Is there any better family car than a Range Rover?
Discussion
LowTread said:
Ken_Code said:
Cotty said:
Is there any reason that you need something the size of a transit van, just to transport people/children? Surely a decent estae would be fine.
What has “need” to do with anything?Are you on the wrong site?
RR is probably the worst family car i can think of. Too big. Too thirsty round town. Fine if you want to be the bigliest most company director looking man in the village, but in reality it's just making things worse for everybody else by smoking round in a big thirsty V8 on the school run and round town.
Save those emissions and resources for having fun in a V8 on the open road....preferably in something that's not a sofa on wheels that's the size of a unimog
Mate of mine used to have a Unimog, it's much larger.
EddieSteadyGo said:
4Q said:
EddieSteadyGo said:
I liked the 'captain's chair' front seats, and it had a some nice features like a fridge. But the downsides.. thirsty... very wide.... wallowy.... slow....
I have a 4.4 TDV8 and it’s anything but wallowy or slow. The boot is huge. For comparison my other two cars are a DBS & a Taycan 4s.It’s an an absolutely incredible all round car and I’ve never owned anything that does everything so well. Mine’s currently on 100k miles than servicing, reliability has been great.
LowTread said:
RR is probably the worst family car i can think of. Too big. Too thirsty round town. Fine if you want to be the bigliest most company director looking man in the village, but in reality it's just making things worse for everybody else by smoking round in a big thirsty V8 on the school run and round town.
Save those emissions and resources for having fun in a V8 on the open road....preferably in something that's not a sofa on wheels that's the size of a unimog
My Range Rover V8 diesel has lower emissions and is more fuel efficient than my old 2cv. This enables me drive up and down endlessly in my High St without fear of poisoning little old ladies, kittens and children. I also have some eyes which enables me to navigate streets and car parks. My 2cv was also hopeless as a family car.Save those emissions and resources for having fun in a V8 on the open road....preferably in something that's not a sofa on wheels that's the size of a unimog
More generally, it's a shame that this thread has just degenerated into the usual 4x4 bashing with the same old boring tropes. Not even sure it's worth reading any thread with the words 'Range Rover' in it because we all know how it goes.
It's like any thread populated by Americans, watch how quickly they turn on each other and start banging on about Democrats and Republicans, Biden and Trump. PH is no different, we're all car enthusiasts and yet it doesn't take long before someone takes issue with their car choice and then proceeds to criticise them for it. Utterly bonkers. The OP asked for alternatives, now just read the last few pages. Get a bloody grip of yourselves, honestly.
I'm off for a lie down.
fttm said:
I live in a +40/-40C climate , no chance I'd be driving a RR purely because of their reliability issues . See the odd one occasionally and my first reaction is ouch no thanks . Grand Cherokee every time for me , bomb proof .
I wouldn’t call a GC bombproof. Electrics and transmission problems aplenty and the build quality is sub par. I'm not a massive fan of SUVs in general, but if I were going to have one it would probably be a Range Rover. I've liked them since the original 1970s one. Yes, reliability would be a worry as I've heard many horror stories, but most of those involve V6 engines and I don't see the point in an RR if you're not going to have a V8.
I don't have one because of two factors: Despite being in the top 4% of earners, there is no second income in my family of one so I certainly don't feel rich. And I think you need to feel rich to either buy a new one, or a not very old one, or to pay repair bills on one that's not under warranty.
And secondly the people round here (NW Surrey) who drive them seem to be the most entitled f
kwits you could ever imagine. Half of them are Katie Price types, barging through gaps without any consideration for other road users, going to the supermarket in their slippers, onesies, and fish lips, parking across two disabled spaces, on double yellows.
Clearly not all RR drivers are like this as I know several owners who wouldn't dream of behaving like that, but clearly the car does attract a certain type. I'm not sure I could live with the stigma. And this is coming from someone who's owned a string of BMWs and still owns two aging examples.
I don't have one because of two factors: Despite being in the top 4% of earners, there is no second income in my family of one so I certainly don't feel rich. And I think you need to feel rich to either buy a new one, or a not very old one, or to pay repair bills on one that's not under warranty.
And secondly the people round here (NW Surrey) who drive them seem to be the most entitled f
kwits you could ever imagine. Half of them are Katie Price types, barging through gaps without any consideration for other road users, going to the supermarket in their slippers, onesies, and fish lips, parking across two disabled spaces, on double yellows.Clearly not all RR drivers are like this as I know several owners who wouldn't dream of behaving like that, but clearly the car does attract a certain type. I'm not sure I could live with the stigma. And this is coming from someone who's owned a string of BMWs and still owns two aging examples.
I prefer a decent estate personally. Carries all the same kit but a better steer, and you can choose from comfortable 520d Touring all the way up to madcap RS6 Performance. RRs are unnecessarily large, thirsty and I've never been impressed by the interiors on them. Then, we move on to the build quality...
