Land Rover Discovery 2.5TDi 2003

Advantages: Built like a brick **** house
Disadvantages: Badly designed instrument layout

...I have owned a Discovery 2.5TDi from new since 2003 and consider now that I have enough experience to comment fairly on it. Good points 1. Excellent work horse. Can tow all day without noticing the load 2. Very comfortable and excellent seat movement 3. Makes you feel safe and secure Bad points 1. Very poorly designed dashboard layout. Most displays hidden by the steering wheel 2. Very badly positioned switches for electronic seat controls. You have to have needle thin hands and be a contortionist to use them 3. Poor electrics (especially the sun roof which has a mind of its own). and the worlds worst SAT Nav. You can buy a top of the range Garmin for less than the disc upgrade. Despite this we love it warts and all....

awb714 17.09.2007 · Read review
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Review of Land Rover Discovery 2.5 Td5

Land Rover Discovery 2.5 TD5 GS 5 seat

Advantages: Excellent traction, driving good, bullet-proof, good residual values
Disadvantages: Heavy in town, fuel consumption, minor niggles

...My Land Rover Discovery 2.5 TD5 GS is the 5-seat model, first registered in December 1999. It was bought in June 2000 for £20,000, having cost approximately £27,500 new. It had nearly 5000 miles on the clock. Bodywork was and is immaculate and the previous owner (a rural chemist) buys a new one quite frequently (every 6 months!). This car had also had lamp protectors and fog lamps fitted over the standard spec, with floor mats and mudflaps also fitted. The point at which bought it was just after the start of the drop in new and used prices and appeared to be priced to keep cash flow going as it has only depreciated by £2000 over 1 year. Main off-road use has been up rough tracks (to go hillwalking or visiting relatives). Otherwise its main off-road use has been up our gravel drive or mounting a pavement to turn or park. Needless to...

Elnoj 08.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of Land Rover Discovery 2.5 Td5

The Rover 25, a surprising little number...

Advantages: Cheap to buy and run, reliable, well built
Disadvantages: Iffy o/e head gaskits, pipe and slippers reputation

...My wife bought this car when she realised that her little yellow Fiat was too small to carry a baby in. I have to confess that I'm not a particular Rover fan and have driven older Rover 200s and a 400. I found the handling of those cars to be very vague, indeed the 216 I drove was quite frightning and the Honda engine completely outclased the chassis. When test driving the 25 I was pleasently surprised and found the handling was crisp and responsive, and the car felt very secure on the road. The 1.4 engine can get a little breathless and can be a little harsh a higher revs, but my own car is a 2 litre Mondeo so I may be expecting a little too much from it. The head gasket needed replacing at around 55,000 miles, this is a common fault on Rover K series engines. The replacement part was a Lotus item, and new enging studs were also...

MrMopp 10.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Rover 25 1.4

Rover 25

Advantages: Comfortable, Very Reliable.
Disadvantages: None that spring to mind

...a car just for the older generation as they may think. The amount of young people i have seen driving around in these is mental. The MG ZR's are also very popular with us youngsters today. In the year i have had it, i have tarted it up abit. Crome wing mirrors, crome wipers and some nice shiney wheels and it really looks the business. With it being a dark blue, the chrome and the colour really comliment eachother. I think if you are looking for a safe, pleasant, reliable car then the Rover 25 is definatly the car to choose. Very good on fuel and as i've said, extremely comfortable to drive....

Jamie_GFC 08.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Rover 25 1.4

Land rover Discovery TD5

Advantages: 4 wheel drive with lowering prices
Disadvantages: A little soft on cornering

...If you have the money to spare and are looking for a car that has Looks - Style - Comfort - Reliability and a real name that's had a good following over the years, I would highly recommend the Land rover Discovery. The biggest asset at the moment is that the price throughout the range has been reduced dramatically due to the recent changes in importation and dealership, and if you shop around you really can pick up an excellent deal, Even Secondhand. With the TD5 ( Turbo Diesel ), you get real quality even with the earlier models. The only drawback with the earlier ones is that the ride tends to be a bit bumpy, but having said that the early models are more economical to run in general averaging 30 - 35 MPG. The more recent models ( I.E 1997 Onward ) usually run at around 25 - 30 MPG, But obviously they are much more luxurious...

Trev1000 26.12.2000 · Read review
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Review of Land Rover Discovery 2.5 Td5

My first car, and my first Rover!

