2001 Land Rover Discovery 2 TD5 2.5 litre turbo diesel

Summary:

This would have been a brilliant car if it had been built by Toyota!

Faults:

This is a partial list!

4x door lock actuators.

2x front springs cracked.

Suspension compressor.

1x suspension airbag.

Steering box leaking.

Brake pipes.

Injector seals.

Gear selector switch (known as the XYZ switch).

Various suspension bushes.

General Comments:

When it was good, it was great.

Go anywhere, do anything, carry anything.

7 seats - which were used regularly.

But:

The auto box was dismal. Would drop in and out of torque converter lockup. Lock comes in, inconveniently, at 52 mph and drops out at 48 mph, which is an utter pain when you're on a 50mph road. So you had to go over the speed limit to get the lock in (reduces revs and better economy) only to have it drop out the second you slowed down slightly.

Door lock actuators are made from toffee and are extremely difficult to repair being sealed units. They are also a pig to remove without dismantling most of the door (there is a way... which involves bending the edges of the holes which are too small to remove the unit).

Suspension compressor - not up to the job judging by the number that get replaced. Ditto valve blocks leak causing sagging suspension.

Injector seals leak - due to the poor design of the injectors. Stops the engine as exhaust gases get into the fuel rail.

Rear brake pipes rot where they pass over the chassis. Never spotted at MOT, but suddenly one day you have very soggy brakes until the fluid runs out.

Steering box fluid leaks - they all do that.

Gear selector switch would occasionally throw a wobbly, leaving the car in limp mode and preventing the box from going into lock up. Another piece of great design located under the air con drain... it would reset if you turned the car off for 30 seconds. It's a pig to replace.

Fuel consumption from the auto never got above 27mpg even on a long motorway run to France and back, and mostly hovered round 24mpg.

Other common issues are fuel pressure regulator failure and fuel cooler leaks.

As I said, it was superb when it was working, it just needed fixing far too frequently.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 29th November, 2019

15th Dec 2022, 17:08

100% agree, these were terrible vehicles. Cheap excuse for a 4x4.

16th Dec 2022, 16:07

Most Discovery's were OK; your comment could apply more to the Freelander.