How do Gen II's stack up against Land Rover Discovery's?

[Gruni14]

Anybody have experiences with these two vehicles and would care to compare?

I'm real close to pulling the trigger on a 96 SR that seems to have been well taken care of. Use is mainly weekend family fun trips and periodic mountain and Moab trail use (relatively easy trails). Not planning on modifying it, we stick to trails like Imogene, Engineer Pass and other trails in the San Juans usually between the Silverton/Ouray region. In Moab, trails like White rim trail, Long Trail, Onion Creek and some others a little more challenging, which I don't recall the names right now, but no major rock crawling. I've done plenty of rock crawling in the past, but with family, we pretty much focus on scenery for the kids. 99% of the driving will be on local roads though, but not for commuting. Hopefully that helps if you are familiar with these popular trails.

I have a stock 1998 Land Rover Discovery 1, with a 4.9 V8 that we have a lot of fun with. I've done most of deferred maintenance items that typically make Land Rovers seem unreliable and it's been dependable for us. Taken it to the trails listed above and a bunch of others that have been a lot of fun. The L/R doesn't have the rear locker, but it seems (from my static observation) like the L/R has a lot more front axle articulation, will twist up better .....and also a lot more center ground clearance since both diffs on the L/R are lined up with each other on the right side of the vehicle. Ive gone through some major ruts with the Land Rover and it walked us right through to our amazement. The Montero, with the suspension bar that spans between the A-arms, seems like it's going to be somewhat limiting and will (or could) bang around quite a bit on rocks if yer not careful. The Montero, from my test drive, seems like it's more firm sprung, which is a plus. On the Disco, I like where they put the Radio up high (an easy reach straight out), having two sun roofs (rear one works great for sucking heat out of the pass compartment) and another sun roof above the driver's head is real nice too. There are some other nice interior items but the Montero has a few nice touches too. I wish they still had the altimeter, but you can add one somewhere. The Montero doesn't seem to have the propensity to oversteer which is no small deal.

Anyway, I'm not slamming either vehicle, just pointing out things I've noticed from looking and a couple short test drives. Would love to get your thoughts between the two if you have any experience, especially off-road capabilities. I'm not going to get rid of the Disco, just looking to have fun with a Montero and learn more about them.


Thanks,

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I see far more LR's in the junkyard than Monteros.... so decide for yourself!!

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Oh, and here you go https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=montero+vs+land+rover

 

[Gruni14]

Thanks for the links. Yeah, I read through a bunch of pages. There is a lot of truths there on typical problems L/R's have. I've noticed that a lot of Discovery owners are more the country-club set and don't have much in the way of mechanical skills. Because they drop in price so much, owners buy them cheap but aren't prepared for dealing with the long list of deferred maintenance items that come with them. If you're paying someone to fix the problems, owners eventually give up and move on. I probably would too. Fortunately, my 98 (last years of the Discovery I series) has had most of the problems sorted out. It's been really reliable ...so far. But if I can work out this Montero deal, I'll get a chance to learn about Monteros in a more intimate way, which I'm looking forward to. Any other experiences?

 

[PA_JERO]

I've never owned, driven, or wanted a disco. And since your posting this in the bishi section... sell that POS L/R and buy a montero. You'll never look back.

 

[plh]

I've never owned, driven, or wanted a disco. And since your posting this in the bishi section... sell that POS L/R and buy a montero. You'll never look back.

^^^^ what he said

 

[Dprisner]

Can't attest to the differences between the two, but why not pick up the '96 SR and you'll be able to really compare 'um side by side?

 

[montypower]

My buddy has a 96 Discovery. He bought the chassis with a bit over 200k. Diesel swap, 5 speed swap, land cruiser axles, gear, lockers... He went on many trips with me (over 20k miles traveled in the past year). Then drove it to Alaska. His comments: "On this trip, the truck has begun falling apart at an unbelievable rate. 4 out of the 5 doors no longer open, the drivers window motor quit, two body mounts broke clean, turn signals and flashers no longer work, fan motor went bad, heater core leaking under dash, cracks have appeared in sheetmetal, and incredibly the list goes on." And the transmission failed so it had to tow it 2,400 miles home.

My truck has nearly 22k off road / adventure miles. It still drives like it originally did. Everything works properly. My truck is newer and less miles but the Land Rover started in good working condition as well. Similar use. They just fall apart. But do look cool doing it.

Crazy enough he still loves the Land Rover.

