Advice on an LR4 requested

[British Car Nut]

Good Day All;

I am considering purchasing a used LR4 to replace my old Jeep and my XJ8 both, and I would like a bit of advice before I jump into the deep end of the pool.

Downsizing my house/driveway/garage has brought me to this point.  My trusty old (22 yr) Jeep TJ  was invaluable for its unstopability in snow and lousy weather, as well as its ability to occasionally tow a small landscaping trailer.  On the other side, it was brutal on any kind of a long drive, had no luggage space,  and  was getting a bit long in the tooth.  The XJ8 is a superb long distance touring car with loads of luggage space, but it is only RWD and, even with snows, is no winter beater.  I winter in Florida for Jan., Feb., and March,  and it is great for the trip, but using it at home for the other 2 - 3 months of winter just isn't going to work.  And I would fall on my sword before I'd put a trailer hitch on it.  I'm hoping for something with the best of both worlds.  Other candidates are the Lexus 350, and a Cadillac SRX, but I keep getting drawn back to the Land/Range Rover look and interior.  There seem to be a number of +/- 8 yr old LR4s available with 100k or so kms  in the $20,000.00 CDN range, which is where I'd like to stay.  The Jeep has been sold (to a friend!) and the Jag will go as soon as I get back home in April ( preferably as a trade in, for tidiness and tax reasons ).

Any thoughts?

[Mo Murphy]

Forgive me, what's an LR4 ?

Mo

[western]

In USA its a Discovery 4 as we know it. 

https://www.landroverusa.com/vehicles/lr4-7-passenger-suv/index.html

[Cynic-al]

The discovery 4 is one of my favourite modern land rovers. What engine would you have over there, I know diesel isn't that common for passenger cars but we mainly have diesels here. It's very comfortable and can tow and the electronics make it go better than you would expect offroad, especially if you give it suitable tyres. As it's air suspension you can have it lifted for offroad and lower for the interstates. The back is also very practical with a big square opening and the option of 7 seats. 

The only gripes I've heard of are the fuel belt on the back of the tdv6 engine is a body off job to change although some people seem to do it on and air leaks causing air suspension compressor problems. 

As with all cars make sure it's been serviced well throughout its life so that the diffs etc have had fresh oil and checks things like suspension bushes, wheel bearings etc etc. 

I don't know what support is like in Canada, is there a local specialist? I know someone who exports Land Rover parts to the USA by the container so there must be a demand somewhere that side of the water? 

[ThreeSheds]

Disco 4 (LR4) is fantastic. Comfortable, fast enough, tows 3.5 tonnes and is amazing in snow or offroad.

For the diesel there is a 'BIG' (ie expensive) service at 7 years/105,000 mile that you might want to look at, but I don't know if that applies to petrol engine?

I would say that for your intended usage, you won't find much better...

[British Car Nut]

Thanks, Guys

Mo, it would seem that the version of the Discovery made between 2010 and 2016 is known as an LR4, here in the Colonies anyway.

Cynic-al, I'm not far from Toronto, with several Jag/Land Rover dealers, as well as a few specialty shops who compete directly with the franchise dealers (often run by ex-pats, old hill-climbers, and the like) so we are well serviced.  The air suspension system on the XJs is often cited as a weak point, but I've had no such problems with mine.  Besides the Arnott coil-over conversions, OEM parts are readily available, if pricey.

I will let you know when I take the plunge; I'm definitely liking the Land Rover option.

[cackshifter]

There were some reports of diesel Disco 3s and early 4s snapping crankshafts with the 6 speed ZF auto.  Plenty on the web about it, but it was a while back.