4th Gen TD6 Range Rover - am I crazy?

[MrWiggles]

Hi all,

I am looking to buy a 4th gen Range Rover with the Turbo Diesel (TD6) to commute and to haul a offroad trailer for overland. I love the truck and I love the range.

I am mostly in open desert, and will be hitting lighter trail (Mojave, Joshua Tree, etc.) to find camping. Nothing too crazy so not super concerned about form factor.

Why is this a bad idea? I can’t really find much about the TD6 as regards reliability. Also, anyone purchase an extended warranty on a 4th gen recently? Was it absurd? Finally, what kind of support is there for the RR? I was really impressed with my LR4‘s ability to lift with only a gap tool and rods. Does something like that exist for Gen 4 RRs?

If this is a dumb idea, what would you suggest I get and why? I was looking at both diesel and hybrid RR Sports and even diesel velars.

 

[garrycol]

Why do people assume it is a crazy idea to buy a RR. If you think it is crazy then dont buy it. If you go into a purchase with a negative view you will always have that view and never be happy.

Go an see a therapist to get rid of this pessimistic view and then when cured go and buy a RR with an optimistic view

 

[XJLI]

You should get it.

Anecdotally, I've heard both immense love and insane horror stories about the td6. So, standard LR fare.

 

[KruegerB]

I previously had a 2017 RR TD6 - was a fantastic vehicle. Insanely good gas mileage / fuel range which was really helpful for more remote trips. I had a Gap tool and never even messed around with Rods - you really don't need them (stuck around 1.5 inches above stock). I also added 275/55/R20 Nitto Terra Grappler tires and that was about it. Very capable and never had any issues over the 15k miles I had it. My only complaint is the amount of turbo lag on the TD6 - otherwise I really liked the car.

That said - I ended up getting a 200-Series Land Cruiser due to the more prolific aftermarket support. I've had an LR3 (80k miles), LR4 (75k miles), RR (25k miles) never experienced any "catastrophic" failures that you sometimes hear about. There are quirky issues and the parts are expensive but very trusty vehicles - depending on what we end up doing with the 200, I could see getting another full-size RR.

 

[LR Max]

TD6 owner here.

The engine likes highway and loads which is what I primarily use mine for. In that case, its great. Wonderful driving, great highway power, pulls good. In cold, stop and go traffic is where the diesel begins to falter. Ideally, once a tank of fuel, be driving on the highway for ~30 minutes. This will prevent issues. Oil change evert 8k and run diesel additive through it whenever you can, it'll be good. Change diesel fuel filter every 2 oil changes, good to go. All OEM equivalent filters are available on rock auto.

In sport mode, merging onto the highway, if you put your foot into it, it'll plant you in your seat.

The engine is the Ford Lion engine, which is the same as the F-150 3.0L Powerstroke engine.

DEF refill kinda sucks but be patient and it goes in. The car gives you PLENTY of warning it needs DEF (like, 1000 miles before critical). Ignore that at your peril. Off the shelf DEF is fine, is what I use. (Actually I use the fancy Blue DEF Platinum because I guess its better and always on sale)

Oh and its a modern diesel...not a 1976 diesel tractor you can beat the crap out of because that is what you do. Treat it nicely and it'll reciprocate. These engines have the ability to go for hundreds of thousands of miles (but somehow a crappy old mechanical diesel that is low on compression after 130k is "more reliable" but whatever). Only cold started once (lol just got cold here this morning) and it glow plugged for like, 2 seconds then lit up. I think 10F is the threshold for needed some sort of block heater. But that is normal diesel stuff. (Of course someone is gonna come on here and talk about how they got their whatever diesel to fire up at 0F, I've done it too but the engine was hating life)

Pre 2016, no apple carplay. 2017 first year of apple carplay. 2018 is when faster carplay computers were installed. Ideally I'd look at a 2018 or newer (if possible, but also I'm addicted to carplay now so, personal preference).

Other than that, great setup. Look out for normal luxury car abuse (aka, no maintenance, front end bashed in, LOTs of curb rash on the underside, bent wheels, smoked inside, etc) and go from there. Extended warranty is your friend.

If you are using it for towing, BUY A ROVER WITH A TOW HITCH. You can add one later, but its like $2-3k between parts and labor. Easier just to get one with the hitch installed.

GAP IID tool supports this model. So you can check it and clear codes. Don't know if it'll do a standstill regen, but then again I haven't looked for it.

Overall I think you should go drive it and see what you think. Take care of it and it'll be a good car. Super comfortable. Great highway cruiser.

 

[moose545]

TD6 owner here.

