Range Rover vs LR4

[MTSN]

Thanks for all the input guys. My first desire was the RRSC, and I wanted to get some comfort that it wasn't a completely terrible idea. I've heard just enough opinions to convince me it's definitely not crazy Unfortunately however, my wife just broke her foot in 3 places, and we found out she'll need surgery and to stay off her foot for at least 4 weeks. That means any test drives will be solo, and I don't want to pull the trigger until she has a chance to drive it. I did end up missing out on a local 2011 RRSC with 48k miles for $34k, but I'm sure there will be another before long. There was one in Midland, Texas earlier this week for around the same price and miles with a clean Carfax. I'm certainly not opposed to flying in and driving something home as long as it's within a day's drive.

 

[greynolds]

Unfortunately however, my wife just broke her foot in 3 places, and we found out she'll need surgery and to stay off her foot for at least 4 weeks.

Ouch! Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[MTSN]

Ouch! Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Thank you! I'm lucky - she's extremely tough and wouldn't accept any meds from the dr even though he tried pushing them on her 3x during our visit. She literally took 2 Tylenol the first day and 1 yesterday, so I'm feeling like she's going to power through this.

 

[Davev1954]

Thank you! I'm lucky - she's extremely tough and wouldn't accept any meds from the dr even though he tried pushing them on her 3x during our visit. She literally took 2 Tylenol the first day and 1 yesterday, so I'm feeling like she's going to power through this.

Let her know the anti inflammatories (meds) can actually help the healing process. We call it Vitamin I.

 

[Jwestpro]

I owned a 2014 L405 Range Rover and the options for roof racks that weren't based on using the factory rack were extremely limited. Options for the previous generations are probably different.

The RRC obviously has gutters which opens up lots of options, but that's probably a bit older than the OP has in mind .

I own a 2014 G550 now.

If there are still 6 mount holes in the roof (with the little hinged covers) for the factory rack, then almost anything can be put on top. Most likely you just didn't find anything with a direct mount kit. For example, when the LR3 was new, there was no cool kit to mount it directly but I just used Yakima towers and bars under it in the same 3 sections where the Hannibal cross beam sits. Custom cut the cross bars, drilled for stainless thru bolts, shimmed the front and rear, done. Before I put the full length tracks on top, the front tower mounted right into the factory bolt holes up front. This mount is so easy to remove as one whole unit too in about 5 minutes with two people.

How did you adapt from the plushness of the RR to the G? It's a totally different sitting and ergonomic experience. I've spent several hours in both newer models including the G63 with the AMG sport seats, which I like best. In some ways the G seats don't have nearly as much range of adjustment even for the simple movements like height of front edge of the seat, i.e. tilt + total height. The G is actually the closest sitting and ergonomic comparison to my 2004 Discovery aside from how nice the leather is.

 

[greynolds]

If there are still 6 mount holes in the roof (with the little hinged covers) for the factory rack, then almost anything can be put on top. Most likely you just didn't find anything with a direct mount kit. For example, when the LR3 was new, there was no cool kit to mount it directly but I just used Yakima towers and bars under it in the same 3 sections where the Hannibal cross beam sits. Custom cut the cross bars, drilled for stainless thru bolts, shimmed the front and rear, done. Before I put the full length tracks on top, the front tower mounted right into the factory bolt holes up front. This mount is so easy to remove as one whole unit too in about 5 minutes with two people.

One of the problems with the L405 is the panoramic roof makes things more difficult as there's less width to work with as you need to keep any mounts away from the glass. The little hinged covers are also gone. There's now a plastic trim strip the full length of the roof on each side that would need to be removed (or possibly modified) to gain access to the holes. Two of the items with the factory rack are replacement trim strips with access holes. The other issue with the trim strips is that they're plastic fillers that won't allow you to tighten bolts fully if what you're attaching is narrower than the trim piece as tightening fully will just deform the trim strip. But the bottom line is that it's nowhere near as easy as it used to be.

