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robg · 02-24-2020, 05:56 PM

Per carmudgeons tradition, figured I'd post impressions after a few months.

Overall, my initial likes/dislikes have stayed pretty much the same though the annoyances with the infotainment have faded as i've grown used to its idiosyncrasies while my annoyance w/ the low speed ride quality and transmission behavior have grown. Like all ZF 8 speeds i've been in, the 1-2 and 2-1 shifts are a little jerky and around town it starts to get annoying. I'd say its smoother than my 528 was, but maybe slightly jerkier than the x3. Hard to avoid this transmission these days though. Not sure why all the journalists foam at the mouth about it. I see why automakers like it (allows for better 0-60 numbers and highway fuel econ) but in terms of drivability I think the previous 6 speed was better. Interestingly, there's a "drivability" update for the transmisison software available. So next time i take it in, i'll ask to have that done. Maybe it'll help.

Also, this car has more "road feel" than you'd expect. Like the chassis and steering wheel telegraph all the little road imperfections. I mean, it's kinda cool that they managed to engineer steering feel into a heavy SUV w/ an electric rack + air suspension but also a little incongruous. Maybe BMW and LR should swap chassis tuning depts. Tradeoff is that it handles well for its size and i always have a lot of confidence placing it on the road. Even our much smaller X3 didn't quite give me that feeling. My wife shares neither of these observations (she finds the transmission and ride quality to be very smooth).

This car has started to get under my skin though. It looks great, and i love being in it (so comfortable and such a nice interior). Build quality continues be solid too (no squeaks/rattles). Great visibility. So quiet that my wife, kid and her brother all fell sound asleep on a road trip yesterday. Adaptive cruise and comfortable seats made easy work of the trip for me as well. Got stuck in extensive stop and go traffic and was so nice to just let the car do the work. Keeping a bunch of seltzers cool in the center console fridge was a nice bonus too.

Im starting to have FC-like fantasies of maybe keeping a LR around in some fashion. In my version of the fantasy I'd pickup an older V8 powered version of the sport (with extended warranty) when the lease is over and hold onto it. Who knows.

02-24-2020, 05:56 PM	#21
robg Carmudgeon Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 3,247	Per carmudgeons tradition, figured I'd post impressions after a few months. Overall, my initial likes/dislikes have stayed pretty much the same though the annoyances with the infotainment have faded as i've grown used to its idiosyncrasies while my annoyance w/ the low speed ride quality and transmission behavior have grown. Like all ZF 8 speeds i've been in, the 1-2 and 2-1 shifts are a little jerky and around town it starts to get annoying. I'd say its smoother than my 528 was, but maybe slightly jerkier than the x3. Hard to avoid this transmission these days though. Not sure why all the journalists foam at the mouth about it. I see why automakers like it (allows for better 0-60 numbers and highway fuel econ) but in terms of drivability I think the previous 6 speed was better. Interestingly, there's a "drivability" update for the transmisison software available. So next time i take it in, i'll ask to have that done. Maybe it'll help. Also, this car has more "road feel" than you'd expect. Like the chassis and steering wheel telegraph all the little road imperfections. I mean, it's kinda cool that they managed to engineer steering feel into a heavy SUV w/ an electric rack + air suspension but also a little incongruous. Maybe BMW and LR should swap chassis tuning depts. Tradeoff is that it handles well for its size and i always have a lot of confidence placing it on the road. Even our much smaller X3 didn't quite give me that feeling. My wife shares neither of these observations (she finds the transmission and ride quality to be very smooth). This car has started to get under my skin though. It looks great, and i love being in it (so comfortable and such a nice interior). Build quality continues be solid too (no squeaks/rattles). Great visibility. So quiet that my wife, kid and her brother all fell sound asleep on a road trip yesterday. Adaptive cruise and comfortable seats made easy work of the trip for me as well. Got stuck in extensive stop and go traffic and was so nice to just let the car do the work. Keeping a bunch of seltzers cool in the center console fridge was a nice bonus too. Im starting to have FC-like fantasies of maybe keeping a LR around in some fashion. In my version of the fantasy I'd pickup an older V8 powered version of the sport (with extended warranty) when the lease is over and hold onto it. Who knows.