I now realise why everybody loves Range Rovers

[Chestrockwell]

I currently don’t have a car and I’ve been borrowing and using my mates cars when my mums been unable to lend me hers and yesterday I borrowed my friends 2008 Range Rover Sport 2.7 diesel.

I always see Range Rovers around my area and I’ve always wondered why people buy them and run them despite the well documented reliability issues. Especially the 2002-2013 generation Range Rovers, they’re very loud and slow and look so dated. The girl I borrowed the Range Rover off accelerated hard once and I just looked at it and thought it’s such an overkill, what’s the point in such a large, heavy, slow, unnecessary car that gives zero thrills! Boy was I wrong

Anyways, I asked to borrow it for the day yesterday and she said yes, from the moment I got in it, it all made sense, while it doesn’t feel spacious inside despite the size of the thing, I liked it as it didn’t feel hollow, it felt solid, in fact, it feels like driving a tank!

I’ve never driven a car where I’ve loved the fact it felt so heavy, it just feels like you’re very safe and stable, there’s also nowhere near as much body roll as I thought.

It’s a slow car, very slow....diabolically slow however between 0-40, while it isn’t fast, it doesn’t feel slow and feels very powerful, a bit like a lorry, you can feel the engine working over time to shift the weight and it makes me feel like I’m driving a drain or a yacht. It’s very comfortably and quiet, barely any wind noise either.

Average fuel consumption is 22mpg.


Over all, I really like this car, you could say I have fallen for it, i think it would be even better with the TDV8. I cannot imagine how nice the new ones are to drive, the 340 bhp V8 diesel, wow!

[Chestrockwell]

MuscleSedan said:

ensignia said:

A500leroy said:

I hope you have some kind of insurance cover for all the cars your borrowing. the lenders wont be happy if the BIB impound the car your driving!

I hate how many killjoy hand-wringers there are on PH.

Agree in some ways as its off topic, but ….

a lot of drivers 'think' they are covered to drive anything.

Not nearly so many actually are.

Its all great fun, until it goes wrong !

I’m fully comprehensive insured on other cars third party and the Range Rover is also insured fully comprehensive. I only borrowed it for the day, I’m back in my mother’s rav which I’m also insured on (just in case somebody gets their knickers in a twist) and I must say, it feels like an empty tin of baked beans compared to the RR!

Another poster mentioned they’re easy to park, I forgot to mention this as the steering is very light, lighter than my mother’s Rav in fact, however you can’t argue with the 55+ mpg fuel consumption in the hybrid

[Chestrockwell]

easytiger123 said:

berlintaxi said:

WJNB said:

Mainly ( but not exclusively) for male bullies & timid women.
The former fail to intimidate or impress me however much they try, the latter have absolutely no idea how to overtake let alone park.

PH because stereotypes matter.
As usual complete nonsense from you.

Not true. I'm a male bully and my wife is a very timid woman. We specifically chose a Range Rover (like so many others) because my wife can't park, overtake or do much besides the washing up, and because I enjoy impressing and intimidating people. I'm thoroughly disheartened to read it's not working.

I’m not sure how one could be a bully in the RR...or the 2.7 diesel ones at least, they’re so slow even if someone moves out of your way, it will take a life time to pass them!

[Chestrockwell]

av185 said:

The sooner an incredibly expensive and onerous road tax based on vehicle size and weight is introduced the better.

Don't want all these ott polar bear killing off road vehicles occupied by perma tanned Jordan wannabes with their Asda bags and hideous offspring cluttering up all our valuable roadspace, supermarket car parks and permanently obstructing every school gate do we.

Or perhaps the OP does. :

Hahaha its funny you say that as I urged her not to get a Range Rover and spend the 10k on something a lot more economical and modern but she insisted on a 4x4 and it had to be a Range Rover.

I’d personally never buy one as I don’t fancy 22 mpg in a slow 2.5 tonne suv but if I did come into a lot of money, I’d buy a new 4.4 V8 diesel one

[Chestrockwell]

Taylor James said:

I used to quite like them and then I drove a Cayenne. The Cayenne is just a class apart as a driving tool. Off-road, I wouldn't know as I don't drive on mud. My Merc is good but I won't be keeping it. It's far too big, as is a Cayenne, so I'll be going Macan. A friend has an Overfinch. I much prefer that to any factory RR.

That’s the thing, despite pricing and dimensions, I now consider RR’s in a completely different league to the German ‘rivals’.

A Cayenne might corner better but that’s not what it’s about. The RRS I have been driving has been objectively ste...seriously, thirsty, loud and slow BUT, It gave me a feeling no other car has which I believe makes Range Rovers stand out from the ‘rivals’.

[Chestrockwell]

Autonomy said:

I agree, its amazing driving other peoples Range Rovers- you can give them back and you don't have to worry about them or pay for them!

It does have a regal feeling and you kinda feel special..even in a £7k Sport example.

Also, when you get back into a normal car - even something like a Mondeo - it feels like a racing car in comparison.

...would never own a RR though..