How did you adapt from the plushness of the RR to the G? It's a totally different sitting and ergonomic experience. I've spent several hours in both newer models including the G63 with the AMG sport seats, which I like best. In some ways the G seats don't have nearly as much range of adjustment even for the simple movements like height of front edge of the seat, i.e. tilt + total height. The G is actually the closest sitting and ergonomic comparison to my 2004 Discovery aside from how nice the leather is.

The G is what I originally wanted when I got the Range Rover. I went with the Range Rover at the time because the V6 was supposed to get "significantly" better gas mileage and I figured the air suspension would make it easier for my elderly parents to get in and out. During the time I owned it, the Range Rover didn't really deliver on the better mileage while the G has been regularly exceeding it's mileage rating and it turns out that the running boards that come standard on the G make it fairly easy for my parents to get in and out. I also had some quality control issues with the Range Rover. Several were there right at delivery and were so obvious that I can't believe they got past checks at the factory AND the dealer - things like the hood wasn't latched on the passenger side which I noticed within moments of leaving the dealership when I took deliver (it took the dealer 2 tries to get it fixed). There was also one issue that concerned me about getting stuck in the middle of nowhere at some point, related to the stupid shift knob that goes down into the console when the engine is shut off for no reason other than "hey look at what we can do", where it sometimes wouldn't pop up when I started the engine. I did like the ride quality and many other aspects of the Range Rover quite a bit, but I'm much happier with the G overall. I suspect a lot of people would hate the G and love the Range Rover - I like both in different ways, but it's obviously a matter of personal preference. If it weren't for the quality control issues, I probably would have kept the Range Rover. Thanks to supply and demand, I lost very little money when I traded it in for the G.

 

[Jwestpro]

G is basically at the top in my opinion. At some point I'll most likely have a G63 or the new turbo 4.0 in the 2016 G550 but it will likely be after 4-5 years depreciation.

You might still have some concerns in the few fancy electronic bits but the body, frame, chassis, suspension will basically last longer than you

 

[Jwestpro]

...The little hinged covers are also gone. There's now a plastic trim strip the full length of the roof on each side that would need to be removed (or possibly modified) to gain access to the holes. Two of the items with the factory rack are replacement trim strips with access holes. The other issue with the trim strips is that they're plastic fillers that won't allow you to tighten bolts fully if what you're attaching is narrower than the trim piece as tightening fully will just deform the trim strip. But the bottom line is that it's nowhere near as easy as it used to be.

.

Ok, I now understand how it would be more complicated. I'm used to customizing things like that now so it sounds doable but obviously not straight forward either. For example, an aluminum spacer could be cut to fit under the plastic trim strip. Next time I have the 2014 RRSC loaner I'm going to check out the roof.

 

[greynolds]

Ok, I now understand how it would be more complicated. I'm used to customizing things like that now so it sounds doable but obviously not straight forward either. For example, an aluminum spacer could be cut to fit under the plastic trim strip. Next time I have the 2014 RRSC loaner I'm going to check out the roof.

Yeah, it's doable but they seem to be going out of their way to make it difficult.

 

[nick325i]

I might be a little late on this one but I've owned and wheeled both.

I prefer the RRSC greatly over an LR3/LR4. Like someone mentioned above, they are just great to drive and I think slightly more capable off-road. With that said, the LR4 does have quite a bit more useable space inside due to the tall, square rear section.

I would drive both, but unless you NEED the extra room/seats I don't see why someone wouldn't pick the RR if price isn't a factor. My L322 (followed closely by my RRC) is my favorite vehicle I've ever owned.

 

[Jwestpro]

Someone should get a NAS 2016 RR TDV6, swap the brakes for smaller euro size that allows the 17", then put on some BFG KM2 in 33". A few aluminum belly pans, hidden winch, custom aluminum rear tire carrier, & few other bits like a hard clam shell roof tent.. The fuel range on that engine would be great for western USA exploring. Even the LWB would be fun set up to haul a ton of stuff inside.

