Hi

I'm coming back to RRS ownership, having had an 06 and an 09 RRS, then a 12 Disco4, followed by an SQ5+.

I haven't driven a Sport since my 2009 car, and now find myself with two cars lined up, a 65 plate SDV6 (306hp) HSE Dynamic and a 14 plate SDV6 (295hp) Autobiography Dynamic. Both are the same money, both are Fuji White with black roof, with Ebony interior, sliding pano roof and 21" alloys. The AB has done 30k miles, has the seven seats and the 1700w reference sound system plus the usual AB bits. The HSED has done 23k miles, has the optional diamond finish alloy, and the hi-line audio ( I assume thats the standard system ?).

So the AB is a slightly nicer spec, but the HSED newer and the 16 model updates.

Has anyone owned / driven both who could share their thoughts on the pros / cons of each ? Is the extra 10hp noticeable, or is the overall package of the 16 model that much better ? I'm due to drive both in the coming days.

Thanks alot
Tony Play: '59 VW Kabrio & '90 964
Work: http://www.mustardpost.com

Neither,,go for the V8 diesel,,with the ongoing issues with the failing crankshaft & not being covered by the warranty you could end up with a big bill

Andy. Andy.
21 Ford Ranger
Gone but not forgotten
Focus RS Red Edition
2015 RRS AB Fuji.
2014 RRS SC Santorini
2016 VW Amarok
2014 RRS AB Fuji
2012 RRS Red Edition Fuji
2015 Nissan Navara
2012 RRS SE Santorini
2008 RRS White
2007 RRS Santorino

Good question... just had similar predicament whether to go new 18 MY HSE Dynamic or 16 AB 5.0S... and the big engine won!

I traded a 64 plate HSE Dynamic... interesting differences between both and I think you have to question your usage and time you spend behind the wheel..... Things I miss and things I could not live without if doing the deal again with spec..

Like the AB spec... the additional leather across the dash and leather door cappings make it a nicer place to be...
The visual look of the lower painted skirts again increases the premier feel of the car...

The Dynamic pack is awesome on both cars but only for 5% of the driving you”ll ever do...how often do you drive a car like you stole it to get the benefit....

The reference stereo is great but again it only really comes into its own at slightly higher volumes....above and beyond those that the wife would normally tolerate so in general driving it is also something you could do without. The standard system is pretty damn good anyway..

I do high mileage’s and thus the aids I miss most between my two cars are the fact that my latest car does not have blind spot mirrors.... these are fantastic especially on busy motorways or town driving with motorcycles moving past you on either side,

I also miss the speed limit dash notification which constantly shows you the speed limit of your current location. My new one doesn’t have it and I didn’t realise how much I used it til it’s not there....

Other options that I would not live without are:

Heated steering wheel..... can’t believe i’m Saying that but once you’ve had one you’ll know what I mean,
Heated seats..... the ease that the switching on of these in the 16 plate one is far far better and quicker...
Frontal collision alert....great at spotting cars backing up in front of you at speed...

Things you would never use...therefore don’t spec it...:

Self parking... if you need it you really shouldn’t be driving on the roads today..
Lane control.... useless and you’ll never switch it on


My old car was an SDV6 HSE Dynamic with all the goodies... if anyone is looking for a great cheap and superbly looked after car look at the Beadles Sidcup website... it had high mileage but that was accrued by circumnavigating the M25 daily...so had 66k on it... to show how pampered and stress free those miles where the first set of tyres I replaced at 56k and were still perfectly legal.... it’s cheap because of the mileage but a great way of getting into your first L494... and I properly pampered it....hence why a main dealer is selling it on his forecourt with those miles....

So in answer to your question it depends on your usage and expected mileage may be more applicable for you.... unless your driving style is caning it every day I don’t think you’ll notice the power difference either!

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll do some research on the crankshaft issue thanks Tyrefitter, is that affecting all the SDV6 engines ?
Farmer Chalk, thanks for the detailed info, it's really helpful. I know at the end of the day these are both great cars, and the choice will probably just come down to my personal preference, so hearing others experience is really useful. Most of my regular driving is A road stuff, and my SQ5 tends to stay in dynamic mode for the firmer suspension and better exhaust note, so I may use the RRS dynamic mode more, but both cars have it anyway ! The seven seats will come in useful on occasion with kids friends, but not often enough to be a deal breaker. Same fo the reference sound system.
What's the name of the system that gives you the speed limit dash notification ? I use that in the SQ5 so would like it. I guess it'll not be on the 14 AB ?
I agree completely on the heated steering wheel ! Never thought I'd say that but had it on the Disco4 and loved it on cold mornings ! Timed climate was good on that too - does that come with the InControl system that the HSED has ?

