Towing with a Land Rover Discovery - advice and comments please

[TheTravelMan]

I am currently considering purchasing a 1997 "R" Reg Land Rover Discovery TDi with 112,000 miles on the clock, as a short term(12 - 18 months) tow car for my Swift Challenger single axle, which weighs a mptlm of 1450 kg. However i am worried now due to a few recent posts stating that the Discovery is not particularly stable when towing! 1) Is this true? 2)Is it all Disco of all age? 3)Should I save my money and not bother buying the disco? 4) What causes and why is there a problem? - I currently tow with my Dad's Isuzu Rodeo which is fantastic at towing and very stable, though I can not always use this due to my dads commitments, so I've got the chance of this Disco as a short term tow car until i aquire my dads rodeo in 12 months time when he gets his new one. Any general comments regarding Discovery's good or Bad appreciated and to their suitability for towing, Cheers!

 

[markw]

I have had a discovery 2 TD5 now for over 2 years, personally I find it great, I have had no issues with it at all, I tow a single axle Sterling Europa 500 with it (MTPLM 1331kg) It is very stable and makes a great towing vehicle, admitadly mine is a discovery 2 and also has ACE (actice conering enhancement), but I also have a freind who has a series 1 discovery he tows allsorts with his including a fully laden dive boat (not sure of its weight) he has never mentioned any problems relating to it as a tow vehicle.

 

[Mac2]

Hi Andrew,

The 1997 TDI is what is known as a 300 series Discovery. The first Discovery was known as the 200 series. Anyway I towed a big twin axle with both of these (including several trips from Scotland to France) no problem. The 300 series has a more powerful engine and is a bit more refined than the 200 series. The Discovery can feel a bit like a boat to people not used to them but I never found this a problem. Obviously they don't handle like a Porsche but I think they are great tow vehicles.

 

[Essexeddie]

I had a 300 Disco. I found it a bit slugish to tow, but it was an automatic. No problems with stability.

 

[Bazz1]

All the Tdi engines are 111 bhp from L/r slightly higher on the auto. 200 series is an o/k unit mines done 225,000 and can still pull the van without problem. Make sure the suspension bushes on rear axle are up to towing, stick with standard bushes as they give a better ride. R- Reg may have anti-roll bars these also need to be checked. Tyre pressurs when towing will require inflating from standard look in hand book for details. Bazz.

 

[kingwolf]

I have a 1996 Discovery 300tdi with which I tow our 22ft twin axle Abbey GT. Until I brought our van I'd never towed anything before except the odd broken down car...lol

Yes the Disco is a bit under powered at only 111bhp and having a kerb weight of 2.2 tonne, so with a van on the back you will notice a slight drop in acceleration. Other than that you'd never know there was anything behind you. It tows straight and steady, even while overtaking and being overtaken.

If you want my advice get the Disco. As a complete novice I feel completly comfortable while towing. Not to mention the fact you'll struggle to get stuck anywhere...lol

Just do a lot of research on Disco's common faults. There are sooooooo many out there in the second hand market and unfortunatly some have had a very hard life

Enjoy

Mark.

 

[mick_5040967]

hi m8

i`ve also got a 300 tdi,i found it sluggish when setting off,however i did upgrade the intercooler at a price of

 

[Wobble2]

I've owned land rovers for over sixteen years now, mostly discos. I have done alot of towing and they are stable and good tow cars.