Disapointed in the new Range Rover :(

Disapointed in the new Range Rover :(

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robm3

Original Poster:

4,927 posts

226 months

Tuesday 11th March 2014
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As the title says, I went to the dealer this weekend with family in tow to try out the new Range Rover. Prior to this I'd driven the 2014 BMW x5 (ugly outside but pretty special inside) and Mercedes ML and GL (good suspension on the ML, was the active version).

RR was a 2014 Vogue with 22inch wheels but sadly I found it pretty average to drive.

Key area's of disapointment were:

The ride wallowed from front to back (not side to side). Some form of active suspension to firm it up was needed.
Brakes were 'grabby' but Dealer suggested this needed to be looked at as car had under 1,000 miles.
The centre screen seemed like Fisher Price in comparison to the X5 and Merc, surely LR need to update this pronto as it looks about 5-8 years behind now.
The pop up gear selector is not to my liking but hey that's probably just me.
The Chrome/SS around the centre (behind gear selector) reflected a lot of light back up. Admittedly a bigger issue in Australia than perhaps the UK.
Engine was 3.0 diesel but it seemed sluggish. Even more so when compared to a RR Sport we tried next with the same drivetrain (perhaps they 'detune' the throttle response).

I think in summary I'd believed all the hype and rave reviews from journo's and expected more from a vehicle priced here at Au$220K (110K sterling).

However in white it did look great...

Not all is lost for Land Rover though because they had a tricked up 110, wifey wife took this for a drive and loved it. So we're buying that instead.

Now contemplating whether to get the RRS or not..this drove far better.

camel_landy

4,863 posts

182 months

Tuesday 11th March 2014
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Need to make sure you're comparing 'Apples with Apples'.

What you were driving there was essentially the base spec, get into an Autobiography with either the SDV8 or Supercharged and you'll get a completely different experience. It's probably more what the Journos were driving too.

That said, I wouldn't describe the V6 as sluggish... As observed, the RRS is essentially the same and that performed better. Maybe there was something wrong with the car??

M

James B

1,300 posts

243 months

Tuesday 11th March 2014
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Are you sure you drove an L405 and not the last of the outgoing models?

We bought the L405 in autobiography spec with the TDV6 power plant, having compared with everything else on the market and felt it was streets ahead of the competition. Admittedly the Cayenne ran it close but the fact that I was up into the high £80k bracket just to try to match the RR spec meant that i was overspeccing the Cayenne to a degree that would never see any value back.

If the car you drove had <1000 miles then maybe the engine just needed a few miles on it? We find it punchy and performs well in getting the car from rest to 90mph in perfectly adequate time. Gearchanges are smooth, seamless and thankfully not constantly up and down the box 'hunting' like the Merc and VW's do.

Admittedly the L405 doesnt drive as well as the Cayenne in that you get a lot more steering feel from the Cayenne than you do from the RR but other than that the German can't touch it. There is a 'sport' mode on the gearbox dial that does firm up the suspension and steering which is a little more fun.

I would maybe try another just to check you got a fair chance in it. We did try the RRS too but decided we would just stump up the extra for the FF as this will be a long term vehicle for us.

TheRoadWarrior

1,241 posts

177 months

Tuesday 11th March 2014
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So you found the new range rover too wallowy, but a defender 110 was ok?

Does not compute.

Also you say you tried a range rover sport - if you're after a car than handles well why not consider one of these over the big rangie?

hilly10

7,076 posts

227 months

Tuesday 11th March 2014
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Cant help thinking these big 22 inch low profile tyres help the ride

robm3

Original Poster:

4,927 posts

226 months

Tuesday 11th March 2014
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TheRoadWarrior said:
So you found the new range rover too wallowy, but a defender 110 was ok?

Does not compute.
As stated my wife drove the 110 and loved it. We're buying that for her.

robm3

Original Poster:

4,927 posts

226 months

Tuesday 11th March 2014
quotequote all
camel_landy said:
Need to make sure you're comparing 'Apples with Apples'.

What you were driving there was essentially the base spec, get into an Autobiography with either the SDV8 or Supercharged and you'll get a completely different experience.
That said, I wouldn't describe the V6 as sluggish... As observed, the RRS is essentially the same and that performed better. Maybe there was something wrong with the car??

M
Yes I had thought the RR V RRS would have been similiar but back to back the RR was definitely sluggish off the line. I queried if there was a weight difference to account for this. He told me the RR was 400kg heavier which I then assumed was the issue. However a quick internet trawl shows the weights very similiar (he b$llstted me I believe).

Funny enough he also told me servicing was $800 per year then the sales manager told me it was free for three years on all RR's....


robm3

Original Poster:

4,927 posts

226 months

Thursday 13th March 2014
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Hmmm like a sad addict I've taken a leap of faith...

Just put a deposit down on a TDV8, sight unseen.

