Land Rover LR4 years to avoid, and the best years to buy
Every Land Rover LR4 / Discovery 4 model year: which ones owners and specialists recommend, which have documented problems, which carry recalls, and what they sell for now.
There's no clean answer. The 2010–13 V8s are the ones with standard low range, but treat every one as a timing-chain risk until you see the tensioner and lever invoice; the class-action settlement covered 2012–2014 5.0 trucks. The 2014–16 supercharged V6 avoids that problem and ReRev rates those years best, but low range and the rear locker came only with the Heavy Duty package, and the plastic cooling parts fail on both engines. Buy the records, then the year.
At a glance
Land Rover LR4 year by year
| YEAR | VERDICT | WHAT CHANGED |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | — | Discovery 4 unveiled in the summer; UK sales from 1 September. Diesels: 2.7 TDV6 and new 3.0 twin-turbo V6; petrol 5.0 V8 in non-UK markets |
| 2010 MY | — | LR4 launches in the US with the 375-hp 5.0 V8, ZF six-speed and two-speed transfer box |
| 2010–13 MY | Beware | 5.0 V8 timing-chain tensioners and levers wear: bulletin LTB00474 covers 2010–12 trucks in VIN range AA513326–CA652214, revised parts start at VIN DA696315 (mid-2013), and a US class action covered 2012–14 5.0 trucks. Buy only with the invoice |
| 2011 MY | — | Europe: 2.7 TDV6 dropped; 3.0 diesel offered as TDV6 and SDV6 |
| 2012 | — | Europe: diesels get the ZF eight-speed; HSE Luxury edition; one millionth Discovery built in March |
| 2013 MY | — | Last US V8 year, with minor styling and option updates. The revised chain tensioners, levers and guides arrive partway through the year (from VIN DA696315), so check the VIN or the invoice |
| 2014 MY | — | 3.0 supercharged V6 (340 hp), ZF 8HP70 and stop-start; single-speed transfer standard in the US, low range and active rear locker only in the $1,350 HD package |
| 2014 | — | XXV special edition marks 25 years of the Discovery |
| 2015 MY | — | ABS-software recall 15V214000 for early builds; smartphone app integration and side steps standard (US) |
| 2016 MY | — | Final US year; owners report HSE Silver and Landmark trims replacing HSE and HSE Lux for 2016.5 |
| 2016 | — | Production ends; the 2017 Discovery (L462) replaces it with a unitary body |
“Sweet spot” means owners and specialists recommend those years; “Beware” means documented problems; “Recall” means check the recall was done rather than walk away.
What a Land Rover LR4 costs (October 2026)
Cheap for what they are, because buyers price in cooling and chain work. Low-mileage 2015–16 trucks and Landmark editions bring the strongest money.
| Project / needs work | $4k–10k |
|---|---|
| Driver | $11k–24k |
| Excellent, low-mile or Landmark | $25k–40k+ |
Based on 139 Bring a Trailer LR4 sales from January 2025 to October 2026: $4,000–69,000, median about $14,750, middle half $11,250–23,750. The top result was a 1,600-mile 2016 Landmark Edition at $69,000; 16 Landmarks had a median of about $20,000.
Recalls by year
Best years are buyer consensus from owners, specialists and forums, not spec sheets. See all Land Rover years to avoid across every generation.