Hi mates,

Fixing up to purchase a hunting truck, and curious what technically on the jag updated rovers changes between the Full Fat and the Sporty. I simply want the better offloading vehicle at the end of the day.

To my mind, with the same engine and im assuming the same gearbox the lighter and lower centre of gravity in the sport would allow for better dirt performance (not to mention the ability to do a body lift).

Additionally the body on frame and possible parts interchangeability between the D3 and D4 makes me lean the sport way

If anyone gets dirty with theirs I would love to hear more

Kind regards,
George Don't let school get in the way of your education

The RR Sport is basically a Discovery 3 in terms of underpinnings and running gear and the D3 is a very effective off-road vehicle. Having had both RRS & D3 & now in a L322 Rangie I would imagine they would all do the job required, although D3 is more of a truck and has huge load space if thats a requirement.

+1 for a D3.

I had one that I used off-road a fair bit. I fitted a Expedition Roof Rack and ladder to it and had my roof tent up top. Just avoid 07/08 D3's as they have the weak cam belt tensioner mounting which can shear / break.

As mentioned they have a HUGE amount of space in the back if that's what you need. MY2010 Range Rover Vogue SE
2007 Discovery 3 XS
2007 Defender 2.4 TDCI XS

Defender 110 for the ultimate off roader 2007 Vogue TDV8 in Zermatt Silver with Charcoal

think you need to consider reliability if you go for a disco , plenty of engine failures with crank and oil pump housing allowing timing tensioner to snap off

D3's with the 2.7L engine are generally ok, apart from 07/08 models some of which are known to have an oil pump issue that can lead to engine failure. Some early D4's (2010-12) with the 3.0L engine also had a bad reputation due to crank failures which also terminated engines, however, outside of those specific model years with the right level of maintenance they are ok or as ok as any other LR.

However, its a Land Rover, so you never really know when the next big repair bill is going to ambush your wallet! RR Vogue TDV8 Grey/Black
D3 TDV6 HSE Silver/Black (Gone)
D3 TDV6 HSE Black/Tan (Gone)
RRS TDV8 Black/Black (Gone)
RRS TDV8 Stornaway (Gone)
RR Vogue TDV8 (Gone)
RRS 4.4V8 (Gone)
Defender 110 300tdi (Stolen, much missed)
RR Vogue V8 P38 (Gone)
LR 90 TD (Gone)

The D3 issue is pretty easy to remedy as a preventative measure with an oil pump change. There's not much you can do about the D4 crank failure other than hope it doesn't happen to you. 2016 Skoda Octavia VRS Estate
<gone>2009 FF Vogue TDV8 Buckingham Blue</gone>
<gone>2015 BMW 520D SE (not my favourite car)</gone>
<gone>2009 D3 HSE Galway Green</gone>