Range Rover (L405) - experiences?

[Robbo]

Has anyone got one of these, or owned one? Interested in any thoughts or experiences.

I've always had a soft spot for the L405, ideally in Autobiography trim. It would be an interesting change from my 7 Series - although as I've said before, I do really like it. However, it's been sat at BMW for a month now waiting for parts!

I'm well aware of their complexity so it would have to be a Land Rover approved vehicle with the warranty - but I'd always want a manufacturer warranty on any car I buy at this sort of level.

My understanding is the 4.4 V8 diesel is the one to go for as it has active anti-roll bars and corners/drives better. I have tried both and the 3.0 V6 did seem more of a boat.

The 2017 update brings a bigger screen and 2018 brought a completely new screen setup, not sure if there were other significant changes at that point. Would likely be looking at a 2018/19, but wouldn't rule out an earlier one as they still deliver the same sort of experience.

 

[Robbo]

Buy on condition/history and as you rightly suggest, get a warranty.

In general, the biggest issue with the L405 is finding someone willing to insure you at a cost you're happy to pay - and then finding another one when it is stolen from you. When I was shopping around, one specialist insurer told me they'd stopped writing new business for them due to the roughly £1m/month they were paying out in theft claims on them. I had an email from Aviva the other day advising that there's been an uptick in the number of SUVs stolen recently, especially in London, which will make it even more tricky.

I have looked around a few at the main dealers and they are a mixed bag. You can tell some have been used to ferry lots of dogs around and haven't been cleaned very often, or at all...!

Thank you for mentioning the insurance, I've just requested a quote from Direct Line (who are very cheap on the 7 Series) and they won't even quote me! Hastings via Compare the Market are approx double the price I pay now, which is a bit of a pain.

Find a good dealer, even if not the closest to you, and buy from the main dealer network so you get the 12 month JLR warranty.

The JLR dealer network and general customer experience is some of the most shocking i've ever experienced, oh and after the 12 month JLR warranty ends the product they sell you, as equivalent, turned out to be not worth the paper it was written on.

I haven't heard many good things about their dealers, fortunately one near me has a pretty good reputation.

 

[Robbo]

If you think the BMW situation is bad, just wait.

In fairness BMW have been very good, they arranged a more than acceptable replacement car within 48 hours of the issue arising. Can't complain.

Land Rover's reputation isn't the best, but they have a customer base of reasonably well off people who won't tolerate much nonsense, and the Range Rover owners I know all seem happy enough.

 

[Robbo]

Judging by how often I see a different RR in our office car park from our M.D’s regular car I can only assume it spends a lot of time at the dealer getting fixed….

Crap image in general, poor reliability, ridiculously expensive to insure, very expensive to buy in the first place…

Why would you entertain one?

What's wrong with the image? At least where I live (in the countryside) it's mostly farmer-types in them, or older people. You can apply stereotypes to anything.

People who actually own them seem fairly happy with them reliability wise as far as I can tell.

As for why anyone would want one...

They have a unique driving position and cabin design that makes them a nice place to be, there's nothing quite like it. Cars like the X5 don't have the same feel at all.

I personally think they are a very good looking car, large and square, but also an element of sleekness too. A very elegant design, inside and out.

They can act as a motorway cruiser like an S Class or 7 Series, but are equally at home down rough country roads (and capable of far more). They are hugely practical too, when needed.

I want a large luxurious car that can act as a mobile living room. My 7 Series does an excellent job of that, but a RR might do it even better... albeit more expensively.

 

[Robbo]

@Robbo did you end up getting one? I'm looking at them now. Love my M3 but I'm at an age now plus with dog/family I'm looking into caravans and the M3 is not exactly luxurious when I make my trips to my main client in Cheshire.

I nearly did, I found a very nice British Racing Green facelift model and almost went for it, but I've ended up in another 7 Series again (a G11 LCI 740d xDrive). I'm not really needing the practicality element and I just feel more familiar with BMW. The 7 is perhaps slightly less comfortable, but it's nicer to drive when pressing on a bit. This is my third 7 Series so I should probably declare myself a fanboy now!

The considerations are reliability, of course, but I came to the conclusion they're fairly solid if you get a decent example. Insurance is annoyingly expensive, although for me it wasn't too bad - around £1600 whereas the 740d is about £800. I don't think warranty costs are too bad (for this sort of car) and I'd want to keep that running. Whether it's as good as BMW's I can't really say. I wasn't overly impressed with the Land Rover dealers I dealt with (many are Marshall), but some seemed ok. Have your wits about you when buying them as most Land Rover dealers are happy to sell them with part service history.