I completely agree, her one had 22 inch Kahn wheels in black that we’re all curbed and whenever I got out of it, I thought to myself, everybody must have thought I was a BTEC drug dealer who was trying hard to look rich but I never thought that when I was behind the wheel. Behind the wheel, I felt like an oligarch who was above everyone

[Chestrockwell]

Sheepshanks said:

Chestrockwell said:

I’m fully comprehensive insured......

How? In your OP you said you don’t have a car.

Chestrockwell said:

.....on other cars third party and the Range Rover is also insured fully comprehensive. I only borrowed it for the day,

Ah, that’s OK - you can’t crash it if you only drive it for a day. Unless you’ve been added to the RRS’s insurance it’s irrelevant while you’re driving it.

Oh find something else to moan about, I bet you’re that type to leave bad reviews on trip advisor, stand on a main road with a high vis jacket on with a speed gun and object to super markets late night alcohol licences in high streets, I see your type all the time moaning about the self scan machines in supermarkets, just a person with lots of time and nothing else to do but moan!

I’m not an idiot, I’m insured on the car, do you think I’m going to risk 6 points on my licence and a massive fine to drive an old Range Rover about for a day, I don’t even need to explain myself!!

I see lots of stuff on PH, lots of stuff that’s contradictory but I just carry on scrolling because a. It’s not my business and B. I’m not going waste my time quoting and unquoting different things and use internet bandwidth to convey a message that achieves nothing. The worst part is that picking holes in something that’s not even relevant to the thread, I’m praising a car and you’re trying to figure out if I’m insured or not! Grow up

Edited by Chestrockwell on Sunday 1st December 23:22

[Chestrockwell]

We’ve got Columbo here investigating me and my insurance, sifting through the messages to see what I said and quoting sentences on a Sunday evening, don’t you have a complaint to make to the council because of your neighbours hedges going onto your garden

[Chestrockwell]

Sheepshanks said:

Hmm.....a lot of bluster.

Do you not realise people on here will see that it’s dawned on you that you’ve messed up?

Ok I have no insurance and I’ve been driving around dangerously, I’m a drug dealer and a pimp.

Now what?

What gives you the impression that I care, I come here with my knowledge on cars to share experience, discuss and learn things from others. It’s clear that’s what I’m about so why do feel the need to try and have a pop about insurance, start quoting and unquoting things. I saw the message you posted, it was a helpful message about insurance, you then deleted it. Why didn’t you send that in the first place? Because people like you thrive on bothering others. My nephew is 6 and I hear a lot of playground stories that sound a lot like things that happen on PistonHeads. It’s very sad really!

[Chestrockwell]

TREMAiNE said:

Chestrockwell said:

I’m not an idiot,

Whenever I stumble across your posts or your comments I do always cringe at everything you say.
It's all utter tosh and you never actually know what you're talking about.

Whilst I don't know you personally, based on your contribution to this community, I'd say you are probably a bit of an idiot. There are lots on PH though, including myself.

I contribute with experiences of mine creating discussions, this thread is 6 pages in and various people talking about their experiences, sharing and helping eachother.

You’ve come on here to call someone else an idiot, what a fantastic contribution, insulting someone on an anonymous public forum. Grow up

[Chestrockwell]

phil1979 said:

On the whole SUV debate, I get it completely. I've gone from a 6.2 AMG C63 wagon to a GLC 350 diesel. Whilst I miss the noise of the old car hugely, the wafty diesel machine is so much nicer day to day. The main bonus is the state of the roads... I was forever dodging potholes and inspecting tyres for bulges or cracked wheels. It's just too stressful. With an SUV, assuming you haven't whacked a set of Khan's on it, they are easier around town, too... need to bump up a kerb, no probs... potholes and speedbumps... bearable. Just a nicer experience. Maybe I'm getting old. Macan Turbo is a lovely thing, but well out of my means.

You probably have the best premium 4x4 money can buy, powerful 3.0 diesel, Mercedes interior and not as big or as ugly as the bigger GLE!

[Chestrockwell]

Come on, its premium, I’ve been driving my mums 2017 rav (very good car) for the past few weeks (with no insurance driving dangerously for those wondering) and I went into the MB dealership to look at my soon to be lease car (C-Class) and the difference was very clear from the moment I approached the car! The interior is a lovely place to be

[Chestrockwell]

[redacted]

[Chestrockwell]

Crumpet said:

Chestrockwell said:

Come on, its premium, I’ve been driving my mums 2017 rav (very good car) for the past few weeks (with no insurance driving dangerously for those wondering) and I went into the MB dealership to look at my soon to be lease car (C-Class) and the difference was very clear from the moment I approached the car! The interior is a lovely place to be

Hmmm. ‘Premium’ taxi maybe. If you go to Germany you’ll get picked up in a Mercedes taxi. If you get an ‘executive’ taxi in the UK, it’s a Mercedes. If you get a large taxi for four to six people it’s a Mercedes van. Sorry, but to a lot of people Mercedes are taxis. Not quite as rattly and tinny as a Prius though, I’ll give you that. They’re not ‘premium’ though.