 

[epiccosmo]

After riding/driving all three vehicles that you have thrown out from the LR family in the given generational group I still think the LR4 is the best hybrid of everything and really miss mine.

My take on each vehicle:

Range Rover (2010)
- Interior I find to be ugly for some reason. Don't care for how they have the buttons on the dash
- Ride was just a little too floaty for me, I like to feel connected to the road and it felt like a land barge (I too had a JKUR with 3.5" lift and 35's w/ AEV suspension and it handled tighter than the RR felt)

Range Rover Sport (2012 Supercharged)
- Really wonderful sporty ride of course due to the lowered stance and stiffer suspension
- Seats fold flat in the rear
- If you get the supercharger you will be getting terrible gas mileage due addiction to the skinny pedal and the noise intoxication
- Did feel a little small on the inside even compared to our BMW X5 50i its like you are in a cocoon almost, anyone over about 5'11" in the back seat won't be able to move their head due to how tight the head room is

LR4 (2014 SCV6, did drive a 2011 V8 once)
- Hands down most utilitarian vehicle I have ever used, our 75lb black lab loved the space in the back. We could put luggage up at the front seats with all seats down and he had the whole thing
- Could stick my mountain bike in the back there is so much space (front tire off and standing like it was fork mounted)
- Ride is a little soft, wish it would have been slightly tighter or that sport mode would have stiffened things up somehow like in the RRS
- Really liked the updated infotainment over the 2010/2011 years but wasn't a huge deal breaker
- Took it wheeling and it was actually very impressive even on the stock 19" tires (nothing crazy but I did miss my JKUR due to simplicity and articulation)
- Kayaks fit easily in the back with the middle 2nd row seat folded down and you can still hold passengers in the others with a kayak on top

I have said it before and will say it again, the best vehicle I could ever want would be an LR4 with either the Supercharged V8 or BMW 50i engine with BMW iDrive and Dynamic mode suspension from RRS. Would be the best hybrid of best items from everything I have ever driven or used.

 

[greynolds]

Range Rover (2010)
- Ride was just a little too floaty for me, I like to feel connected to the road and it felt like a land barge (I too had a JKUR with 3.5" lift and 35's w/ AEV suspension and it handled tighter than the RR felt)

That's actually an interesting observation and something I've sort of forgotten about after my relatively brief experience with my 2014 L405 Range Rover HSE. The floaty feel is good in some ways, such as making a long trip a really pleasant experience where you don't get beaten up by all the bumps in the road. On the other hand, I did find it rather unnerving when dealing with things like snow as that floaty feel made it difficult to know if you've got good traction or not. I only owned the RR for about 6 months, but I do wonder if it's the sort of thing one would get used to after a while.

 

[epiccosmo]

That's actually an interesting observation and something I've sort of forgotten about after my relatively brief experience with my 2014 L405 Range Rover HSE. The floaty feel is good in some ways, such as making a long trip a really pleasant experience where you don't get beaten up by all the bumps in the road. On the other hand, I did find it rather unnerving when dealing with things like snow as that floaty feel made it difficult to know if you've got good traction or not. I only owned the RR for about 6 months, but I do wonder if it's the sort of thing one would get used to after a while.

My experience was at a Land Rover off-road gathering up at a ski resort. It was a buddies wife's daily vehicle, the only one that wasn't being used off-road, and we took it down the mountain for lunch. I was in the passenger seat, it was the first time in the vehicle and with him driving but it was an almost white knuckle experience from my POV and I have ridden shotgun in many a vehicle off-road and on a race track.

That being said, we are looking to replace our X5 in the near future and the RR is on the list this time around. I really wish they put the tailgate on the sport model. Something I miss from my LR4 and would dearly miss off our X5 if it was replaced with something that didn't have it.

 

[99Discovery]

Odd. The 2011 I was in was sucked to the road with minimal body roll on cornering at highway speeds. It was on par with the RRS (obviously the orignal MSRP was much higher). The LR4 had the "floatiest" feel on the highway out of the three I've driven.

I wonder what was different between the RR I drove and the one in the above post?