I Didn't Think The Land Rover Discovery 5 Was All That Great At First...But THIS Changed My Mind! 

A good tip on something that no one else has really done. Test both Discovery 5 and the new Defender offroad under the same circumstances and on the same terms. Then we find out if there really are a lot of differences between them.

My dad owns a 2017 Discovery 5 with the rear locker, that vehicle shocks me by how capable it is and how easy it will climb up any mountain despite being on 22 inch rims and nitto g2 grapplers. The AWD system in Land Rovers are phenomenal, and dare I say it, the fastest and best responding traction control system and active locking differentials.

I own a Disco 5 and have driven the new Defender several times and I’d say they are much more different in reality than they seem on paper. I like both, but the differences in styling and the interior gives the Discovery a much softer and more luxury feel. It’s also got significantly more boot/trunk space than the Defender, and bigger third row seats, so it’s more practical. By the way my UK car is a diesel with 306BHP, 516lbs ft and does over 35 UK mpg on a cruise. It suits the car perfectly.

2:52 Startech in Germany (division of Brabus) produces a kit that makes the tailgate symmetrical

The new diesels are ingenium straight 6 twin turbo MHEV and they are the ones to get. Also the defenders platform is slights different (D7X) with steel subframes rather than aluminium so it can take more of an off-road beating

For those looking for a full 7 seater: Discovery is a full 7 seater whilst Defender is a 5 + 2. Defender is more utilitarian and Discovery more luxurious 😊

Love the Disco, I drive one!!! Drove up a ski slope to the top in Mont Tremblant Quebec. Car has been bulletproof over the last 4 years.

I am so glad you guys circled backed (Jen Psaki) to the 2021 Discovery. We purchased ours in June of 2021. Took a few years of convincing the wife who hated the rear end but shes Boujie and wanted a luxury 7 seater and I told her the Disco was her best option. We got the P360 R-Dynamic and we love it. I absolutely agree with the disappointing tires but after these wear out I will be swapping out the 21’s to 20’s and some nice AT/s.

2019 Discovery here, all black, black pack, no issues, Rhino lift, 32 inch Toyo AT3 tires and we use it how it's meant to be used, it's seen some gnarly stuff, great family adventure vehicle. Great road trip vehicle, it replaced my JL Rubicon.

Finally, some discussion of exactly what I’ve been wondering! The defender and discovery are pretty much the same mechanicals with different bodies. Good point about how the Discovery has been out longer and is currently available used, at a much lower price than you can get into a defender.

Wow. I'm impressed. You finally considered inadequate tires being an issue part of off-roading. Good review. Disco5 is truly a great machine, although I kind of wish they did fix the asymmetrical rear.

I love my 2017 diesel D5. It has a Johnson rod lift and BFG AT tires. It’s a great vehicle. Ive had WK2 Grand Cherokees and they are great rigs but the LR traction control is better. For more challenging trails, I have a JKU Rubicon. We are a family of 6 so the LR is needed. Jeep let me down with my JLU Rubicon (steering catastrophe) and I replaced it with an older JKU Rubicon. I work on and maintain my own cars. Both the Jeep Witech system and LR pathfinder systems allow you dealer level electronics service. The LR is easier to work on. Ive owned LR D1, D2 and a LR4. The D1 and D2 leaked oil and were unreliable. The LR4 and the D5 are rock solid. Parts costs are comparable if you shop around for LR parts. I’m undecided on the new GC-L. It looks like Jeep tried copying a lot of features from LR. After the JL issues, I’ll stick with LR for my family rig. As for the Wagoneer; $100k plus is a hard pass. I might go for an EV in the future if solid state batteries become viable.

Love my Discovery 5 2018 model, sweet spot of the Land Rover Brand for sure. Any off-roading just add Johnson Rods and some KO2 Tires and you are set. The remix that Land Rover has done with vehicle of off-road and urban along with price point makes the Discovery "King" of all Rovers.

