Faults:
3 manufacturer warranty recalls.
Failure of ACE system repaired under warranty.
Poor paint quality (which practically scratches if you stand to near it!)
Poor fit of interior trim and poor quality leather (wears out quickly).
General Comments:
The V8 Discovery series 2 has very poor build for a car in its price point (£37,000 in September 1999 for an ES 7 seat model). No comparison with say Mercedes or BMW build quality.
Uncomfortable for longer distances with inadequate driver leg room (seats can't move back enough). Steering wheel obscures the instruments.
In my opinion the V8 Discovery series II is not safely engineered for use at motorway speeds with over light steering (little or no progressive weighting) and very poor feedback at c.80 mph plus. Vehicle is an off-road design (obvious point), don't expect it to handle like a car no matter what the salesman tells you.
Traction control is disabled above c.60 mph (100 kph). It isn't there to help if you lose grip at speed and encounter the penalty of the over-light steering. Use it off road but not as family transport.
After a horrendous and inexplicable spin across 3 lanes of motorway with my wife behind the wheel and my three kids in the car, we sold it. Since heard similar tales from V8 Discovery II owners.
Depreciation cost £1.23 per mile in 12 months of ownership.
The dealership were inept on every occasion we dealt with them.
31st Jul 2001, 12:15
I have a 2001 Disco II and I have taken it on one substantial trip. I am in the US and I went from sea level to the 9000 foot elevation, as well as over 1500 miles in 10 days. The truck had 5000 miles on it when we got it and we have the ACE. I usually drive a sports car so I am usually found driving in the 80-90 mph range on the open road.
The truck did great on the road, the ride was superior to ANY truck I have ever owned, the interior noise was a little high above 70 mph but the vehicle handled competently. I drove many mountain roads with tight switchbacks and again, the ACE was terrific.
Will the truck be good over the long haul? I am not comfortable with that fact yet, but I am pleasantly surprised at this point.
Sounds like if someone has deep handling problems, it probably does not make any difference in the car they drive.