Range Rover has an image in the UK that drives sales, good or bad depending who you are. They don't sell nearly as well on the continent.
Range Rover has an image in the UK that drives sales, good or bad depending who you are. They don't sell nearly as well on the continent.
LowTread said:
I dunno. Are you? Since when does a RR have anything to do with being a car enthusiast?
RR is probably the worst family car i can think of. Too big. Too thirsty round town. Fine if you want to be the bigliest most company director looking man in the village, but in reality it's just making things worse for everybody else by smoking round in a big thirsty V8 on the school run and round town.
Save those emissions and resources for having fun in a V8 on the open road....preferably in something that's not a sofa on wheels that's the size of a unimog
Since the first one was made. I think that you and I might differ in what we think it means to be a car enthusiast, as I see that you have bought a Tesla model 3, the slow version.RR is probably the worst family car i can think of. Too big. Too thirsty round town. Fine if you want to be the bigliest most company director looking man in the village, but in reality it's just making things worse for everybody else by smoking round in a big thirsty V8 on the school run and round town.
Save those emissions and resources for having fun in a V8 on the open road....preferably in something that's not a sofa on wheels that's the size of a unimog
On the school run point, given my opning post said "We have a little electric car for the local runs."
I already have some fun cars, a 650s, GR Yaris, and Portofino.
Ken_Code said:
Cotty said:
Is there any reason that you need something the size of a transit van, just to transport people/children? Surely a decent estae would be fine.
What has “need” to do with anything?Ken_Code said:
Are you on the wrong site?
I don't think so, I joined with a TVR on a TVR centric forum. How about you?I’ve had my RRS for nearly 19 years now. It’s on 140k now.
They are great things I recently drove from the Uk to Spain & back clocking over 1000km per day. It was really comfortable & easy driving with a great driving position.
Its probably worthless now, but I really don;t see any point in getting rid of if Iit can still do those sort of journeys in comfort.
They are great things I recently drove from the Uk to Spain & back clocking over 1000km per day. It was really comfortable & easy driving with a great driving position.
Its probably worthless now, but I really don;t see any point in getting rid of if Iit can still do those sort of journeys in comfort.
EddieSteadyGo said:
The one I was driving was a 3 litre diesel. But it was slow. And wallowy. When I eventually got the i-pace back, it was like a sports car in comparison (and for anyone who knows, the i-pace is no sports car). Whist it might sound like it, I'm not trying to "hate", but I genuinely couldn't understand why so many rave about them.
The L405 V6 diesel didn’t get the dynamic air suspension which is why it handles poorly compared to the V8 diesels. I have driven quite a few tdv8 RR and I like them alot, great family holiday car, but too big for the chaos at our kids school if my wife is behind the wheel.
Best family cars (for 2 kids) I have had, have been an S500 and a panamera. Both had wide rear seats so no problems with 3 kid seats across, soft close doors on the merc were a godsend when kids were very small, massive boots, both do the business, reliably excelling in every area imo. Panamera got alot of attention, merc got none. I dont know which was better.
Best family cars (for 2 kids) I have had, have been an S500 and a panamera. Both had wide rear seats so no problems with 3 kid seats across, soft close doors on the merc were a godsend when kids were very small, massive boots, both do the business, reliably excelling in every area imo. Panamera got alot of attention, merc got none. I dont know which was better.
Cotty said:
Ken_Code said:
Cotty said:
Is there any reason that you need something the size of a transit van, just to transport people/children? Surely a decent estae would be fine.
What has “need” to do with anything?Ken_Code said:
Are you on the wrong site?
I don't think so, I joined with a TVR on a TVR centric forum. How about you?For me I would say RR is generally the best all round family motor that anyone needs currently on my 5th sport (SVR) but that is being replaced with a BMW XM (i know very marmite) in December mainly cause 1. the new SV is soo overpriced for what it actually is. 2. I have only driven the new 460e and both the Wife and I thought it was comfortable but boring 2 hour test drive returned after 45 minutes.
Phil. said:
fflump said:
Don't knock it. I considered a FFRR to replace our family Cayenne but went for a Flying Spur in the end-just felt more special to be in. Luckily our 3 are beyond the jam sandwich/crayon/car sick phase. Full leather and varnished veneer is surprisingly easy to keep clean (even in cream!).
How do the running costs compare and do you have a warranty on the Bentley? The new FFRR has up to 24 month’s between servicing dependent on mileage and other stuff. The L405 used cost me around £1k for a small and big service, averaging around £500 per year. A LR warranty after 3 years would be £1k-£1.5k pa.
Surprised nobody mentioned a Panamera Sport Truismo. Huge car, super comfy with air suspension, get the 4S / Turbo if you need 4 wheel drive and sub 4s 0-60, loads of room for kids paraphernalia. It's better than a RR cos it does all the stuff a RR does, but then its a Porsche, and you can actually drive it like it needs to be driven when there's no family members/stuff in it. And....whilst it may not have Lexus reliability, it's deffo way better than JLR / RR.
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