2008 Land Rover Discovery 3 TDV6 SE review
6 Jun, 2008
61 Comments 
A maximum wading depth of 700mm makes the D3 extremely capable when it comes to river crossings. If towing is also your thing, the maximum towing capacity of 3.5-tonnes means that the Discovery 3 will tow pretty much anything with wheels.
Seven-seats are standard fitment. They are suitable for kids but a squeeze for adults. The rest of the cabin is quite roomy though. Front and rear passengers receive plenty of leg room, along with head room.
The other thing that makes the Discovery 3 so popular with average punters is its driveability. This 4WD can be driven by anyone. Light steering, easily reached controls and good visibility make it popular with families and travel makers. The dual opening tailgate also makes for a good seat when hitting the beach for a surf.
The Land Rover Discovery 3 is available with three engines and three model grades. You can either buy the V6 petrol, V6 diesel or V8 petrol. The three model grades – S, SE and HSE offer unique options. Prices start at $64,990 for the V6 SE and end at $90,990 for the range topping V8 HSE. The model being tested – the TDV6 SE – is priced at $74,990. The D3’s pricing point is quite reasonable when you take into consideration its off-road credentials.
Standard features include: 18” alloy wheels; full-size spare wheel; rear parking sensors; climate control; cruise control; bi-xenon headlights; heated exterior mirrors; auto-dimming interior mirror; leather seats; 7-seats; electric windows; electric mirrors; height adjustable suspension; automatic headlights; automatic windscreen wipers and central locking.
Standard safety features include: Dynamic stability control; ABS brakes with ESP and BA; hill descent control; engine immobiliser; driver and front passenger airbags; driver and front passenger side airbags; rear passenger curtain airbags and active roll mitigation.
It’s pretty easy to see why Land Rover’s D3 is so popular. The features, price point and to-the-point styling bode well with buyers who don’t mind spending the odd weekend away in the bush or at their holiday house.
With enough torque to keep things moving, the TDV6 is the pick of the bunch. If you’re not a fan of the Range Rover series of Land Rovers, the Discovery 3 is the perfect compromise and some would argue that it’s also a better option for serious off-road work. The Discovery 3 is the best disco in town and is certainly worth checking out.
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2008 Land Rover Discovery TDV6 SE Specifications
Engine: 2.7-litre
Power: 140kW
Torque: 440Nm
Top speed: 180km/h
Safety: Electronic stability control- front air bags - side airbags - curtain airbags - front seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters.
0-100km/h: 12.8-secs
EuroNCAP rating: 4-stars
Turning circle: 11.45m
Fuel tank: 82.3-litres
Fuel consumption : 10.4 litres/100km (claimed)
Fuel type: Diesel
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Location: Home / Land Rover, Behind the Wheel, Diesel / ...
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(7 votes, average: 4.14 out of 5)
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June 6th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I would never buy one with reliability problems I’ve heard about. Go a prado or pajero any day.
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June 6th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Nice Car, brilliant on Paper.
Too bad about the well documented Reliability issue!!
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June 6th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Very cable vehicle off road, worth considering if you have deep pockets and a good relationship with a knowledgable mechanic… because you will need one. And the 75K price tag isn’t cheap. Tick a few options and 90 to 100 k isn’t impossible. Sadly the long term resale values are woeful!
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June 6th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Which reliability issues are you three rabbiting on about?
Care to share any links with evidence to such problems?
I’m sick of hearing from armchair experts who don’t and never have owned the things they comment about!! My brother in law has a TDV6 HSE with 80,000km on the clock and it hasn’t had any problems at all.
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June 6th, 2008 at 11:10 am
In fact, do a Google search for “Discovery 3 reliability” and it will show you that you three are just making rubbish up to sound intelligent.
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June 6th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Benjie, My boss and I were just discussing this very article and he told me that a good friend of his works for Land Rover and has himself admitted to the reliability issues.
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June 6th, 2008 at 11:45 am
www dot jdpower dot com/autos/ratings/quality-ratings-by-brand
www dot jdpower dot com/autos/ratings/dependability-ratings-by-brand
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June 6th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Brilliant car being the product of the late Geoff Polities and Engineering genius Richard Parry Jones.
