Wafty alternative to a L322 Range Rover?
Discussion
Irrational urge for fullfat Range Rover. Budget around £10k to £15k seems to get good condition 50-70k miles example (nearer £10k the better for contingency planning!). To be used for family holidays inc Europe/ MTB days out (for 2/3 bikes), longer journeys for work and general duties as Mrs has small car for boring stuff/ her work etc. I'll do a likely max of 10k miles per year. No need to drive into London so ULEZ not an issue.
Any alternatives to the FFRR for comfort, reasonable progress for the above? Anything over 5m long is out, therefore no S class, 7 series and ideally room for bikes inside so don't have to mess around with roof racks etc.
I keep autotrader trawling but keep coming back to FFRR's...alternatives?
Thanks in advance.
Any alternatives to the FFRR for comfort, reasonable progress for the above? Anything over 5m long is out, therefore no S class, 7 series and ideally room for bikes inside so don't have to mess around with roof racks etc.
I keep autotrader trawling but keep coming back to FFRR's...alternatives?
Thanks in advance.
Croutons said:
300bhp/ton said:
Lincoln Navigator or Cadillac Escalade.
Not over 5m long? 300bhp/ton said:
The length difference between an L322 and these is pretty negligible. Dismissing them on this basis would be daft. The Range Rover is just shy of 5m anyhow. And with a tow bar would be over 5m too.
Because I’m pushing it with the FFRR anything over 5m (no tow bars thx) and I’ll be parking it in the study which would be daft, hence over 5m alternatives are dismissed as per my OP...I'm currently wafting about in a 2010 3.6 TDV8 L322 and loving it. 2 owner car with some pretty eye watering main dealer invoices for previous works, but I had it inspected at Rovertune who gave it a clean bill of health.
Nothing quite like them - had a 2015 S8 as a previous wafter and the L322 is in a different league altogether.
Nothing quite like them - had a 2015 S8 as a previous wafter and the L322 is in a different league altogether.
Register1 said:
VW Touareg
3.0L V6
2010 to 2014 (I think are 245 BHP, and 550 Tq.
Easily tunable to 300 BHP and 690 Tq
So more get up and go than the RR
Excellent build
Good value.
The R-Line I find appealing3.0L V6
2010 to 2014 (I think are 245 BHP, and 550 Tq.
Easily tunable to 300 BHP and 690 Tq
So more get up and go than the RR
Excellent build
Good value.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
This would get my vote, purely based on reliability, the engine in the non tuned form is perfectly adequate, much better reliability and far less lottery odds based ownership expenditure. I call these the thinking mans Cayenne!
jas xjr said:
Have a quick look at the Nissan elgrand and Toyota alphard. Plenty of examples and options available on ebay.
I keep looking at Alphards; especially now that the mk2 (AH20 I think it's called), are starting to be imported into the UK in greater numbers due to them being over 10 years old. For comfort, space, running costs and general family friendliness they'd be at least on a par with a L322 RR and probably much better. They do fit the OP's brief very well. However I have a sneaking suspicion that somebody who hankers after a RR is not going to see a slightly quirky looking Jap import van as a realistic alternative! Roger Irrelevant said:
I keep looking at Alphards; especially now that the mk2 (AH20 I think it's called), are starting to be imported into the UK in greater numbers due to them being over 10 years old. For comfort, space, running costs and general family friendliness they'd be at least on a par with a L322 RR and probably much better. They do fit the OP's brief very well. However I have a sneaking suspicion that somebody who hankers after a RR is not going to see a slightly quirky looking Jap import van as a realistic alternative!
I have wanted a RR since I was given a lift in one ,around 40 years ago. I have never been brave enough to buy one. I still look at them but could not risk having an unreliable example.Those alphards and elgrands can look quite good with a nice set of wheels. They have made me rethink the idea of luxury. With a fridge and a kettle what else could I want?
Some come with a 3.5v6 or 4 wheel drive,even a hybrid.not sure you can get all those in one vehicle though
Wonderman said:
Because I’m pushing it with the FFRR anything over 5m (no tow bars thx) and I’ll be parking it in the study which would be daft, hence over 5m alternatives are dismissed as per my OP...
Ok that's fair.Something leftfield, Ford Flex. You'd need to import most likely, but a lot of car for the money. They kind of look like a road going Range Rover. Can be had with AWD and twin turbo 3.5 V6.
I've got a 2015 Touareg at the moment. Bought it when it was 2 years old and had 9,000 miles on the clock. I bought mine to drive to work and back (30 miles each way at the time) and cart the dog and bikes around at weekends. At the time, I was looking at Disco 4's and Range Rovers, but decided to be sensible and go for the car with (theoretically) lower running costs.
My honest review is below:
I've done 20000 miles in nearly two years. In that time, it's needed new brake pads (quoted £600 at a VW Dealer, paid £250 at an indie) new windscreen wipers (quoted £50 at VW, fitted myself at £25) a new set of tyres (£500 - full winters), two sets of batteries in the key fobs (£80 at VW) and seemingly endless amounts of Adblue. I fill it with 10l every 3 or 4 months or so. To fill it, you have to empty the boot, lift the boot floor, take out the spare wheel, take out a rubber bung, then unscrew the filler cap. It's positioned in such a way to make filling it without spilling almost impossible unless you have a big funnel.
