Range Rover P38 engines

[Pablo das Gupta]

Some advice from the learned ones please....

My wife and I were recently becoming borderline obsessed with buying a "previous" model RR (P38A as I believe they are known) due to their good looks, comfortable ride etc and not least because a good year 2000 example can be picked-up for £5-7K.....

The problem came when I started looking at the various engines which they have as standard (2.5 L TD,4 & 4.6 L V8) as they seem to me to be completely underpowered for such a large & heavy lump with such cr*ppy fuel consumption...Seriously, how do you get <190 hp from such a massive 4 litre beast!

Don't even get me started on the oil-burner, I thought BMW would be able to do better than 140 hp from such a decent lump

What do owners find, are these as underpowered to drive as they sound?? If so, are there any alternatives short of shelling out on a third generation model??

Thanks for your wisdom fellow pistonites

[MarsellusWallace]

Over the last few years Ive come into contact will 4.0,4.6 and 2.5td versions of the p38 and by todays standards all are dreadfully slow with poor fuel consumption.Many people put the petrol ones on lpg to offset the consumption but although you can make them a little quicker by modifying them they are still underpowered.

[plasticpig]

I have never found my 4.6 to be particularly underpowered. It's adequate rather than lively. The 16mpg is more of an issue.

[denzilpc]

hi had my 4.0 running on lpg for 5 years now costs around £35 to fill up and i get around 200 miles,never thought it was slow or under powerd always gets me where i want to go with no probs.

[BLUETHUNDER]

I always thought the 4.6 to be well balanced. The difference i really noticed in engines was between the old 4.0 gems unit and the later bosch thor unit. The difference in power delivery was very noticable.

[300bhp/ton]

Pablo das Gupta said:

Some advice from the learned ones please....

My wife and I were recently becoming borderline obsessed with buying a "previous" model RR (P38A as I believe they are known) due to their good looks, comfortable ride etc and not least because a good year 2000 example can be picked-up for £5-7K.....

The problem came when I started looking at the various engines which they have as standard (2.5 L TD,4 & 4.6 L V8) as they seem to me to be completely underpowered for such a large & heavy lump with such cr*ppy fuel consumption...Seriously, how do you get <190 hp from such a massive 4 litre beast!

Don't even get me started on the oil-burner, I thought BMW would be able to do better than 140 hp from such a decent lump

What do owners find, are these as underpowered to drive as they sound?? If so, are there any alternatives short of shelling out on a third generation model??

Thanks for your wisdom fellow pistonites

It all depends on perspective tbh.

In 1996 the 4.6 HSE with it's 225hp was Land Rover's most powerful model (ever I would think).

It was a quicker and more powerful than a Defender or Disco and previous Range Rovers.

It was also very on par with most of the competition.

Ok it wasn't fast, but it was fast enough to be on par or better than a 2.0 litre Focus or other similar family car.

In the last couple of years fast 4x4's have changed totally. 300-400hp was totally unbelievable in a 4x4 in the 1990's as a production vehicle.

So compare a 2000 model year RR with almost any other large 4x4, Shnogun, Land Cruiser, Grand Cherokee, Patrol and it's very much on par performance wise.

Compare it to a Cayanne Turbo S or a new Range Rover Sport - then nope, not even slightly comparable performance wise. But then price wise and market placement are also vastly different too.

[Pablo das Gupta]

Thank you all for your feedback... I am rekindling my interest in one of these great British contraptions and will as advised restrict my search to 4.0 or 4.6 models already converted to LPG.

I think the wife is thrilled at the idea of driving a Rangie into central London without having to worry about congestion charge...who can blame her

Thanks again

[Meeja]

Pablo das Gupta said:

Thank you all for your feedback... I am rekindling my interest in one of these great British contraptions and will as advised restrict my search to 4.0 or 4.6 models already converted to LPG.

I think the wife is thrilled at the idea of driving a Rangie into central London without having to worry about congestion charge...who can blame her

Thanks again

IIRC the only LPG vehicles that are exempt from the Kengestion Charge are ones that left the factory already running on LPG.

Cars with aftermarket conversions are not exempt. (Mine included!)

Happy to be proved wrong though.

[BLUETHUNDER]

What he said above. This is the case.

[Pablo das Gupta]

Bol-ox

Although you are not quite right about having to have a car which was manufactured as dual-fuel, it seems that Land Rovers are not even on the list (www.powershift.org.uk) of vehicles which can be considered for CC exemption...there are a lot of others on there, even Jeep Grand Cherokees with 4.7L V8 nastiness under the "hood"!!

Oh well, it was a nice dream...