Disco 3 vs Disco 2 off road

[Chicken Drumstick]

Interesting video here.

The D2 has slightly better tyres on, and the D3 is still immensely capable. But what I thought was interesting, is just how much more the D3 had wheels in the air, even on the way down the hill. And how you really could see it flexing less, despite the cross linked air system they have. It also seemed to put itself into panic extended mode, but no idea why. It certainly didn't help it's cause and made it flex even worse.

 

 

Basically, as cool and as capable as the IFS/IRS LR's are, I personally think it is a crying shame they don't offer anything with live axles these days.

[Snagger]

That’s a good video, and nice to see them not just mindlessly bash reliability stereotypes in an unfounded way.

He’s right in that LR went with independent suspension on later models to make them drive better on the road.  I’m sure they do.  That does hobble them off road, needing more electronics to regain the lost capability.  Which is more important depends on the driver - I don’t want my LRs to feel like ordinary cars on the road, though, and I like the feel of solid axles in normal driving.  Yes, they’re less comfortable and less refined, but who aspires to a car with no discernible character?  I don’t think you can beat the RRC for comfortable character and capability or the Defender for more rugged character.  They’re still about the experience of driving, rather than trying to hide the drive from your senses.

[reb78]

I dont think that HDC on the d2 was working was it?

[BogMonster]

Largely mirrors my experience over the years - and on a dry (if steep) trail. The D2 has the basic ingredients but the ETC system is sluggish (you do need that CDL - mine didn't have it and was hopeless) and suspension travel is limited a bit by anti roll bars, but ultimately it's still proper LR underneath.

I don't think the HDC was working but to be honest it's usually miles too fast anyway - they never did develop the system it should have been, which would have been a dial to choose the descent speed.

D3 - demonstrating just one real-world situation in which the 'compensatory gizmos' manage to get the same task done but still don't really equate to the same ability, which is hard to explain but easy to see. It will get there most of the time but generally makes a whole lot of fuss doing it. I hadn't previously considered the complete lack of articulation in extended mode, but I suppose that's inevitable.

A good video.

[Roverdrive]

I always enjoyed instructing in the D2, but the D3 was a whole new ball game. Comfortable and capable.

The only downside for me was the increase in weight which caught me out when first becoming aquatinted with it. An off camber turn on wet grass which was possible in the D2 was impossible in the D3. Huge fun off road though, especially as we used standard vehicles on road tyres. Some of the places we could get to would make me think twice about in my RRC on mud terrains.

[Snagger]

But imagine your RRC with ETC as good as the D3 has - it’d be no competition.

[Bowie69]

1 hour ago, Snagger said:

But imagine your RRC with ETC as good as the D3 has - it’d be no competition.

Apart from how soon you need to change the brake pads!

[smallfry]

And the wishbone bushes

[Snagger]

On 11/4/2019 at 8:20 PM, Bowie69 said:

Apart from how soon you need to change the brake pads!

Well, if you went a bit outside the LR parts catalogue and got a pair of locking or ATB diffs, that would be considered cheating, wouldn’t it?