. But should be good for places that are really hot. Have the 12 way seats not the 16 way and 12 is plenty. Love the front camera which reads road signs and displays them on the dash. (If it can't find a speed limit sign it then pulls it from the nav database. ). The trailer hitch area is better laid out. Has both 7 and 4 way plugs, easy to access. No crawling on the ground or feeling around blindly to plug in the power as on the TDI. Love the ability to drop the rear headrests to see out the back better by just hitting an option on the screen. I have yet to figure out the use case for being able to raise and lower the rear seats from my phone. I guess I could freak out the mechanics at the dealer by playing with them from my couch as they try to work on the car. Or if my daughter borrows the car and I see the rear seats go down, I could raise them again. Grin

There are tons of cool technology features I'm slowly figuring out. Doesn't support CarPlay or Android Auto but has their own phone app integration method for Spotify or whatever but haven't tried that yet. Seems to have all the high priority technology stuff. (My career has been in advanced vehicle electronics, especially safety, and that was a priority)

Didn't get the exact set of options I wanted but I searched within 500 miles and only found a couple and no one was willing to deal. Didn't want air suspension due to concerns about reliability, but this one had it. Although it may be fun to try roads in Wyoming that I couldn't do in the VW due to clearance. It also has 3rd row seats which we don't need but oh well. And I wanted the more advanced 4 wheel drive with lockable differentials but we will see if I really need that or not. There are a number of settings for Ice, Mud, Ruts, etc. I'm trying to find out what they actually do so if anyone finds out, please post it! I asked them what setting do I use on a muddy, icy road with deep ruts as we have in Wyoming and they didn't know.

Feels much classier inside than the Touareg Lux. Higher grade materials, softer leather. But, I really liked the double sun visors on the TDI, so you can one in front and the other one the side at the same time. Really miss that already. Such a pain when on a curvy road driving into the sun and having to flip the visor back and forth.

Something like 6 or 7 USB power plugs throughout the car. The one in the console though automatically connects the phone to the car electronics which I don't always want so I end up using one from the back of the console which just charges. And a nice touch -- a tray to put phones in in the console with space for the charge cord. The TDI console lid would pinch the cord.

Kicking to open the tailgate is nice. But the backup warning system is fooled by a bike carrier. Loud warning tones whenever you back up. The blind side backup warning is excellent. Even when you can't see anything in the image, if something is approaching from the side, it warns.

Has an actual spare tire, which is becoming rare these days. Good in our case, since we are often in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming and a space saver spare wouldn't survive if we had a flat. Some vehicles we looked at (Mercedes?) don't even have that and their answer is "just call emergency Mercedes roadside service". Really? From the middle of nowhere with no cell service?

The windshield has a heat shielding component in it which interferes with GPS and toll tags. I knew this before since dashboard products I've been responsible for developing always have issues with Land Rovers, among other cars. There are special places at the top of the windshield for toll tags, but my phone and GPS devices sometimes get lost. They work in clear sky, but any other interference such as rainstorms, trees or urban canyons can make you lose location. Doesn't matter for navigation since the in vehicle one is pretty decent, with the ability to send destinations from your phone to the car easily. The navigation itself though, sure has a bias for major roads. The quickest way between Chicago and Nashville is US 41, which Waze and others find. This nav system kept trying to take us off that and go an extra 60 to 100 miles farther to take I65 or I57.

All in all, very happy with the car so far. Hoping it ends up being as great as the TDI was over time. Purchased extended warranty coverage for the TDI for around $2k from the dealer and never used it. For the Discovery, it would be over $5k but going to wait and see how it goes.

First month Disco V experience by former Touareg owner
 

Well I've had the new diesel Discovery for about a month now. Initial thoughts and comparisons to the Touareg TDI:

Fuel mileage is the same or better than the Touareg. Got 31 on a trip from Chicago to Nashville. Getting 21-23 around Chicago. Will be towing a 6k pound trailer to Wyoming in a couple of weeks so will see how it does

Feels significantly bigger than the Touareg but in measurements it isn't as much bigger as it feels. Think that's largely due to the more boxy shape, and the height. And you see the hood, which you don't as much on the TDI. It's mostly aluminum and only 200 pounds heavier than the Touareg. Feels just as torquey and powerful.

