Picked up a range rover sport

[robg]

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.

[Alan]

That sounds like a really great review, really glad to hear you are enjoying it to the point you feel it might be a keeper. They really are beautiful trucks both inside and out.

They are making cars so good nowadays it makes it harder to consider getting rid of them.

[clyde]

Glad to hear you're enjoying it!

[wdc330i]

Very nice!

[equ]

Haven't driven the newer RR's, but definitely like the 07 to 13 generation, even with their pork. Nice steering and ride... I can only imagine they have improved by shedding weight. Do you have air suspension?

I also drove their cousin, the F-Pace, a couple of times, found the suspension/steering quite decent, certainly ahead of the JGC and even the Cayenne (comparable to the Macan). The interior felt unfinished compared to RR's though.

[robg]

Originally Posted by equ

Haven't driven the newer RR's, but definitely like the 07 to 13 generation, even with their pork. Nice steering and ride... I can only imagine they have improved by shedding weight. Do you have air suspension?

I also drove their cousin, the F-Pace, a couple of times, found the suspension/steering quite decent, certainly ahead of the JGC and even the Cayenne (comparable to the Macan). The interior felt unfinished compared to RR's though.

The previous gen has grown on me and I think I prefer its interior design with its traditional knobs and buttons along with the nice slabs of wood on the doors. Abysmal gas mileage though due to the weight.


Yep it does have air suspension - which makes it even stranger that the ride can feel choppy at times. Non runfkats as well set to the light load tire pressure setting (55 series tires so not low profile). It must have stiff dampers in an attempt to control body roll. Curious to drive one of the upper level trims with adaptive dampers (though they really should be standard as in the x5)

Agree on the f-pace interior. Hopefully it will get a similar treatment as the refreshed XE which looks much better.


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[lemming]

Looking forward to hearing about the long term ownership experience.

I can’t get myself to trust Land Rover, even in the 21st century.

[robg]

Originally Posted by lemming

Looking forward to hearing about the long term ownership experience.

I can’t get myself to trust Land Rover, even in the 21st century.

Understandably. I did lease this vehicle so it will depend on what you consider "long term". Also it likely helps that this close to the end of the model cycle for the current RRS (although the engine it was brand new for 2019.5).

[FC]

Originally Posted by lemming

Looking forward to hearing about the long term ownership experience.

I can’t get myself to trust Land Rover, even in the 21st century.

In the LR forums it's funny to me to see people complain that their LR4, after 100k miles (especially when bought used with 60k+ miles), needs more attention than their previous 4Runner, Ridgeline, etc.

The LR4 has proven surprisingly reliable (particularly for those who look after it and know what to watch out for), but I did not buy mine with the expectation of trouble-free 15k miles/year for a decade. I knew it would be expensive to run and I knew we'd put an average of <8k miles/year. After 6.5 years and 42k miles, it's doing very well.

It's no cost of ownership value champion, but with my miles, condition, and spec, my car is probably worth $30k+. I paid 60k in 2013, so I will take it.

[lemming]

Originally Posted by robg

Understandably. I did lease this vehicle so it will depend on what you consider "long term". Also it likely helps that this close to the end of the model cycle for the current RRS (although the engine it was brand new for 2019.5).

Leasing seems prudent here.

And yes, I have mostly questions about engine gremlins.