True. That's a great suggestion!
Here I was making that "big deal" about going off-road late Summer/early Fall and doing everything possible to prep. A nice little "detour" is in order then.

Thank you!
-Anthony

 

I use mine as MY daily driver and when we go to the beach, which we do quite often, it is the vehicle of choice! My kids, 7, 6, 4, and 16months (she doesn't care) absolutely love it. The older ones, my two boys, LOVE the back seats.. thats their little spot away from all the girls in the car. My daughter likes it because it has a TV and she can watch movies while we travel. Now, the wife DOESN"T like it... She says she doesn't like the way it looks or anything.. She likes the features, but the looks "Suck"... I think it is growing on her though. She ask to drive it more and more..

Before, if it was behind her car in the driveway, she would ask me to move it so she could run errands, now, she will just hop in and take off.. She doesn't like being wrong so I'm sure she does like it but just wont admit it!

Thanks guys, take care.......

 

My Disco is my DD. My wife has a SAAB 9-3 which she loves. She has always been more of a fast car kinda girl while I am a SUV/Truck kinda guy (I was a Jeep guy all my life until I bought my LR recently, now I am a convert.) So her feelings are of indifference to my Disco. My kids on the other hand LOVE it. We all took it out in the mud last weekend on some back county roads and had a blast. I think it won my wife over a little. That being said I don't have it in shape yet to be a family car yet. Mileage is still poor and some work to do has me leary to take it 300 miles somewhere. It will def. be going on my backpacking trips with me though. Have a good day!

 

Our family and friends LOVE the disco!
When we go out barhopping with all of our friends it is the vehicle of choice (although I am not sure if that is due to the fact that it holds 5 adults or that my cooler in the cargo area ALWAYS has cold beer in it...). Their only complaint is that the back seat seems to be covered in puppy fur all the time - a quick swipe with an armourall wipe is necessary before you jump in there in nice clothes.

She is a packmule at work with all of my army gear.

Our rover has been driven cross country on 3 occasions, once during a blizzard and with 4 adults and a 6 week old lab. Everybody was comfortable - I assume the puppy was too since he didnt complain.

The gas mileage is not as good as my wife's scion xB (aka "the toaster") and it doesnt have the DVD player and TV in it like the in-law's SUV but it seems that whenever there iis a trip to be made the rover is the one that gets loaded up.

My wife and her female friends who have driven her says that it makes them feel "safer" (I assume b/c they are taller and have a better vantage point on traffic.) The guy opinion is summed up by my buddy Eric; "In the rover I feel like I am on a safari, even when its just a beer run..." Of course that could be because of all the camping gear that seems to live in the truck but I know what he means.

The only complaint I hear repeated (other than the poopy gas mileage) is that the rover is incapable of driving past a dirt road, 4x4 trail, construction site, flooded parking lot, or mud puddle without driving through it. One memorable time it was a friggin' valet parking attendant who took her thru the construction site behind the restaurant we were eating at! I couldnt even get mad at the kid as I saw the smile on his face as he parked her in the back 40 of their lot (she was much too muddy to be parked up front with the soccer-mom Range Rovers). Besides she was already muddy anyway - the wife did the same thing 5 mins before we pulled up to the valet stand.

Thats the kind of family car the rover is to us - she is ALWAYS muddy, she constantly has a layer of chocolate lab fur on the seats ( it matches the muddy-dog nose prints on every glass surface), and if I park behind someone at a party and they take her to go on the next 7-11 run I KNOW that she is gonna have fresh mud on her when she gets back.

She isnt the cleanest vehicle in our stable, she gets the worst gas mileage, she constantly looks like an REI sporting goods store erupted in the cargo area, dog slobber has become a fashion accessory, and she IS kinda square and homely looking (please dont tell her I said that- she thinks she is beautiful) but she certainly is popular and has lots of character.

So yes, the rover is our family car...

brian

 

My disco is my family.

 

My Jeep and Rover are like dogs to me, best friends. Even when they have accidents...

 

The LR is my daily driver and my wife drives an Altima. She likes the zippy car, but has grown to love the LR4. Like many of you it is the vehicle we all go into when we want to go someplace. The only time we'll drive the Altima is if it is a long drive and we're going to point A and B and we're thinking fuel economy. The LR4 has a fantastic balance of comfort, versatility and to parrot Pilsner - the feeling of safety.

Our son loves driving it off-road and it has given him a lot of confidence while driving in the city while he's been working on his permit. Unfortunately he's at the age where he looks at it as a status symbol with his friends versus it's true usefulness. I'm confident he'll mature past this phase in his life. The more we take it 4 wheeling, the more he'll come to recognize it's true value.

The dog has plenty of room and her balance has become top notch while going off-road with the cantering back and forth. I recommend the rubber mat in the back if you don't have one. This has helped her a lot and its easier to vacuum when you're finished with your weekend activities.

The ability to lower for grandma to easily get in the vehicle and the option to add the extender's for off-roading - fantastic family vehicle!

 

Aesopian - how do you get the dog to stay in the back?! Our dog - Tomah the world's greatest chocolate lab -thinks it is his job to be my co-pilot. Apparently his duties involve standing between the deats (think 110lbs of lab puppy installed as part of the consule) with his head next to mine barking corrections and directions in my ear from 1/2" away. The other portion of his duties consist of blocking my view of the passenger side mirror and making grabs at my beer can whenever it foams up. He takes his off-roading job very seriously and gets just plain OFFENDED if you try to put him into the cargo area. Afterall, the cargo area is for cargo, not for family.

The wife accusses us both (me and Tomah) of reacting the same way to the questions of "You wanna go for a ride in the rover?" our tails wag, our eyes light up, we dance around in circles like an organ grinders monkey, and we start slobbering. Sadly, she is right. Although I look quite dignified when I dance in circles with my tail wagging...

pilsner

 

Pilsner why don't you get the dog guard they sell everywhere? that will make him stay back there.

 

Pilsner - She'll ride in the back, but when we hit the trails I drop down the rear seat back on the drivers side. This gives her some additional room for movement, gives her access to the window and yes, my ear in thanks for taking her along.

She's happy to come along as often as possible and whenever possible.