Towing with land Rover Discovery

Gerilew

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So I've narrowed down my search for a towing vehicle to Land Rover Discovery 4 or a Shogun any pros and cons on either
 

rabatsa

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Going by my neighbours bad luck with her Disco I would say that the Shogun would be more reliable as apart from an airbag recall my Shogun has been good for 5 years so far.
 

Bayracer

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I love towing with my disco, barely feel the trailer behind however i know some models of discovery’s are more prone to issues compared to others. (Not sure which, but I’ve never had an issue with mine.)
 

awelshandawarmblood

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I've not had either myself but have friends with both, the Shoguns seem very reliable but always hearing of a whole host of issues with the Disco's varying from suspension to gearboxes.
 

Hormonal Filly

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Shogun is great towing with, but drinks fuel.

If you have the money go for a disco 4. Wicked towing cars, friend tows 2 x 16hh cobs around the country and gets 25mpg while towing.

If I had the choice of both (having owned a Shogun and been in a disco 4 a few times towing) I'd choose a disco 4. They stick to the road like glue and I find Shoguns just aren't the same as LR when towing.
 

pippixox

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loved towing with my disco 3. easily pulls heavy trailer. but according to hubby (who used to work in vehicle recovery!) they can be very expensive when they go wrong. no longer have as wasn't using it enough to warrant the ruling costs too, as top tax bracket of over £50 a month.
 

Peregrine Falcon

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I have had 2 Disco's and love towing with them. Current one is a P reg and I think time for an upgrade but the newer ones aren't as reliable I've been told so in a bit of a quandary as to what to have next, got a limited budget too sadly. Will have to look at the tax bracket as hadn't thought of that.
 

case895

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I tow with a disco 4 and it's great. The reversing camera can show a towball centre line and zooms the image as you close. You can also raise and lower the air suspension with the key so you don't even need to wind the trailer up and down.
 

taraj

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Had a discovery 3 that spent more time in the garage than on the road, loved going into limp mode.....great fun when towing on motorways! Now have a shogun and love it (also has reversing camera!) will tow anything but does like to drink fuel. Has 5 year warranty as a bonus but Mitsubishi don't make them anymore. MIL has a disco 4 that she uses just as a car, its lovely and has more gadgets than the shogun, she has had a lot of niggly issues with it and always has some kind of light up on the dash.
 

{97702}

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Well...... one is a decent car and one is a Shogun? :p Only joking of course, I've only ever had a Disco TD5 but it is brilliant to tow with - you really can forget the trailer is there! - and has been 100% reliable (as all my Landrovers have)
 

Fragglerock

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Well...... one is a decent car and one is a Shogun? :p Only joking of course, I've only ever had a Disco TD5 but it is brilliant to tow with - you really can forget the trailer is there! - and has been 100% reliable (as all my Landrovers have)

Agree with this. We once had a Jeep Cherokee - it was awful to tow with and we got rid of it.
 

Baroque

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Was it the Grand Cherokee FR? Would you mind saying what you disliked about towing with it since it's been on our long list of possibilities.
 

MoonlitArcher

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Loved my shogun, it had 12 years of hard towing and only broke when it was coming towards its end. Now have a disco 4 and love it equally, you can't feel the box on the back and because its automatic i feel like the horses get a much smoother ride. I would probably always stick with land rover now. Just be sure to get the tow bar checked as have heard horror stories about the detachable ones or get a permanent tow bar fitted. The shogun I had was old, 2.5 td and used up A LOT of fuel. The disco is a 3 litre and I would say it does a better on fuel surprisingly. Plus its more comfortable. Not sure what the new shoguns are like though.. good luck!
 

Toby_Zaphod

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I had a Discovery & towed with it & it was good. I traveled 2 horses in a Bateson trailer without issues. When the Discovery started to have issues I sold it & bought a Mitsubishi Pajero lwb (Imported Shogun) It had a 2800cc diesel engine, auto gearbox & seats for 7 people. I found it to tow infinitely better than the previous Discovery. It had more power, it was more comfortable, it was smoother, all together a better vehicle. The only downside was it was thirstier than the Discovery. I eventually sold the Pajero & now I have a 7.5 ton MAN Lorry which suits me better now.
 