I spec'd my MY20 HSE Lux Td6 with all of the off-road goodies and then dumped the OE Pirelli Scorpion A/S tires with 100 miles on the odometer for some Toyo Open Country A/T 3's as soon as I got it. Love the off-road capability coupled with the tech and luxury; love the massaging seats!

It's great that it still comes with the old school option. So you press the S O S button, back up slightly, give it the beans and use the momentum to over come loss of traction. Just got to love modern technology 😃. Nice video.

We have a Disco 5 with diesel and 18" TuffAnt wheels and Yokohama Geolandar AT's and it is a beast off road. Luxury, great off road and tows our Bean trailer like a dream! I love a great sleeper that everyone thinks is just a mall crawler but can hold it own out in the wild!

I have a 2020 super charged 6 cyl… really love the space and the commanding view! Surprisingly 💨 fast

It started with a discovery 2 with me, ive had all of them now except for the 5. And as a family man, that needs to tow and enjoys offroading and the outdoors, I keep going back to the discovery. It does everything well, except for good gas millage

I’ll keep my 2012 Discovery 4 (LR4) that I bought new a long long time as I love the boxy look and the reliability is superb. I also had a 2003 Discovery 2 that I bought new and loved it but had to get rid of it due to rust. If Land Rover wants to sell more Discovery models they could take the 2003/2004 body shape and modernize the power train and beef up the frame rails and corrosion protection. They would sell a ton of those.

Got one & love it! A great review! 👍

I drive the 2017 Land Rover Discovery 5 TD6 in Colorado, the surrounding states, and Western Canada. The diesel engine provides excellent fuel economy for long distance driving, and excellent low-end torque for hill climbing, towing, and for general off-road driving, especially at high altitude. My vehicle is equipped with both center and rear locking differentials, but alas in the HSE Luxury equipment group it lacks competent off-road wheels and tires. It does excellent in snow especially when using dedicated winter tires. This vehicle is highly versatile, refined on the interior, and provides a wonderful blend of luxury, comfort, and utility. I am extremely disappointed that Landrover no longer offers the turbodiesel engine in North America! It would be even more compelling if they increased the horsepower on the TD6 diesel engine by 30 to 50 HP.

Yes , I have been waiting for off-road comparison between defender and lr5 discovery

I think the discovery now gets straight six diesels like in the defender in Europe of course and those engines from what I've heard suit the defender and maybe even the discovery best.

I have a Discovery 1. 300tdi diesel, 5-speed manual. Solid axles, coil springs, power nothing. There's not a single computer in the vehicle. It's dead nuts reliable and enormously capable offroad, without anything that could remotely be considered luxury. Land Rover has really lost sight of what the Discovery was intended to be.

Nice video, Please explore other models in the future like the smaller Discovery sport, Evogue , Vellar and the big daddy Range rover variants

Coming from a Porsche Macan GTS I got to try out a loaner R-dynamic discovery lately for a couple days, it’s one of my favorite cars to drive now. May need one soon 😂

I love my MY17 Disco 5. It’s a great off-roader!! Feels like Rolls Royce meets Jeep.

Should do a review on the longevity of the Discovery, have seen many of these cars fall apart at 35K miles resulting in high maintenance.

I can't wait to see what the future holds for the Discovery and the Defender 🙂🙂

I have a RRS with the 3.0 SDV6, I don't think I've ever put the pedal fully to the floor it has so much torque and power, and it'll get +40mpg(imp) on a long run.

I had a 95 D1, 05 LR3, now a 2017 D5 Diesel. Absolutely love it. The discovery is so under appreciated for all its capabilities and comfort and versatility. Pretty damn hard to beat. And you can customize them for solid off road capabilities and still look great for a nice evening out all dressed up. From Moab to MOCA (the Modern Museum of Art)!

Have a 2017 Discovery 5 TD6 🇨🇦 with 86k kms. Average 8.8l/100km. Love this vehicle. Looked at new Discovery 2022 but can no longer get the diesel in 🇨🇦. Drove the defender - totally different ride and feels like a box

Hit the nail on the head when Roman asked why didn't they make the Discovery the road oriented model and the Defender the all-out off-roader. They have saturated the model line up with urban offroaders to the point that they are competing against themselves. You could go further and say that Jaguar SUVs should be the only urban SUVs.