The engine likes highway and loads which is what I primarily use mine for. In that case, its great. Wonderful driving, great highway power, pulls good. In cold, stop and go traffic is where the diesel begins to falter. Ideally, once a tank of fuel, be driving on the highway for ~30 minutes. This will prevent issues. Oil change evert 8k and run diesel additive through it whenever you can, it'll be good. Change diesel fuel filter every 2 oil changes, good to go. All OEM equivalent filters are available on rock auto.

In sport mode, merging onto the highway, if you put your foot into it, it'll plant you in your seat.

The engine is the Ford Lion engine, which is the same as the F-150 3.0L Powerstroke engine.

DEF refill kinda sucks but be patient and it goes in. The car gives you PLENTY of warning it needs DEF (like, 1000 miles before critical). Ignore that at your peril. Off the shelf DEF is fine, is what I use. (Actually I use the fancy Blue DEF Platinum because I guess its better and always on sale)

Oh and its a modern diesel...not a 1976 diesel tractor you can beat the crap out of because that is what you do. Treat it nicely and it'll reciprocate. These engines have the ability to go for hundreds of thousands of miles (but somehow a crappy old mechanical diesel that is low on compression after 130k is "more reliable" but whatever). Only cold started once (lol just got cold here this morning) and it glow plugged for like, 2 seconds then lit up. I think 10F is the threshold for needed some sort of block heater. But that is normal diesel stuff. (Of course someone is gonna come on here and talk about how they got their whatever diesel to fire up at 0F, I've done it too but the engine was hating life)

Pre 2016, no apple carplay. 2017 first year of apple carplay. 2018 is when faster carplay computers were installed. Ideally I'd look at a 2018 or newer (if possible, but also I'm addicted to carplay now so, personal preference).

Other than that, great setup. Look out for normal luxury car abuse (aka, no maintenance, front end bashed in, LOTs of curb rash on the underside, bent wheels, smoked inside, etc) and go from there. Extended warranty is your friend.

If you are using it for towing, BUY A ROVER WITH A TOW HITCH. You can add one later, but its like $2-3k between parts and labor. Easier just to get one with the hitch installed.

GAP IID tool supports this model. So you can check it and clear codes. Don't know if it'll do a standstill regen, but then again I haven't looked for it.

Overall I think you should go drive it and see what you think. Take care of it and it'll be a good car. Super comfortable. Great highway cruiser.

Hey Max,

Saw some of your posts over on the LRF page; great info here. I'm on the fence whether to cancel my Jeep JLU diesel order and commit to and 18' td6 I found. It's a great looking truck and has all the options I want, hitch, color, and unlike the Jeep diesel; it's here in front of me. I knew it was a wait going in, but after reading all of the issue their having and being 5-6k more than I can get this td6 for, I'm starting to change my mind. Another bonus is oil changes aren't ridiculously expensive due to filter cost, unlike the Jeep which is $80-90 per filter. This particular truck was a leased vehicle, then purchased, so 1 owner. Just have to figure out what extended warranty to go with, but I think my mind is made up honestly. Comfort, smoothness, and space all go to the Disco by far. Only thing I'm wanting after that is bumpers, winch, and sliders and I'll be good to go mostly.

 

[LR Max]

I guess it really comes down to what you want.

The main pro with the jeep diesel is tons of aftermarket. So you can do all kinda whatever you want to it to doll it all up. 2nd hand stuff for JLs is coming around so that is nice too. Also great approach and departure angle. Of course its nice for that one day a year you can take the top off. Then you've got the culture, etc. They are good vehicles and stellar off road.

With the Rover, stock for stock, its got a better breakover angle. The air suspension is great for daily use (if you got any short legged folk in the family, they love the air suspension). Trunk space is better than the jeep and so is the towing capacity. Comfort of the rover will be far superior. Rovers are typically better in snow as well (with proper tires). The comfort has me spoiled. Its nice because you can be in the saddle all day and be tired, but not beat up. Our family does a 5 hour one-way trip often and its nice to in the evening and not be white knuckling at the end. I'm still getting used to mine off road but once you get the feel of the car, its great. Coupled with the forever range of the diesel, its nice to not always be hunting a gas station.

Now you got me wanting to just go test drive a JLU just to see whats up. I know the Jeep did a lot to improve comfort on the JL vs the JK. I've bombed around in a stock JK and I can see how people complain about its comfort.

I wouldn't worry too much about maintenance items. Pretty much all filters are made by Mann/Mann+Hummel, Delphi, Mahle, or Denso. So once the info on the OEM supplier is figured out, then that route is the way to go. That is what I got, I've got original manufacturer filters.

I know one guy who just got a diesel gladiator. Loves it. MPG and DEF consumption seems similar to my TD6. I will say, the rover has a bit better range as I think the Jeep fuel tank is smaller (to make room for the DEF tank). Not that it matters. Dang diesels go for like, 500 miles or whatever.