Now hoping the V8 is more impressive than the V6... which I think it will be.

Oh, got the five year warranty too.

hunton69

659 posts

136 months

Thursday 13th March 2014
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Ditch the 22 inch wheels
Never understand why they build a 4x4 and then chuck low profile tyres on

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 13th March 2014
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hunton69 said:
Ditch the 22 inch wheels
Never understand why they build a 4x4 and then chuck low profile tyres on
Definitely this.

In most circumstances higher profile tyres are significantly better - when pressing on in cars like this there are loads of other limiting factors on the ride/handling balance than the tyres

Triple7

4,013 posts

236 months

Thursday 13th March 2014
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I was underwhelmed with our test drive of the new RRS. Fab car, but just did nothing for me. Too big, too slow, too expensive......

The new Rangie does have great presence, anyway waiting for my Macan S, I hope I like it, otherwise I will stick with my FL2!

seawise

2,144 posts

205 months

Friday 14th March 2014
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robm3 said:
Hmmm like a sad addict I've taken a leap of faith...

Just put a deposit down on a TDV8, sight unseen.

Now hoping the V8 is more impressive than the V6... which I think it will be.

Oh, got the five year warranty too.
good choice - i went for the V8 diesel rather than V6. the V8 seems to suit the car better, i don't use all the extra performance but it's not the sort of car you want to have to drive everywhere with the throttles fully open. now i'm passed 10,000 miles the V8 has loosened up nicely. the v8 has active anti-roll control so that helps with the rock and roll cornering issue.

Siscar

6,315 posts

128 months

Friday 14th March 2014
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Mine is a TDV8 autobiography, I keep having people tell me (unprompted) how nice it is. Daft things like at the car wash them telling me it's the nicest car they've ever cleaned.

But that aside the TDV8 moves and is pretty economical as well, the display on the centre console isn't my favourite although you can always switch into the fantastically named 'Stealth' mode - if there was ever such a let down when you work out what that is!

Still best car I've got or had, easily ahead of the other similar vehicles out there IMHO.

Aeroresh

1,429 posts

231 months

Friday 14th March 2014
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I would say is that the ride on 22's is barely perceptably different to the 20s LR offer. This is down to a, the air suspension and b, the aspect ratio/width which puts more sidewall meat on the tyres than previous generations of RR (rolling radius is bigger on the l405 than l322).

The tdv6 in both the ff and rrs is more than adequate, imo...in fact I would say in terms of refinement it has the sdv8 licked and subjectively feels as quick as the previous gen l322!

ted 191

1,419 posts

224 months

Friday 14th March 2014
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Test drove V6 and V8 back to back today, V6 is smooth but lacks power above 60mph and has far more roll than V8.........

robm3

Original Poster:

4,927 posts

226 months

Tuesday 18th March 2014
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I really wouldn't bother with the product Ted. The car costs close to £150,000 here in Oz. I paid cash for mine.

I've had the following warning messages pop up AFTER the dealer 'reset the codes' on them.





And it wouldn't be a new Land Rover without a bit of trim hanging off;



Hopefully it can be sorted and luckily I paid substantially more for a five year warranty but at this point in time I really regret not buying the new X5



camel_landy

4,863 posts

182 months

Tuesday 18th March 2014
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The trim is easy as that's just the removable cover for the tow bar.

M

robm3

Original Poster:

4,927 posts

226 months

Tuesday 18th March 2014
quotequote all
camel_landy said:
The trim is easy as that's just the removable cover for the tow bar.

M
Yep, it has two plastic screws holding it in. They are still there but the trim won't sit in place. It's very strange as all the top clips are all there too. They don't look bent either.
I push it back up but one trip later it's fallen down again. In my eyes it just sums up the rubbish attention to detail.

I'm going to pop into a hardware store and get some Velcro tape to fix it (like you do with a £150,000-$240,000 car you've just brought).


SpeedMattersNot

4,506 posts

195 months

Tuesday 18th March 2014
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robm3 said:
camel_landy said:
The trim is easy as that's just the removable cover for the tow bar.

M
Yep, it has two plastic screws holding it in. They are still there but the trim won't sit in place. It's very strange as all the top clips are all there too. They don't look bent either.
I push it back up but one trip later it's fallen down again. In my eyes it just sums up the rubbish attention to detail.

I'm going to pop into a hardware store and get some Velcro tape to fix it (like you do with a £150,000-$240,000 car you've just brought).
Incorrect, the trim is an arse to fit but when fitted correctly, won't fall off!

It has two vertical 'clips' that need to slot in to keep it in place. Remove it and photo the inside for me. LR's are crap, but they didn't fault up here.

P.s. ...brought where? wink

ted 191

1,419 posts

224 months

Tuesday 18th March 2014
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Picking up a new 4.4 autobiography tomorrow......if there are any issues with quality it goes straight back !