Thanks again, if anyone else has further thoughts they'd be appreciated.
Tony Play: '59 VW Kabrio & '90 964
Work: http://www.mustardpost.com

ASL was certainly standard on RRS up to 2016MY, i’ve never used on on either on the cars I have owned with it, I agree though that the road sign recognition system and the heated steering wheel are things that I really miss on my current car over its predecessors that had them. The Road Sign Recognition system is standard now on many much less expensive cars than RRS - cannot understand why it is still optional on Land Rover products as it is really useful and even better if you also have HUD as the speed limit and up to 2 other warning signs are visible on the edge of your line of sight whenever the HUD is in use. 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

Hi Farmer Chalk.

Just been looking at your car on Beadles Sidcup website. Would it be possible for you to tell me what price did they give you for your car.

Thinking about making them an offer for it

Thanks

Damon

In fairness they were excellent with me and gave £39k for it and reduced significantly what I was buying.... great car and it was originally ordered for the Beadles Chairman who ran it for 6 months .... hence why it has most options on it!

I would definitely buy it over others as I am very fastidious and looked after it! To confirm it was Lv64LYP....


Back to the original post .... the RRS is an awesome car but be prepared it’s not as practical as the D4 but considerably smoother and significantly faster! I love mine!

As I understand it , the approved used warranty will not cover the crank snapping as the warranty is with a 3rd party who rightly say it is a manufacturer issue and thus exempt , however LR will stand the full cost within the two year warranty period providing it was you who purchased the vehicle . The only time a problem arises is if the vehicle is sold on during the warranty period with the warranty transferred to the new owner , in that situation LR will not cover it . So providing the OP is buying off LR he should be worry free for two years .
I hope as the 306hp came after the LR notice on the crank bearings issue that they resolved the manufacture error and thus these engines will be fine , hopeful thinking on my part as I have a MY16 !

But that is one of the problems too, JLR haven’t said if there have been any modifications to later production engines - it would be re-assuring if they would make an announcement that cars after a certain VIN/ production date have a different design crank less likely to suffer the problem. I would go immediately and cancel my new car order and either keep my current car longer or replace it with another RRS and happily forgo the £1000 nonreturnable deposit I have paid. As it is I am not prepared to take the fight to LR for a “discretionary” replacement engine should the worst happen. 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

Totally agree , would put a lot of us at ease

Thanks Tim, ASL is fitted to both cars according to the dealers. The heated wheel ... only on the AB !

Chips, thanks for the info on the crank warranty, what you say makes sense, I'll ask the dealers today ( though I suspect it would have to be taken up with LR themselves).

I'm driving the AB this morning, so that will help and the same dealer has a 65 HSED which I'm going to ask to drive too to compare the two.

Thanks
Tony Play: '59 VW Kabrio & '90 964
Work: http://www.mustardpost.com

The only thing i would add is I have the MY16 which has the standard stereo system and I think it’s a real disappointment and regret not getting the Meridian system. I had stupidly made the assumption that these days even the basic system is quite good in a modern (and very expensive) car and of course it costs thousands to upgrade the ICE. 2005 RRS First Edition Supercharged
2015 BMW M4

I've got the standard system in my HSE MY16 and I thought it was pretty good - couldn't spot a massive difference vs the wife's Disco 4 with Meridian. Although at this price point you'd have thought it would have been standard...

Robmeister - saw you have a M4 - the standard stereo system in my old F80 M3 was utterly awful.

IIRC in 2016 MY LR reduced the spec of the base / standard issue from Meridian system to an Alpine head unit with Meridian speakers but following lots of complaints about the poor quality of the sound 2017MY quietly returned to a fully Meridian 180w system. I had the Meridian 825w system that was standard in both the Evoques I ran and it was fantastic, I have the 380w Meridian that was standard fit when I bought my SDv6 HSE D and it is pretty good too but I see now a lot of JLR cars are getting a pretty crap 180w Meridian system with only 9 speakers and the 380/825w systems have become very very expensive optional extras and now the Premium 1700w surround Sound Meridian system has been priced to some ludicrously high price. 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

I have the reference stereo in my 16 plate AB.... nice to have but I would certainly not spend over £4K on it as an option....
Fortunately my car is an ex JLR management car and it was specced previously by staff who clearly didn’t have to pay with their own money!