Two big, thirsty idiots...

[Sterillium]

As ever, I'm still chopping about looking at motors.

I'm now sniffing around ML63 AMGs and Range Rover Sport (Supercharged)... anyone with any experience of either?

I do like the idea of something huge and leather-clad, but still quick enough to surprise people. Especially given that I'll be using it "properly" towing boats and collecting mud and saltwater on the bodywork.




I'm leaning towards the looks and the interior space of the Rangie... (it appears to be more spacious and bigger-booted) but then, that huge lump and 507bhp in the Merc is hard to ignore.

But are the Rangies just made of chocolate and with miles already done, will it simply melt and become an impressive looking paperweight...?

Any experiences or advice welcome.

Edited by Sterillium on Monday 17th July 16:34

[Zoon]

Interior on the RR is terrible compared to the new ones.
Plastics are flimsy and scratch easily, MPG is terrible on the SC, and you are looking at £100+ to fill the tank.
Watch out for suspension level errors on startup, can be costly to fix.

If I had a choice I'd go Merc.

[Shrimpvende]

Can't comment too much on the RR reliability other than the fairly poor reviews I've seen/read, our FFRR (latest gen) had the air suspension fail within the first year leaving it lop sided and stranded in a car park.

A good friend spent a fair bit of time in the 4.2 s/c for work, including towing, and the fuel economy was really poor. It was generally low teens, rising to high teens on a run. Towing (generally a race car on a trailer) could see it down to single figures. I have heard they like to eat suspension parts too so things like wishbones become consumables requiring much more regular replacement than on normal cars.

My previous work used a petrol ML (not sure exactly which model) for towing race cars and proto's to events. I only passengered in it a couple of times but it had loads of miles on and still felt smooth, the interior was also in surprisingly good nick considering the abuse it got. Even the rear TV screens still worked properly! Still really bad on fuel though.

[Johnnytheboy]

I thought this thread was going to be about my brother and I!

[Sterillium]

Johnnytheboy said:

I thought this thread was going to be about my brother and I!

[V12 Virgin]

What about a Cayenne Turbo? Will tow all day and blow the other two out of the water in terms of performance.

[Sterillium]

V12 Virgin said:

What about a Cayenne Turbo? Will tow all day and blow the other two out of the water in terms of performance.

I just hate the way they look.

[ZX10R NIN]

Any particular reason for the petrol versions?


If it's for towing then I'd be looking at the VW Touareg in 5.0tdi R50 form it has performance for fun & decent MPG. 345bhp 590lbft

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Earlier V10 310bhp 550lbft in Altitude trim level

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Or the 4.2tdi Q7 325bhp 550lbft

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

ML420tdi 305bhp 516lbft

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

BMW 4.8i SE

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

[Sterillium]

ZX10R NIN said:

Any particular reason for the petrol versions?

I guess I just prefer petrol to diesel... also, I do a quite a few short journeys, diesels worry me for lots of short journeys.

[ZX10R NIN]

In that case go for the petrol versions

[Sterillium]

Petrol is the future... (kind of).

I'm just not a fan of the looks of the Cayenne, the Touareg or the Q7... for me, they all look like bloated cars.

[MorganP104]

For me, it'd have to be either a FFRR Supercharged or a BMW X5 4.8is

The Merc leaves me cold, the Porsche is ugly, the Touareg is a bit ordinary looking, and the Q7 is a land yacht.

[Sterillium]

MorganP104 said:

For me, it'd have to be either a FFRR Supercharged or a BMW X5 4.8is

The Merc leaves me cold, the Porsche is ugly, the Touareg is a bit ordinary looking, and the Q7 is a land yacht.

I really love the look of the Rangie, I am just trying to ignore the nagging knowledge that it will probably be a troublesome, yet handsome, pain in the arse.

[PaulJC84]

Sport looks ancient now. I like the look of those ML63 Mercs.

I had a sport last year and it was an 11 plate and it was a nice drive but looked so dated compared to the new ones you see everywhere now.

[MorganP104]

Sterillium said:

MorganP104 said:

For me, it'd have to be either a FFRR Supercharged or a BMW X5 4.8is

The Merc leaves me cold, the Porsche is ugly, the Touareg is a bit ordinary looking, and the Q7 is a land yacht.

I really love the look of the Rangie, I am just trying to ignore the nagging knowledge that it will probably be a troublesome, yet handsome, pain in the arse.

I drive a 15 year old L322 Range Rover Vogue, of the 4.4 V8 variety. To most, that's the very definition of swivel-eyed lunacy, and people cannot believe I don't spend all of my time on the hard shoulder, weeping into my hands.

It is possible to buy a bork-free Rangie - IF you are careful. That's right, I bought VERY carefully, with my eyes wide open. I made sure it ticked all the right boxes in terms of service history and a wedge of invoices detailing fixes to all the expensive things that go wrong with Rangies. As a result, my car is as reliable as anything on the road - crucially because the previous owner did all the hard (and pricey) work for me.

A little legwork up front (consulting the good people of PH, various LR/RR forums, etc.) will save a whole heap of frustration and expense down the line.

My only problem now is that the Range Rover has spoilt all other cars for me. This now means I will be stuck in an endless cycle of buying Rangies until the DVLA take my driving licence away for running over a terrace of houses (I'm only 40 now, so I've got a while to go yet... I hope).

[Sterillium]

MorganP104 said:

I drive a 15 year old L322 Range Rover Vogue, of the 4.4 V8 variety.

Let me know when you want to sell!