1999 Land Rover Discovery V8 ES from UK and Ireland - Comments

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).

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.

The comments about motorway driving are probably right - but if this is your principle use then don't buy a Landie. We never drove ours faster than 70 on the motorway (although it would happily go much faster) because of the rapid deteriation in fuel economy and the instability when braking hard from high speed. But what we did do was use more A-roads and take a different approach to driving that took advantage of the Landie's strong points - excellent visibility, the ability to go through any terrain, the shear pleasure of driving it etc. On our local country roads, in appalling weather, with large grubby loads etc. you couldn't want for a better car that you can totally rely on. If you use your car on good tarmac all the time then why are you paying for that chassis, suspension, drive train etc. anyway?

I agree with the previous additional points. The centre of gravity of a LR is much higher than conventional road vehicles and it is up to the driver to learn and modify his/her driving style to maximise the benefit from a LR and minimise the obvious disadvantages. I have been driving LRs for 21 years at work and domestically and have never lost control. Drive legally and according to the prevailing conditions and you could not wish for a more reliable and dependable vehicle. I've taken mine through deserts, across mountains, swimming through bogs and they have never let me down.

Accept that the LR is not your normal saloon and you'll get the best from an outstanding vehicle.

I must agree that the driving style must be modified... but really, this car falls apart. I take exceptional care of my vehicles, and this thing is a quality-less vehicle. The interior leather has come loose in several places... the rear light guards have all become rusted due to poor coating... my rear door continues to latch improperly... the right rear seat will not stay latched...4 drive train bolts have worked loose... the paint is terrible... and today, at only 50,000 miles, my dealer tells me that the head gaskets are leaking badly. I'd love to ship this thing back to England.

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.

I own a 2000 Disco V8 auto which has given me good service over 43,000 km. I normally travel at 130km/h on highways and at this speed roadholding, braking and noise is good considering the vehicle mass and high centre of gravity. (Not nearly as good as my Volvo S40 T4, but then there are horses for courses.) Average fuel consumption has been 5.19km/l. The vehicle tows a Jurgens exclusive caravan of 1300kg (unloaded) comfortably regularly. Once or twice a year it tows an Echo off-road trailer (750kg) to remote areas in Botswana were deep sand tracks are the norm at crawling speeds of 20-40km/h. All without a problem.

Dealer service in South Africa is not good, failing to notify me of two call-backs.

I was until recently an employee of a U. K Land Rover main dealer. In my experience of dealing with Land Rover owners I an now in firm belief that the majority of Land Rover's were purchased for the wrong reasons. For example, why would anybody buy a Discovery primarily to go shopping in with the only off-roading the car will ever do is that the rear wheel clips the supermarket grass verge now and again? Landies are made for traversing rivers, tackling steep inclines, cutting through boggy fields and towing caravans. Please stop giving your land Rover dealer grief about slight rattles and creaks and get out and enjoy your vehicle in the manner it was intended.

The last comment from the ex-employee of Land Rover was the best ever written and sums up the 4x4 market today. I hardly ever see any muddy 4x4's anymore, they are all full of kids and drivers who probably don't even have a clue what four wheel drive actually means! It's really sad to see any 4x4 just driven on road and never allowed to do whats it's actually designed to do.

I have just bought my first 4x4, a Daihatsu Sportrak and go off road several times a week and its going to get some heavy use during my first shooting season. I already am saving for a Disco and can't wait to buy one.

There should be a law against buying a 4x4 unless you actually want to use it off-road.

The ex-employee of Land Rover makes a fair point, but the author of the review has taken this on board. However the question of poor quality build has not been answered. For £37k I would expect far better build than this.

My V8 is the GS model and not the ES so I cannot comment on leather upholstery problems. However the cloth upholstery interior wears extremely well, given we live on a small farm in North West Ireland, dirt, mud, wet weather etc.

I had our, GS converted to LPG (gas) and this cuts fuel costs by 40 to 50 per cent. MPG is not the issue in itself, but pence per mile. On LPG the cost is 13p (Stg) per mile, as is the diesel, BUT with the added power of the V8. This performs outstandingly well on long motorway hill "drags" in, eg mountainous areas of Spain, where you can be going uphill for 10 or 12 miles.

I totally agree that this is first and foremost an off road/ poor back roads' vehicle. If you live inside the M25, don't go off road, tow heavy trailers and use only normal A, B roads and motorways, why buy this vehicle? If you like the high position there are plenty of adequate SUVs.

I am the happy owner of a 1999 Disco Series II, and prior to that a 1983 Series III 110 (Military). Having rebuilt the Series III from the ground up, I can say this about Land Rover: electrical system aside, these are extremely well built and durable vehicles. And since the Defender, the electrical does not pose a problem anymore either.

