So I recently swapped from a 57 TDV8 HSE to a 10 TDV8 HSE, here are my initial thoughts hope they are of some use to anyone thinking of making the move

+
1. Interior - wow - such a step up. Really feels like a premium motor (even the little clock). Everything just clicks and it's a really comfortable environment for long journeys
2. Refinement - everything feels smoother. The steering, the adaptive cruise, the gear changes.
3. Adaptive Dynamics - oo la la - coupled with paddle shift I never thought a 3 tonne car could be this entertaining (well, I had my suspicions from the 57 plate but this steps it up a BIG notch!)
4. Exterior - looks 99% the same of course but those subtle changes (and those lights!) actually make a big difference, and this is coming from owning the 57 for 2.5 years. I'm also glad that James convinced me to keep the S/C wheels as I have fallen in love... (not with James)
5. TDV8 - does anything more have to be said about this engine? Listen.. if you've never driven it then you will still love the 3.0L V6. You may even love the 2.7 V6. But if you know what the TDV8 is like to LIVE with, day in day out, both spurting around the city and on long journeys... OOOO LAAAA LAAAAAAAAA. Superb. And the sound!
6. Wireless Key - superb. A great implementation and something I was initially very sceptical of! But once you understand that mirrors folding = car locked then it just works so well. Change the setting so that only your door opens when you approach and you are golden.
7. The Seats – big uptick. I have the premium leather so not sure if this makes a difference, but not only are they more comfortable but you now have the added benefit of inflatable SIDE supports both left and right to really hold you in place when hammering it down a Welsh B-road
8. USB – very useful way to manage the music in the car. The 6 disc changer has been (thankfully) left in the previous decade – this is a great implementation and makes it very easy to keep both a large and up to date collection in the car.
9. the reversing sensors now have a different tone for back and rear - this is remarkably useful. The rear camera is integrated with the rear sensors and now shows you in colour (green/amber/red) how close you are to hitting the car - again a much more useful system than the previous beepers only approach
although still a little short of the uber-neat BMW 'graphical radar' system
10. 3 settings on the heated seats!
11. heated steering wheel
12. park heater!


-
1. Sat Nav – still . Still doesn’t know how to estimate journey time. Still takes you on random routes. Annoying bug with the touch screen where you try to touch the zoom buttons but the map re-centres. Really sloppy integration, disappointing they didn’t fix this as it was also beyond in the previous car!
2. Not having the LCD for the music player. Okay the dash looks neater but it’s actually really annoying e.g. you are on the sat nav screen or messing with the surround cameras, now you don’t know what track you are on or how long is left to play. Also difficult to pause the track now (a few clicks rather than one).
3. Bluetooth still doesn’t work with the latest Blackberry.. probably not LR’s fault but isn’t the whole point of a protocol to eliminate compatibility issues like this!?
4. Surround cameras – a missed opportunity. They are gimmicky rather than useful, and the quality is about VGA rather than the HD it could have been. And how easy would it have been to offer a record facility given the sat nav is now running off a hard disk? And a view out of the rear-view mirror (frontwards) with the bonnet in shot?
5. Phone integration – speed dial/quick dial used to have a dedicated knob and was super super easy to use. Now you are manually clicking through menu’s to perform the same task – a step backward.
6. Mode – what the hell does the MODE button do? It appears to just show the different audio sources. You need a whole button and dial for that?!
7. Seat Pocket – there used to be a pocket on the front face of the drivers seat – really useful for gate fobs, car wash vouchers etc – it’s gone
8. Glove box – they are still tiny! This car has the biggest dash on the market and yet the glove boxes (both of them!) are minuscule!
9. Rear Interior Lights – still don’t come on when you open the door!! And no James I don’t buy the “they’re map reading lights” anymore than you do
10. Boot lighting – still awful
11. DAB reception – awful.. are we really going to move to this permanently within 3 years?!


Damn look at that, more negative than positive…. nothing could be further from the truth! This car is INSANELY GOOD. I have never had so much enjoyment from a vehicle and this comes from throwing Lotus Exiges around for many years. It is the perfect balance of refinement, luxury, performance and good-looking motoring!

9.5/10

 ============
2010 TDV8 HSE - ooo laa laaaaaaaaa
2007 TDV8 HSE - superb car and very reliable
============
2012 - dearly departed, sadly missed.. to return in late 2013 with a new TDV8!

Last edited by rrsboy on Wed May 18 2011 7:59pm. Edited 1 time in total

Being mean with 9.5/10!

James

Hey bud,
Thanks for your post. Very interesting to read, but I can put some arguments vs the negatives.

SatNav - indeed very often acts out, but there is actually no bug. I know what you mean what happens when you zoom in/out, you have to be careful and touch the edge of the screen to make sure it actually zooms.
Surround Cameras - I love them (except the front ones because to me they are useless). Bonnet is mor efor a reference point.
Bluetooth - works fine with my IPhone and Blackberry.
Speed dial - ok I see what you mean, but instead use voice command!
Mode button... - will have to see can think of that right now

Off to you! Vadim A.

