Discovery Sport vs. Grand Cherokee Overland vs. 4Runner TRD

[Stefan Gliessmann]

Hi folks -

I need to buy a new SUV in the Madison, WI area and will use it most of the time on pavement, but for some play time I want to enjoy it also off-road.
Hence, I am looking at these to buy new.

2015 Discovery Sport:
- have not driven the sport, but the LR4 at an event by LR and I was very positively surprised by its capabilities (Drove the same route in a Defender and the LR4 was so much smoother
- I love the adaptive cruise control in general, but it seems it will not yet be available on the Sport for 2015
- does not have a diesel engine

2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee:
- all the luxury stuff I want
- has the adaptive cruise control
- has a diesel engine

2015 Toyota 4Runner TRD:
- reliability (?)
- TRD equipped
- not the luxury I seek
- no adaptive cruise control
- no diesel engine

Now - my questions:
- which one would you recommend? and why?
- which one is the better to pull an off-road trailer (like the Moby1 XTR :drool off-road?
- which one is the better one for the cold winters in WI?

Any feedback is appreciated!

Thx,
Stefan

 

[toylandcruiser]

Hi folks -

I need to buy a new SUV in the Madison, WI area and will use it most of the time on pavement, but for some play time I want to enjoy it also off-road.
Hence, I am looking at these to buy new.

2015 Discovery Sport:
- have not driven the sport, but the LR4 at an event by LR and I was very positively surprised by its capabilities (Drove the same route in a Defender and the LR4 was so much smoother
- I love the adaptive cruise control in general, but it seems it will not yet be available on the Sport for 2015
- does not have a diesel engine

2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee:
- all the luxury stuff I want
- has the adaptive cruise control
- has a diesel engine

2015 Toyota 4Runner TRD:
- reliability (?)
- TRD equipped
- not the luxury I seek
- no adaptive cruise control
- no diesel engine

Now - my questions:
- which one would you recommend? and why?
- which one is the better to pull an off-road trailer (like the Moby1 XTR :drool off-road?
- which one is the better one for the cold winters in WI?

Any feedback is appreciated!

Thx,
Stefan

Funny you question the reliability of the 4Runner but not disco or jeep.


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[oldblue]

While I love 4runners, it sounds like it is probably not the best option for you. The 4wd system is part-time which is annoying and largely useless on pavement. The Limited version of the 4runner has a full-time system which is great but you would still have to get past the looks of the Limited. 4runner will be far and away more reliable than the Land Rover or Jeep.

In your position and based on your interests I think I'd take the Jeep, nice on road ride, decent 4wd system, luxury stuff.

 

[jdillard]

On the 4runner - if it were me, I'd skip the TRD and get the Trail with KDSS, especially if you're doing mostly highway and with a trailer.

 

[99Discovery]

Many on this forum will lead you towards the 4Runner, because it is body on frame with decent GVWR, traditional 4wd system, and the platform is well known.

The Grand Cherokee would be second best, because of the diesel, but it's air suspension isn't cross-linked like the rovers and therefore won't perform/articulate like the LR4.

The Discovery Sport is essentially a cross-over, transverse mounted engine, not very heavy duty and heavily road biased. LR does a great job of making all of their offerings off-roadable, but a transverse layout is harder (at least for me) to work on and maintain and so you will be stuck with taking to the shop ($$) or breaking your knuckles over routine maintenance. I love LR, but the Disco Sport is out-classed with your choices (except for highway drive) and it's main competition is the Jeep Cherokee (non-grand), and then the plethora of non-off road capable cross-overs in the marketplace.

For your intended use (primarly road, but want to play in the dirt), I would suggest the Grand Cherokee. It's unibody, coil spring, air chassis should ride better than the 4Runner (I've never driven one), and you already mentioned you want the diesel engine.

You really can't go wrong with either, there are pros and cons to all of them. Although, I would swap the Disco Sport with a used Range Rover Sport or LR4 for the same $$ instead, but that's because I demand a more capable off-road vehicle..

 

[aek50]

The disco sport being such a new vehicle there is going to be little to no experience with it vs the others.