Has more initial bugs than the 2012 Touareg, but not as many as the 2004. I expected that, since it is a first year car, and its British. I have other British fun cars and always liked them. They have more personality but less reliability historically, but that's changing. I took it in last week for the first round of bugs, the worst of which is occasional serious engine miss. The dealer was able to duplicate it and says it is happening on another one so they are talking to the factory. The CD loader doesn't eject. (CD player, but it is only really there to load CDs to the hard drive). The center console tray is broken.

The onboard connectivity is via ATT cell and supports 3GB per month. All included with no monthly fee for the first 4 years. Plenty for all the live stuff like traffic and fuel prices. Also has Trip Advisor for locations you select and does a Google Street view-style view of locations as you arrive, or you can view maps as satellite view.

Connectivity has been spotty or takes a while to connect though, even in the Chicago area. We hop in the car to take off and it can be a few minutes before we can check traffic.

The app software is what I would call Alpha quality. All the App Store reviews are terrible. Remote start has worked only once so far, and it continually says the car is unlocked when it isn't. As a former software developer, this doesn't bother me as software can be fixed over the air and the car isn't out of service. There is already an update which I haven't tested yet and I'll have fun being an early Beta tester and bugging them. If they don't get it all fixed by winter then I'm sure myself and others will be screaming.

And weirdly, even though ATT supplies the in-car service, the app is incompatible with an email address of att.net! Took the dealer an hour to figure that out, buried in some fine print.

Many cool features we like. Awesome storage and cubbyholes. Really good A/C because you can choose how it runs. We have it on Soft and you can't even hear it but it works fine. One hot day I did try Powerful but too much for Chicago. But should be good for places that are really hot. Have the 12 way seats not the 16 way and 12 is plenty. Love the front camera which reads road signs and displays them on the dash. (If it can't find a speed limit sign it then pulls it from the nav database. ). The trailer hitch area is better laid out. Has both 7 and 4 way plugs, easy to access. No crawling on the ground or feeling around blindly to plug in the power as on the TDI. Love the ability to drop the rear headrests to see out the back better by just hitting an option on the screen. I have yet to figure out the use case for being able to raise and lower the rear seats from my phone. I guess I could freak out the mechanics at the dealer by playing with them from my couch as they try to work on the car. Or if my daughter borrows the car and I see the rear seats go down, I could raise them again. Grin

There are tons of cool technology features I'm slowly figuring out. Doesn't support CarPlay or Android Auto but has their own phone app integration method for Spotify or whatever but haven't tried that yet. Seems to have all the high priority technology stuff. (My career has been in advanced vehicle electronics, especially safety, and that was a priority)

Didn't get the exact set of options I wanted but I searched within 500 miles and only found a couple and no one was willing to deal. Didn't want air suspension due to concerns about reliability, but this one had it. Although it may be fun to try roads in Wyoming that I couldn't do in the VW due to clearance. It also has 3rd row seats which we don't need but oh well. And I wanted the more advanced 4 wheel drive with lockable differentials but we will see if I really need that or not. There are a number of settings for Ice, Mud, Ruts, etc. I'm trying to find out what they actually do so if anyone finds out, please post it! I asked them what setting do I use on a muddy, icy road with deep ruts as we have in Wyoming and they didn't know.

Feels much classier inside than the Touareg Lux. Higher grade materials, softer leather. But, I really liked the double sun visors on the TDI, so you can one in front and the other one the side at the same time. Really miss that already. Such a pain when on a curvy road driving into the sun and having to flip the visor back and forth.

Something like 6 or 7 USB power plugs throughout the car. The one in the console though automatically connects the phone to the car electronics which I don't always want so I end up using one from the back of the console which just charges. And a nice touch -- a tray to put phones in in the console with space for the charge cord. The TDI console lid would pinch the cord.

Kicking to open the tailgate is nice. But the backup warning system is fooled by a bike carrier. Loud warning tones whenever you back up. The blind side backup warning is excellent. Even when you can't see anything in the image, if something is approaching from the side, it warns.

One odd thing is the trailer hitch height assist. You can lower the rear of the car with a button in the rear area, but when you are close enough to a trailer to use it, you can't open the rear hatch to get to it! It just beeps and indeed, opening the hatch would hit the trailer.

Has an actual spare tire, which is becoming rare these days. Good in our case, since we are often in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming and a space saver spare wouldn't survive if we had a flat. Some vehicles we looked at (Mercedes?) don't even have that and their answer is "just call emergency Mercedes roadside service". Really? From the middle of nowhere with no cell service?