My experiences with the Disco have not lessened this view. At nearly 60,000 km I have had the steering box and head gaskets replaced (under warranty). I don't find this particularly unusual.

The paint, fabric and leather have all held up quite well, considering the fact that this vehicle is taken off-road monthly, and is used to haul around all manner of large stuff. Honestly, though, who buys a 4x4 and then moans about chipped paint and worn upholstery?

The mileage is quite bad, but we're talking about a V8 engine in a vehicle with a curb weight of nearly 5,000 lbs! Land Rover has always performed best where it belongs: OFF THE TARMAC.

My only design criticism is the front bumper/fog lights. It's mounted too low, and I cracked the entire assembly coming off an extremely steep decline.

The comments from the former Land Rover employee made in September 2002 are valid, and there is probably little reason for owning a Landie in the UK unless you work in quarrying, civil engineering or agriculture, or tow a large trailer.

However, the purpose for which an owner uses their Land Rover is no excuse for Land Rover's well recognised quality problems and irritating defects that spoil an otherwise superb vehicle.

I am a regular visitor to southern Africa where a Landie should come into its own. Sadly, its build quality lets it down, and many of my Land Rover owning friends have experienced suspension, gear box and drive shaft failures in the most inconvenient places like the Kalahari. They have renamed the Defender the "Defector".

I drive a Discovery in UK and Europe, and go off road regularly, although not in conditions where the vehicle is challenged to its limit. I use my Discovery for its intended purpose, and really enjoying driving it on road and off. However, I am extremely disappointed with its mechanical and electric faults, blistered paintwork and galvanic corrosion of aluminium panels despite being dealer serviced since new. My dealer has been very sympathetic, but Land Rover customer "service" has been a waste of oxygen.

The points about driver style are totally correct - I get much stick from friends about my grandmother driving!

Off road the disco is fantastic and far more relaxing than friends Toyotas.

Build quality is pathetic - two engine rebuilds; one gearbox repair and I'm about to have a summer of leak stopping and rust treating!

I just hope the rangerover classic I just got to keep the disco company is a little less of a Friday afternoon model!

My land rover Discovery... i love/hate it!!

I live in the US. I purchased my 1999 Disco 2 with 35K miles on it. I did not research the model before purchasing it, but was impressed after taking a test drive. It felt solid, tight and quite. I really like the size of the vehicle because I normally travel alone, but with a family of 5, the jump seats are great. They seem fun for the kids and comfortable enough for them not to complain on short trips to the store. On long trips, they switch seating arrangements. I was very impressed with the test course at the dealership and how it proved not to be able to tip over and all of the off road abilities it possesses including the active suspension and ABS brakes.

During the 2 years of ownership, I have has about $6,000.00 US worth of warranty work done to it from a leaky head gasket, door locks going bad and an ABS modulator going bad as well. My driver seat is showing wear on the door side thus complaints about the lack of quality appear to be true. Ion the highway I have not experienced any problems, but I have not driven over 80 Mph either.

I have not had the opportunity to take it off road, but feel that is will be very capable. I read a comment from a Disco salesman that these vehicles were made for off road use traversing streams and all which is why it has a sealed transmission so I am confident it will perform well if I ever go off road, but the quality concerns will always be in the back of my mind if doing so. My Landie is no longer in warranty and considering how expensive it is to have repaired, I am likely to trade it in the next time something goes wrong with it. Don't get me wrong, as long as it has been under warranty I have really enjoyed this vehicle, but given all the repair costs in the past 2 years, well that says it all now doesn't it.

I've owned a Disco II, V8 for about 9 months and I love it. In my experience, the build quality is acceptable - there are some squeaks and knocks every now & then.

Handling isn't great, but my last car was a WRX Impreza. All you have to do is adjust your driving style. Stick to the speed limits and acknowledge that it won't handle like a rollercoaster.

Economy sucks, there are no two ways about it - about 18mpg on a long run and around 10-12mpg if you give it some. I'd never consider an LPG conversion though - too expensive and inconvenient - a big tank in the boot? No thanks.

For space, it's ideal - the boot is massive (plenty big enough for all my kite stuff (Numerous kites, Boards & Stuff). Offroading is really good. I do agree that the nose could perhaps be a bit higher and the overhang at the rear can be a bit of a problem at the bottom of the hill.

Overall, a real favourite of mine, but ultimately, the economy is it's biggest flaw. I do 50 miles a day & I'm going to have to swap it for a more economical car.

Mind you, in 5 years, I'll definitely be looking at a Disco 3 TDV6.