New Defender News

DieselRanger

Well-known member
Everyone hates it because it looks like every other SUV on the planet. Sales have been horrible.
It does? They have?

The first statement is subjective and hyperbolic. Clearly "everyone" does not "hate" it nor does "everyone" think it looks like "every other SUV on the planet."

The second is false. Sales of the Discovery line since 2008 have been flat on average in Europe (~12,000 per year) except for 2017 (~16,650) when they spiked with the introduction of the D5 (there is a commercial variant available there which usually accounts for the higher sales vs. the US), and they are higher in the US in 2018-2019 (~10,000) than they were in any year since 2008 (~2,500) except for 2016 (~10,750) when they had a fire sale to move the LR4 off the lot in preparation for the D5, with sales increasing on average about 540 per year in those 11 years. The Discovery is not offered in China.

I choose 2008 because that was the year the global recession really took hold, and it impacted luxury car sales quite heavily worldwide. Expect an auto sales downturn across the industry this year, though Land Rover is now selling Discoveries to rental fleets in the US, a first for the brand.

1581353845798.png
 

catmann

Active member
What issues did the Discovery 5 have on launch?

Oh my, the list is too long for me repeat here. Trim pieces misaligned, software glitches, engine issues (several people towed within less than 500 miles on the D5), etc. LR was working round the clock for months to find fixes, some software fixes took well over a year.

The main list is here if you go back and find the old 2017 posts. https://disco5.co.uk/forum/faults-and-fixes-vf10.html
 

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
The 90 showed up on the Canadian builder. I'm surprised it's more than the 110. Maybe I'm missing something?
Capture.PNG
Edit: I guess despite the picture, there is no base model 90. The most basic 90 at the moment is a P400 first edition.
 

DieselRanger

Well-known member
Oh my, the list is too long for me repeat here. Trim pieces misaligned, software glitches, engine issues (several people towed within less than 500 miles on the D5), etc. LR was working round the clock for months to find fixes, some software fixes took well over a year.

The main list is here if you go back and find the old 2017 posts. https://disco5.co.uk/forum/faults-and-fixes-vf10.html
Yeah, I'm an owner and I'm active on that forum. You can count on one hand the number of occurrences in the issues as posted. I have one of the earliest deliveries in the US (VIN under 24,000), and I bought an extended warranty expecting typical first-run model year issues, but beyond a couple software based service notices, one preventive campaign for the air suspension fill valve, and replacing the RF module for central locking, mine has been pretty flawless over 34,000 miles - far better than the Subarus and Volvos we used to drive, and mechanically it's been perfect.

The only "chronic" issue right now is on the Td6, the early service due notice that asks for oil changes long before they are actually due - which, when you get down to it, isn't even an issue, as changing the oil early has zero negative impact on vehicle reliability or durability. If you bought the prepaid service plan it's not even a monetary cost issue - it's a time cost if you choose to do it when it thinks it needs an oil change. Otherwise you can do it every 10,000 miles with no problems.

My service advisor remarked that he remembers a time when Land Rovers - specifically the D1 and D2 - would roll off the flatbed at initial delivery with fluid leaks and other issues that would require wrenching just to put them on the lot. He said today it's a software update to catch versions missed while they were on the boat. Software complaints and issues are the single most common reported issue today, and the main reason that JLR has been one of the first automakers to enable SOTA updates for modules beyond infotainment - it now updates its software while I'm sleeping. It was also the most-improved brand in initial quality in 2019, with Jaguar close behind.
 

mpinco

Expedition Leader
............ It was also the most-improved brand in initial quality in 2019, with Jaguar close behind.

Saw this today ............. Banging head on the table

Land Rover and Jaguar Crushed in Quality Survey
MSM Money
1 day ago

"J.D. Power studies about consumer car preferences are the industry's gold standard. The research firm has released its 2020 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study. Jaguar and Land Rover were at the bottom of the list, a severe blow to any high-end luxury brand..........

.......Tata has had no success in its attempt to turn around the Land Rover and Jaguar brands. The chief of the two brands will leave in September. The brands also will cut the output at two of their U.K.-based factories. The future for the two brands looks difficult, at best........."


https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/land-rover-and-jaguar-crushed-in-quality-survey/ar-BBZUZu9
 

DieselRanger

Well-known member
Saw this today ............. Banging head on the table

Land Rover and Jaguar Crushed in Quality Survey
MSM Money
1 day ago

"J.D. Power studies about consumer car preferences are the industry's gold standard. The research firm has released its 2020 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study. Jaguar and Land Rover were at the bottom of the list, a severe blow to any high-end luxury brand..........

.......Tata has had no success in its attempt to turn around the Land Rover and Jaguar brands. The chief of the two brands will leave in September. The brands also will cut the output at two of their U.K.-based factories. The future for the two brands looks difficult, at best........."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/land-rover-and-jaguar-crushed-in-quality-survey/ar-BBZUZu9
They haven't yet released the searchable database and the individual vehicle scores, so it's hard to draw real conclusions about that generalized statement. And you know what they say about generalized statements - they're all ****************.

Edit: so reading a bit about JD Power's report this year - they have moved the details behind a paywall, whereas previously they offered them for free. So now the only thing that's reported (or that makes news) is the Problems Per 100 vehicles (PP100 number). This measure does not discriminate between minor niggles like laggy infotainment and major mechanical issues like transmission failures. News outlets are simply reporting the number of complaints per 100 vehicles as reported by surveyed owners over their 3-year ownership period. Being an owner, I can say JLR's In Control Touch Pro infotainment system is laggy and occasionally buggy, but nothing that a restart doesn't fix, and it's a minor annoyance at worst. Frankly now that they've added Android Auto, it's almost flawless and I never use the native infotainment function. But from JD Power's own article on this year's dependability rankings (emphasis mine):

"In-vehicle technology shows greatest improvement: Audio/Communication/Entertainment/ Navigation (ACEN) is the most improved category (by 2.3 PP100), but still accounts for more problems than any other category in the study. Owners continue to cite problems with voice recognition, Bluetooth® connectivity and navigation systems. “Many owners complain about these systems early in the ownership experience and, three years later, they’re still frustrated with them,” Sargent said. “We’re seeing improvement, but automakers still have a long way to go to before they can declare victory in this area.” "
 
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