Towing With A Landrover Discovery

A friend towed a 2.2T loaded Kimberley Karavan with one, and on one trip cut the plugs off so he never would be tempted to again. He went home and bought a Landcruiser 100, one of the last to come into Australia.

Lack of low down torque (try to start off on a hill) would be biggest issue. If its only for 12 months a 4.5 80 series cruiser or similar size pAtrol motor in petrol would be a safer bet. If that little 2.5td blowes it will cost you more then $7000 to fix. The big normally aspirated 6cylinder diesels while lacking in top end have masses of low down torque for getting underway.
But really you need to test drive one and see if it suits you.
Cheers Pete

Robert,

I had a 2.5 turbo Disco a few years ago.

Short answer to the question is ..."no". They simply do not have sufficient power to tow a heavy load.

The heaviest load I ever towed was a tandem trailer full of bricks. I have no idea how heavy it was, but even the slightest hill had me in low range to start off and the clutch didn't like the whole experience.

Petrol Landcruiser or Patrol would suit your application but the fuel usage would hurt IMO.

Cheers,

Mark

Robert,

While many think of power and braking as the major determinants of towing capacity, in some cases stability is the major factor in determining what is safe to tow. I regularly towed 2.7 tonnes with a Disco 2, but it was marginal at best from a stability point of view. I replaced it with an LC200, and still haven't quite come to terms with how much more stable this rig is compared with the Disco. I am not knocking Disco's: I loved mine and was sorry to see it go, but it has neither the weight nor the wheelbase to tow heavy (over 2.5 tonnes) vans with the degree of safety that I want for me and my family. While the D2 was a very different vehicle from the Disco you are considering, it had a similar weight and identical wheelbase, so I believe that stability, or the lack thereof, would almost certainly be a significant issue for you too. Hope this helps.
Terry

The RAA chap down at Salt Creek in S.A. has a 2.5 turbo Defender and a 4.2 turbo Nissan. He uses the Defender for towing. Insists that the Nissan is next to useless.

It's all about real torque,not internet talk.