Tiddlypom

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Agree with this. We once had a Jeep Cherokee - it was awful to tow with and we got rid of it.
Um, I don't know how the Shogun got lumped in with Jeeps :oops: in this. Jeeps have a terrible reputation.

Not sure what the new shoguns are like though.. good luck!
Newer Shoguns are great cars. Our yr 2000 LWB Shogun was a good car (and is still doing sterling service off road), but our yr 2014 LWB is much better again. All the no nonsense reliability plus an improved interior, heated leather seats, reversing camera, better turning circle etc etc. Ours is the SG3, the next to bottom model, and it still has plenty of bells and whistles.

And then a real hard ass tow bar, none of those finicky detachable toy ones.

image.jpeg
 

Annagain

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I've had several Land Rovers (3 Freelanders, 4 Defenders, 2 Discoveries and a Range Rover to be precise - OH is obsessed with them) and only had reliability issues with one - the very first of the new engined Defenders so a case of teething issues I think. I've loved towing with them all. They all feel really safe. I felt the Disco 3 was slightly better that the Disco 2 but I think it's probably just a case of it being a newer car and nicer to drive so imagine the 4 would be even better.

I've travelled in a few Shoguns as a passenger (both with and without a trailer) and didn't like them as much (and despite the above I'm not biased, I just go along with OH's whims :rolleyes:). I thought the interiors looked very plasticy and cheap and I definitely noticed the trailer more, even as a passenger.
 

Darbs

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You wont beat a Disco 4. Get the newest model that you can, ideally with the 8 speed rotary selector gearbox and with full service history. (The Disco 3 had problems, but they were gradually ironed out through the model years). They are super comfortable to drive and the visibilty from the drivers seat is like nothing else.

They are like a van in the back, and certainly carry more than a Shogun. Also you won't get stuck off-road, ever. They are far better at towing a trailer out of a muddy field (or off a beach!) than anything else. This is mine.

Discovery trailer beach.JPG

Here are a few things to check:
  • Full Service history
  • Fuel filler cap opens OK
  • Even wear on tyres
  • Heated screen works
  • Seats move correctly
  • Sunroof operation smooth
  • Electtronic Parking Brake operation and no squeal - With drivers door open listen for screech underneath when applying and releasing EPB switch. a Gentle whirr is fine. After test drive touch rear alloys to see if hot from binding brake shoe.
  • Make sure it's got a spare wheel slung underneath (of some description).
  • If it's got a detachable tow bar on, check you've got keys for that and it comes off, they can rust into place.
  • Put the suspension down then up and make sure the compressor does not sound like it is struggling towards the end. car drops to lowest setting in 3 to 4 seconds. Set normal then immediately select high so it lifts straight up. It should get there within a few seconds and hold evenly and level.
  • Check tow electrics present
  • Underside for damage from off road use.
  • There should be no smoke from cold.
  • There should be no smoke on roll on acceleration.
  • Check gearbox is smooth when warm.
  • Check it accelerates smartly without clouds of smoke.
  • Check it brakes well - hands off braking, no judder or pull.
  • Check that the auto box is behaving. (slow down quickly and then accelerate, accelerate to see if it changes down well, check that it's fairly unnoticeable when changing)
  • Check the electronic brake is working well. Try stopping on a hill and not manually engaging the handbrake. The brake should hold it on its own and should release when you pull away.
  • With ignition on, door open and engine running select neutral gear and then low range (switch with mountain symbol) solenoid should audibly click underneath. Message on dash should confirm. Shut door drive forward to check low gearing selected. Stop, select neutral and then high range, check dash display confirms.
  • Check for vibrations through the steering wheel as the front diffs go along with brake discs.
  • Listen for knocks and bumps on front suspension arms over bumps.
Let me know if you have any queries.
 
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