blkonblkc55amg

So I'm in the market for a bigger vehicle to use for weekends and family stuff. I've cant seem to get my head off of the Range rover Sports HSE but I really dont know much about them aside from what I've read online (edmunds,kbb,car and driver, etc.) but you really only read negative stuff because only mad people really take time to put up a comment on something. But on the flip side edmunds rated them 4.5 stars and I know that theres a huge base that love them, being that this is a luxury vehicle based forum does anyone on here own one and have any advice on them?

Viper98912

Listening, I was looking at RR Sports as well. It looks like the 2010+ model has a much much nicer interior. Also, I think the new model is coming in 2014.

moosejaw

Ive seen a lot of problems with those vehicles
and they get real real horrible gas mileage.

AMG3.2

I had a Jaguar X-Type 3.0 before I had my C32 and I NEVER had a problem with that. In fact, my little brother now has it and it has been in the family for years and it's always been a solid car. My dad has a Jaguar XK8 convertable and my mom has Jaguar XJ8L and those cars have also always been great. Ford owned the company while those vehicle were in production so their quality control was actually really good. Now ofcourse they are owned by Tata motors, and they have risen to the top of J.D. Power and associates list and are now some of the most reliable and dependable cars on the road. You may ask why I am talkng about Jaguar when you asked about Range Rover... Well they are sister companies. Jag doesn't make SUV's for that reason and RR doesn't make sedans for that reason. 'Till this day, I'm still a huge Jaguar, Range Rover, and Aston Martin fan. Beware of what others tell you about how "unreliable" these cars are. Most have just heard they are and pass around the word. Take it from a person who has three in the family. Goodluck on your purchase if you decide to go through with it!

MAXC55

I have had a 2010 RR sport supercharged for 3 years. It is my winter car so only has 25,000 miles in that time. I have had no issues and love the room and power. I think the 2010 and later years are good quality. Not sure if I have been lucky.

elijah

I drove one for about 4months. I'm a big guy and so are all my friends (all above 6feet tall) and leg room was always a problem. Apart from that never had an issue. Sure gas mileage sucks but its a comfortable ride and I love the way it drives. I was driving the RR Sport V8 SC.

Ken311

I have seen problems with Range Rovers in the past. One friend I knew had a older Land Rover (2003-4) and had so many problems we both lost count. Another friend had a newer Ranger Rover that was either 2008 or 2009 and had fewer problems, but still too many in my opinion. The RR went through a transmission and both front CV joints in a year. Electrical gremlins were the big problem though.

No first hand experience with the newer models but if you do decide to pull the trigger on one I think a warranty is a must buy.

91RS

The Range Rover is the only Land Rover product worth owning, however I wouldn't (at least not without a damn good warranty). I drove one for a week and a few others on a few different occasions and I didn't find the seating position very comfortable. While it did drive nice with new tires even feeling like you're really high up in the air. It just didn't give me that sporty feel I prefer. Obviously, since it wasn't mine I didn't test the off-road abilities! From what I've always heard about Land Rovers, they do break often and parts are expensive. My Aunt has a Disco (which is a POS) and it was in the shop more than she drove it! She actually did really like the thing, but even when she decided to get rid of it she couldn't sell it without giving it away. She ended up trading it in on a Tahoe to get out of it. I've had the pleasure of fixing leaks on a Land Rover, I can't remember if it was a Disco or a RR, but it was a TON of work. As they always say: if a Land Rover doesn't leak, its empty. I know the air suspension can also be problematic. Otherwise, I don't really have any personal experience with them long term.

