hi folks i recently sold my 2007 sport 2.7 as when towing my caravan i thought it was lacking a little grunt on long uphill pulls and felt i was pushing the old girl to hard .so after a brief interlude using my work ford ranger which is considerably worse and not even a nice place to sit i am looking for another range rover sport (im ruined now ) and i cannot make my mind up which way to go on paper the 3.0 has plenty of power and torque and i can afford an early facelift 2011 - 2012 which i think has a nicer interior but we all know the potential possibility's with the 3.0 (although im of the opinion that for every one that has broken theres thousands that haven't ) . or i go 3.6 tdv8 which as a normal bloke more cylinders has to be better yes. but not many tdv8 have the face lift interior that i want . what i want to know from caravan tow folk is even though the 3.0 on paper is very similar power and torque to the tdv8 is it as capable as a tow car as the v8 .or should i just follow my bloke instincts and go for the v8 with the possibly older interior .thanks for any input

Hi,
you mention the 3.0 any scare stories, what ever you do, dont search for tdv8 3.6 and turbo issues or you will rule every engine out one way or the other

our 2.7 towed the tintent fine, the 3.0 was better and the l494 dynamic 3.0 was better still. try both and see which one you like the best, for the amount of miles you will actually be towing for enjoy the one you like more when your Not towing.

oh and have a go on the lotto just in case no matter which one you buy cos you just never know

 Porsche Cayenne 2022
gone Porsche Cayenne 2020
gone Corris Grey HSE Dynamic 2016
gone Ipanema HSE lux 2010
gone Rimini HSE 2005
!!

Riverblanch is right, every choice will have a downside and ruling each option out will leave you with no options . The best thing to do is look around, see what is available in terms of budget, how far you want to travel to buy and then maybe test drive a couple.

If I were in your shoes, I would opt for a facelift with the TDV8 (from Sept 2009 to sometime in 2010). Like you say though, there aren't many around so it would be a case of searching for longer/travelling further to buy the right one.

Having had the V6 and V8 engines, whilst on paper the performance is similar, the V8 just seems lot more effortless when demanding power. Kev

MY2014 L405 RR Vogue SE 4.4 SDV8 in Corris Grey
MY2010 L320 RRS HSE 3.0 TDV6 in Stornoway Grey

Have towed with several V6 cars not Range Rovers over the years but now have a 2007 TDV8 & must say it is the best vehicle I have ever used for towing brought our 26 foot twin axle van up from Sussex last week absolutely effortless a very relaxed drive, averaged 22mpg.

The SDV6 will tow a caravan very happily. Mine tows a two-horse trailer as if it's not there.

The TDV8 will tow it even more easily and sound good doing it.

The TDV8 does have a history of turbo issues but it's exceedingly rare for that to be terminal, unlike a snapped crank.

The TDV8 is just a nicer engine to drive. It comes with the 6 speed gearbox which isn't quite as smooth as the 8 speed, but the engine doesn't need to change down much anyway. At motorway speeds, the response from the bigger engine is noticeable. It's the old cliché about pulling like a train. As the gearbox is the 6 speed one, you get a gear lever rather than the rotary gear selector dial. I don't think they fitted the 8 speed to the TDV8 in the face-lift.

Drive both and see what you think.

Click image to enlarge

thanks for the input folks .yes a tdv8 facelift would be my ideal choice i dont tow all the time but when i do its usualy a long journey north west Scotland so the sound of effortless appeals to me .i think a facelift is important as i have had the very good older version but if i am spending extra cash i really want something that feels newer from the perspective of the driver and passengers . thanks so a facelift it is hopefully a v8 but i wont discount a nice 3.0

+1 for the TDV8 & facelifted version, a much improved interior IMO. There are actually a fair few around for sale if you don't mind travelling around the UK (it was a 1200 mile round trip to get mine) but as has been mentioned condition is all important.

TBH I would be more wary of very low mileage examples than a well maintained average/higher miles one. Lots of short town/school run type journeys mean it'll never warm up properly which will probably not have helped turbo life, no matter if it's a TDV8 or a V6. 2010 TDV8 - current - my first RRS, loving it so far......
2005 Cayenne S - handling defied physics and what a sound, so sod the mpg!
1995 Disco TDI- surprisingly reliable, shame about the peeling dash & other trim
Lots of other non 4X4's in between times.........

Last edited by Seatown on Tue May 18 2021 9:07am. Edited 2 times in total

V8

I use a Disco 4 Commercial with the 3.0 SDV6 with the 6 speed gearbox for work, towing various trailers up to 3.5 tons gross.

It never wants for anything whilst towing, and although I would love the TDV8 from my RRS under the bonnet, it really isn't needed.

So, whilst the 3.0SDV6 is fine for towing and would more than likely do what you want it to do, the TDV8 is a far better all round experience for effortless performance.

Dave 2010 3.6 TDV8 HSE (Gone)
2011 Discovery 4 Commercial SDV6 (Gone)
1980 OBLIC 4.0ltr Range Rover (went a long time ago)

Just read the recent crankshaft failure post and you will think a V8 is a no brainer