The diesels available in Europe are JLRs own Ingenium family of engines. They stopped selling them in the US due to low sales, thanks to VW

The English have a better term to describe this vehicle and similar ones. Chelsea tractor. Chelsea is an upscale neighborhood in London where such off-road capable vehicles are hardly required but are often seen

I agree with Dad on this one. The Pre-2017 LR4 were the best offroad, they managed to fix all the issues in 2015-2016 so I think it was stupid to stop the line right after they finally made it perfect. Same with the LR2, all issues were fixed in 2013 and they had to stop the prod in 2014 and turn it into the Evoque. Cheers !

Impressive audio quality given that wind!

Thanks for giving LR products a fair hearing. I’ve kept my Disco (LR4) as I hate that D5 design. I’ve used D5s off road and they are fantastic if you ditch the original tyres, best to specify the locking rear diff on all LR vehicles with the option IMO. I get between 30 - 34 mpg in my V6 Diesel D4, the straight 6 Diesel in the new D5 will do even better.

1 - for auto terrain response mode just press the dial button down 2 - the 3L diesel in Europe is a brand new in-line 6 cylinder engine, not the Ford V6 that has been around for years Loved the video. I love the Discovery, would take one instead of a Defender anytime.

We have a Defender and a Discovery at home. The Defender was bought for me and the Disco for my wife. I now drive the Discovery every day and she drives the Defender. I think this version of the Discovery is just superb. It is my go to hunting vehicle and I can get my 6 dogs in the back!

Still driving my old LR3 and will be for while.

Great product and interesting video blog ..)))) 🇬🇧

Land Rover wants to become a road vehicle company. That's what they did with the Range Rovers, with the discovery, and as we know, with the Difender. (And also the Disco sport). They put the electronics for the off-road heritage but they're aimming for dynamic on road rides...

Agree confusing overlap in the range. I think for 95% of owners Defenders, Discos, and RRs effectively cover the same real-world niche. The determining factor is image and association.

The Disco 5 gets panned because of its looks but it's a hugely competent vehicle. Using it to pull a horsebox - as I have - and it's a brilliant car.

Is there no more power shelf thing in the trunk? We use it lots for for sitting on with the kids and to help keep groceries in the trunk when the loft gate opens. Our is a 2020 with the diesel which we love🤷‍♂️

I just bought a 2018 with 36,000. I fell in love with my first drive. She has been deemed the Swank Tank.

In UK we get a D250 and D300 straight 6 diesel, driven D300 in Velar, great engine, returns 30-40 mpg (UK).

I like the LR3/4 desing. G4 challenge look...

You guys are top notch!

Yes - there's plenty of diesels available in Europe - for both the Defender and the Discovery. They are all 3.0 Inline 6 with different power outputs: D200, D250 and a D300. All-new Range Rover has a D350 also.

Until now I wanted to have my D2 as the offroader (altho i use it as a daily driver as well) and in the future buy the new defender, but i think having a D2 and a D5 will be my goal from now on.

I like the ranch. Congrats.

Did u guys ever try upgrading the tires on ur Defender when u owned it??

D5 is great. I miss mine so much. Going on almost 2 years waiting for a new Defender. Ugh. This chip shortage and supply chain problem stinks.

2012 bmw x5 diesel w3 row seats owner here. This Disco ticks most of the boxes for me when shopping for an upgrade: roomier 3rd row, diesel engine, and 6000lb+ tow rating, all in a mid size Suv package. However, after test driving one, i found interior seats are too high up so interior appears too cramped up. Coming from BMW, I could not get used to over-engineered controls. On paper, disco's diesel is slow and and mpg is poor. Gasser version was very laggy. In contrast, while Grand Cherokee L is a copy cat of that over style, the execution is much easier to live with on a daily basis. If GC-L came with a modern powertrain, that would be it for me. I dont need offroad capability but really struggle to find a replacement that would tick all the boxes

I just ordered my second D5 DIscovery but have to tell you, I laboured over whether to get it or the new Defender. In the end, even though I felt the Defender was a much tougher looking vehicle, the luggage space was terrible in comparison to the Discovery and the Disco was quieter, slightly faster and used less fuel. Having said all of that, I'm still not sure I made the right decision

I have a 2019 and love it, I had LR3 and Rover Sport and I think the Discovery line is the in between model, it’s decent luxury and decent off road, but if you want full luxury you go Range and you want full off road you go Defender.

