We are replacing our 1996 Discovery, and we are reluctant to upgrade to a TD5 due to all the bad press! The Kia Sorento seems very good value, and a good alternative to the Td5. Both cars seem hard to find within our budget of upto 10k, espicially in the manual version. Any ideas!
Kia Sorento vs Discovery TD5
- Thread starter Adele_374303552
- Start date
Adele, Hi there, i am an avid Land Rover fan and a member of the Discovery owners club. There is no better tow car than the disco especially if you have a large van. i moved from a Range Rover to the first discovery i had same shape as yours and found it a vast improvement. When i bought my Discovery 2 two and a half years ago i was amazed how much better it was than the original car. Mainly due to the self levelling air suspension on the rear and the (ACE) Active Cornering Enhancement. These cars are very reliable if treated well, don't believe all you hear. i have done 25,000 miles in mine towing and it has never missed a beat!! If you can't find a good one for under 10k at the moment you are looking in the wrong places!! If you require any help or any more convincing get in touch with me and take a look at the discovery owners club website there is plenty of advice available on there and a camping and caravanning section too. Go on make the right choice..Stu
Stuart thought about a Shogun had mine ten tears only put 2 bulbs in it in all that time, done 106000 bit heavy on fuel just like the Disco.
Seen plenty of good ones around the 10K mark.
NigelH
Seen plenty of good ones around the 10K mark.
NigelH
hi, i have had just about every make of 4x4 on the market i think, including a Shogun. I found the Shogun very similar to the Grand Cherokee not really good at towing. In my opinion the Discovery and the Toyota Land Cruiser are the best cars for towing partially due to there weight. if you tow a large twin axle van like i do 1900kg loaded you want something that will be happy not just on the flat but up and down all the gradients this country can throw at us.
You need power to get up gradients and im afraid a TD5 just hasnt got any around 140 bhp for a 2 1/2 ton car the Toyota yes.
TD5 for many owners has been a complete donkey. The Disco when working may well have good four wheel drive off road prowess, but that does not make it the best tow car by a long way.
KIA have done a good job with the Sorento, in the current UK market you should find a good deal.
KIA have done a good job with the Sorento, in the current UK market you should find a good deal.
Adele,
I am on my 3rd Shogun, present one 3.2 LWB auto, They are excellent towcars. Power in reserve up hill and down dale as they say towing 1780 kgs twin axle.
Tried a Td5, lacking power especially on long gradients. Ifound power wise the Shogun handled the caravan much better.I am not saying the Td5 is not a decent towcar, it is, but compared to the Shogun lacking in power when you need it.
Regarding weight the Shogun weighs 2300 kgs, ample to tow any twin axle caravan.
From talking to a couple of friends who had Td5's, due to the weight of the Td5 and a heavy twin axle the engine struggles.
In the old days the 2.8 Shogun was a good towcar but lacking a bit in power.However the 3.2 is superb in all conditions.
Just a thought Adele, a friend of ours is on his 2nd Ssangyong Rexton 2.7 Auto and speaks highly of them.
Motorpoint are selling new(pre-registered) 2.7 autos for
I am on my 3rd Shogun, present one 3.2 LWB auto, They are excellent towcars. Power in reserve up hill and down dale as they say towing 1780 kgs twin axle.
Tried a Td5, lacking power especially on long gradients. Ifound power wise the Shogun handled the caravan much better.I am not saying the Td5 is not a decent towcar, it is, but compared to the Shogun lacking in power when you need it.
Regarding weight the Shogun weighs 2300 kgs, ample to tow any twin axle caravan.
From talking to a couple of friends who had Td5's, due to the weight of the Td5 and a heavy twin axle the engine struggles.
In the old days the 2.8 Shogun was a good towcar but lacking a bit in power.However the 3.2 is superb in all conditions.
Just a thought Adele, a friend of ours is on his 2nd Ssangyong Rexton 2.7 Auto and speaks highly of them.
Motorpoint are selling new(pre-registered) 2.7 autos for
I guess it is down to what else you have driven. Reports descibed the TD5 as Sluggish and Slow. Most warranty claims were for transmission or suspension. It's a good off roader when it works, problem being that far to many owners had serious problems and that is why it was bottom of reliability surverys around the world including UK, SA and OZ.
136HP in a car the size of a Disco 5 is not likely to produce a sparkling towing experience.
