Discovery 4 HSE vs Landcruiser VX

I haven't owned a Disco, but have driven a couple and the drivers compartment seems to be a little crowded for me, after having owned Toyota's and Nissan's. if you are looking for comfort probably best to get in one and see how much room you have. to me the seat area seems to be narrow with the armrest against my leg on one side and the centre console against the other one.

The Disco is smaller on the outside bit larger on the inside than the Toyota. Reports of reliability issues are generally hearsay just as the reliability issues with the 200 series are hearsay.

In this day and age it comes down to what your preferences are. If you are not aware of it the 3.0 Diesel (I am assuming you after a diesel) comes in two states of tune so make sure you get the right one.

If tyres are important to you get the GOE rims, they are a small cost compared to the price of the vehicles - I think when comparing comparable spec levels the disco is cheaper so if you can afford the toyota you can afford the disco and goe rims.

Garry

A friend of ours had a Disco 4 and loved it. Towed his Bushtracker behind it. But everyone time he asked a question of his Dealership that started with the words: "What if.....?" The reply always included the words "flat bed truck to the nearest capital city".

So he traded it for a VX 200 Series.

My preference would be the Disco - however you mention a dinghy - the roof load on the Disco may not allow that

Hi Boggs.

I don't have a Disco, mainly because I can't afford a new one, but when I was looking to purchase my last new 4WD, I asked many people many questions and opinions, and the most common answer I got was " Why buy that when for that money you can buy a 3 year old Prado".

Cut a long story short I purchased what I realy wanted, and despite all the negative comments about them I have never had a problem, and am very happy (4 years later) with my choice.

There are many people that will only look for negatives on your choice, but at the end you have to buy what you realy want.

Although never a Disco owner I have had Range Rovers & now a Landcruiser.
Apart from personal choice issues I think the Cruiser would have it for mine because of the
friendlier wheel sizes & more dealerships.
Ross

There's no alternative to joining up to any relevant forum for your item of interest and reading through the posts. It'll take hours but you'll get a good idea of common failings. You won't get representative data though since the folk who've had no problems typically don't join in threads on problems or don't join the forum.

Eg. I'd heard a fair amount of -ve comment about the new model of a motorbike I'm thinking of buying. After so much forum research that my eyes bled it was possible to conclude that only a small part of that comment was warranted. There was a couple of possibly design faults plus the normal rate of manufacturing faults.

I have a friend with a D4 and he loves it. He put 19" General Grabber AT2's on it and they have been good. As for reliability, my Land Rover FL2 lost a sensor in mud at Warburton Crossing off the Birdsville Track last year which set off all the computer alarms possible, but the car still drove out and then drove over 2000 kms back to Sydney. I would expect the same of a D4. I buy what I like driving, I have the Land Rover and a Jeep, two brands that would have some people shuddering, but neither has left me stranded and they have both been to the Outback at least once each every year for the last 5 years. The real funny thing is, I go out expecting to break down and sort of plan for, but it hasn't happened which is pleasant. If I went out in a Toyota and did break down I would be extremely disappointed. I think it boils down to whether you like the blinkers on the left hand side of the steering wheel (European/US brands) or on the right (Asian brands). Yes, Land Rovers may be English but their blinkers are on the left... Cheers.

i have just purchased a D3 SE TDV6 second hand will have to agree i did hours of reading on the AULRO site, it is one of the best forums that i am apart of they are all so help full and friendly. i just love my Land Rover. it is so quite, comfortable, capable and touch wood reliable. i have 18's on mine so i have a bit more of tire options, as some people see the 19inch as deal breakers. one thing that i and my 5 foot 1inch wife love is the air suspension that can go quite low in access mode so she can get in with out climbing in and then go to full off road mode which seams to be a 2 inch lift kit (could be wrong here) in my eyes it is fantastic.
both of these car would suit you well as they are both weapons for the Outback. though for me Land rover.