 

[DieselRanger]

I also own a 2017 Discovery HSE Td6, and in Colorado it seems the Td6 engine sold pretty well. TL;DR, this is my first Land Rover, and I could not be happier with it. The vast majority of people I talk to around here who have them, whether in the Discovery or RR/RRS seem to be quite pleased also.

Mine has been rock solid reliable mechanically for 50k+ miles, and as others have said it does best when it's driven the way diesels should be - they like long miles and they like to be worked. They do not do well in short school runs.

The Td6 engine isn't a Land Rover product. It's a joint Ford-Pugeot development, and is the basis for the PowerStroke that Ford put in the F150 for a few years recently, beefed up for heavier towing appropriate for the PowerStroke badge. It's a strong engine and has been around for a very very long time - since 2014 in the US and longer than that overseas. Be careful looking at forums with lot of British and EU drivers - there is an SD4 engine and those had lots of issues. The 3.0L Lion engines were replaced by the 3.0L 300hp SDV6 twin-turbo (Td6 is a variable-vane single turbo) variant overseas starting in 2019, and LR no longer equips any of their vehicles with these - in EU they've gone to a MHEV Diesel inline-six, the D300, and I'm jealous.

What you'll find is that the vehicle's computer is going to tell you that it needs oil changes way early - sometimes in as few as 4500 miles. This is supposedly an indication of reduced viscosity from fuel dilution. Ignore that. I've tested my oil religiously through Blackstone and the oil is fine - never more than 1.5%, and that was at the very first request - since then, it's been zero or trace fuel in oil. For comparison, the computer supposedly requests an oil change when it calculates dilution is at 6.0%. I change it at 10,000 miles or whenever it's due for a scheduled service (16,000 miles) whether the computer thinks it needs it or not. One thing to note is the the factory-spec Castrol that you buy at LR runs thin to start per independent testing; when I run Mobil1 ESP 5W30, it holds up better, but that's not certified under JLR'S oil spec. My local JLR dealer service center now adds additives with their Castrol to keep TBN up. Take that with whatever caveat you like - if the one you end up buying is out of warranty it doesn't matter, just run a low-SAPS oil that's made for diesels with DPFs. The oil filter is right on top of the engine so it's easy to change without a lift - I use the vacuum method with an 8L hand pumped fluid vacuum pump that connects to the vestigial dipstick tube. Oil changes take less than 10 minutes in my garage.

DEF consumption is a thing. None of the diesels I've had in the last ten years has ever gotten the mileage out of a tank they claim to, so par for the course for me - but at least in the Discovery it's easy to fill and DEF is cheap around here. I get maybe 5,000 miles per DEF tank if I fill it to the brim.

Driving - it is a DREAM. Comfortable, quiet, smooth, and it goes forever. What sound does come through is a nice muscular diesel growl till you get into the upper rev range where it sounds a bit rough. Torque for days, climbs anything I ask it to, up to and above 12,000 feet. If you will tow a trailer offroad, definitely get one with the rear locker. With a rear locker, TR2, and low range, these things are unstoppable. Highway mpg without racks or trailer, I get around 27mpg pretty regularly, and that's in Colorado over mountain passes. I've averaged 26.5mpg from Colorado Springs to Albuquerque, made it on one tank with over 1/4 left when I get there. Not bad for a 4800lb AWD SUV....

Doesn't sound like you'll run it in really cold weather, but running some Diesel Kleen through it once every couple months won't hurt. If I know I'm going to the mountains in winter where it will sit outside in single digits F overnight, I'll put some winter formula in there and it always starts right up.

Take note of the service records - you'll see complaints about infotainment, displays, maybe AC not cooling the 2nd row - the latter doesn't usually apply to ones equipped with 4zone climate, and after 2018 ('19 maybe?) they made improvements like a second fan motor and moving the vents from the back of the B-pillar to the 2nd row center console on the standard 3-zone. In my 2017 as long as we keep the zones synced in summer everyone stays comfy and it cools relatively quickly. You shouldn't see a whole lot of problems with transmission, the engine, or drivetrain in general. If you do, steer clear as it seems those end up being problem cars.

Finally, for aftermarket - check out Lucky8 LLC. You can get Johnson Rods for $100 but IMO they're not necessary - they just trick your EAS to stay inflated, you don't gain any ground clearance, and you lose access height, which can be a problem in some SoCal parking garages, if you need to park in those.

Lots of options for 18in wheels out there, and 33in tires fit without any mods as long as you keep width reasonable - 255/70-18 on the D5 will fit and there are lots of options for good ATs in that size. I still run the OEM 20", 255/60-20 or 275/55-20 both fit with no rubbing.