Hi lads,

Hoping that my CLS will be sold soon so it'll be time for my first RR. Been keeping my eyes peeled for a MY06 TDV6 RRS (hse) around the 80k mile mark , but I've seen a few early TDV8 (vogue) FFRR's around the 100k mile mark for the same sort of money.

I've driven an SE spec TDV6 RRS and thought it was quite nice, could do with a good look around a HSE though. I've not driven a TDV8 but heard plenty of people on here raving about the engine itself. It is looking that a TDV8 RRS is a little bit out of budget unless I go for one over say 130k miles which I don't fancy doing.

What would you guys go for between the RRS and FFRR in question, and why?

Any help or advice about either would be greatly appriciated.

Thanks  Current: 06 RR Sport HSE TDV6, Bonatti grey, black leather. Defender 90 pick up. Vito 110cdi

Previous: Mercedes CLS, BMW 330cd M sport, Nissan 200sx, Impreza STi, EP3 Civic Type R

Alan Partridge:

"{Alan is out test driving a Range Rover with a car salesman}:

Alan (Voiceover): I’m halfway through my Norfolk Odyssey, but if you’ve just joined us, it’ll still make sense. Kids like to go to the zoo, but the beasts I like to look at are made from zinc galvanised steel. They’re cars.

Alan: Good morning, computer. Can you synchronise the dual temperature controls? Computer, can you synchronise the dual temperature controls?
Range Rover Salesman: You know it’s not voice-activated?
Alan: Well, why did you let me say it twice?
Range Rover Salesman: I thought you were joking.
Alan: I was.
Range Rover Salesman: Twice.
Alan: Twice.

Alan (Voiceover): The next places of my life are Norfolk’s 20-plus car dealerships, and whether you buy British or you have a short memory and are happy to buy Japanese, there’s a car for everyone.

Range Rover Salesman: You’ve got options, so if you want to drive a fully automatic and let the car do the work, you can do that. If you prefer semi-automatic, knock that to the left. And then use the paddles either side of the steering wheel. Right-hand side, up, up, up. Left-hand side, down, down, down
Alan: It’s a paddle shift.
Range Rover Salesman: Like you can on a motorbike.
Alan: It’s a paddle shift. I was thinking of test-driving the turbo-diesel…
Range Rover Salesman: This is a turbo-diesel.
Alan: I know. Not let me finish. The turbo-diesel V8 in this model.
Range Rover Salesman: In the full-size Range Rover.
Alan: No, in the Range Rover Sport.
Range Rover Salesman: Yeah, the TDV8′s been discontinued in the Sport. You can still get it, but it’s only in the full-size Range Rover.
Alan: That’s annoying.
Range Rover Salesman: It’s funny how many people seem to assume that the TDV6 would lag behind the TDV8.
Alan: Is that funny?
Range Rover Salesman: When actually, the increased power output of the TG-
Alan: TG? TGV8?
Range Rover Salesman: TDV6.
Alan: TGV8. Now, that is funny. Sorry, you were saying.
Range Rover Salesman: The TDV6 has got increased power output which means that the difference between that and the TDV8 is negligible really.
Alan: Yeah, but the TDV6 doesn’t have the sound of the V8. (MAKES SOUND OF ENGINE ROARING)
Range Rover Salesman: Still, if you want to go off-road off course, that’s child’s play as well. Previous models would have had a differential lock. That’s all taken care of now. A thing of the past.
Alan: Well… still got a differential lock.
Range Rover Salesman: No, it’s automatic these days.
Alan: Well… But it’s still got a diff lock.
Range Rover Salesman: I’m saying that it doesn’t have the lever any more.
Alan: Yeah, well, it may not have the lever but it’s still got a differential lock. It’s just deployed electronically.
Range Rover Salesman: Whereas it used to be manual.
Alan: Yeah, manual or automatic, this car has got a differential lock.

Alan (Voiceover): I later discovered this car does not have a differential lock, but actually uses a traction control system where a spinning wheel is braked by an on-board computer, so effectively we were both right.

Range Rover Salesman: Still, there’s peace of mind in knowing that if you do want to go off-road, she won’t let you down.
Alan: He. I’m not driving a girl. (CHUCKLES) ============
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!

Although it does have a diff lock...so he was right after all!  2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Yes Alan was right about the diff lock and that was an entertaining clip to watch

But it doesn't really help me  Current: 06 RR Sport HSE TDV6, Bonatti grey, black leather. Defender 90 pick up. Vito 110cdi

Previous: Mercedes CLS, BMW 330cd M sport, Nissan 200sx, Impreza STi, EP3 Civic Type R

Depends what you really want/need out of the car. Neither handle spectacularly well, but the RRS is much better in the twisty stuff than the FFRR. If you want to waft along then IMHO the FFRR (of the age and period you reference in your original post) is a far more luxurious place to sit in comparison to the RRS, where the cabin can be a little plasticky in places. The TDV8 is great in the FFRR - doesn't make the same noise as in the RRS as the exhaust is more 'silenced' but pulls like a train all the way through to 3 figures...
That said, having had a TDV6 RRS HSE I found that engine to be perfectly adequate.