The windshield has a heat shielding component in it which interferes with GPS and toll tags. I knew this before since dashboard products I've been responsible for developing always have issues with Land Rovers, among other cars. There are special places at the top of the windshield for toll tags, but my phone and GPS devices sometimes get lost. They work in clear sky, but any other interference such as rainstorms, trees or urban canyons can make you lose location. Doesn't matter for navigation since the in vehicle one is pretty decent, with the ability to send destinations from your phone to the car easily. The navigation itself though, sure has a bias for major roads. The quickest way between Chicago and Nashville is US 41, which Waze and others find. This nav system kept trying to take us off that and go an extra 60 to 100 miles farther to take I65 or I57.

All in all, very happy with the car so far. Hoping it ends up being as great as the TDI was over time. Purchased extended warranty coverage for the TDI for around $2k from the dealer and never used it. For the Discovery, it would be over $5k but going to wait and see how it goes.

I must be doing something wrong. Responded to the thread with a long review of my findings after one month of ownership but it hasn't appeared. Did it as a quick reply and as a separate advanced reply. Maybe it was too long? Can't find any rule as to the limit. Trying this to see if a shorter one works. If so will divide it up.

DiscoRover.com
 

All about my new Disco 5

www.discorover.com

Awesome website, TechDr! Agree with all your thinking. Your list of must haves to replace the TDI was the same as mine, except for 3rd row. Now on my first long trip with trailer from Chicago to Wyoming for the eclipse. Taking US20. Mileage towing is averaging 12.5 at 60-65 which is less than the TDI towing, but not towing it has been over 30 at that speed which is better than the TDI. Of course the TDI being illegal means it's not apples to apples. The 2004 gas V8 Touareg I had got 6-8 max with the same trailer. The dealer was able to fix the engine miss problem that others are seeing. 2 wires were reversed from the factory. What I miss most on this trip are the double sun visors from the TDI. Was spoiled not having to flip the sun visor from front to side on curved roads.

Will now divide up my comments that wouldn't post and try again.

Dave

Part 1

Well I've had the new diesel Discovery for about a month now. Initial thoughts and comparisons to the Touareg TDI:

Fuel mileage is the same or better than the Touareg. Got 31 on a trip from Chicago to Nashville. Getting 21-23 around Chicago. Will be towing a 6k pound trailer to Wyoming in a couple of weeks so will see how it does

Feels significantly bigger than the Touareg but in measurements it isn't as much bigger as it feels. Think that's largely due to the more boxy shape, and the height. And you see the hood, which you don't as much on the TDI. It's mostly aluminum and only 200 pounds heavier than the Touareg. Feels just as torquey and powerful.

Has more initial bugs than the 2012 Touareg, but not as many as the 2004. I expected that, since it is a first year car, and its British. I have other British fun cars and always liked them. They have more personality but less reliability historically, but that's changing. I took it in last week for the first round of bugs, the worst of which is occasional serious engine miss. The dealer was able to duplicate it and says it is happening on another one so they are talking to the factory. The CD loader doesn't eject. (CD player, but it is only really there to load CDs to the hard drive). The center console tray is broken.

Part 2

The onboard connectivity is via ATT cell and supports 3GB per month. All included with no monthly fee for the first 4 years. Plenty for all the live stuff like traffic and fuel prices. Also has Trip Advisor for locations you select and does a Google Street view-style view of locations as you arrive, or you can view maps as satellite view.

Connectivity has been spotty or takes a while to connect though, even in the Chicago area. We hop in the car to take off and it can be a few minutes before we can check traffic.

The app software is what I would call Alpha quality. All the App Store reviews are terrible. Remote start has worked only once so far, and it continually says the car is unlocked when it isn't. As a former software developer, this doesn't bother me as software can be fixed over the air and the car isn't out of service. There is already an update which I haven't tested yet and I'll have fun being an early Beta tester and bugging them. If they don't get it all fixed by winter then I'm sure myself and others will be screaming.

And weirdly, even though ATT supplies the in-car service, the app is incompatible with an email address of att.net! Took the dealer an hour to figure that out, buried in some fine print.

Part 2

The onboard connectivity is via ATT cell and supports 3GB per month. All included with no monthly fee for the first 4 years. Plenty for all the live stuff like traffic and fuel prices. Also has Trip Advisor for locations you select and does a Google Street view-style view of locations as you arrive, or you can view maps as satellite view.

Connectivity has been spotty or takes a while to connect though, even in the Chicago area. We hop in the car to take off and it can be a few minutes before we can check traffic.