Take What Cars summary
"For- Superb off-road; well equipped; spacious
Against- Unrefined on the road; dreadful cabin layout
Reliability- Improved quality but still plenty to report. Suspension, brakes, clutch and gearbox may require costly work. Diesel Td5 can be problematic"
And that's the polite summar. LR purchase is down to luck, don't buy unless you have a full service history and ask previous owners about what has been replaced, many have a list a mile long.
136HP in a car the size of a Disco 5 is not likely to produce a sparkling towing experience.
Take What Cars summary
"For- Superb off-road; well equipped; spacious
Against- Unrefined on the road; dreadful cabin layout
Reliability- Improved quality but still plenty to report. Suspension, brakes, clutch and gearbox may require costly work. Diesel Td5 can be problematic"
And that's the polite summar. LR purchase is down to luck, don't buy unless you have a full service history and ask previous owners about what has been replaced, many have a list a mile long.
Im sorry a TD5 is slow its top speed of 96 says it all,i drove a friends home one day and i thought the handbrake was on!
Your are correct its torque that is all important and the TD5 produces 220 at 1900 revs from its 2.5 lts in a car that weights 2400kgs.The shogun has lots more power and torque
Even a renault 1.9 diesel which produces 221 at 2000 revs and you will see how underpowered the engine is.
Im sorry but you do need torque and power to keep going up hills
Your are correct its torque that is all important and the TD5 produces 220 at 1900 revs from its 2.5 lts in a car that weights 2400kgs.The shogun has lots more power and torque
Even a renault 1.9 diesel which produces 221 at 2000 revs and you will see how underpowered the engine is.
Im sorry but you do need torque and power to keep going up hills
- Mar 14, 2005
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Not quite. You need power, not torque. Plenty of low end torque is nice to have as it makes driving more relaxed, but it's not vital. If you are willing to make use of plenty of revs and change gear often, you can get by with limited torque so long as there is adequate power. You just can't afford to be squeamish and be prepared to change down, maybe even twice.
i don't want to get into a bun fight over this because after all everything is down to personel prefernces and what you are used to!!! As i stated before i have had most 4x4's over the years, but i still as a personel preference prefer the land Rover over anything i have ever owned and in the near future am planning an upgrade to a discovery 3. i own a 4.0l V8 discovery 2 at the moment and tow an Elddis Crusader Super cyclone with it. This is as stated quite a heavy car and one of the if not the heaviest vans on the road. i tow it all over this beautiful country of ours up hills and down dales and i have never had so much a problem in the towing department, it is such a capable vehicle. i have never had any reliability issues either with this or my previous discovery. if you go to the towsure web site and do outfit matches, it says that hills should be avoided with the discovery as it doesn't have enough power to keep going!! i would strongly argue against this, but as i have said all along it is down to personal preference and also what outfit you have. i have never had any issues and think that the Land rover is an oustanding tow vehicle and general road vehicle too.
No bun fight, but it is rather strange to comment on TD5 (is that not Turbo Diesel) when your experience is with the 4litre petrol injection.
A car well known for 14-18mpg or less, though some now run LPG conversions to lessen the running costs. The V8 has a chequered history in Disco / RR and where some were very reliable and others from new were complete 'dogs' especially engine and gearbos wise. Stuart your own car may be very reliable and lucky you. For many other careful caring loving owners that was not the case.
A car well known for 14-18mpg or less, though some now run LPG conversions to lessen the running costs. The V8 has a chequered history in Disco / RR and where some were very reliable and others from new were complete 'dogs' especially engine and gearbos wise. Stuart your own car may be very reliable and lucky you. For many other careful caring loving owners that was not the case.
I am aware that the topic is about the TD5. All the opinions i have given is based on this vehicle, i only mentioned my car just to establish what it was. the TD5 is better than the V8 according to facts and figures and i am a minority running the V8. I know all about these cars as i stated in the begining of this topic aand to get back to the topic and answer Adeles question, i would buy the TD5 over the Kia every day of the week. They already have a Discovery and i was just trying to let them know that there are good and bad in every make and model of car, but in my opinion they should stick with the Discovery and just buy as best they can with their given budget.
I have been looking at the Sorento recently. I was on a site this weekend and had a chat with someone using a Sorento. His comment was it's the best towcar he has ever had. This backs up two of my friend that also tow with one and absolutely love them as well. I have not yet had the chance to drive one myself, but do frequently drive a TD5 at work, and I wouldn't want one for towing, find it uncomfortable and sluggish.
This will probably get me shot by all my Land Rover friends but in a choice of a TD5 against a Kia I would probably choose a Kia. Three years ago I was running a two year old TD5 and what a dog!The engine kept cutting out - well known problem of oil tracking down the loom and affecting the running. The chassis was rusting severely and the car was on its third gearbox!
