Time to talk to the experts

[bogart]

Wife has decided we need a new car, is fed up with Freelander 2 cutting out. To be fair has been good car since we got it 7 years ago, she is just now nervous, wife not the car. Once had a V70 plus lots of 940s but am confused as to which model etc. If one reads this forum that forum this review etc one is told Buy do not Buy D3, D4 ,D5. I am at a loss as to V70 or XC70 for starters let alone which engine, and then there are the trim levels. Maybe the Freelander is ok!

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by bogart

Wife has decided we need a new car, is fed up with Freelander 2 cutting out. To be fair has been good car since we got it 7 years ago, she is just now nervous, wife not the car. Once had a V70 plus lots of 940s but am confused as to which model etc. If one reads this forum that forum this review etc one is told Buy do not Buy D3, D4 ,D5. I am at a loss as to V70 or XC70 for starters let alone which engine, and then there are the trim levels. Maybe the Freelander is ok!

First question would be do you really need all wheel drive? If so, then the XC70 is the one to go for.

If you don’t need all wheel drive, then a V70 will do fine.

The SE Lux is the one that will have basically all you need & that’s the one I’d go for personally. The SE is also well equipped, but won’t have xenon headlights.

As for engines, the D5 is the best one to go for in my opinion. Depending on the year of car you’re looking at, some models like “D3” for example are actually five cylinder engines… the name is a bit misleading in that sense & it can be a bit confusing.

What year are you thinking/what’s your budget?

[bogart]

Definitely do not need 4WD, never ever needed it on the Land Rover though again never got the choice was permanent 4WD. Yes the D2,D3 etc is designed to confuse a buyer. As nothing spectacular is needed I read the D3 is actually quite a decent unit with £30 tax and good mileage. Comparing engines on Autotrader there seems no logic with a D5 being lower insurance and £30 tax as opposed to a D4 at £130. Looking around 5years oldish budget can go to £20K

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by bogart

Definitely do not need 4WD, never ever needed it on the Land Rover though again never got the choice was permanent 4WD. Yes the D2,D3 etc is designed to confuse a buyer. As nothing spectacular is needed I read the D3 is actually quite a decent unit with £30 tax and good mileage. Comparing engines on Autotrader there seems no logic with a D5 being lower insurance and £30 tax as opposed to a D4 at £130. Looking around 5years oldish budget can go to £20K

So you’re looking at a very late model then. V70’s/XC70’s were made up until 2016. Then they were replaced with the V90 estate & V90 cross country.

The D3 is a good choice, providing its a 5 cylinder D3. Basically, the 5 cylinder D3 is a detuned D5… still a great engine, but with less power. There’s also a 4 cylinder one available, but that’s a different engine & doesn’t have the same grunt, power etc as the five cylinder. Its not a bad engine, but I think the five cylinders are the most reliable & the ones to go for.

If you’re looking on AutoTrader, click on the advert of the car you want to have a look at & then just underneath you’ll see “Specification”, click that & then click on “Performance”. Then you’ll be able to see the number of cylinders the car has. If its a 4 cylinder, that’s the newer VEA engine (four cylinder). The true 5 cylinder ones will say 5 cylinder under “performance”.

Also, if you do view one in person, open the driver’s door & read the sticker where the tyre pressures are. It’ll tell you the bhp of the engine.

For the five cylinder D3 (2013-2016), the sticker should say “136PS”.

The four cylinder D3 (2015-2016) will say 150PS.

As you can see, you can easily get the wrong engine if you just assume the car you’re looking at has a five cylinder engine because more than one engine option was available in the years you’re looking at.

If you don’t need 4WD, a V70 will be fine for your needs.

[bogart]

One final question manual or auto preference?

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by bogart

One final question manual or auto preference?

That boils down to personal preference, but I prefer auto in a big luxury car. It just makes the driving experience more relaxing.

Each to their own, but I’d suggest having a drive in a manual & auto to see which YOU prefer. I don’t think I’ll have a manual again… I love auto.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by bogart

Definitely do not need 4WD, never ever needed it on the Land Rover though again never got the choice was permanent 4WD. Yes the D2,D3 etc is designed to confuse a buyer. As nothing spectacular is needed I read the D3 is actually quite a decent unit with £30 tax and good mileage. Comparing engines on Autotrader there seems no logic with a D5 being lower insurance and £30 tax as opposed to a D4 at £130. Looking around 5years oldish budget can go to £20K

The buyer is confused because D3 4 5 etc is not an engine designation it is a Power range from 2010 and later :-) which is easy to understand
Approx figures from memory .. D= Diesel

D2 up to 120 bhp
D3 120 to 160
D4 160 to 190
D5 200 t0 250

(figures apply to 2010 onwards, Later D4 power range is more powerful than an early D5 engine )