New To Us D5: Impressions and Comparisons to LR3

DVD

Adventurer
Just posted a trip report in the Adventure Report subforum about our recent offroad trip to the CO Rockies.
This was our first adventure trip in our new to us (5+ yrs old) Land Rover Discovery. We previously had a Land Rover LR3 for 10+ years and had taken it on a lot of offroad adventures. So I wanted to post here with impressions on the new Disco 5 and some comparisons with the LR3.

A couple photos for attention.
58-PXL_20240807_160604340.jpg
Beautiful scenery along Devil's Punchbowl trail​
50-PXL_20240806_212923472.jpg
Dispersed camping in the Rockies!​

(Here's the trip report, if anyone is interested in the generic, non-Land Rover parts of the trip: https://forum.expeditionportal.com/...and-paradise-basin-near-crested-butte.245689/)

Capability + Comfort/Luxury. This is a defining attribute of both the LR3 and the D5 (HSE package with options). It's nice to have the capabilities to run the same trail as lifted jeeps but in a vehicle with more amenities and one engineered for more comfort on the pavement. Like the bumper sticker says: "Nice Jeep, peasant." The much newer D5 takes the comfort/luxury to the next level. For highway travel, the D5 is awesome: better functioning cruise control, blind-spot detection, Android Auto / Apple connectivity, comfortable seats, etc.

Probably the biggest feature improvement for me for offroading is Android Auto. With the LR3, I used a tablet for offroad navigation. The tablet worked fine, but it was always a hassle to mount the tablet. With the D5, it's so convenient to preload the maps and trails onto the phone app and then use Android Auto to have Gaia right on the main display.

Offroad Capability. The promise/expectation from Land Rover is that every generation has more capability than the previous. Just in terms of specs, the D5 has more clearance and better breakover angles compared to the LR3. So there is that. But my LR3 had the locking rear differential, while the D5 doesn't. I researched and found a few videos with non-HD D5s handling very challenging terrain. In one test of locking vs non-locking rear diff, both vehicles got to the same spot on the test trail, but the one with locking diff did it with a bit less drama. On this trip, I never felt any compromise in traction compared to the LR3. For one thing, I think the terrain response software has improved from the L3 to the D5 to make up for the lack of locking rear diff - at least I didn't ever feel like I was lacking traction compared to the LR3 and we took some difficult trails.

The additional clearance and breakover angles in the D5 might have been marginally noticeable, but it's really hard to tell when it is months between using the vehicles. I think the biggest spec improvement for the D5 is wading depth. We had a number of shallow streams, but nothing close to the limits. In the west, where water crossings usually involve current, I wouldn't want to get near the limit.

Offroad manners. I prefer the LR3. I'm not sure if it's the Johnson rods (installed by the previous owner, which trick the air suspension to raise the vehicle, but make the suspension firmer) or the mono frame (as opposed to ladder+frame for the LR3), or just the fact that the D5 is significantly lighter, but the D5 is more jarring when navigating rock obstacles. I suspect the harsher ride is a combination of the above. There were a couple instances where my wife thought she had a frame strike, but it was just the jarring from the tires going over rocks. On the LR3, I would typically not air down (some legit theory about tradeoffs of not airing down with traction control, smallish sidewall, and air suspension). With the D5, I aired down (to 20-25 psi) to alleviate the jarring. At some point, I'd like to swap out the Johnson Rods to see how much difference that makes, but I have to admit, I like the look.

One more comparison, the D5 EAS seems more robust. While the LR3 EAS never completely failed in all my offroading, it would throw error codes - mostly false positives that would go away on their own after a few miles, but occasionally, requiring a reset with the Gap tool. The D5 has no such issues.

Interior for camping. I'd give this one to the LR3 too. After trying many different camping options, we've determined that suv tent and us sleeping in the back of the vehicle (megamat duo fits both vehicles) is our preferred option. I think the D5 is a little bit wider, but it has less headroom. In the LR3, we could comfortably sit up and read in bed. In the D5, we have to have the sunroof interior cover open and situate just so to be comfortable sitting on the mattress. Also the LR3 had flat surfaces and deep cubbies in the back for flashlights, bear spray, drinks, etc etc.

Off-grid power: LR3 was convenient with an empty spot for a 2nd battery and aftermarket dual battery kit from traxide. That worked so well, I could never justify a newfangled solar system. For the D5, I outfitted it with an Ecoflow LI portable battery and installed the optional alternator charger. Between the inherent battery capacity plus alternator charging when driving, plus solar when stationary, we never had any concern about running out of power for the fridge and lights and phone-charging etc.

Overall, I'm very happy and impressed with the D5. It's super capable and it's 12 yrs newer. Now if the boffins at Land Rover had done all the generational updates while keeping the LR3 body static, that would be ideal! Glad to hear if others have similar impressions or solutions.
 

naks

Well-known member
Great write-up, thanks very much for sharing!