Cant have any issues with the reliability of the drivetrain. The PSA v6 is a pearler and the ZF 6speed auto you cant fault.
There is more than the odd reliability issues with the Aisin slushers in prados and the rear diffs have a tendency to mimic an Iraqi IED.
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June 6th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Mitch, there is nothing model specific in those links you handed me.
Do some real research mate, you’ll look a little less clueless next time.
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June 6th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Benjie,
4wd of the Year Awards for 2006, for 4wd Mothly Australia..
6 4wd went bush (Prado,LC100,Patrol,Pathfinder,LD3,Grand Cherokee). The discovery 3, died on the mid bush, had to be brought back on the back of a truck…
There is numerous other examples of the Discovery 3 being shonky built, it even was voted in the US as the worst reliable new car on market… Which i reckon is a shame since it looks quite nice, and is really good on paper.
Trackdaze, i dont know where your getting your info on the diffs?? I’m member of a PRADO forum, and thats the first i hear of it…
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June 6th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Tomas the weak diffs are not restricted to Prados, the Land cruiser 100s with IFS also use corolla diffs in the front which burst with pathetic ease.
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June 6th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I concur with the others!
Good thing with L/R product, you will get to know the service dept. guys real well.
Is it no wonder that in customer satisfaction surveys for quality and problems, L/D comes LAST!
Its first from the bottom of the barrel!!
Cheers
F-0
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June 6th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Absolute RUBBISH vehicle, Ford could not get it right, Tata will make a dogs breakfast of it.[And Jag]
KEEP WELL AWAY!
Regards
Fred
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June 6th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Thomas 79,
The real story about the disco that “had” to be brought back on a truck was they drove it full speed through bonnet deep water about 5 times for photos, later on the suspension dropped to it’s lowest setting, they decided it was too hard to drive being that low and sent it back on a truck.
Ok, yes, the other vehicles also got hammered in the water, but I would hardly call this a pointer to reliability as it was being used beyond design parameters.
I also note you forgot to mention(on another 4×4of the year) the landcruiser that snapped it;s front diff, or the ones with the broken front suspension arms, or the weak rear diff in the prado, the overheating transmission in the hilux auto, the cracking firewalls in prado’s(look that one up in your prado forum!) that are used offroad, or the 8+ years of landcruiser turbo diesels that constantly blew big end bearings, or the first 4 years of 80 series cruisers with shoddy gearboxes, or the pootrols that the engine blows up when towing, or the 5th gear that wears out when towing, or the 6th gear in the new 200 series landcruiser that it never shifts into.
Point is, all cars have problems, the Toyota ones are all well documented, the LandRover ones are all, “well my mates cousins uncle reckons they are shit”. Given they have suffered from some(many) pommy build quality traits in the past, however it is widely believed that the later batch, (D3, RRS, FFRR and Freelander 2) are as reliable as anything else on the market today.
As for JD power in the US, to much of the score if down to personal feeling about the car and not actual problems or faults.
Rant over.
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June 6th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Waterboy, I’m fully aware of the toyota Problems you have mentioned, and belive me even though i own a 08 Prado, I’m not part of the “Toyota unbreakable” crowed, but the discussion here is about the Land rover Discovery 3.
In another article of Australian 4wd monthly, they were testing the reliability of the modern High-Tech 4wds such as the Landrover Discovery 3 and the Grand Cherokee under tough Australian conditions. The Landrover 3 Randomly kept on overheating, and the suspension kept on dropping, and the warning lights kept on lighting up.
They had to turn the engine off, for it to cool down, and for the CPU to reset, a number of times….
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June 6th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
The problem is water boy that Land Rover has had reliability problems in the past so they have this reputation for being unreliable (even though they largley arn’t these days) - but reliable (boring) old Toyota has an untouchable name for reliability so even major things that do go wrong with them are just waved off.
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June 6th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
I have this car but in HSE spec. Wonderful car. I got it the week it came out in 2005 and its great! I get it serviced when its time and its not let me down once - always starts first time even in cruel English winter mornings. I do take it off road as I live in the Cotswolds and have to take it up and down wet muddy hills and down country lanes that bog all my other cars if its not dry. Ive done 125,000 miles in it and I cant yet see a reason to get rid of it. My next car will either be another one of these or a Range Rover Vogue TDV8 but I think it will be this again.
