Discovery Vs Trooper Vs Pajero Etc

[MonkeyMark]

Hi all,

 

For those of you who do/used to tow with the likes of a Discovery, Trooper, Pajero etc how do you rate them as both a tow car and a daily driver and if you have used more than one of them how did they compare?

 

I'm still looking out for a 4x4 7 seater but don't have any experience of them myself and know very few people with them. Will only have roughly £2k so it will be an older one anyway which is why I started looking at Disco alternatives as they seem to maintain a premium price.

 

A colleague has recently purchased a Trooper and is very please with power and economy which got me thinking.

 

All opinions appreciated.

[DACS]

I owned an older Mitsubishi Shogun 7-seater (Pajero) before buying my current Land Rover Discovery 3. Both are good cars but very different. The Shogun was a very simple car with few electronic systems whereas the Discovery uses computers for almost every function. For this reason I would favour the Shogun for your budget as there is less to go wrong and it is simpler to fix although Mitsubishi spares are not cheap.

 

Both cars make good 7-seaters but the Discovery has a little more room in the back row. Also, the Discovery seats fold flat into the floor where the Shogun seats fold up to the side which restricts the rear load space when they are not in use.

[CommanderDave]

Troopers will depend on what engine as to being a reliable vehicle search on line on the owners forum.

 

 

Pajeros are a cheap option if you can find a good one don't go on the mileage as they are all clocked before Auction in Japan.

 

 

 

Dave

 

.

Edited October 7, 2014 by CommanderDave

[Alexbee]

With your budget Id be looking at the Toyota Prado, which is the Colorado import version. Reliable, parts available and not outrageously expensive, Never been in a trooper so no comment. Hate the Shogun/Pajero, in my opinion its a horrible wallowing blob, but I appreciate there are those who love it. None of them will have great ( or even good ) economy.

A discovery within your budget is likely to be a pile of trouble ( and rust )

[MonkeyMark]

Something to think about then.

 

Ill have to look into the engine types too then Dave. I know there are 3. 0, 3. 1, 3. 5 and probably more versions.

 

Does anyone know if the troopers can have the rear seats retro fitted? I know its hard with some other makes.

[Lutz]

It would be best to stay clear of early 3. 0DTI Troopers. Some had problems with the turbocharger, other with the engine valves. I had a 3. 5 V6 petrol automatic for 8 years and it proved to be a reliable machine, but relatively thirsty.

[SteveMilner]

 

Both cars make good 7-seaters but the Discovery has a little more room in the back row. Also, the Discovery seats fold flat into the floor where the Shogun seats fold up to the side which restricts the rear load space when they are not in use.

 

The 60 plate Shogun I have has the rear seats fold into the floor, but agree the boot space is slightly smaller than the D3

 

Steve

[Townie]

I had a Pajero for a few years. 2. 8 litre engine, auto box. It's been described as "driving a three piece suite". Feels like it would tow anything and it never let me down. Cracking towcar BUT, fuel comsumption is awful. 25mpg solo was the best I ever managed, (long motorway run keeping speed to a steady 60mph). It dropped to 16/17mpg when towing. I guess that's the reason it had a 100 litre fuel tank!!

 

Hope this helps, Mike.

Edited October 7, 2014 by Townie

[SteveMilner]

3. 2 Shogun I'm getting 30mpg to & from work.

 

33mpg long motorway run.

[exkiaman]

On your budget of £2K when it comes to Discovery's you'd be looking at a 300TDI which will be at least 15yrs old and have probably in excess of 150,000 on the clock. This is not to say that there aren't good ones out there which will still give years of good service; just have a good look underneath for rust.

[springtime]

Discovery seats fold flat into the floor where the Shogun seats fold up to the side which restricts the rear load space when they are not in use.

Not Disco 2 or earlier, they fold to the sides, which is probably the price he is looking at.

[scotsstag]

If you decide on the Trooper then I'd advise you towards the older 3. 1 engine as apposed to the 3. 0. Don't forget that Vauxhall made the Monterey which was identical to the Trooper. Then you could look at a Nissan Patrol or Vauxhall Frontera the list is endless. ...

[harvomark]

I have had a Pajero for 4 years, never let me down even going to the south of France every year. It was a 2. 8, could tow anything, Fuel consumption 18-20 MPG towing 1500kg twin, 25-28 MPg on a run. Easy to work on and maintain, i would go for the 2. 8 little more power & timing chain not belt, just look for a tidy one which hasn't been off road, well serviced they run for ever.

[craigderby]

I've had at least one of each of them, and to honest I'd probably suggest none of them.

 

Trooper wasn't bad, but a good one is expensive, and cheap ones are generally rubbish.

Pajero is nice enough, but MPG is shocking, and I found the gearing of the autobox was just wrong.

Discovery. Rusty and unreliable. And that's from someone with 2 Land Rovers, so it's not me being anti Land Rover, it's just the way Discoverys are.

 

I'd suggest a Terrano. We had one until earlier this year, and I've got to say it towed a treat. My wife used it as her daily driver and MPG wasn't too bad.

We sold it to our friends who replaced their Land Cruiser with it, and they been very pleased they changed.

They look good with an Adria too!

 

[kobelcokid]

Nissan Terrano all day long, cracking motor mine was, a LWB early face lift model on a P reg with the twin headlights.

 

Ste

Edited October 7, 2014 by kobelcokid

[Alexbee]

Id forgotten the Terrano and its twin the Ford Maverick. Both good motors. Id still have the Prado, Colorado first though as they are less butt ugly.

[Malc Edge]

Nissan Terrano, I had two which were work cars,we towed trailers all day with them, go for the 3,litre diesel much more power than the 2. 5 and they are not that expensive to buy these days.

[AlfaEuropa]

Mum and dad loved their 3. 0 td terano. Pulled a heavy single axle fast better than the sorrento they swapped it for. Fast, reliable and seven seats. Two of which were removable.

[nme2no1]

I had a Pajeeo for a while, very comfortable, very smooth, it had lpg to boost torque whilst towing and ran veg oil which was great. 4wd system can be problematic so choose carefully, great in ever other respect.

[scotsstag]

I always thought that LPG ran with petrol engines and Veg Oil with diesel engines.

You learn something new everyday

[springtime]

I had a Pajeeo for a while, very comfortable, very smooth, it had lpg to boost torque whilst towing and ran veg oil which was great. 4wd system can be problematic so choose carefully, great in ever other respect.

Assuming that it was a diesel I'd be intrigued as to how the LPG boost worked - can you give further details?

[craigderby]

You can have LPG on a diesel, although it's rarely fitted.

 

Here's a bit of info

http://www. gaspoweruk. co. uk/diesellpgbifuel/diesellpgbifuel. html

[scotsstag]

Thanks for that Craig, I never knew that you could do that. .

[springtime]

Cool

[craigderby]

It's quite rare. I think the cost of installation, plus adding something else to go wrong, compared to the benefits don't make it very worthwhile