I just had a 98 Discovery TDI for the weekend and thought those who have never driven one would like to know what they're like and how they compare to Surfs. So:
Good points:
Quite comfy
Decent rear leg room
Lots of light inside
Faily big boot
Not terrible at cornering
Horn works
Bad points:
Even slower than a 2.4
Massive shut lines all over it
Gets very hot if you go up hill
Gets very hot if you go over 60
Brakes don't work
Lots of body roll
The only reasons I could ever see to get one would be to use it purely as an offroader (provided you could keep it cool enough) or as a very tall MPV to drive around town. It's poor on country roads and terrible on the motorway. So, really, your choice is to use it as a tractor (but a Defender would be better) or a Chelsea tractor. So, I believe we can trace the evolution of the hated school-run 4x4 precisely back to the launch of the Land Rover Discovery.
I haven't actually driven a Surf for a couple of years, but would say they are much better on the road at least. If you want a vehicle to drive every day and occasionally take off road, it is much better than a Disco. If you want a 'pure' off roader, you'd be better of with a Defender.
Good points:
Quite comfy
Decent rear leg room
Lots of light inside
Faily big boot
Not terrible at cornering
Horn works
Bad points:
Even slower than a 2.4
Massive shut lines all over it
Gets very hot if you go up hill
Gets very hot if you go over 60
Brakes don't work
Lots of body roll
The only reasons I could ever see to get one would be to use it purely as an offroader (provided you could keep it cool enough) or as a very tall MPV to drive around town. It's poor on country roads and terrible on the motorway. So, really, your choice is to use it as a tractor (but a Defender would be better) or a Chelsea tractor. So, I believe we can trace the evolution of the hated school-run 4x4 precisely back to the launch of the Land Rover Discovery.
I haven't actually driven a Surf for a couple of years, but would say they are much better on the road at least. If you want a vehicle to drive every day and occasionally take off road, it is much better than a Disco. If you want a 'pure' off roader, you'd be better of with a Defender.
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