Dear Friends,

I would like to share with you my impressions after almost one year driving my RRS TDV8 HSE. I had the pleasure to drive the car in almost all possible circumstances, summer, Russian winter, urban, interurban, German highways and also quite a bit offroad. So far I did 20.000km and had not a single technical problem except once when I spilled a bit of coke on the gear shifter box. The box had to be removed and cleaned. My strong advice - be careful with drinks in this car, spilled liquid on the gear shifter could stop this thing entirely from working

The overall impression is very good. In all circumstances the car provided comfort, safety and driving pleasure. I did not regret a single moment buying it. This is specifically remarkable in my case since this is my first offroad car - I am an explicit sports car fan and always felt sorry for the guys in those huge bulky "boxes". But the conditions in Moscow forced me to buy an all-season, all-wheater car and I am very happy I chose the Range. Even though when moving back to Europe I am afraid I will change back to one of my beloved onces I think this time it will be the Porsche GT3 RS

My 1 year relationship with the Range includes a lot of pros and some cons. My experience is of course largely subjective and I am sure many of you will have a different view. Most of the points I am sure were discussed here before but it might be still interesting to see what experience others make with your precious car. I am very interested in your feedback and would like to see whether my view matches with others.

Pros:

- very nice and coherent package - comfortable drive under all conditions

- fabulous engine - power and smoothness are terrific. fuel economy is outstanding, sound is great for a diesel. If I want more exciting sound I anyhow prefer a sports car

- unbeatable offroad capabilities. With terrain response, low range and diff locks you can literally go everywhere but for sure far beyond direct competition

- enormous flexibility - probably the most flexible machine you can buy today. You can go seriously offroad and immediately afterwards you can drive 200km/h on highway with the comfort of a luxury limousine - no competitor provides a comparable package

- very nice styling and outside design

- image is fully ok - you dont get the house wife shopping car image like in a Lexus or ML and more importantly you dont get the "I am a careless rude egoist with a serious personality problem" image which you sometimes get in the X5 and more often the Cayenne

- knocking suspension

- cracking/clicking steering delivering virbrations from road

- quality of instruments and controls is totally inapproriate for a car of this price range
this small green low quailty display for audio and phone would even be ridiculous in a Lada. I had the same display on my first school calculator back in the 70ies

- lack of integration of satnav and audio/phone system

- climate system does not keep stable interiour temperature

- moving/sliding driver seat parts

- why is the audio and phone system not integrated with the satnav touch screen like in all other modern cars?

- why does the phone system only show one phone number per phonebook entry?

- why do the external mirrors not fold automatically when the car is locked?

- why does the corner lighening system not switch on at a certain speed and steering angle? Why only when I use the turn indicator?

- why does the park distance control not switch on automatically below a certain speed level?

- why does the trip computer not automatically reset tour data after a certain time has elapsed since the last car usage?

- why is the back seat area almost dark when I open the car?

- why does the satnav screen not simply provide a day and a night setting instead of desperatly and constantly trying to adjust the screen bightness to ambient light level?

- why does the rear wipper start when I pull the wipper stalk instead of cleaning the front windscreen?

- why does the auio system not provide a mute button?

Great post and totally agree with many of your points. For a £50k the dash is not the best but we believe this will be changed later this year along with a few of the other 'cons' you mentioned - we can but hope and wait. 2005 Zambezi TDV6 - Gone but not forgotten
2009 Alaska TDV8 - Gone and much missed.



WINNER - 2009 �Idler Of The Year� Award
Runner Up - 2009 �Just Doing What It�s Designed To Do� Award


DO NOT CLICK HERE!

I also have one year experience with RRS. Since January of 2008 I did 32000 km with my TDV8 HSE. I agree with all remarks Chris made. Even I would like to add one more question for engineers:
- Why does 5th door have not automatic closure/opening? Nearly every time I want to take something from back my hands become dirty
When I was looking for the new car, RRS hypnotized me. I tested RRS and X5. I tested Touareg V10TDI as well

I was going to test Q7, GL, but I “felt in love” with RRS and I decided to stop my selection. And I am still happy. I have British flag in front of my house and when my friends who come to me asking me for that it? I am explaining that I am thanking British engineers for brilliant car I ride.

I am sure the next car will be again RRS.

Last edited by Vidma on Sun Jan 25 2009 9:51pm. Edited 1 time in total

A good honest review of a year of ownership and similar to my own findings after a year with a TDv8 and 2.5years with a TDv6. Same comments about the rear lighting and low rent dash in such an expensive machine, even Mercedes now applies less obviously fake wood on their cars than the RRS has and my fake wood on the boomerangs has dangerously sharp edges like from badly cut tinplate, if I got splinters from it I wouldn't mind so much as at least it would be real wood...........
It will be interesting to see what improvements to quality the Mk2/ facelift version brings. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Agree with everything.

chris@Moscow wrote:

- why does the phone system only show one phone number per phonebook entry?

chris@Moscow wrote:

- why does the corner lighening system not switch on at a certain speed and steering angle? Why only when I use the turn indicator?

Well mine does, in normal driving above a certain steering angle the lights come on, still startles me sometimes  '08 RRS TDV8
I converted my diesel RRS to run on an environmentally friendly mixture of caribou fat and baby seals oil

 
L 405 2013 FFRR 5.0 SC
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WINNER - 2009 �Best Avatar� Award
WINNER - 2009 Comedian Of The Year Award

- why does the park distance control not switch on automatically below a certain speed level?

My guess is that in a traffic jam it would just proove to be a nightmare... beeping everytime a car approches...

- why does the auio system not provide a mute button?

As for that concern, i kinda agreee, but in the end you'd have to push the mute button itself, which is tha same as pushing the sound buttoon & turing off the system...

But thanx for you're report which I can really relate to !  2007 TDV8 Buckingham/Sand (daily driver)
2005 BMW X5 3.0d (for the wife & kids)
2005 BMW M6 (for fun)
2003 Smart Fortwo cabrio (For the city)
2009 Lexus RX400h (sold)
1996 Lada Niva
1987 Golf Mk2 GTI 16v
1967 Fiat 500 L

Early models had the parking sensors come on at about 5mph but this was changed because the the sensors constantly went off. 2005 Zambezi TDV6 - Gone but not forgotten
2009 Alaska TDV8 - Gone and much missed.



WINNER - 2009 �Idler Of The Year� Award
Runner Up - 2009 �Just Doing What It�s Designed To Do� Award


DO NOT CLICK HERE!

Totally agree with all the comments. It's the interior gadgets and lack of intergration that is making me want to sell mine on, and pickup something a little more 21st century!