Taxi’s or not, they’re still premium cars!

Having said that, I’d never buy/lease an E-Class, even if it was dirt cheap purely on the basis that every taxi you see is an E-Class.

The C-Class is different though

[Chestrockwell]

zarjaz1991 said:

The OP seems to have legged it.

I'd be interested to know what happened to his car. One minute he had a BMW, then a Civic, now...nothing.
Is this intentional, or did something 'happen'?

Obviously I'm just nosy.

I’ve been reading everything but I haven’t said much as I only have 1 days experience of a Range Rover so I can’t contribute much unlike other posters who had them or have them now.

Yes I did have a BMW and a Civic, I’ve just sold the Civic as I had a lot of equity in it and I’m aiming to get onto the property ladder.

I’m trying to figure out the angle on your post but I don’t know what you’re trying to say, that I’m a liar?

Anyways, how are your mondeo’s, are you still hating the police? Are you a vigilante yet?

I’m just nosy

[Chestrockwell]

Pericoloso said:

zarjaz1991 said:

The OP seems to have legged it.

I'd be interested to know what happened to his car. One minute he had a BMW, then a Civic, now...nothing.
Is this intentional, or did something 'happen'?

Obviously I'm just nosy.

Apparently he's getting a C class anytime now ,better than an E class because it's not a taxi......

Well If you look at my post from yesterday again, I said I wouldn’t get an E-Class even if it was very cheap as all taxi’s use them, the same way many posters don’t buy a RRS because of the image.

I went for the C-Class because of how good the deal was

[Chestrockwell]

colonel c said:

So the OP is incorrect then. Not everybody loves Range Rovers. But it seems that everybody has an opinion about them. Frankly though as an RRS owner I don't really care if your Lexus is superior in every way or estates are better than SUVs or you have spent too much time reading horror stories about them online or even if you think a Sport is not a 'proper Range Rover'. I enjoy owning and driving mine and that's all there is to it.

Well I’m am correct, PistonHeads is a small community and they don’t dictate Land Rovers market, my opinion comes from what I see, and that’s the cars on the road, I see a lot of Range Rovers and I discovered why on Saturday.

The thing is with PH, everybody here say they hate modern cars, they prefer NA and manuals but give them the keys to a brand new diesel C-Class or 3 series as an auto and we’ll see how they feel. I used to be that guy, I used to worship E46’s, my dream car was a manual E46 M3 until I became fortunate enough to buy a 1 year old BMW 430d and I can’t drive anything unless it’s less than 3 years old anymore.

Long gone are the days of worrying about MOT’s, engine lights and oil leaks, I’d rather leave aux cables, head units, speaker upgrades and sat navs stuck on the screen in my rear view mirror (pun not intended).

All I want from a car now is 35+ mpg, apple car play, 200 bhp (minimum) and a decent sound system...step in my shiny C300d AMG Line Premium.

I’m going to be paying 9k in 2 years and that is a lot of money but I’d rather pay that and drive headache free for 2 years and give the car straight back than drive 3-4 grand cars again, read about common problems before buying them, inspecting every single car before buying them and drive home stting myself worrying if I had been ripped off.

[Chestrockwell]

TREMAiNE said:

Chestrockwell said:

I’m going to be paying 9k in 2 years

So you sold your Civic as you're looking to purchase a house... But then decide to spend £9,000 to borrow a pretty much run of the mill car for a couple of years.

Chestrockwell said:

...and drive home stting myself worrying if I had been ripped off.

Don’t worry about me and what I’m doing, my circumstances aren’t your business. 9k may seem like a lot and the C-Class may be a ‘run of the mill’ car but to me, it’s a great all rounder with good performance and fuel consumption with all the toys I need. £9,000 is also a lot less than the depreciation should I have bought it.

I ‘ bought’ a year old 4 series 2016 and lost 13k in nearly 3 years, I’ve done it before, the ‘right’ way and it’s more headache, selling it took a while along with price reductions and lots of idiots calling.

I’d rather borrow a car, better that way, the amount you’re paying is fixed and you give the car back.

What’s your third contribution going to be, make it count, you’re beginning to look like a bitter man who’s wife I banged.

How could you have it in for someone on a public forum, I’m not even in the politics threads where it all kicks off!

[Chestrockwell]

TREMAiNE said:

Chestrockwell said:

What’s your third contribution going to be, make it count, you’re beginning to look like a bitter man who’s wife I banged.

How could you have it in for someone on a public forum, I’m not even in the politics threads where it all kicks off!

I am not bitter at all (there is nothing to be bitter about?) and I don't have it in for you, I actually really rather enjoy your posts though I still think your account is just a joke and you're trolling us, similar to Happy Jap (I think that was his username) a few years ago.

How? I honestly don’t get it, all I do is talk about cars, I never post aggressively and never comment on something unless I’ve driven it, there was a brief time where I did kick the hive regarding my Civic and the Ring’ time but that’s only because I was being antagonised!

[Chestrockwell]

Congratulations on the purchase, I love the spec you went for!