The heated steering wheel's great and the heated seats are brutally efficient. Stereo is better than my M135i but worse than my Jaguar XJ. The panoramic roof is fun to fully open when you're doing less than 40 and intolerable above that speed. It whistles annoyingly when it's tilted. The seats are comfy, but unless you get the R-Line+ they're manual. This is annoying if you want to share the car with your OH. The gearbox is decent, but sometimes gets caught a ratio too low when you're exiting a roundabout, so you have to flick it down, wait and then it changes. The engine's strong but noisy about about 2,500 revs.
It's the most annoying car I've ever owned, due in-part to never ending selection of bongs and alerts. Yesterday, it alerted me that one tyre was slightly below pressure. 30 psi, not 31. Less than a mile later, it has the same PSI as each of the other tyres. It bongs to alert me that it needs a service in 1500 miles. It bongs to tell you that it needs ad-blue in 1500 miles. It bongs to tell me the key fob needs a new battery. It bongs to tell me it needed new brake pads. In winter, it used to bong to tell me that the tyres were below pressure - presumably because of the cold weather. Two miles down the road, it had sorted itself out. All of these are easy fixes, I appreciate, but it's the almost constant nature of them that annoys.
Each time I leave it, I forget about it. It's not especially efficient (between 28 and 35 mpg) it's not particularly fast, it's not especially memorable and it understeers at the mere mention of a corner. It's a big, comfy 4x4 that has no emotional involvement at all.
Frankly, I can't wait to get rid. Every time I park next to, or see a Disco 4, Disco 5 or a Range Rover (which is seemingly every time I leave my house in this part of Lancashire) I wish I'd bought one instead.
Let that be a moral to the story.
My honest review is below:
I've done 20000 miles in nearly two years. In that time, it's needed new brake pads (quoted £600 at a VW Dealer, paid £250 at an indie) new windscreen wipers (quoted £50 at VW, fitted myself at £25) a new set of tyres (£500 - full winters), two sets of batteries in the key fobs (£80 at VW) and seemingly endless amounts of Adblue. I fill it with 10l every 3 or 4 months or so. To fill it, you have to empty the boot, lift the boot floor, take out the spare wheel, take out a rubber bung, then unscrew the filler cap. It's positioned in such a way to make filling it without spilling almost impossible unless you have a big funnel.
The heated steering wheel's great and the heated seats are brutally efficient. Stereo is better than my M135i but worse than my Jaguar XJ. The panoramic roof is fun to fully open when you're doing less than 40 and intolerable above that speed. It whistles annoyingly when it's tilted. The seats are comfy, but unless you get the R-Line+ they're manual. This is annoying if you want to share the car with your OH. The gearbox is decent, but sometimes gets caught a ratio too low when you're exiting a roundabout, so you have to flick it down, wait and then it changes. The engine's strong but noisy about about 2,500 revs.
It's the most annoying car I've ever owned, due in-part to never ending selection of bongs and alerts. Yesterday, it alerted me that one tyre was slightly below pressure. 30 psi, not 31. Less than a mile later, it has the same PSI as each of the other tyres. It bongs to alert me that it needs a service in 1500 miles. It bongs to tell you that it needs ad-blue in 1500 miles. It bongs to tell me the key fob needs a new battery. It bongs to tell me it needed new brake pads. In winter, it used to bong to tell me that the tyres were below pressure - presumably because of the cold weather. Two miles down the road, it had sorted itself out. All of these are easy fixes, I appreciate, but it's the almost constant nature of them that annoys.
Each time I leave it, I forget about it. It's not especially efficient (between 28 and 35 mpg) it's not particularly fast, it's not especially memorable and it understeers at the mere mention of a corner. It's a big, comfy 4x4 that has no emotional involvement at all.
Frankly, I can't wait to get rid. Every time I park next to, or see a Disco 4, Disco 5 or a Range Rover (which is seemingly every time I leave my house in this part of Lancashire) I wish I'd bought one instead.
Let that be a moral to the story.
300bhp/ton said:
Ok that's fair.
Something leftfield, Ford Flex. You'd need to import most likely, but a lot of car for the money. They kind of look like a road going Range Rover. Can be had with AWD and twin turbo 3.5 V6.
Are they relatively simple mechanically? They do have the look of an LR modelSomething leftfield, Ford Flex. You'd need to import most likely, but a lot of car for the money. They kind of look like a road going Range Rover. Can be had with AWD and twin turbo 3.5 V6.
jas xjr said:
Are they relatively simple mechanically? They do have the look of an LR model
They are built for the Ford USA/N American markets. I'd have thought they would have to be durable and reliable. Ford is a massive seller in those markets. When researching them I've not come across anything bad that I can recall. All reviews seem to love them.The Flex uses components used in other Ford vehicles, so they should be easy to maintain. I'll be honest, I've not owned one or been in one. But they are a car I am personally interested in importing due to what they offer. Which is a fairly unique blend of abilities not offered by many other vehicles.
They essentially have all of the benefits of a 4x4 SUV, but because they are not intended for off roading, they come with none of the downsides a 4x4 has when used on the road.
Plus I do rather like the styling of them too.
A flex doesn’t waft, not even close.
If you keep coming back to the rr, any saloon or estate won’t cut it. As someone already noted it’s not just the lateral space but the cabin height, the driving position is unsurpassed imho.
I would consider a cayenne as well, more car like experience (more go, seating slightly lower down, lighter), similar luxury just in a different approach.
If you keep coming back to the rr, any saloon or estate won’t cut it. As someone already noted it’s not just the lateral space but the cabin height, the driving position is unsurpassed imho.
I would consider a cayenne as well, more car like experience (more go, seating slightly lower down, lighter), similar luxury just in a different approach.
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