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June 6th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Sorry disnt realise there was already an Alex ^^^
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June 6th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Truely great car. We went to Brooklyn town and Vic Big River Country for some 4wd fun over the past two weekends, D3 proved to be the most capable ones among Prado, Pajero, Forester, X5 and Freelander 2. It’s the champion off road but very sluggish, if not the slowest, on road. All drivers at that day suggest a 3 Liter V6 diesel engine would do way better compared with the current 2.7L one. It’s underpowered!!! Afterall, we all drive 99% of the time on road. and seriously, we all love so much about its air suspension.
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June 6th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
regarding to the reliablity, coz I was planning to buy a D3 TDV6, so I have done a lot of forum research and gained some first hand experience from friends who own one. the conclusion I get is that it’s not as reliable as a honda accord and toyota camry, and these cars never go off road, but D3 is pretty good. No complains from 3 current owners that I know and they all absolutely love it!
I didn’t end up buying one coz my wife dislike the looking a lot, although i find its exterior acceptable. It’s simply not a girl’s type of car, as it’s not for girl, but these days, people buy large 4wd also/mainly for carrying their family.
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June 6th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
I’d like to know how many people that comment on vehicles in forums are actually paid by the companies involved, recommendations in forums has got to be one of the most popular marketing tools in existence
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June 6th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Im not being payed. Mine is just simply reliable. However - if the services arnt kept up to the exact times when they need doing, they probably can be unreliable. Like Alfa Romeos. Reliable if you keep servicing up.
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June 6th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
$7k for sat nav? What a f*cking joke!!
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June 6th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Audis once did badly in the JD Power survey. When the results were scrutinised, it was because the drink holders were for skinny little European cans, not the standard US sized cans.
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June 6th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Thomas79, this is exactly the crap I am talking about:
“In another article of Australian 4wd monthly, they were testing the reliability of the modern High-Tech 4wds such as the Landrover Discovery 3 and the Grand Cherokee under tough Australian conditions. The Landrover 3 Randomly kept on overheating, and the suspension kept on dropping, and the warning lights kept on lighting up.
They had to turn the engine off, for it to cool down, and for the CPU to reset, a number of times…. ”
All hail the gods of 4WD monthly, if you had bothered to dust off Page 75 of the June 2006 issue, you would discover that it was the jeep that kept overheating not the Landrover, the only problem it suffered from was the suspension dropped to “safe mode” after hitting a washout.
Alex, all too true. For sure Toyota make great trucks(if not a little bland), but they could make they biggest bucket of puss and everyone would defend it to the end of the earth.
Joe, $7k also includes some other stuff like premium sound system etc, but true it is on the steep sie, but not that bad compared to vehicles(X5, ML, Q7 etc.) in it’s segement.
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June 7th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Stu, can I reverse your argument as ask if you are paid by other car firms? perhaps not, so when you disagree, there are more than one way to think.
Water Boy, I agree most of your comments except, em…, sorry, don’t think LR is in the same sgement with BMW, Benz and Audi, ANYMORE. Can we face the truth in this case?
Joe, I speak the same as you did:
$7k for sat nav? What a f*cking joke!!
and same to all other brands, it’s a ripped off. But if we don’t like the price, don’t get it.
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June 7th, 2008 at 2:17 am
I did a small amount of research and the reliability problems are there but not in the masses some here are making out. One webite gave it 7.0 out of 10. most of the comments made on this particular site were positive. Its hard for a manufacturer to shake off the past problems and takes years, Audi a as someone pointed out had problems in the USA and virtually pulled out for years, now they are back aiming to take their fair proportion of the market.
As for LR - I’m sure Tata will improve even more on the reliability stakes given time. Toyota does the off road well, LR do it in style. Nuff said
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June 7th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Sorry I misposted this in the Holden Love in and it seems a bit late. Thanks waterboy for putting up a fight to the witch hunt.
Google “broken prado diffs” a few from 4wd monthly, overlander etc etc. The diff is built well just poorly engineered.
Yes, there is a difference
Should we ask the author on Disco 3. Did anything go bang or like like it would on the test?
