Discovery TD5 or Shogun LWB or SWB (2001)

[helen_5040520]

To tow Coachman 540/4 1300 miro 1505 mtplm.

comments on vehicles please

 

[Paul_374295069]

Personaly I would have the shogun,just by reading about it

 

[Stephen_5122599]

No contest, Get the Shogun.

I considered buying a Disco last year, but every one I looked at either had new engine, or new gearbox or new transfer box or a new cylinder head etc. So I bought a 2001 3.2 did LWB Shogun.

It is utterly reliable tows my Superstorm brilliantly (1900 mptlm) and it is also quite economical.

 

[Icemaker]

We used to tow our pastiche 520/4 which is allmost the same weight as the 540/4 with a disco and found it to be fine allthough ours was a 300tdi and not the bmw sourced engine which seems to get a bit of a sl*****g off on the forum.

My dad has the shogun and although he loves the car he hates the fuel consumption which is poor, he tows a pastiche 530/4.

Do you really need a large 4x4 ? you certainley dont need one to tow the van you have, do not for one second think that you need a large 4x4 for towing just becouse its a relatively heavy van.

my disco was a good vehicle but 25 to 30 mpg all year just to tow the van when needed was not in my best interest so i swapped the car for an mpv, We now tow our coachman 2006 vip 530/4 with a seat alhambra 1.9 tdi 130 and hand on heart it tows far far better than either the disco or dads shogun.

It is far more stable and handles the van far better than either, it has double the fuel efficiency, solo about 50 to 55 mpg towing around 35 to 40 mpg and has far more room inside, on the very rare occasion that i get stuck on site then the owner usually has a way of getting me off, this has only happened once in ten years.

I am not in anyway against large 4x4's i would love to be able to have one every day but the cost of running one everyday is just not worth it especially when there are better alternatives available for less money.

 

[helen_5040520]

We used to tow our pastiche 520/4 which is allmost the same weight as the 540/4 with a disco and found it to be fine allthough ours was a 300tdi and not the bmw sourced engine which seems to get a bit of a sl*****g off on the forum.

My dad has the shogun and although he loves the car he hates the fuel consumption which is poor, he tows a pastiche 530/4.

Do you really need a large 4x4 ? you certainley dont need one to tow the van you have, do not for one second think that you need a large 4x4 for towing just becouse its a relatively heavy van.

my disco was a good vehicle but 25 to 30 mpg all year just to tow the van when needed was not in my best interest so i swapped the car for an mpv, We now tow our coachman 2006 vip 530/4 with a seat alhambra 1.9 tdi 130 and hand on heart it tows far far better than either the disco or dads shogun.

It is far more stable and handles the van far better than either, it has double the fuel efficiency, solo about 50 to 55 mpg towing around 35 to 40 mpg and has far more room inside, on the very rare occasion that i get stuck on site then the owner usually has a way of getting me off, this has only happened once in ten years.

I am not in anyway against large 4x4's i would love to be able to have one every day but the cost of running one everyday is just not worth it especially when there are better alternatives available for less money.

Thanks for your comments will certainly look at the Seat as well.

 

[Stephen_5122599]

I don't know what sort of Shogun Icemaker's dad has as the old 2.8 was a thirsty beast but not the 3.2 did . I regularly get mid thirties on a run and about thirty mpg otherwise which I consider not bad for a seven seater 4x4. The other factor is you just cannot compare the towing capabilities of an Alhambra (fine vehicle though it is)to a Shogun.

 

[helen_5040520]

I don't know what sort of Shogun Icemaker's dad has as the old 2.8 was a thirsty beast but not the 3.2 did . I regularly get mid thirties on a run and about thirty mpg otherwise which I consider not bad for a seven seater 4x4. The other factor is you just cannot compare the towing capabilities of an Alhambra (fine vehicle though it is)to a Shogun.

Thanks again for your comments. Husband changes his mind on a daily if not hourly basis between Discovery of Shogun (LWB or SWB). Thinking of booking a flight to spain while he makes his mind up....