Quote:

Speed dial - ok I see what you mean, but instead use voice command!

someones actually got it to work

Speed dial by voice command? Yes! It's very convenient  Vadim A.

 RRS gone
Audi SQ5...Gone Audi Q7 S-Line 240 3.0TDI Gone
Audi A6 Allroad Sport 270 3.0TDI

Damn, I knew reading that post was gonna cost me more money!
Top write up though.  2007 RRS TDV8 Stornaway Grey with lots of smiles..
2007 Audi A4 2.0T Cabriolet

Missing - 2008 Suzuki GSX-R 750

to be sure I am loving the new car but I still feel some decisions LR have made are stupid

>SatNav - indeed very often acts out, but there is actually no bug. I know what you mean what happens when you zoom in/out, you have to be careful and touch the edge of the screen to make sure it actually zooms.

In my book that's a UI bug.. no one would ever touch there to re-centre the screen, so when you touch there it should know that!

>Surround Cameras - I love them (except the front ones because to me they are useless). Bonnet is mor efor a reference point.

Ah but imagine if they were high def and recordable! both technically feasible (and simple) and it is a premium motor...

>Bluetooth - works fine with my IPhone and Blackberry.

Depends what blackberry version you have. It works 'fine' with my blackberry on v6.0.0.294 and earlier but that is not the latest version. Upgrade to 6.0.0.480 and your bluetooth will break/only work sporadically. There may be a hack for this but again, shouldn't be necessary...

>Speed dial - ok I see what you mean, but instead use voice command!

Again I want a speed dial that works 100% of the time not 95% like voice

>Mode button... - will have to see can think of that right now

i am still thinking too!! ============
2010 TDV8 HSE - ooo laa laaaaaaaaa
2007 TDV8 HSE - superb car and very reliable
============
2012 - dearly departed, sadly missed.. to return in late 2013 with a new TDV8!

Found your report very interesting as I've only ever known the new 3.0

Re point 9 - your map reading lights - there is a seriously simple mod you can do - will take no more than 30 mins to do, and works perfectly - there are a few write-ups on here to show you how to do it - that may take it to 9.9/10 ! MY10 HSE 3.0 TDV6 : Santorini Black : Ebony Interior w/Anigre wood : Privacy Glass (total) : Sunroof : Sidesteps : Hybrid TV : Detachable Tow Kit : Spare Wheel Cover : 22" Dished Supersports

Couldn't agree more with your write-up, rrsboy

after 11 months in my MY10 3.6 TDV8 ! SOMETIMES YOU'RE THE BUG AND SOMETIMES YOU'RE THE WINDSHIELD

2010 TDV8 Ultimate Edition, zermatt-ebony-grand lacquer, and all the goodies, plus Superchips Bluefin ECU performance upgrade, Gibson Performance exhaust tips

gone after only 7 months: MY10 TDV63.0 HSE, zermatt-ebony-anigree, Dynamic Response, Rear diff-lock, flappy paddles, premium leather, Sunroof, PTI, privacy glass, S/C design 5 Spoke Diamond Turned alloys

I agree love mine apart fro the stupid things that should have been sorted out before it went into production:

1/Music interface should have stayed seperate,really me off having to go back to Sat Nav least they could have done would be an auto return after say 30 secs.

2/Chrome vents which reflect in mirrors.

3/Sat Nav useless.

4/Mode toggle useless.

5/DAB useless.

6/Would have much preferred to keep a 6 CD player.

Everything else superb. MY2011 HSE Santorini/Ivory/Piano Black/Privacy Glass/TV .Sadly gone.
Audi A5 Sportback Black Edition 3.0 tdi quattro S Line

But wait..... Whats that knocking noise??

Mine doesn't knock just rattles much more than my 08 and a brand new AB I had yesterday was even worse  MY2011 HSE Santorini/Ivory/Piano Black/Privacy Glass/TV .Sadly gone.
Audi A5 Sportback Black Edition 3.0 tdi quattro S Line

ChrisP wrote:

Mine doesn't knock

Yet!!!

I am one week into a new RRS after having a 2008 2.7

My comments:

The interior is 1000 times better, now worthy of the price tag
I would urge anyone considering a RRS to seriously consider an Autobiography, you get so much more
I think the cameras are fantastic
The phone system is much improved
Ipod Interface fantastic
Much smoother drive
Keyless entry fantastic as RRSBoy says when you know mirrors folded = locked
Rubber boot liner worth getting
Rear aluminium tread plate should be a must for everyone at only £250, looks so much better than the plastic
Paddle shift - I'll never use them
Heated seats - now 3 temperatures, much better
If you have a HSE I would say at least get the autobiography grille, it looks much better

Only negative I can think of is it doesnt have electric closing tailgate

This car seems so much better than the 2008 2.7 I had, it did cost £20K more but definitely worth every penny and more!!!