Looking under the front of my truck with new track rod, drag link and adjustable panhard bar:
I really hate it when people keep "quoting" long posts of pictures, don't they know how to delete the images....????
(Hang on, I'm confused on that photo. It's got ball swivels, so D1, where's the A-frame? Oh, is it tucked up higher above the drive shaft, must be, wouldn't fit below.)
I have a 96 and recall when the A frame was clunking in it's mount. Not sure what mileage that was though, maybe 200ish. So the A design for the rear is what helps a D1 give more articulation off road right? But obviously less tight handling on-road. This is part of why a D2 feels like a sports car compared to the D1
Well, even more so when the D1 had Billstein but with 100,000 miles on them and the D2 had new OME 2" kit springs and dampers.
For this thread, the D2 has the following that one might consider "luxury" items not found in the D1:
1-heated windscreen if fitted with ordered option "cold weather package" (includes heated seats, much more common on 2004 builds than earlier. Both items can actually be fitted after the fact. Get this, I'm pretty sure the seat heating element is in there and all you have to do is buy the switch plate for the center console!)
2-rear proximity (parking) sensors
3-dual sun roofs (frequent on D2 but I think were probably also available on D1, just not as common)
4-The seats are definitely a bit more formed and feel more supportive to me.
5-the armrest is nice sometimes
6-power seat: seat base fore-aft, seat base tilt angle and not just raising the rear like my stupid LR3 passenger seat, but front and rear edge raise lower, i.e. tilt/angle of seat bottom, lumbar in-out but not up-down.
7-there are more 12v sockets in the D2, one in the cargo area.
8-cargo area has pretty darn useful storage bins with top lids.
9-front bumper has fog lamps on those optioned with the lighting package probably, or "premium" or something like that.
9b-headlights are definitely better in the D2 but there may be upgrade choices for the D1 ?
9c-rear bumper in D2 has bigger lamp lenses, same for C pillar lamps, the lighting in general is better and more visible on the D2
10-rear load leveling air suspension .... works cool when it works I hear but more likely to give trouble than just work fine. Mine does not have it but has all of the above options.
11-some sweet color palates. Mine is Vienna Green (I think, light metallic sage) with Aspen interior which I think it THE coolest Land Rover interior color scheme of all time. Looks especially awesome in a Range Rover in 2003 era when they still had the BMW engine.
I may have gotten carried away as all of the above may not be "lux" items, but they are differences. On the rear bumper, I like how the D2 is flatter overall and deeper. It allows more function for dealing with things coming out of back like hiking or mtn biking items, it's like a mini tail gate.
Oh, I think with the 2" lift via medium duty springs on either vehicle, the D2 may fit slightly larger tires more easily due to how the fenders are shaped? I don't know for sure, my D2 has 265/75x16 which of course rub at the front radius arms on full lock, but the D1 did the same with 245/70x16. Makes me wonder if the track was widened at all on D2?
Anyway, at some point my D1 had the seat get saggy, so a fairly cheap part replacement and it felt new again. I added sheepskin seat covers at some point and those seats are actually quite good considering it's almost 30 years old and has 230,000 miles.
All 2004 came with CDL. Any D2 without it can have it added fairly simply. Rovers North and AB have kits. Same for seat heating in D2 without cold package.
Even though you're in NC, the heated windscreen is such a convenient thing in winter. I've been through 4 on my lr3 which is at just 100,000 miles but for some reason the D2 has never been cracked and has about 80,000 miles.
