Member Since: 21 Aug 2008
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 3145
I've got to admit that the Merc GLS is a great looking bit of kit. One of my neighbours has one. His son has a Porsche Macan in metallic blue and it looks lovely.
I think LR have been quite clever and both stupid at the same time. They've made a £43K car that nobody's actually going to want which makes it look like viable option until you glance over the spec.
So before you know it and as others have said your at £50K.
All things being equal I don't know about one else but I've found everything's gone through the roof, I looked at a new VW Tiguan a month ago for the Mrs and that was £43K plus I got dry bummed on the emissions scandal so the cheeky bar steward at the dealership reminded me........ so I thought I'd look at a Macan but same as, by the time you've bobbed all the goodies on it your at £50 - £60K.
All the manufacturers are at it, they've got you by the balls really because once your into something they tweak something, change the DRL's or bumper and grills and then you just chop it in at 3 years or less and your into the latest and greatest. These PCP's appear to be what's fueling the demand for expensive luxury brands, there's a lot of folk not on this forum who are fed up and tired of the 12 year old lifespan of the last incarnation of Discovery who can't wait to get into the next thing and if that makes the D4 look as tired and outdated as the RRS does now the RRS2 has made it look dated then there's gonna be some upset folks on here. I loved the RRS and still do but there's no way I could buy one having looked at the new one, the quality inside and out sets it apart but most importantly believe it or not for 98% of the people who buy luxury brands, It's ALL about looking good. And that's about all it boils down to.
LR will gladly loose the 2% to capture 6% from another brand in the same sector. And at the end of the day they're not keeping us happy they're keeping the board happy which keeps them gainfully employed.Only dead fish go with the Flow !
2nd Jan 2017 9:14 am
RDR
Member Since: 24 Mar 2013
Location: Derbyshire
Posts: 2260
Spot on Chalky
I'm aggressively looking at what my options are to replace the D4 which i want to do in the next few months.
Got an L405 booked in for a 2 day test but concerns over space.
GLS
2 day test booked next week and boot looks better than L405
G Wagon
SWMBO loves them but I'm a techie at heart and want something modern
D5
Last resort as I'm generally off with what they have done with it and larger engine options are old hat
Curve ball option is a customised T6 Van.MY06 S - Gone but not forgotten
MY12 HSE - Gone
MY16 HSE Luxury - Sold
MY20 D5 HSE - Sold
Current RR L460 PHEV
2nd Jan 2017 9:41 am
mse
Member Since: 27 Jun 2005
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 2707
Moo wrote:
Its just a reference to a generic jelly mould SUV. I could have picked half a dozen to represent the D5.
The XC90 and Merc GLS are on my list at the moment.
Sorry missunderstood - get you now
I was going to say this is what the D5 back end reminds me of:
Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
but actually on looking at it, its not that sleek either[/quote]Mike
2nd Jan 2017 9:42 am
mse
Member Since: 27 Jun 2005
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 2707
Totally agree chalky. In fact i heard the model of specing nothing as standard and charging (largely German manufactures approach) is what JLR wanted to adopt to - which sees you where we are now.
Like you i loved the RRS, it needed some modernising, but i still think the original is better than the new one (and im not alone), but the new one means the original is not going to be viable its too dated (something you like me probably saw happening). I dont doubt it will happen to the D4, although they are a slightly different animal.
Looking around, ignoring Ford as we know about them, im amazed at the spec and what you get in other cars for less money. Something made me look at jeeps last night (i know) and i couldn't help but get interested - even though i cant stand them!
The finance point is a significant one, i think for some it masks the cost issues (including loss of money on cars), however, its getting very quickly that you only really rent the cars now.
They do have to change the design, but its the cost and spec. To stay with LR ive considered going back on my hatred of the DS, but i dont think i can and the 3 door evoque is a great sports/city 4x4 but not going to cut it.
Its a shame, but £69k for a discovery is mad
Oh and another thing, again its been done before, the size of these cars - it put me off the RRS 2 - they are getting massive, its hard enough parking the things now, but longer/wider works in the rest of the world but here - noMike
2nd Jan 2017 9:53 am
Moo D3 Decade
Member Since: 13 Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 14492
Chalky, you're right, the D5 will do well but I'm not a yummy mummy or Victoria Beckham wanna be.
My old bus is nearly 12 years old and has over 200,000 on the clock, however, its stupidly reliable, I love driving it and it still meets and excceeds anything I ask of it. However, I know it wont last forever so I've started looking around, but following my disappointment with the D5, I'm left in a quandary, much like RDR is - what the hell do I replace it with?!D4 HSE EU6 (Known as Jeeves)
New Defender L663 110 SE (known as Noddy!) Sold
Sold Volvo XC90 R-Design (known as Basil)
Sold - D4 HSE (Known as Gerty)
No longer the Old Buses original owner
231,000 miles and counting
05 S manual owned from March 2005
D4 Face lifted
Still original injectors and turbo
V8 Front brakes
BAS Remap, Allisport Intercooler and deCat
EGRs blanked
T-Max split charge
Hanibal Expeedition rack
Prospeed ladder
Duratrac tyres
IID BT
BAS FBH control
2nd Jan 2017 9:57 am
J77
Member Since: 03 Mar 2008
Location: Fife
Posts: 6272
That's what's bugging me, I'm at the completely opposite end from yummy mummy, I like the D5 on a whole but I shouldn't it's not me.23.5MY Defender 90 X-Dynamic SE D250 MHEV Pangea Green
2nd Jan 2017 10:18 am
petersw
Member Since: 17 Nov 2012
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 1135
I like the D5 for the reason it's better off road.