Any videos that you could put on YouTube?

Sent from my SM-S901B using Tapatalk
 

gatorgrizz27

Well-known member
Thanks for the comparison. My biggest beef with the D5 is it has the same “indistinguishable egg shape” as all modern mid-sized SUV’s, there are no redeeming aesthetic design qualities, IMO.

Honestly, I believe the 2008 era Rovers were the peak of practicality, ruggedness, technology, and comfort. If they would reproduce the LR3 with the 4.2L SC AJV8 for $65k, I’d go buy one tomorrow.

I also prefer the L322 platform to the L405.
 

Jupiter58

Well-known member
Nice trip report and I love a disco but come on now. Almost 2” less ground clearance as a stock jeep with 32s, so about the same as an Outback. No lockers or transfer case so limited to only where an Outback could go.
Not close to the same thing off road, it cannot go the same places as a stock wrangler, let alone a lifted one.
 

DVD

Adventurer
I think there is confusion due to Land Rover naming. "Discovery" and "Discovery Sport" are entirely different vehicles (kind of like Bronco and "Bronco Sport"). I think the above confuses the 2.
 

Howski

Well-known member
Appreciate the write up. I myself just picked up a D5 after having a trusty LR3 for many years. Have not had it on trail yet but have done trips with a D5 and have been impressed. There are some things I do miss, notably the tall interior space but in reality hardly any vehicle on the market of its size had the interior volume of the LR3/4. Like most modern air sprung Rovers, a set of decent tires alone can get you to many great places in comfort
 
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DVD

Adventurer
There are some things I do miss, notably the tall interior space
I think the exterior height dimension is similar (comparing LR3 vs D5), so my theory is that the D5 has a relatively higher floor due to electronics underneath the seats to allow electronic folding (and maybe beefier headrests). Personally I'd rather have the faster manual folding seats, but I see the trade-off.
 

Howski

Well-known member
The more curved corners certainly take away some capacity and the feel of a more open space too. Should’ve taken measurements of each before I parted with my 3!
 
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DieselRanger

Well-known member
Just posted a trip report in the Adventure Report subforum about our recent offroad trip to the CO Rockies.
This was our first adventure trip in our new to us (5+ yrs old) Land Rover Discovery. We previously had a Land Rover LR3 for 10+ years and had taken it on a lot of offroad adventures. So I wanted to post here with impressions on the new Disco 5 and some comparisons with the LR3.

A couple photos for attention.
View attachment 850811
Beautiful scenery along Devil's Punchbowl trail​
View attachment 850822
Dispersed camping in the Rockies!​

(Here's the trip report, if anyone is interested in the generic, non-Land Rover parts of the trip: https://forum.expeditionportal.com/...and-paradise-basin-near-crested-butte.245689/)

Capability + Comfort/Luxury. This is a defining attribute of both the LR3 and the D5 (HSE package with options). It's nice to have the capabilities to run the same trail as lifted jeeps but in a vehicle with more amenities and one engineered for more comfort on the pavement. Like the bumper sticker says: "Nice Jeep, peasant." The much newer D5 takes the comfort/luxury to the next level. For highway travel, the D5 is awesome: better functioning cruise control, blind-spot detection, Android Auto / Apple connectivity, comfortable seats, etc.

Probably the biggest feature improvement for me for offroading is Android Auto. With the LR3, I used a tablet for offroad navigation. The tablet worked fine, but it was always a hassle to mount the tablet. With the D5, it's so convenient to preload the maps and trails onto the phone app and then use Android Auto to have Gaia right on the main display.

Offroad Capability. The promise/expectation from Land Rover is that every generation has more capability than the previous. Just in terms of specs, the D5 has more clearance and better breakover angles compared to the LR3. So there is that. But my LR3 had the locking rear differential, while the D5 doesn't. I researched and found a few videos with non-HD D5s handling very challenging terrain. In one test of locking vs non-locking rear diff, both vehicles got to the same spot on the test trail, but the one with locking diff did it with a bit less drama. On this trip, I never felt any compromise in traction compared to the LR3. For one thing, I think the terrain response software has improved from the L3 to the D5 to make up for the lack of locking rear diff - at least I didn't ever feel like I was lacking traction compared to the LR3 and we took some difficult trails.

The additional clearance and breakover angles in the D5 might have been marginally noticeable, but it's really hard to tell when it is months between using the vehicles. I think the biggest spec improvement for the D5 is wading depth. We had a number of shallow streams, but nothing close to the limits. In the west, where water crossings usually involve current, I wouldn't want to get near the limit.

