petersw wrote:

Here is a report on its driving qualities

Isn't that just someone reading the press release while driving the LR approved route before a very nice lunch and business class return home?
Get real !

B16 KJR wrote:

I thought this thread was about test DRIVE reports, not about how it looks

Out on the road it drives nice, less road noise than the D4 and less body roll although i was expecting it to be more planted than it was on fast corners. Didn't test the Petrol which is the one I'm considering. The 3.0 was very nice but not the massive jump i was somehow geared up for. Take off when you floor it was more immediate and the gearbox was shifting well, it seemed to be dropping gears when you gave it some poke more readily than the D4.

Ive pretty much tested all the alternates in the last few months. The D5 wasn't the most exhilarating drive but it wasn't the worst either I would say overall road performance was "ok" but I am hoping to try the Petrol soon

One thing that was interesting was there was definitely more resistance on the Park brake release. In all my D3/4s its always been hardly noticeable (unless it was on the blink ) this one had a very noticeable feel of resistance then release. Wonder if the design changed? haven't noticed it on the RRS or FFRR.

still looks like an absolute dogs dinner from the back, I hate the rears practical design and looks

J77 wrote:

I thought it drove fantastic, so much so I'm going to re-order an S 2.0 SD4 with a few options, which has everything I want apart from the better headlights at a far more reasonable price. From press test drives the 2.0 seems to be pretty good.

Love my current D4 but I enjoyed the 1hr 1/2 I spent with it yesterday, the build quality is pretty good a massive improvement over LRs of old, the wooden trim is plastic but looks more like wood than what's offered on the D4. The Incontrol Pro infotainment system is nice, swiping through the screens is very fluid. It does however feel like a tank on the road, not helped by the fact you sit in it more than on it like the D4, the rear seats do feel lower than the D4 and not as comfortable the loadspace does look smaller than the D4 and 3rd row not as easy to get into as the D4, as for the plank in the boot it felt sturdy but a bit of a pain and will give you dirt legs it you have the fixed height tow bar.

So after the slight disappointment of yesterday, I spent last night looking at replacements but kept coming back to the D5, so looked at what I want from a car. I don't tow and spend most of the time in it on my own, so do I really need the 3.0? No. I always have seat covers on my current one, so do I need the leather interior? No don't have it on my current one, Also do I need a premium metallic paint at £1660? No. So I've managed to slash almost £8k of my last order. So tomorrow I will be back at the dealers to see if I'm within my budget, failing that I will be happy enough with my D4.

I used to be indecisive but I'm not so sure now!!