The cut out on the original was so the driver could see backing up, like for parallel parking. That’s why the door swung open to the right side of vehicle. All of which no longer worked when they switched driver from right to left. Land Rover has a history of running multiple models off of the same platform. The coil suspension setup got transferred to the stage one series from the Range Rover. The entire discovery was on a Range Rover platform with the exception of the self leveling hydraulics in the back and the aforementioned tailgate change, roof profile and hood profile. The RR Sport was an LR3/4 just with a different body.

yikes, did they remove the automatic tail gate inside the trunk? i love mine and that is a great benefit and helps with loading big equipments into the trunk

I do think think the discovery ticks just about all the boxes. As you say the only let down is the tyres, but this goes for about all 4WD's, with the exception of the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Even these cars people still want better rubber on there Rubicon, whatever tyres comes with a vehicle really doesn't matter, they will most likely get changed out. I would like to take a poll and ask most discovery owners, did you up grade your tyres and I think the answer would be mostly no, I like it the way it is, they look good.

I'd still love to see you guys get ahold of a low speck Defender so you can put proper rims and tires on it. I still think the 4 cylinder without air suspension but all the 4x4 options you can get is the one to get if you want to take your Defender offroad. I believe the problem is just like I noticed with the Bronco if you want some of the lower spec stuff like the smaller tires they limit what 4x4 options you can get. That is beyond stupid. I really wanted a Bronco with all the 4x4 options but the smaller tires/rims but you can't. you have to get the sasquatch on the 44s. I don't rock climb so I don't really need 44s but I am also limited to owning only 1 vehicle so I'd like to have something with better road manners. I really miss the days when you could properly option a car instead of these stupid packages they force on you.

The "urban" design is what appeals to my wife - for whom I'm trying to convince to get a defender but she likes the discovery. Truth be told the vehicle will spend 99% of its life on the road in the Northeast - so it has to do well in the snow. And then it will need to go on some bad logging roads from time to time to get to a lake cabin. Thats about it.

Love the Discovery. Wish the Touareg was still around in the US to compete against it

I am not OCD and when I see it on the road it that rear door drives me crazy!

Love how father and son always argue :)

loved the disco until the 5 came along. It’s more “urban chic” as Tommy put it. Still very nice but the new Defender is the one that I chose. It might be closer tot he Dico 3 & 4 9which I loved) than the old Def. Anyway you can choose either put decent tires on it and both are very capable off roaders.

Love my D5 and you can easily fix the tires.

I had the new defender for 3 days. They made a big error in design. The trunk is very small in the defender, most of it is vertical. I can barely fit a 40 l fridge, no space is left behind it. In the disco 5 I am left with almost half of meter. They made the 2 row in the defender like for a luxury car. After this 3 days of testing the defender I decided to go for a Disco. For someone who has a family and does camping trips, this is a much better vehicle.

I've had the Disco 3, 4, and 5. Loved my LR4 and I miss the split rear door and 40/20/40 middle row seats, but it was uncomfortable. The Disco 5 is simply a great vehicle for 99% of us that drive on roads or only offroad every so often. It has more room and is super comfortable with great sight lines. The Defender is for the 1% that do real offroading. They do have too many SUVs competing against themselves. RR, RR Sport, Velar, Disco, and Defender ... could probably be paired down to 3 models. And they could go w only one smaller SUV for the lower price point crowd.

Long live the Discovery 2... proud owner of a 2000 and 2004

Just want to say that Tommy has been doing a killer job and its been great to see his evolution over the years I've been following TFL!

You guys mention the choice of engines available in Europe, but check out the price we pay for our vehicles, way more than you in the USA do, even for cars produced in Europe!