Mitch, You really should be carefull relying on surveys. Sometimes they rely on the same misconceptions that this blog have highlighted. The Jag finishd well up the order of the last uk survey (one behind toyota) and it runs the same drivetrains as the disco. Survey results have to be taken with a grain of salt.
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June 7th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Trackdaze:
“Should we ask the author on Disco 3. Did anything go bang or like like it would on the test?”
Nothing went wrong at all during the test. In fact I was very impressed with the vehicle while I had it on loan.
I’ve never had a Land Rover come across any issues during my time testing the vehicles. This includes at launches where they are really tested to their limits.
Armchair experts like some of those commenting above are proof that nobody should trust internet commentators, they generally have no idea what they’re talking about.
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June 7th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Its all well and good saying that one is more reliable than the other, or one is more capable. What turns me off the LR’s is when and IF something does go wrong with a vehicle, I want to know that the parts will ALWAYS be available. For the majority of Japanese brands this means 24 hours (Australia wide), whereas you can wait up to 6 weeks for the LR parts to arrive (not just LR but any euro or Yank 4×4).
No good then for me if I want to use the vehicle for what is was intentionally designed for (and have an issue like that hovering in the back of my mind).
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June 8th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
From personal experiance Landrover parts are always able to be sourced quickly. Parts are rarely needed anyway. Reliability issues are overated and non existant, only a few minor electrical issues back in the 90s.
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June 11th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Thanks Paul.
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June 15th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I for one totally agree with Water Boy, I\’ve had 3 Discos so far and have had no reliability problems. This main issue here is how many people who bag Land Rovers have actually owned and driven one. And of course any brand of vehicle is going to have problems of some sort. We don\’t live in a perfect world. I prefer to have creature comforts and the feeling the the 4wd under me is more than capable of doing the job, as the Discos have. Each to his own!
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June 20th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Land Rover are an awesome car with genuine 4 x 4 capabilities and having worked for a main dealer I understand what they can do. If you want a large vehicle to look good in just to drive around town this is not a good option - way too expensive to maintain and fuel, but if you do need to go off road and you want abit of luxury then there is not much that will out perform the Discovery.
Reliability is a big issue, but people in love with the brand are blind to it and are very defensive about their vehicles. They’re either very rich or a tad thick.
Value for money and reliability wise you have go Japanese.
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July 4th, 2008 at 1:59 am
It seems like most problems occurred during the first two years of production, if you look at the dates on some of these “forums” where owners can go and complain. And most are software, some air compressors ( air suspension ) and a couple of electrical problems. But lately it seems to get better.
As for JD Power survey, this is a “predicted” score and is based on data between recent and a few years back. So you can only imagine the damage DISCO2’s well known reliability ratings ( thanks to BMW ) are still inflicting on the ratings of the DISCO3. Nobody can really accurately predict the reliability of the latest, 2008 models, can they ?
IMO BMW RAPED Landrover so they could learn how to make SUV’s. Then after screwing up their first attempt they dumped them on Ford. Ford then helped fix the mess and even though they never had too much cash to invest in this project ( Ford has financial difficulties ) I think they did quite a good job completely redesigning and building this new one from the ground up. Landrover was actually making them money ( but sadly Jag was making a loss ), and they had to let Landrover go with Jaguar. Some people say Tata will do a better job than Ford because they have a more money to invest in R&D.
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July 16th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I lived in Oz for 5 years and ran a disco-1, awful build, awful reliabilty, poor door gaps and seals, a pretty bad car in truth and an embarrasment being a brit myself, so i fully understand why aussies prefer toyotas ( nissans though i’m still stumped if we are talking reliability here, come on, dreadfull build, prehistoric technology and where do they find those plastics ??), still managed Simpson, Tanami, Kimberly and Cape York though without ever getting it stuck so can’t knock ability, now run a disco3 and totally different story, been to Mongolia, Russia, North africa, and Namibia in it and as yet not put a foot wrong, I understand Australians suspician of the brand but give the new breed a “fair go” and you’ll be surprised by their reliability, useability and ability, I’m bringing this back to Oz with me when i return I am so pleased with it, just make sure they are maintained that’s the key.
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July 17th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Hi
We have done 30000km in our TDV6 with no problems, and we bought ours after checking with many friends with the same vehicle. The disco 2 may have been unreliable, but this Disco 3 is great. We have been all over with it, in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia & into Zambia. Fuel consumption is amazing - 9.5 l/100 on our last trip to Zambia.