The app software is what I would call Alpha quality. All the App Store reviews are terrible. Remote start has worked only once so far, and it continually says the car is unlocked when it isn't. As a former software developer, this doesn't bother me as software can be fixed over the air and the car isn't out of service. There is already an update which I haven't tested yet and I'll have fun being an early Beta tester and bugging them. If they don't get it all fixed by winter then I'm sure myself and others will be screaming.

Part 3


And weirdly, even though ATT supplies the in-car service, the app is incompatible with an email address of att.net! Took the dealer an hour to figure that out, buried in some fine print.

Many cool features. Awesome storage and cubbyholes. Really good A/C because you can choose how it runs. I have it on Soft and you can't even hear it but it works fine. One hot day I did try Powerful but too much for Chicago. But should be good for places that are really hot. Have the 12 way seats not the 16 way and 12 is plenty. Love the front camera which reads road signs and displays them on the dash. (If it can't find a speed limit sign it then pulls it from the nav database. ). The trailer hitch area is better laid out. Has both 7 and 4 way plugs, easy to access. No crawling on the ground or feeling around blindly to plug in the power as on the TDI. Love the ability to drop the rear headrests to see out the back better by just hitting an option on the screen. I have yet to figure out the use case for being able to raise and lower the rear seats from my phone. I guess I could freak out the mechanics at the dealer by playing with them from my couch as they try to work on the car. Or if my daughter borrows the car and I see the rear seats go down, I could raise them again. Grin

There are tons of cool technology features I'm slowly figuring out. Doesn't support CarPlay or Android Auto but has their own phone app integration method for Spotify or whatever but haven't tried that yet. Seems to have all the high priority technology stuff. (My career has been in advanced vehicle electronics, especially safety, and that was a priority)

Didn't get the exact set of options I wanted but I searched within 500 miles and only found a couple and no one was willing to deal. Didn't want air suspension due to concerns about reliability, but this one had it. Although it may be fun to try roads in Wyoming that I couldn't do in the VW due to clearance. It also has 3rd row seats which i don't need but oh well. And I wanted the more advanced 4 wheel drive with lockable differentials but we will see if I really need that or not. There are a number of settings for Ice, Mud, Ruts, etc. I'm trying to find out what they actually do so if anyone finds out, please post it! I asked them what setting do I use on a muddy, icy road with deep ruts as you see in Wyoming and they didn't know.

Feels much classier inside than the Touareg Lux. Higher grade materials, softer leather. But, I really liked the double sun visors on the TDI, so you can have one in front and the other one the side at the same time. Really miss that already. Such a pain when on a curvy road driving into the sun and having to flip the visor back and forth.

Part 4

Something like 6 or 7 USB power plugs throughout the car. The one in the console though automatically connects the phone to the car electronics which I don't always want so I end up using one from the back of the console which just charges. And a nice touch -- a tray to put phones in in the console with space for the charge cord. The TDI console lid would pinch the cord.

Kicking to open the tailgate is nice. But the backup warning system is fooled by a bike carrier. Loud warning tones whenever you back up. The blind side backup warning is excellent. Even when you can't see anything in the image, if something is approaching from the side, it warns.

Has an actual spare tire, which is becoming rare these days. Good for in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming where a space saver spare wouldn't survive. Some vehicles we looked at (Mercedes?) don't even have that and their answer is "just call emergency Mercedes roadside service". Really? From the middle of nowhere with no cell service?

The windshield has a heat shielding component in it which interferes with GPS and toll tags. I knew this before since dashboard products I've been responsible for developing always have issues with Land Rovers, among other cars. There are special places at the top of the windshield for toll tags, but my phone and GPS devices sometimes get lost. They work in clear sky, but any other interference such as rainstorms, trees or urban canyons can make you lose location. Doesn't matter for navigation since the in vehicle one is pretty decent, with the ability to send destinations from your phone to the car easily. The navigation itself though, sure has a bias for major roads. The quickest way between Chicago and Nashville is US 41, which Waze and others find. This nav system kept trying to take us off that and go an extra 60 to 100 miles farther to take I65 or I57.

All in all, very happy with the car so far. Hoping it ends up being as great as the TDI was over time. Purchased extended warranty coverage for the TDI for around $2k from the dealer and never used it. For the Discovery, it would be over $5k but going to wait and see how it goes.

A couple more bugs found on this trip so far.