 

[Denise4]

We changed our car in Feb and we were choosing between the discovery and the shogun. A friend of ours who tows for a living and has driven nearly every 4X4 there is and told us to go for a shogun. Main reasons reliability and the shogun has a much better turning circle. We have a 3.2 did warrior 2003 and it is fantastic. Denise

 

[Garfield]

Stephen, Like Icemaker we tow with an mpv (Sharan now S-max) though my 4x4 towing experience is limited to a 93 Disco the race to the field gate across mud is won hands down by the 4x4 but beyond the gate the mpv is more than comparable to much heavier 4x4's and vastly more stable than early disco's,

 

[DavidW1]

Hi Helen,

Just swopped my old Isuzu Bighorn - super reliable towcar but very crude and deafening at speed - for a 2001 SWB 3.5 GDI Shogun.

Reason, had a mk 11 3.0 V6 3 years ago and missed the smooth running and comfort.

Havn't had time to tow with her yet but the new "unit construction" shogun is a definate improvement on the old chassis models for on road drivability and it's quieter too. The old model towed almost as good as the Isuzu so I expect this one to be as good or better.

The fuel computer is currently reading 29.3 after some pottering and a couple of 25 mile trips so I can live with that, particularly as she will only be used as a tow car and dog transport.

One final thing - Shoguns come reassuringly well equiped with proper oil coolers for the auto box, they are designed with towing as a requirement not an afterthought, they have a reliable easily selectable 4WD system - must use for towing on the GDI by the way! - a diff lock in case you need it and a tow limit, even for the SWB of 2.2 tonnes.

As you can see I am a convert having had one and gone back to the model again.

 

[Stephen_5122599]

Stephen, Like Icemaker we tow with an mpv (Sharan now S-max) though my 4x4 towing experience is limited to a 93 Disco the race to the field gate across mud is won hands down by the 4x4 but beyond the gate the mpv is more than comparable to much heavier 4x4's and vastly more stable than early disco's,

Hi Garfield,

I know where your coming from, i think the Disco suspension is too soft for heavy towing unless it is the later model fitted with air suspension. For medium towing duties the Sharan/Galaxy/Alhambra is fine, however put my Superstorm on it's hook and I think you would see where the Shogun has the upper hand.

regards

Steve

 

[woodsieboy]

Hi Helen

We have had Disco and now have Shogun, both manual diesels, Discovery was costly to service and regularly repair,I would say it was not reliable, things like clutch slave cylinders, fuel guage,wheel bearings,water leaks, came home twice on Green Flag, and even managed to break down in France.Shogun is LWB 02 model only repair in 2 years has been bottom pulley on engine, otherwise just tyres and brakepads and usual sevice costs. The Shogun tows our TA easily, economy is reasonable and when not towing it is 2 wheel drive.

 

[Icemaker]

Stephen, Like Icemaker we tow with an mpv (Sharan now S-max) though my 4x4 towing experience is limited to a 93 Disco the race to the field gate across mud is won hands down by the 4x4 but beyond the gate the mpv is more than comparable to much heavier 4x4's and vastly more stable than early disco's,

TA's no problem for the galaxy / alhambra, they both have a 2000 kg towing limit and my alhambra towed our coachman laser 590/4 with consumate ease.

Obviousley at these levels though the heavier 4x4 is starting to come in to its own but as i was only trying to point out a large 4x4 contrary to popular beliefe is not the only choice one has to tow these vans.

 

[Stephen_5122599]

TA's no problem for the galaxy / alhambra, they both have a 2000 kg towing limit and my alhambra towed our coachman laser 590/4 with consumate ease.

Obviousley at these levels though the heavier 4x4 is starting to come in to its own but as i was only trying to point out a large 4x4 contrary to popular beliefe is not the only choice one has to tow these vans.

