So, just shy of 10,000 miles and a quick wash later. This car is just as much of a pleasure as it was on day one. It has proven to be better than expected and much more capable besides.
Reliability - typical landrover experience of new vehicle hiccups, but easily fixed by the dealer at no expense to me - this is what the warranty is for!
Boot - simply massive, swallows more than you think possible, 5 up with luggage, Great Dane, Jack Russel? - no problem
Shape of boot - WTF, no my old cage does not fit, but why would I think it would!
No split tail gate - the shelf works just as well and the entry is much better protected from the elements. Even the jack Russell doesn't miss the lower part, just stands on the shelf. If a dog can adjust then surely we can!
Bulbous Butt. ....in the eye of the beholder and in mine and my good lady, it is the best looking car they have made
Back seat too low - 5 up on long journeys and no complaints from young adults not known for their tolerance - its a pass from us.
third row seats - even more comfortable than the middle row and easy for egress and ingress. Back doors are huge
Brake lights - despite them apparently being too small for a bicycle, we have not been rear ended - seem to work as intended.
Should have bought a range rover - The Range Rover is a nice place to be, but, smaller, less seats, less stowage, not as pretty, as unreliable (i.e. no worse than most new cars) and more expensive, - its a no from us
fuel, better economy than my last Freelander by a good margin
AD BLUE - 2 refills, the last was 16.5l so seems thirsty, but comes free with the service plan. not bad to help save the planet
Off road- effortless and would only be better with proper shoes
This is a very big car so parking spaces can be a tad tight, but it is a great family car, comfortable, safe, usable, flexible and makes us feel good.
We love it.
Excellent write up
Going to post thison the D4 site
Namib Orange 1st Edition with black roof and wheels.
Privacy, tow bar, drive pack, surround camera, heated front & rear seats, auto dim door mirrors, side steps, remote Pro, RSE, arm rest fridge dash cam front and rear.
I am very aware that others have not faired so well. I make no excuses for poor customer service from Landrover or their dealers and it is obvious that some cars have been terrible and needed to be rejected. This happens with all marques and does not represent the majority of purchases.
For us, as a load lugging, people carrying, dog transporting car in the country, it is perfect. We held out for one over a D4 landmark and have not regretted it one iota. As you would expect, the car has evolved over many years and this is better than its predecessor. Now I understand the strength of personal opinion (I once part ex'ed a car because of its satnav) but gripes about the size of the brake lights is a far stretch as a reason not to buy the car that is the best at what it does.
It is not perfect, the corners on the tailgate bottom edge can hurt, and, well the infotainment system is not as smart as say, the Sync system, in a ford. But the sound from the meridian setup is the best I have heard in a car. I listen a lot more than poke at the interface so all in all, OK.
Your D5 experience mirrors my D3/D4/D4.5 experience, I heard about all the horror stories but never experienced them, and the odd issues I had were quickly and professionally resolved. Your report has certainly made me feel more comfortable with upgrading to the D5. My D4.5 is due for replacement mid-2018 so am grateful that I will skip many, if not all, of the teething issues and may even score an Ingenium 6 cylinder diesel with 335hp, now that would be worth waiting for.
Each time I drive it, I'm amazed by how quiet and refined it is. Styling wise it is definitely a "grower" but now I think it's a great looking car. When I see D3 / D4 I can't help but feel that yes it's a classic design shape, but looking a bit boxy and out of date now.
Positives:
Ride; refinement; comfort; elec rear seats and in control app; finish & styling
Negatives:
Sat Nav takes too long; rear heated seats not controllable from touch screen. When kids get on school run and leave them on, you would have to stop, get out and turn them off; gesture tail gate doesn't work; no rear speakers for 3rd row; 2nd row seat belts rattle when not in use
Problems:
A few trips to the dealers but nothing that major although driver's seat now starting to squeak quite badly
Engine:
2.0 is fine and easy to get close to 40mpg all of the time driving normally. But miss the smoothness of a V6 at high revs. 2.0 power is okay vs. our old 190PS D3
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