Why not consider an Escalade though? Cheaper to buy, cheaper to own, and more reliable. They can be had AWD if that's your thing, have 25 more hp than an HSE, gets better fuel economy (and 2WD even better), have a better powertrain warranty, and have 3rd row seating (since you're wanting it for family). I'm much more comfortable driving them and I really like the way they drive.

blkonblkc55amg

So after reading everyones different opnions and experiences with these things its still kind of a love it or hate it kinds of thing. I guess the next question i would have for everyone since we are all car guys and work on our cars often for fun or just taking care of them. Would the "problems/Maintinance" on these cars really as bad is its made up to be? or is it fore the most part just like our AMG cars or european cars in general? I've heard alot of horror stories about the RR but i've also heard alot of horror stories about european cars in general which i dont think is true at all since most of my previous and current cars are european and i've loved them all. My c55(few to no problems at all), my M3's (no problems at all aside from servicing after track days) my old 03 x5 3.0(no problem and traded it in with 210k) as far as the year goes on the range i'm more leaning 07+ models sport HSE non supercharged. I'm not a very tall person 5'8 so i dont feel the need for the full sized range rover, this will be the occasional daily driver just because I've always wanted one and it will help me save mileage on the c55

blkonblkc55amg

Great to hear someones experience actually working on one of these or something similar. I dont really like american cars very much I've always owned japanese or european cars my whole life, I've for a very brief time in my life had a 04 ford f-150 harley davidson edition and liked fine but it lacked the quality feel that you get from european cars and right now the only japanese car we have at the house is a Infiniti fx35(wifes car) Escalades are nice just not really my taste or style a asian guy jumping in and out of one would look kinda funny i think haha

Saaboteur

If you look in this thread:

https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...yesterday.html

I posted a few comments about our experience with our '06 LR3 V8 HSE. Okay, it's not a Range Rover Sport, but the RRS is built on the same platform as the LR3. And there is a world of difference between the Series I and II Discoveries and the LR3/4s. The latter are much improved in quality.

If you are leaning towards a naturally aspirated model, I applaud you. At the end of the day, they are equipped with a large displacement, relatively unstressed V8. The supercharged versions are tempting, very tempting with possibly 500+ hp (MY10+ if I remember right). But - those vehicles are $100k+ new so you have to expect maintenance costs to be on par. If you do mostly urban driving, expect brakes and tires to wear out relatively quickly - it is, after all, nearly 6,000lbs. Even so, comments about fuel economy, brakes and tires are relevant for both naturally aspirated and supercharged versions, just expect even more elevated wear (and replacement cost) issues with the supercharged ones. Oh, I think that some of the high end versions (can't remember if supercharged only) have active anti roll bars. Be sure those are in good shape too and not leaking. Also, remember that if an air spring fails, it's very expensive to replace. The air compressor itself isn't too bad. But roverparts.com has coil spring conversion kits.

I think you will find it a rewarding ownership experience, just go into it with open eyes and not expect Honda Civic levels of running costs.

blkonblkc55amg

Very helpful thanks alot! and yea i agree completely the supercharged sounds fun but not worth they extra headaches it i feel like going fast I have cars for that this will be a family drive around car on weekends and every now and than durring the week. I do do alot of city driving but I also have a 45 minute high way drive every morning to the office. Thanks also for the link to roverparts.com very helpful stuff and sorry to hear about your c32 buddy but glad to see you're ok.

saer1one

Great thread started blkonblkc55amg, just in time to assist me in the same situation. Wife would have a 2010 Range Rover Sport and I am leaning more on a 2008 Porsche GTS. We saw a black/black RRS first hand at a Carmax but did not drive it. Interior looks amazing compared to the older model. Exterior looks Identical with minor updates on headlights, bumpers and tail lights. I haven't found a Cayenne GTS close by so I will be waiting until I find one. Also might be putting the c32 for sale soon since we will no longer be needing it. Not to thread jack but instead of starting a new thread, how about we get some reviews of folks who own/owned a 2008 Cayenne GTS in here if thats ok with you blkonblkc55amg..?

blkonblkc55amg

nah no worries both are really cool suv's i actually looked at the cayenne too for a bit just cant seem to get over the range rover sports awesome looks

Saaboteur

Have you looked at LR3/LR4s? Cheaper than RRSes. Okay, they don't 'look' the part of the whole luxury SUV, but for families, they are great! Lots more room inside - the stepped roof adds an incredible amount of headroom and feeling of space. Also, the only Land Rovers with 7 seater capability are the LR3/LR4s. The LR4s have an updated interior and exterior (colour coded fender arches - but also some late LR3s had these too) and a more powerful motor (385hp vs. 300hp).

