Ladies, gentlemen, and everything in between, let’s welcome the Land Rover Discovery L319 with a round of applause, one of the heaviest modern cars and also one of the worst in terms of reliability. Land Rover Discovery L319, a car to avoid if you have deep pockets and short hands.
It’s abit of a tradition everywhere that when the management changes, the quality also changes and not always in a positive way, and the Land Rover Discovery L319 turns the concept to 11. Built at the end of the BMW tyranny and the beginning of the Ford tyranny, the Discovery L319 was left behind and was not molested by the X5 or the X3. No no, it molested itself. In fact, it’s so good at what it does that it received the award for the least reliable new car, and that’s saying something. After all, it even beat the Range Rover.
But at least you get some advantages for all the sub-par, barrel bottom reliability. The lightest version weighs in at 2419 kg / 5333 lbs and the heaviest goes up to 2460 kg / 5426 lbs. We praised the Santa Fe as one of the few cars that could take on a Touareg in a frontal crash. But with the Land Rover Discovery L319, how the turntables…. the Touareg stands no chance. It is 200 kgs heavier than a Land Cruiser 150 Prado and 220 kg heavier than a Touareg 7P 3.0 TDI and 170 kg more than the first generation Audi Q7 3.0 TDI. I’ve already run out of options, whatever car I pick, in front of the Land Rover Discovery L319 it’s like throwing Graham Norton in the ring against Vince McMahon. He has no chance in hell.
Actually, forget about the commercial vehicle part. An Iveco Daily weighs in 2325 kg, so you are safe in a Land Rover Discovery L319. The idea is that the British, in their vast intelligence, bolted two separate chassis on top of each other. On the one hand, you have a ladder type chassis for off-road and a monobody chassis was placed over it for comfort. So you have two cars in one, you have a very capable car both on tarmac and off it. It’s just that when you have so much weight to haul, most parts have a short life expectancy. Shorter than Korgoth of Barbaria.
Petrol
Diesel
2.7 TDV6 AJD of 195 horsepower – This was meant to be the most popular engine for Land Rover Discovery L319 in Europe and it is also an engine borrowed from Jaguar who borrowed it from PSA/Ford. Basically, whose engine is it? In any case, unlike the French version which has a bi-turbo system, the Englishman put a single larger (or lager?) turbo and tuned the engine for power in the lower rev range, which is more suited for off-roading or towing. As specific issue the turbo can and will crack, the thermostat needs to be replaced occasionally and the water pump also needs to be replaced at the same time with the timing chain. All in all, a reliable engine that tones down on the running costs of the Land Rover Discovery L319.
Money talks and here you have one of the most expensive cars to run on the market. However, if you don’t mind spending a few thousand pounds per year on maintenance (provided nothing serious breaks down), then you have one of the most complete cars on the market. Off-road, tarmac, family car, towing, Land Rover Discovery L319 really does it all. But only when it works properly.
Which engines do I recommend? For petrol you will most likely only find the 4.4 V8 Jaguar unit, and for diesel obviously the 2.7 TDV6 190 horsepower unit is one solution. Another solution would be to look for a more reliable car. “Car”.
Similar Articles
You need to do some more research. The 4.4 V8 has no issues with timing chain guides, however the V6 4.0 is a turd and has timing chain guide issues. What are your sources?
You need to do some more research. The 4.4 V8 has no issues with timing chain guides, however the V6 4.0 is a turd and has timing chain guide issues. What are your sources?