First drive 2007 Range Rover Supercharged

So we have made the descision to buy a practical car before we buy any super cars, with the idea of it being a non daily driver for mostly bad weather days. and with that in mind we went and test drove the 2007 range rover supercharged. My first impression is "wow I love it" but now its time to get the shopping part done. first off does anyone own one if so how has ownership been, how do you like it. ive seen alot of talk on here bout the porsche ceyanne we ran out of time and didnt get to test drive one of those. for anyone whos driven both do you have any reasons to choose one over the other?

now for the test drive.

I love the low range transmission and all the options such as locking the center differential. the driveline is simply amazing. accelleration is very nice, the huge brembo brakes make stopping actually decent for something 5400lbs. we loved the heated and cooled seats, along with the heated rear seats very nice option. absoulutly loved the 3 levels of ride hight you can select. the adaptive headlights are a neat option something ive not has the priviliage of seeing in action up till now. fit and finish were amazing no squeaks or rattles even over the washboard 30degree slant then 30degree up and down slopes on the test track, id be interested to know if that keeps up or if it will be all rattles in 20k miles. it has a backup camera which is nice for maneuvering with confidence. and the handling was far better than I expected for an suv, we drove a new mercedes ML before we made the choice to buy the bmw 3series, and were not impressed it had horrid body roll and the transmission, brakes, and steering left alot to be desired. the range rover had none of that. and the steering gave great feedback all in all too many good things to list.

now some cons, we went on wrecked exotics.com and man out of every range rover in an accident on there almost all of them flipped and the A pillars seem to crush a whole lot way more than I would like. more than enough to be killed on impact. (im not sure any suv is any better in this department) other than the rollover fears the only other negative thing i can see is just the size of it, as im used to smaller cars. I dont fear the big ones but they are more akward to park and see out of, not to mention the problems with seeing small low cars while driving. and not being able to fit in those tight places on the highway.

anyhow lets hear your thoughts on owning either the porsche or the rangerover supercharged. or if you dont own either just any thoughts in general . keep in mind were not going to be commuting to work in it except for on bad weather days .... well thats the plan anyhow I dont know though when I get it I hope I have the willpower to resist driving it.

 

A friend of mine has the non-supercharged version and loves it. I think it looks better than the Porsche hands down.

 

now my question is, why leave bmw?

Test drive the 2007 X5 4.8i

 

Does depreciation scare you?

 

that is another downside the one we were test drving cost 95k we did find a 2006 used at prestige for 62k 1 year old 30k depreciation. maybe a good idea to look at a used one, havent looked at the x5's at all are they really competative in this class of suv's ? does the bmw have the low range transmission ?

depreciation aside we like the looks of the range rover the best. but obviously we will buy whatever makes the most sense. looks are secondary to functionality.

 

I have the SC RR about a year now.....I really Like it, at first I had my reservations, My wife wanted it....I commute on raw days in it. I cannot find fault with it and I looked hard...Yes depreciation must be steep, but this car will still be admirable in 5 years so amortize your thoughts.
Most impressive is torque whether its just me or a fully loaded car the uphill acceleration does not care..Whoooosh!!!.the aston martin trans is superflous.ride height goes back to norm from high or low as soon as you hit 30, wish it would stay down...20" tires make this car much more stable on highway cloverleafs.Fit and finish is prince charles all the way, only had 1 return to service other than oil change..faulty suspension hydraulic....I got the black / black..think its the best combo...although the pewter is maybe nicer when clean...just cannot find anything to dislike....I thought the 4.2 engine was undersized litre wise as downshifting causes no braking action at speed...thats about it!

 

A lot depends on your needs for "functionality" in an SUV. The RR will be MUCH more of an off-road capable vehicle than any BMW, but that doesn't mean much if a Wal-Mart parking lot is the roughest terrain your vehicle ever sees.

 

thanks for the feedback.

the color we like is the silver with the navy seats/ parchement piping. we do plan to use this thing on the road in the snow etc... in maryland they dont plow the snow off the road they just salt on top of 6 or 8 inches of snow turns that into slushy goo. granted the rangerover is overkill but it will see more nasty roads then the soccer moms.

 

If your RR plans to see a steady diet of snow, I'd recommend getting a set of more aggressive snow tires for it.

 

They do make some Majestic color combinations...that one is nice, that interior will keep you Giddy for years.
BTW...I dont think a more capable off road car exists, maybe the H1...but this thing has a hidden suspension setting...if you should get hung up on a rock, the a arms will drop an extra 2 inches just to get you out...some how I engaged it on flat ground and you need a ladder to get in it...very cool.