The built in hotspot doesn't work. It can be seen, but then it sends you to a website to log in which is broken. At least on iPhones and iPads which default to safari. My guess is the developers never tested it with Apple products.

The DEF consumption rate is at least double the TDI. That could be a function of the TDI being illegal though. The great news is the DEF filler is under the hood instead of under the spare tire, which would have meant unloading the entire back full of stuff on this trip. The bad news is the manual stipulates special small jugs to refill and specifically has an x through the common refill jug everyone sells. I can't stop the trip in the middle of Wyoming 300 miles from a dealer and go buy special Land Rover jugs. The normal size ones make a mess spilling all over trying to fill but I am managing to get some in so I now get the 1000 mile warning every 200 miles so I stop and make a mess to get some more in each time. Once I'm stopped for a few days I'll research how to make a filler that gets around this problem.

Another feature I like over the TDI is the softer cruise control. If you set the TDI to 71, it would do anything necessary to maintain that up and down hills, changing gears, Reving the engine or whatever it took. I imagine the German in side the engine saying "you asked for 71, you vill get 71". The Land Rover is much more practical in my opinion. When towing, you go down a hill and it goes over 71, but then up the next, it will down shift from 8 to 7 to 6 but then stick with that and let the speed go down to 62 or whatever without flooring it. Much better for mileage and more how a human drives.

But so far, my biggest overall competitive feeling is how easily this thing tows. Ride is great, better than the TDI

And a small but cool use for the air suspension. You can lower the rear of the car to help level the trailer if you don't want to unhook for the night. Discovered that last night and it savings 20 minutes of night and morning time not having to unhook.

Dave

Wow what a great review! I plan to comment more later but in an effort to try and help you. I found a funnel thing in the rear cargo area under the floor, where the spare tire would have been in the Touareg. I was thinking that might have something to do with helping fill the DEF fluid. Hope that helps! More later...

Wait! What! you got 4 years of free service!!!:dunno::mad:

TechDr - I found a funnel thing too, but I've been using it as an adapter for large nozzle (for trucks) diesel pumps. Such a pain to stop for diesel and it is the truck nozzle, but the adapter works. I had one for the TDI too, but think I bought it, VW didn't supply.

Have figured out how to use regular DEF jugs. Have to let the Discovery system burp to let the air out every pint or less. Can't just load an entire jug like on the TDI. But pretty easy now that I've figured it out.

To get up the steep gravel road to my place in Wyoming with the trailer, I used the off road gravel setting and low range for the first time. Made it without issues. Also handled the washboarding much better than the 2004 Ford Bronco I keep there. And, I used the air suspension to lower way down so that the trailer rear end was up higher when I backed in over a big mound. Not sure I would have made it without that capability. The air suspension I didn't originally think I wanted, I'm finding more useful than I thought. Going to do some forest service roads soon and I may really like it there.

And has anyone else noticed that white seems to be the most common color? Mine is too.

Yes, the dealer said they come with 4 years included connected services. Didn't appear to be a dealer thing, since I never went into the dealer to negotiate. Just emailed dealers within 500 miles until I got a good price on the vehicle and then went in with a cashiers check for a quick no-fuss transaction.

I am curious if anyone has purchased extended warranty coverage yet and for how much. I haven't since that dealer quoted about $5k, which is more than double the TDI cost, and they said no need now, and it will go up about 10% per year.

Great write-up. Thank you!

Another observation I'll have to have checked is DEF consumption. I'm using a gallon about every 500 miles on this trip. The TDI was more like a gallon every 2500 miles. I have read that there is an update for a related problem so will have that checked.

Otherwise, running great so far!

Just bought my 2017 loaded Discovery 5 Diesel today. loaded with every single option, it came to $75,530 which is way more then my 2012 LR4 which I paid $57,250 for new. But, (my wife drove it home) and she likes it. I'm keeping my 2012 for actual offload stuff with the 18 inch comp motives and skid plates and .... many other things... but despite my initial disgust with the Ford Explorer look to the body, it's growing on me and it is what it is, so I'm happy with my first day on the new one.

LR4 has 94,000 miles now, and I'm now on my 5th Rover. I've done MOAB and RUBICON with previous ones, so I use them.... this Disco 5 though, I'll likely wait until I break it in, and after market parts come out and I wear out the first set of tires, then I'll ****can the 21 inch rims, drop to 19's and put real tires on it and skid plates and full roof rack and head to the mountains for awesome fun. Until then, I'll use my LR4 :)

I've heard that the Discovery 5 wheels have the same bolt pattern as the LR4 (5 x 120). Since the D5 catalog shows a 19" wheel option, I presume a 19" wheel clears the D5 brake rotors.