Advantages: Cheap to buy, fantastic free revving K series engine, good spec, fantastic looks, great handling
Disadvantages: None

...Well I thought it was time I wrote a review on the very first car I ever owned. This is the story of my Rover 214Si. I was 19 years old when I started to learn to drive and look for that all important first car. I considered all makes and models ranging from vauxhall, ford and peugeot but I never came across anything that really tickled my fancy. My friend at the time owned a Rover 414i which I knew was cheap on insurance, cheap to run and tax and after having been in his I knew it packed a punch and sounded brilliant! The 400 though for me at the time was just a little too big looking and rather unsporty. However I put Rover into the search on autotrader and came across the 200 and it was love at first site! I opted for the 1.4 engine rather than the 1.1 because I heard the 1.4 offered more economy and performance...

kris214 06.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Rover 214 Si

Rover 214 Si 16 valve

Advantages: quality, power to insurance group ratio
Disadvantages: bit of an old man image

...I will have owned my 1998 Rover 214 Si for three weeks on Monday, and so far i have been loving it. I came accross it while trawling around second hand car garages looking for a 1.4 Ford Escort Osprey to replace my Fiesta Sapphire, which as it happens required a new engine. The brooklands green paint linked with a beige paisley patterned interior was a nice combination, if a little old manny. The curvy, rounded lines looked tidy, with the chrome grill and trim strips being nice details. Throw in the standard smoked rear light lenses, the discrete rear spoiler and deep front air scoop under the number plate and you've got a smart and sophisticated wee car. Standard equipment on the 200 is not bad, power steering, height adjustable steering wheel, drivers airbag, engine immobiliser, 60/40 split fold rear seats, tinted windows...

sandyedin 25.02.2005 · Read review
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Review of Rover 214 Si

Rover 25 (1.4i)

Advantages: Hatchback for 4
Disadvantages: Old fogey reputation

...I've now had my Rover 25 for over a year, and not had a single problem from it (other than those imposed by the local vandals - but that's not to do with the car!). Having bought it off my stepdad-in-law, I also know that he has had not problems with it - so thats 3.5 years of hassle free motoring. In terms of ride etc, it's pretty good - nice tight steering, firm suspension and enough poke to get around in. I made the step up from my 1.2 Punto and the difference is astonishing - its comfortable doing over the legal limit on the motorway and exciting to drive around the country lanes of Cheshire + Lancashire. Built more solidly than alot of it's rivals, it also offers enough room for a small family - you can get 2 adults in the back, providing they are not giants, but I wouldn't want to do more than a 2 hour drive or so...

mightyred 09.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of Rover 25 1.4

My Rover 25 5-year report

Advantages: Comfortable, nippy, good looking
Disadvantages: Poor dealer service

...isn't a World Rally Car, it handles well also. The 25 has inherited that strange Rover trait of being able to accelerate around corners with no dramas. Having been also driving several Hyundai cars and a SEAT Ibiza (06) I realised that I never fully appreciated just how good the Rover is! The SEAT sounds rough and feels cheap compared to the little Longbridge Longboat, while the comparison with the Hyundais reveals just how far the Koreans have to come. I regularly drive all manner of cars in connection with my work, including a whacking great S Class Mercedes and a BMW 530d, but the little Rover always brings a smile to my face. You can't buy new ones anymore, so buy the best secondhand one you can afford. Service history is a MUST. If you don't fancy tinkering yourself, find a good local independent mechanic for servicing...

SauceDoctor 09.07.2007 · Read review
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Review of Rover 25 1.4

Who wouldn't you want a Land Rover Discovery?

Advantages: Good driving position, reliability, capacity
Disadvantages: MPG, rust, gearbox

...I recently bought a 1990 (G) 2.5TDI Land Rover Discovery and have been really impressed with the overall package so far. First of all the driving position is fantastic, you cannot get any better than being up high and being able to see everywhere, the 360 degree visiblity is also very good. The only part that is difficult is getting used to how they steer, the linkages are different to most cars so you can't make frequent, tiny adjustments or you can get a small wobble on. However drive one for an hour and you will master this. Don't go on a motorway straight away like me and then learn there! My Disco has done 140, 000 miles, the inside of the car isn't fantastic but it is still clean and once I'd polished it up it looks suprisingly good. The outside has minor marks such as paint bubbles on the rear arches but this is...

ccundall 06.03.2004 · Read review
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Review of Land Rover Discovery 2.5 Td5