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August 15th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
120,000km in five years in Disco2 with minimal problems. Traction control/ABS system can have problems (you still have full braking function) repair to cost ~ $1000. Oil leaked into ECU (that’s an odd one) $550. Disc rotors replaced after 100,000km $320. Fuel leak $500. Total ~ $2500 above routine service and parts. None of the above has stranded me in my 70,000+ km of dirt/desert driving. So I would have to call the Disco2 reliable and believe that the Disco3 would be more so.
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August 28th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I expect to be in a position within the next 12 months to buy a dicso3 (whenever I’ve said “I expect…” it’s all gone pear shaped). Looking at the range of comments and reading and considering etc, I’m not phased by costs of repairs and servicing. Honestly, all vehicles need regular service and some level of part replacement, 4bies regardless of the brand even more so especially if used as intended. For all those from the japanese build guild and sect piling on LR’s just a note of reality: 1. LR is often at the forefront of 4wd innovation. 2. the septics with their wiley’s kicked off the the jappa 4wd build in the late 40’s early 50’s and ever since they’ve been copying jeep or LR.
That’s that for my subjective bit of nonsense.
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August 31st, 2008 at 4:30 pm
The Disco 3 is a huge step in the right direction for LR. The TDV6 SE being the pick of the disco.
Sharing much of the RR sport’s running gear but being alot more practical.
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September 8th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
my parents bought a brand new discovery 3 6 months ago they are touring around australia in a caravan. have done 21,000KM……..
and now its a smoldering heap on the side of the road.
they were driving along and lost some power suddenly and pulled over looked under the car and saw flames they had enough time to get there phones and the GPS and un hook the caravan. obviously they were pouring water on to it aswell but couldnt get it out.
and are currently stuck in WA
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September 9th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
oh and it was the TDV6 so i wouldnt call it the pick of the disco
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September 17th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Burntout-”looked under the car and saw flames”. Why did it start burning? buildup of spinefex etc? Or just because it was a disco 3 TDV6? There can be many reasons for a car to catch fire, and they are not necessarily limited to land rovers……..
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October 2nd, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Having owned both an NM Pajero and now a TDV6 Disco I feel I’m half qualified to comment! The Disco is now 12 mths old and has covered 20,000kms with some serious off-road work and dragging a heavy off-road camper trailer. It has had ZERO - that is ZERO probems from new - it has not even thrown any fault codes. That is as opposed to the Pajero which had the auto gearbox out twice in the same time and over it’s 5 yrs of service some other issues (despite that, I still consider it a good car and it never let me down).
The Pajero was modified with aftermarket suspension, yet the Disco still kills it from a capability perspective, from a comfort perspective, from a power and towing perspective, from an economy perspective, from a ride and handling perspective (I could continue).
I believe early model Disc0 3’s did have a range of problems and I agonised a while before buying, but they would seem to have all those initial issues well sorted now.
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October 4th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Most of the D3 issues were resolved from my06 onwards. Ford spared no expense to iron out any problmes in the 04-05 D3’s, most of the issues were fixed from MY06.
I have MY07 TDV6, only issues has been the epb, which was a retro waranty fix anyway. other than that it is the best 4wd I could ever need, in offroad situations as long as it has one wheel with traction it still keeps going, so much so when you get bogged, you are well and truely bogged.
fuel consumption is 8.2->8.5 lt/100 on highway 110km/hr, 7.8 sitting on 100km/hr.
My wife hardly lets me drive, s she loves it so much with all the safety features/space and command driving position.
As for resale, well you try an pickup a cheap TDV6 one? I tried but was paying near resale, so I purchased brand new.
In conclusion there is only one car that can claim the title as being the most awarded 4wd ever (nearly 100+ international awards) I don’t think it is a jap brand?
If you have not tried one or been in one, or can’t afford one, please don’t comment on something you know nothing about
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October 4th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I should clarify, I meant retail instead of resale.
“As for resale, well you try an pickup a cheap TDV6, I tried but was paying near retail, so I purchased brand new”.
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October 4th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Tgl, the D3 does not come with a Front and Back diff locks, so please explain how it will keep on going as long as one wheel has traction??