Land Rovers WHERE known for their timeless BOXY DESIGN but now with the rounded and curvy design, they just blend in and look like all other cars

I have a Discovery and I think it's amazing. And I really hate the Defender, not because of the car but because of the people who have it and also the attention it's getting. By the way you can get full size spares with it

The current Discovery is the true descendant of previous Range Rovers. The current Range Rovers compete in a higher luxury market segment than was even a thing over the 40 years from the first Range Rover.

Keeping in mind the discovery has a "metropolitan" and defender has "outbound"

The electric towbar is rated for 3500 kg

I believe they call that design language "Ford Explorer".

How big would you like your evoque?

In the UK we had a huge choice. Most buyers (back in the day) who wanted a more comfortable Defender were able to buy Discos that were just as practical and rugged with small turbo-diesels engines that could give you 45 mpg, albeit with slow performance. But for most people the Disco was not about speed or acceleration. Giving practical, work-related vehicles 400 bhp is pointless and a terrible waste of fuel and resources as well as having a vast environmental footprint; the efficiency dividend of modern tech has been squandered.

Does the 2nd row still suck? Low and hard seats?

Good Satellite presets

My parents have a discovery 4 and a 5, and yes the new one has lower driving position, less interior space and airiness, and il accept that it look awful compared to our 4. But on road to drive and sit in day to day wow does it feel like an improvement. Just does not have the charm of our beloved boxy 4

Discovery and Discovery Sport - Family off Road, Range Rover - Luxury off road and Defender - Expedition Vehicles. Just a small tip, do not hose out a Discovery.

As a very happy owner of a Disco4 I was so dissapointed when I saw the disco5. Tall, narrow and looks like a Jelly mould and Defender looks good but too small. So Audi Q7 is what I ended up buying .

Was this David’s ranch or a different one?

Do you still have this disco with no issues?!

King of Electronic Gremlins and unknowns ? YES, OF COURSE. UNDISPUTED I would say.

I wonder how this will compare to the new Jeep Grand Cherokee L.

The patience of a father.

Are there front tow hooks?

Actually to answer your questions, I have a pop up hitch (vw touareg) and it is rated up to 3,5 tons to tow. And about the body and all this design that more road-ish. Don't forget the cars comes from Europe where the exhaust regulations are so tight that manufacturers has to look for the solution to bring co2 down to pass the emission limite and at the same time still to stay true to the DNA of the model. The same story for defender, it is just to tough to combine very strict emission limits with the car which has bad aerodynamics. I think every EU manufacturer will become more road oriented and off road DNA will die out eventually. Although ineos grenadier is doing all opposite. Their design is very defender alike and they have big engines only. Although they still have to pass euro homologation.

Tommy. Tommy. Tommy. While I typically agree with you (at least more than with your dad 😂) I have to disagree with you about the TD6. I have a D5 with the TD6 and it’s a beast. 455 ft lbs of torque. I average 22 mpg around town and 26 mpg on the HWY with… 20 inch BF Goodrich KO2s. So it’s quite efficient for this size vehicle! Thing doesn’t even need low range with the torque & tires. As a side note the D5s look almost like a different (better/more aggressive) vehicle with AT tires vs all weather tires. IMHO. Although I did get a little better mpg with the all weather tires. Anyway, your dad might finally kinda be right about something. The D5 does have some advantages over the new defender. Rear lift gate is one. Way, better interior storage is another. I still can’t quite fall in love with the defenders weird open space center console.

Needs a steel bumper doesn’t it? How’s that going to look?

2 diesels 2 and 3ltr engines petrol engines wouldnt be common its widely seen here that the discovery is gone up and the defender is where the old discovery was a basic nuts and bolts defender is needed

i like the intro

The new Defender should have been the new Discovery

quickest to the shop

UAZ 469 have rised rear seating too as well side jump seats for 6 & 7 passenger. Basicaly Discovery 1 copied that layout. Just look at that. I owned Discovery 1 as well UAZ 469 and find a lot similarities when i compare them side by side.