Landrover Discovery 3 – lugging bikes

Simple question (I hope) – will bikes fit in a LR3 with both wheels still on with all seats down ?
Also what combinations are possible of bikes people in one of these?
Any comments and even pics would be massively appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

*Waits with interest, as it’s top of my list for next car too…*

Bikes fit in my range rover ( current style ) with the top half of the seats folded down no problem. Just lob them in.

With the seats folded, the disco has a flatter larger floor ( at least by the looks of it when I look at them in the showroom ) . They should fit in no problem.

Its high on my list of cars to replace the RR.

Anyone else…?!
Guess they are not the car of choice on here – reckon it would be a little easier to get opinions on an Octavia…!

Bikes used to fit in my old one no problem, standing up with just one of the seats folded up in the rear.
Am struggling to decide between the current RR and a Disco 4 myself.
RR reliable now days?

I can get a DH bike in mine with wheels still on but it has to lie down, same with my 160mm bike – front end is just too high to go in standing up. Whip the front wheel out though and you can get loads stood up in there :o)

Reliable and Land Rover are mutually exclusive. 😉

To be fair, I think the post 2005 / 2006 Range rovers have increased greatly in reliability. ( the change to the Jag 4.2 petrol and 3.6 diesels ) The gearboxes of the older ones were a weak point ( especially the old 3.0 diesel ).

Never tried with both wheels on. I usually take the front wheel off, lay one of the 3 rear seats flat (and dropped to the floor) and fit 2 bikes standing side by side. That way you still have the boot space for dogs or kit + 3 spare seats for passengers or more kit. Works for both Disco 3 & 4. Disco 2 had a higher bootspace so would probably have been okay with both wheels on…but not sure.

EDIT: Fisha – run nearly 40k in my Disco 4 and had no problems yet (fingers crossed). Disco 3 had a few problems with EGR valves, compressor and central locking. Nothing terminal, just a pain.

can fit a bike in our Disco 2 with both wheels on and the single seat folded, or probably get 3 in the boot with wheels off, upright and upside down. It’s fairly wide even with the boot seats in.

Anyone got any pics to hand to try and gauge the size? I gather they are pretty massive?!

2 bikes (sideways with wheels off) + 2 tag-a-longs + loads of crap is easy peasy in my Discovery II.
In fact it’s easier to get stuff into than a Defender because the rear door is huge.

sparkyspice – is that with all seats down?

Seats up…
The other option is to put one side of the split seats down (leaving the rear wheel on the bikes), and then use seat 6/7 for the fourth person.
They really are awesome cars! We tow 2.2T with ours and play off road a bit. It’s amazing how it goes from being a work horse/toy/family car.

Regularly have 4 bikes in the back of mine – easiest with the front wheel off, but you don’t need to. I actually find the seatpost to be more of a problem with larger bikes, so whip that off and you’re laughing.

Take the wheels off and you can have up to 5 bikes and 5 seats. No chance of any bikes in the back if you’re using all 7 seats though!

My Disco 3’s on 145k miles and other than wear-related things (suspension bushings, brakes, the usual sort of thing) it’s been fine. Did have to have a new propshaft about 10k miles ago, and the torque convertor’s just been reconditioned, but at this sort of age you can’t really blame that on reliability.

Great – thanks nickf, sounds like you need a dropper post for the car even if not for riding…
Thanks for the input, running costs are a concern but sound like the pros may outweigh the cons.

Late to the party but can add two observations:
1) only “complete” bikes I’ve had in the back that can stand up are my children’s ones (24″ wheels).
2) don’t bother with the expensive LR bike rack – it requires the multi height towball and, being the same model as the DII rack, it prevents opening of upper and lower tailgates. Lazy **** accessory department! If you need to pack the car with people & kit and hang bikes outside, get one of the tilting tray types that clamp on the towball.

Running costs aren’t too bad for a big car.
I get 28 to 32 mpg regardless of the road type or what I’m carrying.
Tyres last around 20k to 24k miles. £200 each, but overall it’s comparable to a new mini with 12k miles and £100 per tyre.
Service costs are expensive at a main dealer, but find a good LR specialist garage and it’s no more than a “normal” car.
Road Tax / Excise Duty is £400 per year compared to £200 for a Golf.

Had disco 3 now have a 4. Both cars good and relaiable. Great for carrying bikes and loads of other kit. Always removed the front wheel of the 2 or 3 bikes carried and stood the vertical handlebars facing the back of the car. You can still seat 3 or 4 people and carry a load of stuff. Disco 3 was good but the 4 is much better. Head room in the cargo area is much better than Range Rover. Both 3 and 4 are fantastic off road or snowy conditions, better even than my 110 defender (that I love).
If you buy a high end model of disco get an extended warranty, I would not own one out of warranty as they are complicated vehicles with lots of electricary magic stuff.