Member Since: 03 Feb 2015
Location: Northern places, often
Posts: 17
D4 back in Iceland
To give our D4 a rest from speed bumps and Waitrose car parks in West London, we brought it up to Iceland again this Summer. It gives a clear reminder of what a Disco can do...rock crawling over lava, or up to its arches in wilderness river fords. This is the pumice desert near the Askja caldera...a forbidding place
Click image to enlarge
6th Aug 2016 9:25 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73149
Well jell!! Ferry from Hantsholm (DK) to E Iceland and how are the river levels? Did a similar trip in 2003 in a 90, would love to do it in my D3.
6th Aug 2016 9:29 am
maxbasscat
Member Since: 03 Jan 2016
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 1267
Been thinking of this myself, a mate has just got just back and is still gushing about it, Iceland is a bit differentD3 2.7 Zermatt silver (not another one)
D3 4.4 V8 Zambezi silver
D3 4.4 V8 Adriatic Blue
D3 2.7 (gone) Tonga Green
D3 4.4 V8 LHD Tonga Green
FFRR TDV8
Defender 300
6th Aug 2016 9:30 am
baritone
Member Since: 03 Feb 2015
Location: Northern places, often
Posts: 17
DSL - we sent it up by container ship from Immingham. Bit of a faff, as we discovered last year, but at least it's nearer to us than Denmark...just. But the cost of hiring a decent 4x4 in high season here makes the bother very worth it for a longish stay.
Been quite a dry, warm (relative term) Summer so rivers not bad. Glacial rivers a bit up, but you really need a superjeep to deal with some of those with complete confidence. I haven't got a snorkel on my Disco as it's preposterous for a London car, after all, so am suitably cautious about the grey water rivers. I couldn't look my Icelandic friends in the face if I needed to get rescued!
6th Aug 2016 10:05 am
Hairy Dan
Member Since: 19 Jan 2011
Location: Co. Durham
Posts: 12319
Nice photo, I would love to do Iceland in my D4 Cheers Ian
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Club N.E.R.D.S
Kielder 4x4 Safari
Discoless
6th Aug 2016 11:40 am
spikekellyrm
Member Since: 23 Jul 2015
Location: Manchester
Posts: 662
There were a few companies at the overland expo advertising this, I spent hours looking at their adverts.
Would be good to do as a group for support, cheaper shipping too sharing a container
6th Aug 2016 11:57 am
baritone
Member Since: 03 Feb 2015
Location: Northern places, often
Posts: 17
I can't recommend the experience of being in the wilds of Iceland highly enough. If the weather allows at least some visibility, then it can be give an almost overwhelming sense of awe and loneliness. A lot of it very beautiful, and a lot that is weird and intimidating...and a lot that's a mixture of all that!
But God it's good to be in a D4 for it! Superjeeps with 40" wheels are almost invincible in the rough stuff, compared to Discos which are merely fantastically capable. But there's much asphalt driving to do that is wonderful, and the D4 is much more comfortable - and quieter - than those monsters as you loop around the country on surfaced roads.
6th Aug 2016 10:21 pm
gj2h1f
Member Since: 16 Jan 2016
Location: None
Posts: 40
Nice work taking your Disco! More pics and vids please... I had a fab time there on my motorbike last year and will be taking my Disco too!
It's real easy shipping it and wow what a playground when you arrive! Few places that great for a 2 hour flight!
The rivers are fine in your car though as we managed to cross virtually all of them on our bikes.
Despite your sign off saying "loop around the country on surfaced roads" please tell me you took her off road as well? Did you do the inland trails?
14th Aug 2016 6:35 am
baritone
Member Since: 03 Feb 2015
Location: Northern places, often
Posts: 17
Thanks disopaw. Yes, we're doing plenty of highland F-road driving, and fording too. As you may remember, off-roading is forbidden in Iceland, but driving F roads certainly feels like demanding off-roading! Here's a photo of our D4 on F207 at the site of the Laki fissure eruption...several fords to deal with to get there, and really lumpy lava tracks.
Click image to enlarge
14th Aug 2016 10:28 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73149
How did the ATRs stand up?
14th Aug 2016 10:33 am
baritone
Member Since: 03 Feb 2015
Location: Northern places, often
Posts: 17
ATRs are great. They don't seem to be any noisier than the Zeros that preceded them, and they haven't hesitated so far...including on wet river rocks, crucially!
14th Aug 2016 11:53 am
WINDSWEPTISLANDER
Member Since: 21 Jul 2011
Location: Way up north
Posts: 523
I've been to Iceland twice, once in a Hilux, which managed, the second time in a modified 90 which you could throw at anything. Such a brilliant holiday. Seeing your pics is making me nostalgic.
How does the cost of shipping work out? Likely to be a very viable option compared to catching the ferry from Denmark. I would love to go again but will probably need to wait for the family to grow up a bit first.
I have often pondered about taking a Disco, or would I be better off with an old pickup of sorts, the disco obviously offers unparalleled comfort and capability.....when it's working. It's an expensive car to get things wrong with, and the likes of an older hilux which you can lift cheaply and put bigger wheels on.... there's something to be said for that too.
15th Aug 2016 10:52 am
baritone
Member Since: 03 Feb 2015
Location: Northern places, often
Posts: 17
Having great fun with it...and going up to the Westfjords again tomorrow.
Shipping was significantly more expensive this year than last year. Last Summer it cost just over £1100 tour/retour on Eimskip, this year more like £1600. In large part due to the plunge in Sterling against everything, including the Icelandic kronur. So, quite a lot, but it costs about £1700 to hire a D4 per week here, so for our lengthy stay it was a no-brainer.
Samskip also ships cars from Immingham to Reykjavik...it may be cheaper with them, but they take a more circuitous route to get up here.
The only issue I had with the D4 was last year when the lower steering column partially failed, resulting in heavy steering. BL - the approved LR dealer up here fixed it under warranty. This they did quickly - the part was not in stock here as was RHD-specific - but the car was driveable whilst we awaited it's arrival from Blighty.
I'm on 19" wheels and haven't kerbed them at all here...the damage to my alloys is all from London. The more extreme F roads here can have large rocks, and it is recommended that you use 30" wheels or bigger for those...Arctic Trucks country. But I'm not sure I, let alone SWMBO, can be bothered with really tedious "road" conditions like that even if we had the wheels for it. I suspect something like 90% of the F Roads and their fords are perfectly doable in a stock D4...as you might remember.
Cheers, Bill
15th Aug 2016 4:38 pm
WINDSWEPTISLANDER
Member Since: 21 Jul 2011
Location: Way up north
Posts: 523
Making me nostalgic.
I remember the F910 being reasonably moderate, and a lot of good splashes on the roads in and around Landmanallugar - which I think was the F208 almost definitely spelt wrong. Porsmork was a bit more interesting. The F26 was a wonderful, if very long drive, and one I would be cautious about in the disco, one of the crossings near the middle was quite dramatic, but some of the remotest places, and suddenly a hot spring, or a valley of beautiful purple flowers.
Enjoy it for me.
15th Aug 2016 5:01 pm
WINDSWEPTISLANDER
Member Since: 21 Jul 2011
Location: Way up north
Posts: 523
Also, remember to look out for the Northern lights at night, we saw them when we were over in August in 2005, had to lie on our backs to get the full display.
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The more extreme F roads here can have large rocks, and it is recommended that you use 30" wheels or bigger for those...Arctic Trucks country. But I'm not sure I, let alone SWMBO, can be bothered with really tedious "road" conditions like that even if we had the wheels for it. I suspect something like 90% of the F Roads and their fords are perfectly doable in a stock D4...as you might remember.