When I was changing my 55reg RRS HSE I had a choice between a TDV8 RRS and a TDV8 FFRR Vogue (Both 2008MY). Having sat in both I knew that the cabin's were miles apart in terms of quality and fit and finish. I also was not so bothered about cornering ability - the FFRR has some, but it is not as accomplished as the RRS - as the majority of my driving is on the motorways and small local roads where you cannot really 'push on'. The final factor for me was that the FFRR had lower miles and was cheaper

In summary, do I miss my RRS - yes, it was a great car, but I don't miss the plastic, creaking cabin. For me the FFRR was more suited to my needs and expectations - it has an improved cabin, the TDV8 engine, courtesy lights which come on in the back of the car when you are loading your kids in and out (there is a mod to make this happen in the RRS - check out my gallery) and generally there is more space.

If you have the funds/desire to lose loads of money in depreciation then the new RRS models are much improved in terms of interior fit and finish and the new SDV6 engines perform very well, but you need to spend a lot of money to have this parked on your driveway at night.

2 totally different beasts

The TDV8 FF drives much "bigger" than the sport, so if you're loking for a bit of driver involvement then stick with the smaller car, if you're happy wafting along then the FF is your man.

The TDV8 has the nicer engine (imho), much quicker off the mark and sounds just great, and driven correctly will return nearly as high an mph as the V6.

The TDV6 will be heading for a cam belt service (biggy) so either check if these have been done or build that cost into your bargaining.

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

Last edited by awd man on Tue Aug 21 2012 10:00am. Edited 1 time in total

When I was looking I test drove both (by accident the FF was listed as a RRS ). In my opinion -
FF was a much nicer inside but I didn't like the 'wallowy' drive and far prefer the sport. Neither is a car to be driven like a sports car though, I just found the ride of the RRS much more to my taste........... 2011 Autobiography Santorini Black

you might want to expand your question to include "does the car include dynamic response?"

this is perhaps one of the greatest additions ever to (some) RRS and really makes them handle in a physics-and-common-sense-defying way

 ============
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!

Thanks for the responses guys, they are greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately the FFRR I've driven was only a TD6 and I didn't get much of a to test the handling much but I did notice it to be a little soft, but I guess this is to be expected from a large 4x4.

Driving the RRS really surprised me in terms of handling, going straight across on a roundabout for instance didn’t involve a boat like swaying from side to side as it did in the FFRR. I was genuinely impressed that it didn’t corner on its door handles.

I've grown to enjoy wafting along since after owning the CLS, which is where I'd swing towards the FFRR. But I like to be able to press on a touch if I am in a hurry, I guess this is where the scales would tip back in the favor of the RRS.

I hate being so indecisive

I wouldn’t really want to spend the extra on a newer lower mileage model, time’s are hard so I don’t want to be looking at potentially losing a lot of money on something newer. Current: 06 RR Sport HSE TDV6, Bonatti grey, black leather. Defender 90 pick up. Vito 110cdi

Previous: Mercedes CLS, BMW 330cd M sport, Nissan 200sx, Impreza STi, EP3 Civic Type R

I used to be the biggest FFRR fan... Have had 3 of them... When my Volvo XC70 was burnt out at an airport in Nov last year I found a 2010 RRS TDV6 in Italy with the new interior.

and...

As much as I hated the old plasticky RRS interior I must confess I am a sucker for my RRS new interior... New RRS interior has fewer buttons than the FFRR. (2013 FFRR will be more similar to my RRS though). I even find the RRS more good looking than the 2010 FFRR on the outside.

My friend bought a 2010 new interior TDV8... In average he uses 50% (!!!) more diesel than me.. He has 272hp.. I have 245hp... However I have a bottle filled with water and a straw to make the bubbly V8 sound and then rip money and throw out the window and we are equal.

TD6 and TDV6 is COMPLETELY different animals. TD6 is more similar to my old 1995 FFRR 2.5 DSE (BMW engine). RRS 2010 TDV6 HSE Santorini Black
Volvo V60R D5 2011 Black
Jaguar XKR Cab 2002 Blue
Polaris Ranger 800HD Green
John Deere 6430 Premium 2009 IVT, GPS, Very green
Volvo L30B Pro 2012 Yellow

CeeJay4Fun wrote:

However I have a bottle filled with water and a straw to make the bubbly V8 sound and then rip money and throw out the window and we are equal.

I've been deliberating over both this week, I need to have a good look around a TDV6 RRS HSE I think, this will probably be the more sensible choice as I can imagion it being a touch better on fuel and also much cheaper on tax. It's only fair to give a TDV8 FFRR a good look over as well so I can get a good comparrison. Current: 06 RR Sport HSE TDV6, Bonatti grey, black leather. Defender 90 pick up. Vito 110cdi

Previous: Mercedes CLS, BMW 330cd M sport, Nissan 200sx, Impreza STi, EP3 Civic Type R

Same tax band L (226 - 255)