Will need more aggressive tires for any serious off road work...even back to 19"

 

My dad got my mom a Cayenne S in 2003 and she drove it for a year. It sucked.


After that ONE (hell-like) year, it was traded for a 2004 Range Rover HSE. The Supercharged was not oout at the time so I can't compare to it. Our Range Rover now has 43k perfect miles. No squeeks or rattles. It is absolutely the best SUV out there. It's also very classic and will remain elegant forever. We had a '99 Range Rover also up until a few months ago and it too was a great car-- and it got better with age. I can only assume the new one will follow suit.


-Joe

 

I hav a non SC 2005 RR. It lived in the shop more than my garage. It had the differential failure and left my wife and son stranded on the highway when it had 36K miles. If you research ( I think it is Landrovers.net). My service manager told me that at least 30% have the diff. fail unexpectedly... When I finally had enough, I tried to trade it in on the new Sport hoping most problems had been fixed. The dealer offered me below book value in trade and would not sell the Sport below list. The new ( 2006 and newer) may be more reliable but I doubt it. We recently purchased the MB GL450 which I think drives circles around the RR and is not in the dealership every other wee.

 

what sorts of other problems was it having besides the differential? did you give it any off road duty ? or tow with it ?

 

are they still using the good 'ol rover V8 that was in the TR8 and (I think at one point) the TVR?

 

If you don't need the status of the RR, a Jeep Grand Cherokee will do just about everything the RR will do on and off road for a fraction of the cost. The 5.7 Hemi has impressive performance while maintaining off-road capabilities. If you need more performance and don't venture off pavement, you could always go with the SRT-8. If that's still not enough (or you want to embarrass Corvettes), Hennessey offers the SRT600 package that pumps 620hp into an SRT GC that will do 0-60 in the mid-3's!

 

mid 3's...... these trucks are getting crazy now lol

 

They sure are. It's a great time to be an automobile enthusiast!

 

Please Clarify if it was a BMW powered RR or Ford...When Ford got their Hands on it they worked a miracle....I have never owned a ford nor intend to but this remodel did good, BMWs had their points, weak ones...
On the other side of the coin, I have heard some horror stories too...Pot Luck!!

 

i have an 04 rr coming off lease next month and cant wait to loose it.

will replace with audi a8l or mb 550 awd. more room, fun and excellent on- road traction in snow

ps having had rovers for 10 yrs, just make sure dealer service center is near by.

 

No. They first switched to a BMW v8, and now run a Jag v8. Real solid motor.


Darrell.

 

think the change from BMW to Forduar was 2006. Not only differential problems, AC problems, sunroof would not close ( stuck open) X2, CD player X2, warning light for various malfunctions then miraculously turning off at dealer, only to reappear on the way home, air suspension problems with car raising and lowering unexpectedly and never fixed correctly by dealer... sorry my fingers are starting to cramp as well as my blood pressure rising with the memories. We never had it in actual off roard conditions ( I would be scared it would break down and a flat bed not be able to get to it). Too many great cars as mentioned in the market that out perform, are less expensive , look better and are far more reliable. I had high expectations and have never been so disappointed in a car. If you research the net, you will find many " support group" chat rooms that make the Maserati BiTurbo look reliable.

 

I have a non supercharged one 06.

1. Buy a used one
2. GET A WARRANTY. They are ALWAYS in the shop for dumb stuff..in the last 3 months... heres what Ive had done.

3 alignments (wont stay for more than 500 miles for some reason)
Transmission error warning
Check engine light 2 times
steering wheel replaced because it was flaking
radio replaced
windsheild seal came out (yep came COMPLETELY out in a car wash)
Bluetooth replaced because it kept dropping connection
AC compressor wining horribly, replaced
Suspension went crazy..was lowering for no reason.


Get an extended warranty if you can. I love the truck..but the day the warranty is over..its gone.

 

Had an 04 for about 17k miles. Couple of problems initially but fixed quickly and didn't come back. Traded it in on an 05 and now have 27K miles. It's been in the shop a couple of times for O2 sensors once for rear window relay. Really liked both and wouldn't have any reservations about getting an 07 supercharged or used low mile 06 especially at 30k less. Great ride, comfortable, luxurious, plenty of features, great looking inside and out.
Bill

 

i have a supercharged '06
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