The LR2 and LR3/LR4 are labelled 'Land Rovers' and not 'Ranger Rovers' as they are more 'sport', the Range Rovers (Sport, full size and Evoque) are the luxu-barges, not as utilitarian. Depends what you want I guess. However, in my view, the LR4 has moved away from the sport and more towards the luxury side of the scale.

blkonblkc55amg

i havent really though about that to be honest but it may be worth looking into, seeing that are you in canada how does your rover perform in the snow?

Saaboteur

Our Rover got stuck once in very deep snow, but it was on all-season tires at the time. We have winters on it now. No issues since. The sand/gravel/snow mode helps a lot there, softens the throttle response and mapping. Plenty of ground clearance. We live in an urban area though of course, so the major roads are ploughed pretty quickly after a heavy snowfall. The residential areas don't get that attention right away though, so you have to deal with that. Never any problem with that kind of snow. I will be the first to admit that we do not utilize the vehicle's offroad capabilities though, but I did head out to one of those Land Rover experience days once, got to drive other LR3s in some pretty rough terrain. Amazing what they can do.

TemjinX2

why not just lease the car? That way you have warranty if it has any problems. Then after 2-3yrs if you like the car, you can just buy it or return it if you dont.

Accidental L8 apex

This is where I was going to chime in about reliability on an expensive luxury marque, but I've got to go tend to my AMG I bought used out of warranty.

But, are we talking new, because their quality has supposedly improved a ton over years past?

Viper98912

I test drove an 08 Cayenne GTS and I found it to be incredible. I liked it more than the Turbo model. Only drawback is the outdated interior.

blkonblkc55amg

Yea im looking 07+ from what i hear they got better the newer they are. And i dont wanna lease because its alot of money for something i may not like versus buying one thats depreciated already. Expensive maintenance wise I'm more concerned on cost of parts or what i cannot do myself at home which is anything requiring machinery or serious electronics (i used to be a tech for several years)

saer1one

How did it feel..? Power wise..? Comfort..? Did the interior feel solid or loose and noisy..? The 09 Cayenne came with the updated navi which helps out the interior look a bit. Were you looking on buying one or just test drove to see how it feels..?

Viper98912

Power/pickup was very nice and linear. Suspension could be comfortable, or uncomfortably hard based off what setting you put it on. Interior felt solid, but the design still felt dated regardless of the newer nav. I had been looking to buy one at the time but ended up going a different route and didn't buy any suv.

mgiannetto

Here is some real world experience. I own (my wife drives) an '09 RR Sport HSE. We bought it new and it now has almost 50,000 miles on it. The vehicle has been problem free since day 1. We too were concerned about the reliability and maintenance costs from stuff we had heard or read on-line. After much research online we convinced ourselves that the issues were on older models (and as you rightly point out those who are unhappy complain online and those who are happy say nothing). The RR has been a pleasure to own. In terms of gas mileage, we average in the 15's around town and over 20 on the highway (as I recall in the 21-22 range on the open road). It's been in very infrequently for service or issues - as I said basically trouble free.

In terms of routine maintenance, you need to plan on tires and brakes every two years (roughly every 24K miles). These things are heavy and they go through those items quickly. Aside from that, I change the oil every 5,500 miles (always use synthetic) and we've had no other issues.

The ride is good (a little choppy), but overall very nice. It's well made and we enjoy it. My wife would say she "loves" it.

So there is feedback from an owner.

blkonblkc55amg

Great thats exactly what i've been waiting for some personal real world feed back. this has made the decision process alot easier, hopefully next time i post will be announcing my new purchase!