Land Rover Discovery 1998

Land Rover Discovery 1998 Q&As

Check out real-world situations relating to the Land Rover Discovery here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

• What car should I get to tow a 22-foot caravan around Australia?

  I wouldn’t be concerned about the cylinder configuration of a particular engine. What’s more important is how much power and torque that engine makes, and how towing-friendly that power delivery is. By which we mean how smooth and flexible is the delivery. What you don’t want is a peaky engine that needs to be revved before it delivers the good as that puts a strain on everything and make the vehicle tricky and unpleasant to drive.

  The good news is that all the vehicles you’ve nominated have good, solid powerplants that are well suited to towing a caravan. Modern turbo-diesels – especially with an automatic transmission – are ideal for this task.

  What you should go for, however, is the vehicle with the highest towing rating. In this case, that’s any of the Grand Cherokee, MU-X or older Discovery, all of which have variants that can handle a towed load of 3.5 tonnes. The Everest is almost as good with 3.1 tonne, but only almost. The problem is that the van you’ve nominated can easily weigh between 2.2 and 2.8 tonnes which, with a 3.1-tonne limit, leaves you very little headroom for water tanks and camping gear. You’d be amazed at how much a fully loaded caravan weighs, so don’t rely on the brochure, load the van and take it to a weighbridge to make sure the vehicle you have can legally tow it.

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• Land Rover Discovery 5 - Why do they just call it Discovery?

  Land Rover still refers to the third-generation, L462-series model as the Discovery 5, but the number was dropped in some markets to distance it from the L319-series LR3 and LR4, which were the North American names for the Ford-era Discovery 3 (2003) and Discovery 4 (2009) respectively.

  Though not officially confirmed, it is believed that the name change in both instances was due to the poor reliability reputation that the earlier models gained. The same fate befell the Freelander badge, when its successor became known as the much-more-chic Evoque.

  Thank you for getting in touch.

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• Land Rover Discovery 1 - Is the first Discovery becoming a classic?

  Indeed it will so get in quick.

  With its mix of classic Range Rover and a Rover Group parts-bin bits, Morris Marina door handles, Austin Montego van tail-lights and Buick’s ancient alloy V8 all part of the mix, this thing is pre-BMW/post-BMC era British engineering genius.

  Also, the original Disco is cool, with its lovely two-door wagon body, stepped roof with skylights and airy, inviting cabin offering minimalist, attractive design. And please don't forget the Land Rover's formidable 4x4 capabilities.

  All-in-all, a '90s classic worth collecting. Land Rover doesn't make 'em like this any more.

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• Should I sell my 2005 Land Rover Discovery?

  Land Rovers of this era seem to have a few more reliability problems than other off-road vehicles from other makers. That said, they’re more complicated to start with, so that explains some of that phenomenon.

  As you’ve correctly identified, Karen, a vehicle’s ability to keep on keeping on is down to far more factors than simply the age of the engine. These are big, heavy, complex machines and they suffer wear in many areas including the driveline, suspension, brakes and general body condition.

  Parts for things like air suspension can be expensive, but it’s worth keeping in mind that no off-road four-wheel-drive is cheap to maintain. It comes down to how much you like the car and whether you can justify the on-costs. If you do decide to keep the old girl, finding a specialist Land Rover workshop can often save you money as these businesses specialise in the brand and know all the common problems and the servicing tricks to keep your spend down.

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