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October 5th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
traction control my dear Tomas79.
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October 5th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
btw: you can option a rear electronic diff lock.
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October 14th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
flexi
there was no spinifex under the car that was the first thing my dad looked for…
he knows a fair bit about cars and has helped every one in my family with there cars (including cousins aunts uncles and granparents) so its not like he doesnt know a thing about cars
when the car went back to range rover in perth they straight away replaced the car with no questions asked and didnt tell my parents the cause so im not sure why it burnt down
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October 14th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Ouch, not really a reassuring reaction by land rover….!!!? I am assuming your parents wont stay Disco3 owners for to long then.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 9:26 pm
We’ve got a V6 petrol Disco3 and only had 1 problem in 90,000ks. The ‘05 air suspension compressor failed, but was replaced under warranty with an upgraded compressor in ‘07. Since then no problems at all.
We just towed a camper around Oz for 20,000k without a problem. Gibb River Rd, Central Aust, lots of river crossings, and a couple of 1000k of 4wd tracks and it didn’t miss a beat. Some of the washouts we hit hard enough to get the camper completely airborne, still no problem with the car.
The only thing I don’t like is the under-diff exhaust pipes, which have been crunched on rock steps a few times.
Meanwhile all the 100 series drivers in our 4wd club drive around gingerly trying to nurse their front diffs.
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October 26th, 2008 at 2:49 am
There is a lot of reference to “Discos” here and some people seem to have missed th epoint that the D3 is a completely different car to D2.
It’s no different to comparing a Prado to a toyota crowm!
I have driven Prado’s, hiluxes troopies and Disco 3 off road and haven’t had a problem with any of them. I bought a D3, anyone who is capable of even mildly impartial research would be able to tell the choice comes down to prefernce not reliability.
My choice came down to A Prado Grande and the TDV6 SE Disco - and I’d hate to break it to the “I drive a Toyota like evryone else so they must be better” brigade ,the disco is better for me on and off road.
Anyhow I don’t want to see thousands of clones of my own car everyday, so if you think the D3 is crap because a mate of a mate works at Landrover said so, then don’t buy one - I’d rather keep the avergae IQ of Disco drivers up.
Tomas79 you need to do some real research mate, Your info is so wrong on the Disco I can only assume your info on the Prado is wrong too.
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October 26th, 2008 at 3:00 am
Sorry Burntout, go to say, “I don’t believe you”
I don’t care what make of car it is, why would a company hand over a new car when it is likely an insurance company would have to do it?
I’m presuming your dad refused to accept it - given they’re so crap and all.
I smell something and it’s isn’t a smouldering Disco
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October 26th, 2008 at 9:06 am
I don’t normally respond to these articles, but feel the need to clarify a couple of myths written here.
I also think that I can write this with some authority, as I currently own a HSE, and a GU V Patrol, and to add to the list, I have owned 16 Land Rovers.
Out of 16 Land Rovers, I have had 2 breakdowns where LR Assist was called out. Once it was a faulty earth wire, and the second time it was a mechanical issue cause. Both on the same vehicle.
I have used all my vehicles for Overlanding, and with great success at that.
To the current discussion. I have owned 2 D3’s with neither of them missing a beat. Yes it is quite irritating when the suspension drops at 50Km/h, but it drops from 4×4 to normal ride height. Not the end of the world, and have not had damage due to this irritation. In fact it has not caused me any discomfort, apart from the obvious irritation.
Very much like most of these responses.
Yes it is expensive to opt for the satnav, but with that you get a fully integrated system, which shows you off-road info, i.e. wheel positions, low fuel warning with the nearest gas station, etc., etc. I wanted it, and I got it.
This does not make the vehicle better or worse for having it.
Why did I end up with a Patrol and a D3. Well it is easy. My wife like the Patrol, and I liked the Disco.
Why not a Toymoto. Well, if you look up the definition of “Bland” or “Boring” in the Oxford Dictionary, you get a few pictures there, one is of the old LC100 series, then the LC200, and then the Prado.
Before I got my vehicles, just to clarify, I test droven the Sahara LC, and must admit I was not impressed. Yes, the TD V8 donk is great, but the vehicle lacks personality. The LC200 is also not a looker in the design department.