The Galaxy/Alhambra/Sharan may have a 2000kg towing limit and this may be an okay weight for a flat bed trailer. But when the wind catches a large slabsided caravan which weighs more than the towing vehicle then in certain circunstances the tail will wag the dog.

I've no doubt these vaehicles have the power to comfortably tow a large caravan, but power is no substitute for weight if things nasty.

 

[Stephen_5122599]

Hi Helen,

Another thing to remember when looking for a 2001 Shogun is buy one registered before April, you won't have to pay the new rate high rate of excise duty. Mine is Jan 2001 so it escapes the price hike.

Regards

Steve

 

[Garfield]

The Galaxy/Alhambra/Sharan may have a 2000kg towing limit and this may be an okay weight for a flat bed trailer. But when the wind catches a large slabsided caravan which weighs more than the towing vehicle then in certain circunstances the tail will wag the dog.

I've no doubt these vaehicles have the power to comfortably tow a large caravan, but power is no substitute for weight if things nasty.

It's pointless having all that weight if it's sat on top of soft off road suspension and tyres, the early disco is a classic example of this, The Alhambra, its sisters and similar MPV's have a chassis that is purely designed for road use, carring relatively heavy loads at high speeds which gives them towing stability that is comparable if not better than much heavier offroaders. Our caravan may not be as heavy but it is just as big as a superstorm and passing buses and high side hgv's barely make it flinch behind our S-max

 

[Essexeddie]

Why dont you all go one better and get a Toyota Landcruiser. Most reliable tow car going.

Always in the news in war torn countries, you cant miss them usually with a machine gun welded to the roof.

Dont see any Disco or Shoguns much. I wonder whyyyyyyyyyyy

Edd

 

[woodbush]

No question about the best towcar. Shogun. I have a 2002 3.2 Equipe manual. Have had to replace front discs and pads but nothing else. I tow an Ace Supreme Twinstar without problems.

My friend has a Disco towing a TA Bailey, its noisy, unrefined and underpowered.

A cheaper option might be the Kia Sorento, always seems to get good writeups in Caravan magazines.

Steve

 

[benny1]

I tow with a shogun 3.2 the most comffy car i have ever driven in over 35 years of driving. We have just come back from suthern ierland. Towing 1600 kg swift coastline the only problem i had was to remember i was towing it. It was a dream i have towed with a 806 but that was verry nerv racking and slow on the hills. Go for the shogun you wont regret it and if you stay below a 55 plate you will save on tax.

 

[Stephen_5122599]

I borrowed my friends Sorrento the day I picked up my Superstorm, I found it was very stable but lacked power when pulling off.

My caravan was empty at the time and I had a hairy moment when it just seemed to take ages accelerating at a roundabout. My Shogun on the otherhand pulls like a train with no embarassing moments.

I have noticed a few concerned remarks lately about the Discovery's behaviour when towing, nuff said before the Land rover police get me..

Regards

Steve

 

[jinty0_0]

we had the shogun 2.5td swb and we were never away from the pumps filling it up. now we have a discovery tdi5 although the fuel is better, i would say i prefered the shogun as we have had a few scary moments with the caravan snaking on the back of the disco and it was not caused by the speed we were traveling at (45mph)

 

[GaryWrench]

I have a 52 reg Facelift TD5 disco with self levelling rear suspension, i admit that the shogun probably has a bit more go and a slightly better turning circle, but mines British.

It tows fantastically, 35mpg solo, 50 miles less to a tank when carefully towing.I dont have a big van, but i have had a terrible experience of towing with a Zafira when the van was waving the back end of the car around! - I dont get a twitch with the disco even when pushing it past big trucks.

Each to theyre own, theyre both great cars.

Gary

 

[Lol1]

You're missing out on the Sorento, Helen. Don't let it happen, where towing is concerned, it's a towing god. It's not bad solo either. Seriously, take a look at one, great value for money, well equipped and will tow your van with ease. It wasn't voted 4x4 of the year (a thousand times) for nothing.