 

[KyleT]

I have owned 3 discovery 2's and worked for rover.

They are similar but different.

Disco had way more torque and power, solid axles, better tease ratio. Better front seats and ergonomics/layout and better transmission. And cupholders. Engines cost more than a whole new used truck. All kinds of little leaks and head gaskets and cooling system issues.

Montero has better ride, better handing especially whipping around parking lots. Way better rear seats. Does not feel as solid as far as the body goes but the frame is noticeably beefier. Parts are less expensive but more importantly more common. And motors are cheap. I will argue more capable too.

All in all i like the disco better but the montero is way smarter to own. If it had more power and cupholders the argument would be more in favor of the montero.

Same same but different....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JamesW]

The disco will have more clearance under the diffs, and is generally better for offroading, however they're also prone to breaking when offroading, worst case you'll break a half shaft, but usually it is the small bits that will break, more of an annoyance than anything

The Paj won't be as good as the disco offroad if driven the same way, however they're more resilient to harder driving, and are built a lot tougher. A friend of mine had a disco 1 from 98 with the 300tdi, it was good, and only left him stranded a couple of times (immobiliser) but it always had at least one small problem, usually leaks, groaning wheel bearings, broken seats, radiators and alternators not charging. I think in a year an a half he spent more on repairs than he spent buying the truck. He bought a LWB pajero 2.8 and the only thing it needed was shocks on the back, a boot hinge,and the inner needle bearing in the hub

Both are good machines, but Landrovers always have something wrong with them, and if you fix it, something else will go wrong, so wait until it gets a fault you're comfortable with, and keep it that way

 

[plh]

Case in point:

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/5230786770.html

local - but not mine

 

[montypower]

The disco will have more clearance under the diffs, and is generally better for offroading, however they're also prone to breaking when offroading, worst case you'll break a half shaft, but usually it is the small bits that will break, more of an annoyance than anything

Really the disco has 16.5" diff clearance? That's what my Montero has in the rear. 12.5" in the front. Mine dominates in rutted terrain over the Disco. It doesn't have the wheel travel but extremely balanced, no drama wheel lifts.

Disco = drama. Crazy stuff breaks you never thought possible. HVAC blower motors, wiring issues and overall build quality. Also, the transmissions in the Disco are aweful. Another buddy has a Disco II. He said transmission is retarded and rarely in the proper gear. He said the V8 is the most under powered 8 cylinder ever made. My v6 has more power and 5mpg better.

You buy a Land Rover because you are passionate and love them. They don't make the most logical sense. They do look awesome. They have just enough decent parts to be respectable off road.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Really the disco has 16.5" diff clearance? That's what my Montero has in the rear. 12.5" in the front. Mine dominates in rutted terrain over the Disco. It doesn't have the wheel travel but extremely balanced, no drama wheel lifts.

Disco = drama. Crazy stuff breaks you never thought possible. HVAC blower motors, wiring issues and overall build quality. Also, the transmissions in the Disco are aweful. Another buddy has a Disco II. He said transmission is retarded and rarely in the proper gear. He said the V8 is the most under powered 8 cylinder ever made. My v6 has more power and 5mpg better.

You buy a Land Rover because you are passionate and love them. They don't make the most logical sense. They do look awesome. They have just enough decent parts to be respectable off road.

The topic is LR vs Gen 2 Monty, in which case the LR does have a bit more under diff clearance due to the Monty having monster axles.

 

[All-Terrain]

The Montero will do everything you're going to ask it to do, based on what you've said. And, it's a more reliable, durable vehicle than the Disco. So it's a no-brainer. Keep the simple **** simple.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Really the disco has 16.5" diff clearance? That's what my Montero has in the rear. 12.5" in the front. Mine dominates in rutted terrain over the Disco. It doesn't have the wheel travel but extremely balanced, no drama wheel lifts.

Disco = drama. Crazy stuff breaks you never thought possible. HVAC blower motors, wiring issues and overall build quality. Also, the transmissions in the Disco are aweful. Another buddy has a Disco II. He said transmission is retarded and rarely in the proper gear. He said the V8 is the most under powered 8 cylinder ever made. My v6 has more power and 5mpg better.

You buy a Land Rover because you are passionate and love them. They don't make the most logical sense. They do look awesome. They have just enough decent parts to be respectable off road.

Holy smokes, what size tires do you have on that thing? No way a stock Monty has 16" of ground clearance. My unimog with portal axles
And stock 39" tires had 16".