It is simple, if you have not at least test driven the vehicles in question, you are not in a position to quote your boss, brother in-law, or the guy with roller skates down the street.
Ask any Land Rover owner about their vehicle, and their history, and you find a guy with green blood, and a proud heritage.
Now go back to your caves, or where ever you guys come from, rethink your comments, and come back with something concrete.
Remember not to use gossip as fact, and you will well be on track to make a valuable contribution.
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October 26th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Well done Pierre. I too am on my second D3. Zilch reliability problems. The BEST car I have ever owned.
I came out of the patrol cave 3 years ago and won’t look back.
You can get a D3 to handle like a patrol or a lc200. You have to get out of the car and flatten one of your front tyres totally. Then you can drive off knowing how a patrol or tojo driver feels like.
Unfortunately for tojo and patrol drivers there is nothing they can do too make their car perform/handle like a D3. (Apart from going out and getting a D3. ;-).)
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October 26th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Fact,
The D3 is a reliable vehicle. I own an HSE TDV6, with 80,000km up and it is a magnificent car.Check the forums and there is definitely no more problems than any Toyo - and look at the Patrols!!
Price: Not dear in comparison to any of its competitors when you look at what you get.(Air suspension etc).
Services at 12,000km? How good is that! And spares are no dearer than other similar vehicles. New extras are expensive and if after market items are available, they are usually a better buy.
Comfort: Nothing compares to the finish design and comfort of a D3. They are an exceptional design with a lot of thought - not old fashioned bits still being recycled.
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October 27th, 2008 at 11:46 am
More facts
I had a 2001 D2 for 5 years and 100,000 km and no problems.
Current D3 HSE TDV6 33,000km and so far no probs apart from an air compressor failure. Didn’t stop me getting home.
Use them both off road but look after them. Great cars! May not quite (not far off) hold the re-sale of opposition but just drive them and there is no comparison.
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October 28th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
In 17 years of owning a D1, D2 and now a D3, I have only been stranded once - that was right at the petrol station where I took on a tank of bad fuel.
I have done 13,000 km in 9 months in the D3 and I had been on over 14 off road trips across all terrains from simple to (mostly) difficult. Apart from a sinking seat (replaced under warranty), there’d been zero problems. I’m amazed that after all the off-road thrashing it got, it still drives like a luxury vehicle on road. I had a BMW 540i V8 and the D3 is more refined and quieter on-road. It is certainly a far more comfortable long distance tourer.
Weirlou, you are wrong when you say the D3 is not in the same league as BMW, Merc, etc. Have you actually checked and compared a D3 and a BMW/Merc? Driven them? Or is that opinion from your uncle’s brother’s niece’s boyfriend’s mechanic? The fit, finish and quality of the materials used in the D3 both inside and outside are absolutely on par with BMW’s and Mercedes’ sedans and much better than the ML’s.
My 2 cents worth :)
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October 28th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
I own a MY07 SE TDV6 with 50K and zero problems; did 4500km off road trip from Adelaide along the Oodnadatta; Finke;track then Alice; Boggy Hole, Uluru etc. 6 cars in convoy towing heavy camper trailers -only the D3 was fault free the entire trip. Simply brilliant 4WD. Remapped ECU it has 550nm of torque! All the negative comments above are from people who would never have driven one more than 5km’s I suspect. What a suprise.
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November 10th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
My 07 D3 TDV6 is simply superb. Previously I’ve owned a Landcruiser and an old 2A. As well as the D3 I also have a 1990 Hilux 4WD ute. I live on a steep property that gets lots of rain and haven’t beaten the D3 yet. I’ve used it to tow the Hilux and my 50HP tractor out of bogs and it did with ease.
On the road it’s brilliant for its size and weight (I stepped out of a WRX when I got the D3 so my handling standards are high). In 50,000 kms it hasn’t missed a beat. Fuel consumption is great - 9.6 average. My wife (50 kgs wringing wet) won’t get out of it. Prior to buying I drove Landcruiser (too spartan), Patrol (too old tech), Prado (handled like a yacht) and the D3. There was no question that the D3 provides the best balance of robustness, economy and comfort. We’re heading for the Pilbara soon (from northern NSW) and I’ll let you know how it handles it
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