Offroad manners. I prefer the LR3. I'm not sure if it's the Johnson rods (installed by the previous owner, which trick the air suspension to raise the vehicle, but make the suspension firmer) or the mono frame (as opposed to ladder+frame for the LR3), or just the fact that the D5 is significantly lighter, but the D5 is more jarring when navigating rock obstacles. I suspect the harsher ride is a combination of the above. There were a couple instances where my wife thought she had a frame strike, but it was just the jarring from the tires going over rocks. On the LR3, I would typically not air down (some legit theory about tradeoffs of not airing down with traction control, smallish sidewall, and air suspension). With the D5, I aired down (to 20-25 psi) to alleviate the jarring. At some point, I'd like to swap out the Johnson Rods to see how much difference that makes, but I have to admit, I like the look.

One more comparison, the D5 EAS seems more robust. While the LR3 EAS never completely failed in all my offroading, it would throw error codes - mostly false positives that would go away on their own after a few miles, but occasionally, requiring a reset with the Gap tool. The D5 has no such issues.

Interior for camping. I'd give this one to the LR3 too. After trying many different camping options, we've determined that suv tent and us sleeping in the back of the vehicle (megamat duo fits both vehicles) is our preferred option. I think the D5 is a little bit wider, but it has less headroom. In the LR3, we could comfortably sit up and read in bed. In the D5, we have to have the sunroof interior cover open and situate just so to be comfortable sitting on the mattress. Also the LR3 had flat surfaces and deep cubbies in the back for flashlights, bear spray, drinks, etc etc.

Off-grid power: LR3 was convenient with an empty spot for a 2nd battery and aftermarket dual battery kit from traxide. That worked so well, I could never justify a newfangled solar system. For the D5, I outfitted it with an Ecoflow LI portable battery and installed the optional alternator charger. Between the inherent battery capacity plus alternator charging when driving, plus solar when stationary, we never had any concern about running out of power for the fridge and lights and phone-charging etc.

Overall, I'm very happy and impressed with the D5. It's super capable and it's 12 yrs newer. Now if the boffins at Land Rover had done all the generational updates while keeping the LR3 body static, that would be ideal! Glad to hear if others have similar impressions or solutions.
I love my D5 HSE Td6. I will drive it until the wheels fall off.

Speaking of wheels, get yourself a set of Compomotive PD 1881 18" wheels (double check fitment...LR did some wonky things with the rear brakes in the first couple model years...the calipers are different with different clearance specs). This has changed everything for me - 255/70-18 tires offer gobs of sidewall for running lower pressures, they're super comfortable on the Interstate, lower unsprung mass due to the smaller and much lighter, but tougher wheel. It was never a canyon carver on the road but handling isn't seriously affected. The Colorado Rockies are my back yard and it handles everything If ever care to drive it on out here.

On top of that, all I've added are Lucky 8 Proud Rhino Rock sliders and front bash plate.

Edit: Johnson rods not needed with the 18's and 70-series tires. Quite comfortable off-road too - takes the edge off the sharp impacts because you can air down just a bit, whereas with 20's you have to keep the tires inflated to street pressures to avoid rim damage.

Enjoy your D5!
 

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DVD

Adventurer
get yourself a set of Compomotive PD 1881 18" wheels
Yeah, I've had my eye on getting 18-in rims. Good point that 18s should soften the ride over rocks. The D5 had 4 nearly new Falken Wildpeak ATs (on the 20-in rims) and a full-size spare (with street tire) when I bought it, so it was $300+ get a matching Falken for a spare or $3000+ for 18-in rims + new ATs. So I plan to run the 20s for a couple years and hopefully switch to 18s next time I need tires. As an aside, I've always used BFG ATKOs on the LR3 and they never let me down. But I am impressed with the Falkens.
 

DVD

Adventurer
Naks asked about videos (I didn't take any), and I mentioned some videos I found when researching the D5. Here they are:
  • D5 in Moab on Fins & Things:
  • Test of D5 Terrain Response modes (note Jeep Wagoneer at end):
  • D5 playing with a FJ Cruiser in CO:
  • Somebody else's video of Devil's Punchbowl trail (that we ran):
 

Gnomad

New member
I like these comparisons. The Rescue Rover will do for a couple years, but after having a loaner D5 for a couple weeks I'm thinking that will be a goal for the next upgrade. We didn't take the $77K loaner off road but they do look like they can deliver the goods.
 

JackW

Explorer
C12P2875.jpg

I had a 2017 D5 diesel with all of the off road goodies and it proved to be extremely capable off road and a great road trip car with great range. At one of our off road events in North Georgia there was a trail that approached a steep, rocky hill climb through a stream bed full of slick black mud There were a lot of trucks that couldn't make it up the hill. The D5 just walked up it with absolutely no drama.

I think my 2020 P300 D110 is equally capable - the 4 cylinder has lower gearing in the differentials than it's six cylinder counterparts.
Luckily they, like most Rovers, depreciate quite rapidly in a few years time 😁
 
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