I bought a Honda. I have just gone back to Land Rover with a Discovery 3 and am watching it very closely (chosen mainly for the comeraderie of the owners clubs and the fact Honda changed the design of the CRV).
I also have an original 1989 V8 Discovery which has outlasted my TD5!!
My choice therefore would be Kia - just watch the dealers, I looked 3 years ago and my experience was very mixed, mind you Land Rover dealers are just the same.
I bought a Honda. I have just gone back to Land Rover with a Discovery 3 and am watching it very closely (chosen mainly for the comeraderie of the owners clubs and the fact Honda changed the design of the CRV).
I also have an original 1989 V8 Discovery which has outlasted my TD5!!
My choice therefore would be Kia - just watch the dealers, I looked 3 years ago and my experience was very mixed, mind you Land Rover dealers are just the same.
- Nov 11, 2009
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I had a 2000 TD5 and when it came out of its 3 year warranty I decided to sell it as it was the most unreliable car that i have ever owned. The dealer labour rates were awful. I then decided to buy a 2004 Sorento with auto box and am eternally glad i made that choice. The Kia has been virtually fault free and it was 5 years old before I had my first fault and a repair bill of around
Never been near a TD5, so cannot comment. Have had my - from new - Sorento XS 2.5 CDi Auto for over a year and am most pleased with it. Makes short work of towing my T/A Swift, spacious, robust and well priced. The only point I would make is the 'wallowy' cornering in day-to-day driving, but 4x4 are not designed to go round corners on two wheels!
Hope this helps. Happy to answer any specific questions you might have.
Bj
Hope this helps. Happy to answer any specific questions you might have.
Bj
kia everytime
I have a 2006 xs its great for towing
I have previously owned a td5 and a disco 3 both of which were terrible I wouldn't touch a land rover with a barge pole. The sorento is really good value as well with the equipment you get and also far better to drive both solo and towing.
The sorento is definately the best buy in this category and you will be looking at a far newer car for your money
think about the land rover horror stories of reliablity whereas sorento won the JD power customer satisfaction survey a few years in a row and was also voted tow car of the year for several years as well.
With the Td5 your paying for the badge and alot of problems in the future. Apart from a range rover just avoid land rover at all cost
Well we've finally done it after all this time. We are the proud owners of a Kia Sorento 2006 XE. Hopefully picking it up next Friday. All we need now is a tow bar, fine weather and we are off!
Adele, shop around for a good deal on a Sorrie. I've yet to hear of one that has anything like the problems of the Land Rovers. The Sorrie also has a more sprightly performance on the road.
Plenty of cars are better tow cars than Disco's. The Disco may have good off road ability but that does not make it the best tow car. Unless you have need for a serious mud plugger why risk a DodgyD that many never mud plug with very much due to the many reliability issues.
The Sorento is also better looking and not so wobbly.
Plenty of cars are better tow cars than Disco's. The Disco may have good off road ability but that does not make it the best tow car. Unless you have need for a serious mud plugger why risk a DodgyD that many never mud plug with very much due to the many reliability issues.
The Sorento is also better looking and not so wobbly.
Adele
I hope you will be happy with your choice - we are on our second Sorento and love 'em. Our first was a 2003 XS manual and we replaced it this year with a 2007 XE manual. As almost everyone says, best towcar we have had, returning 30mpg solo and 24mpg towing. Given it size and its towing our Wyoming, we're happy with that.
Good luck!
I hope you will be happy with your choice - we are on our second Sorento and love 'em. Our first was a 2003 XS manual and we replaced it this year with a 2007 XE manual. As almost everyone says, best towcar we have had, returning 30mpg solo and 24mpg towing. Given it size and its towing our Wyoming, we're happy with that.
Good luck!
- Jun 20, 2005
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Adele
You will not be disappointed. I have sen moe Sorentos this last 6 weeks towing all sizes of caravans. I even bumped into "Earlybird" at Ullapool with his outfit. There's a very strong forum for Sorento owners " uksorento.com" , very useful.It's been running for 5/6 years now.
Enjoy your travels.
Cheers
Dustydog
You will not be disappointed. I have sen moe Sorentos this last 6 weeks towing all sizes of caravans. I even bumped into "Earlybird" at Ullapool with his outfit. There's a very strong forum for Sorento owners " uksorento.com" , very useful.It's been running for 5/6 years now.
Enjoy your travels.
Cheers
Dustydog
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