Wading depth
Wheel articulation
Off road "cruise control"
2nd generation air suspension
2nd generation Terrain response 2
I agree it s expensive but feel I will be paying for the options of my choice, that I can afford.
Edit.
When mentioning "afford" I mean as in choice for the individual not peoples money situation.
E.g. D5 cost 48k to 70k+ its good that there is such a good choice for people.Peter
Last edited by petersw on 2nd Jan 2017 11:32 am. Edited 1 time in total
2nd Jan 2017 10:47 am
chalky
Member Since: 21 Aug 2008
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 3145
I'm glad we're mostly agreed on that then, mse, isn't the head of JLR ex VW / Audi ? And did I once creep round your house at midnight for a sump guard for a Defender
And whilst I'm no Yummy Mummy myself and having owned a D3 for 7 reliable years which I miss driving every day I am sold on the D5 on one thing more than any other.
It's made on the RR chassis, that's it for me. I drive them at work, a FF autobiography and an SVR, apart from the engine noise they are silent, bombproof and handle so well for such a big vehicle.
I've been wondering for some time what they would come up with for the platform after being told that a separate facility had been erected at Solihull to cope with this one off chasssis? So for me at the minute it's not being looked over as an expensive D5 more of a £50K Range Rover.
And that's something else Ze Garmans did in the 90's. Ferdinand Piech discovered something like 37 parts bins for window winders in the factory, instantly he decided that moving forward there would be 2. The savings he made were collosal, they did that across the brands with most parts from Polo through to top end Audi, this saved a fortune and dragged up already great reliability as parts were made to last for all Marques. When I looked at the D5 I saw RR steering wheel, rotary layout and interior quality and just made that decision that I wanted one, and quick.
All that aside though, I couldn't spend £69K on a disco either and as I said and some one else said above, I'd gladly pay £43 for a base spec and upgrade £350 for LED's with DRL's.
But they're ahead of us there in the what I need and what I actually want.Only dead fish go with the Flow !
2nd Jan 2017 10:58 am
mse
Member Since: 27 Jun 2005
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 2707
maybe, cant recall if that was v8 or 90 days, but we may have moved since then...!
ill have to check, but there are few snr people from the German side in JLR, thats for sureMike
2nd Jan 2017 11:14 am
chalky
Member Since: 21 Aug 2008
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 3145
It was the 90 Days, over on the Defender2 Forum, didn't you have a black 90. I had a green 08 plate.Only dead fish go with the Flow !
2nd Jan 2017 11:41 am
petersw
Member Since: 17 Nov 2012
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 1135
Re: FFRR chassis
The new Defender will have RR all aluminium chassis in both versions (normal & long wheelbase)
Shorter overhangs will give it better off road ability.Peter
2nd Jan 2017 11:53 am
RDR
Member Since: 24 Mar 2013
Location: Derbyshire
Posts: 2260
petersw wrote:
I like the D5 for the reason it's better off road.
Wading depth
Wheel articulation
Off road "cruise control"
2nd generation air suspension
2nd generation Terrain response 2
I agree it s expensive but feel I will be paying for the options of my choice, that I can afford.
Edit.
When mentioning "afford" I mean as in choice for the individual not peoples money situation.
E.g. D5 cost 48k to 70k+ its good that there is such a good choice for people.
This is the one thing at the back of my mind when I'm looking at the other options. I don't do proper off-roading but like the piece of mind of having the ability in the bag should i need it. All I need to do it haul trailers across muddy fields and get through some rough winter weather now and again which most other SUVs can manage admirably with care.MY06 S - Gone but not forgotten
MY12 HSE - Gone
MY16 HSE Luxury - Sold
MY20 D5 HSE - Sold
Current RR L460 PHEV
2nd Jan 2017 11:55 am
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 23866
Moo wrote:
Chalky, you're right, the D5 will do well but I'm not a yummy mummy or Victoria Beckham wanna be.
My old bus is nearly 12 years old and has over 200,000 on the clock, however, its stupidly reliable, I love driving it and it still meets and excceeds anything I ask of it. However, I know it wont last forever so I've started looking around, but following my disappointment with the D5, I'm left in a quandary, much like RDR is - what the hell do I replace it with?!
Moo, if you're happy to run a vehicle to high mileage/years, as per your D3, why not replace it with a new or used D4?
I also can't find a direct replacement for the D4. So one option I'm considering is to buy an old barge and use that to keep the mileage down on the D4. I'd then keep the D4 for as long as practical or until a suitable replacement comes on the market.
I'm thinking along the lines of a 2005 LS430, for £5-6k.
2006 D3 HSE (Original & still the best)-GONE
2010 D4 HSE (A bit bling)-GONE
2014 D4 HSE (Almost too bling)-GONE
2015 D4 HSE (A heated what?)-GONE
2016 D4 Landmark (Written Off)-GONE
2016 D4 Landmark (Surely the last!) PD1881 rims-GONE
2017 FFRR SDV8 Autobiography (now semi-retired)
2nd Jan 2017 12:45 pm
AndrewS Tarquin of the Desert
Member Since: 06 May 2005
Location: Y...... because I can
Posts: 10442
petersw wrote:
Re: FFRR chassis
The new Defender will have RR all aluminium chassis in both versions (normal & long wheelbase)
Shorter overhangs will give it better off road ability.
Says who? Both Versions! Is there not three wheel bases coming out?
Just wondering where you are getting this info from In the Beginning there was nothing, which exploded.
2nd Jan 2017 2:08 pm
petersw
Member Since: 17 Nov 2012
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 1135
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
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off with what they have done with it and larger engine options are old hat 
