Drove the new Range Rover 405- a short review.
Discussion
I was lucky enough to have a short test drive in the a pre-production Range Rover 405 today. I am led to believe very few people have driven one, so thought I'd write a few words about it. I'm by no means a Range Rover expert, and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
All comparisons are with a rather leggy '08 3.6v8 L322
The model I drove was the 3 litre V6 diesel. It went very well, significantly quicker than the 3.6 and very responsive, even when not in sport. The 8 speed auto was very smooth and trumps the 6 speed in every respect, although I don't imagine that's news to many. The stop-start was noticeable but not intrusive. It can be switched off easily.
The handling and composure was superb. Ride is on a par with the L322 but body roll and cornering are leagues ahead. It wanted to be pushed through the corners, and I felt at ease driving it hard (not sure if my passengers did...). It definitely felt lighter and more nimble than the outgoing model, which is already remarkably competent in the corners given it's heft. The demonstrator gentleman said it had the basic suspension, not the active anti-roll system that will be on the higher spec models.
This vehicle was black with black leather and off-white trim bits. It looked striking but wouldn't be my choice. I don't care much for fancy interiors and 'quality plastics' or whatnot but it was very comfortable and had lots of buttons. I didn't have time to familiarise myself with them all but there were enough to cover most things. There is a nice new cubby in the door trim though. It's long and shallow. You could probably conceal a sawn-off or a small sword in there.
The demonstrator was keen to show off the new sound system. I forget the brand- meridian or something? Anyway, it was good but not noticeably better than the superb 'premium' system in my L322. Apparently this was the basic system though, so the premium ones should be a real treat. He said the chassis was a sub woofer or something like that?
On the subject of noise, road noise was quieter overall than the L322 but under acceleration engine note was more pronounced (some 'engineered noise' thing apparently, which I'm not entirely against). The V6 sounded pleasant. I've always been disappointed that V8 isn't more vocal in the L322, so I was pleased this has been addressed.
That's about all I can think of that's worthy of comment. I hope some of that is interesting to one or 2 of you.
All comparisons are with a rather leggy '08 3.6v8 L322
The model I drove was the 3 litre V6 diesel. It went very well, significantly quicker than the 3.6 and very responsive, even when not in sport. The 8 speed auto was very smooth and trumps the 6 speed in every respect, although I don't imagine that's news to many. The stop-start was noticeable but not intrusive. It can be switched off easily.
The handling and composure was superb. Ride is on a par with the L322 but body roll and cornering are leagues ahead. It wanted to be pushed through the corners, and I felt at ease driving it hard (not sure if my passengers did...). It definitely felt lighter and more nimble than the outgoing model, which is already remarkably competent in the corners given it's heft. The demonstrator gentleman said it had the basic suspension, not the active anti-roll system that will be on the higher spec models.
This vehicle was black with black leather and off-white trim bits. It looked striking but wouldn't be my choice. I don't care much for fancy interiors and 'quality plastics' or whatnot but it was very comfortable and had lots of buttons. I didn't have time to familiarise myself with them all but there were enough to cover most things. There is a nice new cubby in the door trim though. It's long and shallow. You could probably conceal a sawn-off or a small sword in there.
The demonstrator was keen to show off the new sound system. I forget the brand- meridian or something? Anyway, it was good but not noticeably better than the superb 'premium' system in my L322. Apparently this was the basic system though, so the premium ones should be a real treat. He said the chassis was a sub woofer or something like that?
On the subject of noise, road noise was quieter overall than the L322 but under acceleration engine note was more pronounced (some 'engineered noise' thing apparently, which I'm not entirely against). The V6 sounded pleasant. I've always been disappointed that V8 isn't more vocal in the L322, so I was pleased this has been addressed.
That's about all I can think of that's worthy of comment. I hope some of that is interesting to one or 2 of you.
I'm sure it's imperious and it's certainly more interesting to me than its predecessors (although I have issue with the bulk of these machines when following them or trying to peer around them at junctions - but that's another topic, really).
Great British engineering - hopefully the marketing is also up to the task.