But is the D5 offset different from the LR4 offset? I'm hoping it's not too much of a difference as I have 3 sets of 19" LR4 wheels (highway, offroad & winter tires) that I'd like to use when I order a new D5.

Well. I'm ready to return the Discovery. I'm done. Drove it today during the day. Tonight. I looked outside and saw lights. Went out and saw that the tail lights and license plate lights were on. Not something I can even control. So tried to start the car. Dead battery. So I'm done. Called the dealer and returning the car. Can't work with a car that you can't rely on

Dealer is looking into the problem. No solution yet. So odd that the manual and LR roadside assistance said that if you have a dead battery, or need to refill DEF, you have to go to a dealer! I got this car partially because of the off road brand reputation and I spend a lot of time in Wyoming, 300 miles from any dealer.
I must say LR has been very good at being supportive at the time of obvious frustration above. Would have trucked the car to my Chicago dealer at no charge. I was able to get the car going on my own so wasn't necessary but the response and support has been great.

Serious Electrical Issue
 

I have had a serious electrical issue with under 600 miles. First, when the car was 11 days old, it went to get detailed at the dealership. When driving out of the dealership, a red triangle warning light came on that said "restricted maneuver" so I went straight to the dealership and it couldn't replicate. Turned car off and on, did this a few times, cars fine.

Fast forward a few days, and with 575 miles, went outside, started disco 5 and the shifter didn't raise up, car started, had no A/C blowing, and the "depress break press start/stop" icon came up in the center control panel. Bit the car was started, and the shifter wouldn't raise. So I used two fingers and spun the shifter into gear. Backed out of the garage, and at the end of my driveeay, spun it into drive, from reverse, and had absolutely zero power steering. You can't drive modern cars without power steering... way to impossible to turn at slow speeds... so I pit it back into drive and straight back into the driveway.

Started and stopped it 4 times, same issue. Called the dealership and then Land Rover Roadside assist to have my $75,000 Discovery 5 towed. Well after half hour, while waiting for the tow truck, I went out and it starts fine... so I drove it straight to the dealership.

They said it threw no codes and they can't replicate it so they are calling the factory for a technical advisory opinion.

Wow. Pretty crazy.
Mine is back at the dealer again for the return of the surge / engine cutoff problem. Was there several days 2 weeks ago at which they thought they fixed it. Now back again. With free loaners I'm fine with it and since I know all about early products having issues, I'm willing to be patient as long as they are working on things seriously. The dealer has been great in letting me deal with the lead mechanic and being filled in on what the factory response has been. The factory has been good with response as well. They all say 'this car is brand new so we are learning too" and I very much appreciate the candor. This car isn't just a flavor of some other of theirs and even the parts that are shared, have different tweaks. The engine is used in other vehicles, but the mechanic himself says he doesn't know why it has such an entirely different engine computer tune.

What the factory is saying is that the max biodiesel the car engine can handle is 12% and that that could be the problem. And that the problem is more common in the Midwest US. All the pumps here say the range is 5-20 so that is the current problem. Limited availability of fuel for the car!

In a similar boat: Selling our Q7 TDI back to VW/Audi as part of the diesel emissions settlement and buying a 2017 Discovery HSE. I also enjoyed the Q7 (other than the whole part about false diesel emissions claims) but have been pleasantly suprised by the 2017 Discovery's total package of off-road and towing capability, power, handling and looks. Will hopefully arrive in a couple of months.

So far, as long as I don’t use the typical diesel that is available in Illinois that is marked “5-20% biodiesel “ I have not had the engine cutting out problem. The dealer has no response as to what Land Rover is going to do to help and warn customers that you have to drive to special non-biodiesel stations to buy more expensive fuel. For myself, it’s a 40 mile round trip to the nearest station. I feel this should be part of the pre-sales information so consumers know but I’m guessing Land Rover Marketing will make sure dealers keep this quiet. Unfortunate.

The latest new problem is the center screeen stops working intermittently. Radio does work but can’t control it and you lose the backup cameras and all the other functions controlled by the touch screen. Will have to take it in again.

It is a nice car for sure. But so far it has been in the shop for about 1 month out of the 5 we’ve owned it.