Having recently sat in both the disco sport and Jeep Grand Cherokee at a recent auto show, I can say that I was very impressed with the disco and unimpressed with the jeep. What you appear to get for your money is way ahead with the disco. Dismayed with the yards of cheap plastic in the interior of the jeep and overall fit and finish on a vehicle of that price.

Being familiar with the off road offerings of your area, any of the vehicles should be fine including the disco from what the first reviews have been. May actually find for the modest forest roads of WI the disco is the most comfortable.

 

[Stefan Gliessmann]

Thank you all for your replies so far!

 

[tacr2man]

The way landrover is starting to badge some of its products is leading to some confusion , the discovery sport is not A discovery (LR4 in usa) It is more akin to the Freelander 2 which it is replacing . The same as a RRS is more a LR4 with a different body than a Range Rover ( we call FF (full fat) HTSH

 

[zelatore]

I have yet to hear anything beyond the press releases on the new Disco Sport. It hasn't been on my radar as it's not the class of vehicle I would be looking at (now bring me an updated Disco/LR5 or Defender...). The pricing does look pretty good on it, and recent model Rovers have been pretty reliable over-all, so it might be an option but I would expect the GC to out perform it with a strong option package. I'll just skip the yota...I can't get past the looks of the thing.

 

[LR Max]

The biggest issue I have with the Disco Sport is I don't see anywhere specifying low range. So as a vehicle you can take out on the trail, I doubt its capability. Oh and before anyone says anything about the 9 speed transmission, I've driven a Cherokee with it and it is NOT a substitute for low range. This is tragic because if it had low range, it would seriously be on my radar for my next vehicle (5 years or so) assuming my commute gets reduced.

IMO, bypass the diesel in any passenger vehicle. They are so complex now that it isn't worth it. You can get a decent gas engine that will be efficient and reliable under normal conditions and then provide ample power when towing.

Oh and I'd put the Disco Sport vs. the Jeep Cherokee, not the GC. I think the GC compares more with the LR4.

That said, having driven the Cherokee, I thought it was a darn good vehicle for what it was. Very compact which was a benefit in the dirt. Good for 2 people + camping gear for a week. I think the Disco Sport would be along the same lines but with more comfort.

I'm hearing issues with the 4 Runner in terms of visibility. Same with the FJC, you can't see out of the friggen thing. Off road, this is a bad time.

GC's. Well, they are GC's. The previous models have always been great platforms. Very comfortable to be in while providing very good off road performance. That said, I am weary of Chrysler reliability in anything made in the past 5 years. With other models I'm hearing a lot of issues with reliability and I question if this carries over to the GC. So I would heavily research this aspect of the GC before proceeding.

Dunno. Go drive em. See what you think sitting in them.

 

[srschick]

One thing I've learned, you never EVER buy the first edition of a new car. and probably not the second year either...

 

[Derel1cte]

Your experience in the LR4 cannot be compared to the Discovery sport. If you want to feel how the discovery sport is going handle you need to drive a 4 door evoque.

Unless you have the cash and can wait for the the next Discovery (the replacement for the LR4, NOT discovery sport) you're probably best off getting the Jeep.

If you don't HAVE to buy new, I always tell people to get 2010 models of Land rovers. The LR4 has not changed in any real way since 2010 and that is a good thing. You can pick up one for $30K and if it really bothers you that the new ones have slightly different headlights, you can spend another $2K on ebay to get all the bits to update the look. Bam, $32K LR4 that looks like the $60K models in the showroom, only yours will have more horsepower since you still have a 5.0L V8 instead of the detuned supercharged v6 in the new models.

 

[agthird]

get a jeep with a v8....

 

[nick325i]

If you must stick to one of those three options, I would do the Jeep.

If it was me, I would get a preowned LR4. I bought a new 12' LR4 and loved everything but the payment.

 

[Ren Draga]

Hi folks -

2015 Toyota 4Runner TRD:
...
- not the luxury I seek
...

Hi Stefan,

Have you driven a TRD Pro? For a "truck" it's pretty posh. I'm actually pretty uncomfortable driving luxurious cars, so I had to get over that when I bought mine. Of course, to me heated seats is luxury. The suspension is unreal on washboard roads, and it still rides pretty well on the highway.

I'm sure you can't go wrong with any of the three models you are looking at.