Thanks for the write up.
Great British engineering - hopefully the marketing is also up to the task.
Thanks for the write up.
Stop talking about engine note and diesel 
It's funny, you make out like this is exciting but I've seen loads of 405s about, I was beginning to think it had gone on sale already? Although I live near JLR so..
They do look good in the metal, posher than L322, less ASBO.
I think the sound system in the XF is Bower&Wilkins..
It's funny, you make out like this is exciting but I've seen loads of 405s about, I was beginning to think it had gone on sale already? Although I live near JLR so..
They do look good in the metal, posher than L322, less ASBO.
I think the sound system in the XF is Bower&Wilkins..
Where's the weight loss though? The one autocar tested, came in 300KG heavier than claimed and it wasnt loaded with millions of options. yep, 2625 Kgs, thats half a ton heavier than an X5.
JLR always seem to lie about weight. The XJ and XK were both massively heavier than they said they were gonna be...
Decent economy though, their 35 MPG touring figure was only 1 MPG worst than the 2.2 SD evoque...
JLR always seem to lie about weight. The XJ and XK were both massively heavier than they said they were gonna be...
Decent economy though, their 35 MPG touring figure was only 1 MPG worst than the 2.2 SD evoque...
scarble said:
Stop talking about engine note and diesel
I think the sound system in the XF is Bower&Wilkins..
I've always quite liked the sound of a 6+ cylinder diesel under load. Fair enough, they all sound like a cement mixer at idle but you don't hear that bit, especially with stop start.I think the sound system in the XF is Bower&Wilkins..
It wasn't B&W. One of the Landrover guys commented that 'only 4 vehicles in the world use that sound system, 3 of which are landrover. The other is Maclaren'. I though that was a bit of a strange comment, akin to Sainsburys boasting that only they sell taste the difference food. But it sounded good so that's what matters.
Bezza1969 said:
Decent economy though, their 35 MPG touring figure was only 1 MPG worst than the 2.2 SD evoque...
I didn't look at the economy as I drove although it would have been fairly dire for the 10 minutes I was behind the wheel. The man from Landrover claimed he'd seen 55mpg on the way there, although clearly that was an instantaneous readout or some such.Although better economy is always welcome, I've not been disappointed with the 26mpg average I get from the L322 to be honest. Plenty of people are getting the same or less in Japanese pickups which are a ton lighter, slower and nowhere near as refined.
busta said:
scarble said:
Stop talking about engine note and diesel
I think the sound system in the XF is Bower&Wilkins..
I've always quite liked the sound of a 6+ cylinder diesel under load. Fair enough, they all sound like a cement mixer at idle but you don't hear that bit, especially with stop start.I think the sound system in the XF is Bower&Wilkins..
It wasn't B&W. One of the Landrover guys commented that 'only 4 vehicles in the world use that sound system, 3 of which are landrover. The other is Maclaren'. I though that was a bit of a strange comment, akin to Sainsburys boasting that only they sell taste the difference food. But it sounded good so that's what matters.
I'll admit I used to work for Meridian and they are another British company we should be proud of, as are JLR and B&W too.
I had the Meridian Premium 825W system in my Evoque and it was really excellent for a factory hi-fi. I usually spend £££'s on an aftermarket JL Audio/ DLS system for my cars but didn't in the Ewok since it was so good.
I have the Harmon Kardon Premium 825W Logic 7 hi-fi in the RRS and it is not as accurate - the Meridian is a definite improvement.
The L405 does look the part and is an obvious improvement to me over the L322. That said, the FFRR is not a car I aspire to owning but the next gen RRS looks very tempting.
A new F-Type and RRS within the next 12-18mths will suit me nicely; business Gods willing, of course.
I have the Harmon Kardon Premium 825W Logic 7 hi-fi in the RRS and it is not as accurate - the Meridian is a definite improvement.
The L405 does look the part and is an obvious improvement to me over the L322. That said, the FFRR is not a car I aspire to owning but the next gen RRS looks very tempting.
A new F-Type and RRS within the next 12-18mths will suit me nicely; business Gods willing, of course.
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