2001 Land Rover Discovery Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Unbeatable comfort for an old school cabin-on-frame off-roader. Cool features, great visibility and transmission/4WD system. Awesome accesibility and very simply built under the hood. However, not for the faint of heart. Light bulbs, electrical gremlins (the three amigos), little things here and there (wiper nut loosened up on the highway...lost driver's side wiper until tightened again), engine is AWFUL (4.0L aluminum jag/ford V8, very prone to overheating and headgasket issues, ZERO power), geared for off road, needed to peg the poor girl to get her to 75 on the highway.Aug 14, 2012

Any Land Rover Discovery Series I or II is a heavy vehicle. The power from either the 4 litre Rover V8 or the 4.6 in the 2003 and 2004 models is adequate for what this vehicle was designed for in my opinion. Fuel economy is at least as good if driven economically as any half ton pickup of similar vintage. On the subject of how the weight of this vehicle affects the braking and handling, the driver should keep in mind meanwhile that the vehicle weighs in at 2 tons or more. The Land Rover does not start and stop like a sports car. The ZF auto transmission is as robust as the ZF commercial units supplied to Ford for their Super Duty line of trucks. The transfer case is a gear driven unit manufactured by Land Rover and has a mechanical center differential lock rather than the Borg Warner chain driven unit as supplied with the later Series I and II Range Rover. I prefer the geaar driven units manufactured by Land Rover to the Borg Warner units. The dependability of the mechanical center differential lock is better than that of the Range Rover's viscous center locking diff. Rage Rover now uses superior, more technically advanced units then the viscous center diff lock in Range Rover up to 2002. The Discovery series I and II are very rugged vehicles and were built on the platform of the original Series I Range Rover. Visibility is very good for all passengers as a result of the stadium type seating arrangement. Seats in the back row are slightly higher than the driver and passenger seats in the front. The driver visibility is optimized through use of large windows and a low beltline. The large glass surfaces and low beltline make parking a cinch and also offers great visibility while making off road maneuvers I have found. The low beltline is made possible through mounting the drivetrain low in the frame providing a low centre of gravity. With a drivetrain mounted low in the frame and a tall profile Land Rover designed a vehicle with a huge rear accessible cargo area that is very easy to load. The rear door swings to the right side for loading. So, there is no upward lifting and no hatch door to smack your noggin on. I like that in particular. Plus, having the load floor lower to the ground results in less effort required to lift freight from the ground into the load bay. I find that my Discovery is very comfortable for long trips and at measuring in at 6 feet tall, I actually find that by utilizing the steering wheel tilt and seat controls that I can make more room for my legs than in even some of the other high end cars from Germany. (read Mercedes) The seat design is an orthopedic solution to fatigue in the rear while on long drives. This makes things easier on the back as well. Physical comfort while driving the Land Rover Discovery has been optimized through a great deal of R & D. On the topic of long drives, who wants to listen to a lot of road noise while motoring? The Land Rover is quiet inside. Compare this one to your Lincoln! You'll want back into the Landy pretty quick. Driving on snow or ice is like another day at the office. If you've got reasonable winter driving skill this vehicle is not a lot of bother to drive. The stability of the Land Rover Discovery makes most winter driving a non event. I say most. That excludes snow fall events that make chaining up a sensible idea. Watch some of the off road videos on You Tube to see and how well the Land Rover 4 wheel drive system actually works. All Land Rovers to date have been designed purposefully as a four wheel drive off road vehicle. The electronic traction control on the Series II Land Rover Discovery works seemlessly with the mechanicals while negotiating obstacles off road. I've been totally amazed to actually experience this on one of the Land Rover Driving Experience courses that I've been on through the LR Driving Experience Fairmont Montebello, at Montebello Quebec.Jul 20, 2012