Saw one of these in the flesh today for the first time.
Oh my God! What an awful looking car. Without a word of a lie, the side profile resembles the "Popemobile" that was used in the 80's when he was in Great Britain. The back end looks like it has been added on to the chassis, similar to a Truckman Top being placed on a pick-up.
SWMBO thought that it looked like one of the disguised cars you see in Auto Express with big square taped edges to hide the actual shape of the car.
Truly awful looking, IMHO of course!
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i saw one a week or so back and thought i looked as ugly as sin
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The new Discovery is an obsecene vehicle, a prime candidate for punitive taxation and bans from urban areas. Hugely overweight, it gobbles fuel, and woe betide an occupant of an ordinary car who gets whacked by one of these personal juggernauts.
Its front looks like an excellent design for rolling pedestrians under the vehicle, rather than lifting them up onto a softened bonnet, as per modern car designs. (Of course, since EuroNCAP doesn't measure this effect, it'll probably do fine uin the EuroNCAP tests if LandRover has softened the impact areas)
It'd be nice to think that its styling deters customers, until the legislators get around to some sort of a ban.
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However, it is available with 7 seats, all of which are very comfortable to sit in with good views out (an increasingly rare feature even of the back seats of saloon cars). Though the Disco 3 is very heavy, with all 7 seats occupied it is less heavy than the average bus with an average of only 7 seats occupied. Possible grounds for allowing all 7 seaters with 7 seats occupied to use dedicated bus lanes.
HJ
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C'mon HJ, you are comparing an SUV with rare 100% seat occupancy (which I've never witnessed) with buses at peak hours, cos that's when bus lanes are operational. At those times, buses are usually exceeding 100% seat occupancy.
If you can show us a bus lane where bus occupancy truly averages 7 passengers at peak hours, I'd love to see this rare animal!
As to saloon cars with poor rear seats, that's a deliberate and entirely avoidable policy of manufacturers. No reason for it to be used as an excuse to privelige the much more dangerous and wasteful vehicles which the manufacturers are now selling as fashion items at greater profit margins. If folks want more space, MPV-type vehicles offer ample internal space without the weight or the pedestrian dangers.
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No Wheels, you should come up to Sunderland where the car hating local Labour council have set up full time bus lanes. I think it very likely that buses in these bus lanes often have an occupancy less than many of the cars that they pass by.
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And if NW has ever tried driving in central London she would find that, with no apparent rhyme or reason, one bus-lane is time limited, the next full time and the third time limited but at totally different times to the first. The signs are so small as to make reading the times at 20mph a serious challenge.
Likewise, er, just about everywhere else that I encounter buslanes, now that I think about it (and I try not to).
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I have driven in central London, tho not for years: it's far too slow and expensive a way of getting around (tube is quickedr, taxi more convenient). I have noticed the bus lanes which switch in and out of being 24hr jobs, and that's obviously confusing. They should just make all bus lanes within the CC zone into 24hr jobs, and save lots of street signs.
Central London is one of the places where 24hr bus lanes make real sense, 'cos it can be clogged 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's also a place where bus occupancy tends to be very high, even outside peak hours.
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Though the Disco 3 is very heavy
Heavy? I hear that the Ordnance Survey is considering re-mapping Solihull. Apparently, some areas are distinctly lower than they were before Series 3 production started.
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>> Though the Disco 3 is very heavy Heavy? I hear that the Ordnance Survey is considering re-mapping Solihull. Apparently, some areas are distinctly lower than they were before Series 3 production started.
Why the big deal about its weight? My 1995 Range Rover weighs in at 2600kgs. About the same as the new Disco I believe?
--
\"Nothing less than 8 cylinders will do\"
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Well it might look a bit funny but its a very competent vehicle. I had a long drive recently in a 2.7 Turbo Diesel (the new Jaguar engine?) It is light years ahead of the old one, goes well, very quiet and well built. If I wanted a new 4x4 and had £30k I would be delighted to have one!
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Bit like a Berlingo on steroids!!
OK - I'm on my way already!!
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I've only seen 3 in the flesh. One on the M25, one parked up at the dealer's with suspension failure, and one on the hard shoulder of the M23 with it's bonnet up.
No change there then.
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Saw one broken down in the middle of the A45 Tollbar roundabout during the evening rush hour.
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Saw one broken down in the middle of the A45 Tollbar roundabout during the evening rush hour.
Hmmm, probably been No Wheeled!
H
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Well, they are off road vehicles, so hopefully they'll stay that way! ;-)
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Hmmm, probably been No Wheeled!
Nice to know that they are being fitted with their own self-destruct mechanism. It'll save the legislators lots of work :)
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>>Its front looks like an excellent design for rolling pedestrians under the vehicle, rather than lifting them up onto a softened bonnet, as per modern car designs. (Of course, since EuroNCAP doesn't measure this effect, it'll probably do fine uin the EuroNCAP tests if LandRover has softened the impact areas)<<
And after being lifted onto the softened bonnet your head is then pulped on the very tough laminated screen before bouncing off onto the road!
By the way, I think the new Disco is fantastic.
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\"Nothing less than 8 cylinders will do\"
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Oh dear I have promised to go to the local Gin Palace (that is the LR showroom) tomorrow. SWMBO is looking at borrowing for a weekend. She will get her way.....she a human Land Rover (without the breakdowns). Oh dear, oh dear (very, very dear I fear)
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she a human Land Rover (without the breakdowns).
If that is the case PU, please don't take my initial post personally!
:)
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