2008 Range Rover

www.rangerovers.net

 

The Truth!

 

Who cares what the difference is between the 05,06,07,08,09..... They are unreliable, overpriced POS. Had one , hated it , hate the dealer. Buy one now at $70K, it will break down 5 times in the next 12 months, once on a highway leaving your wife and kids stranded on the way to soccer. The sixth electrical "gremlin" will finally piss you off, you will take it to the dealer who hopefully will also sell bmws or MBs, only to find out they will give you less than 50% of what you paid less that 12 months ago for a trade in because they do not want it back. Been there, done that. Be sure and read rangerovers.net. Search differential failure. That will put the nail in the coffin. PS. I just saved you $35K!

 

^^ I Second that......Had an '03 RR and at least once every two weeks something would F up. Dealer sucks, everyone is an a$@hole when you call because your truck has been in the shop for 2 weeks to fix some random sensor. Left me stranded 3 times, once in the middle of Aligator Alley (Florida) trying to run from Hurricane Wilma, needless to say....that was the last straw. Oh by the way, in 1 1/2 years it depreciated more than 50%. It is definitly the most esthetically pleasing SUV but the headaches are definitly not worth it. Just purchased a QX56 and I must say for a fraction of the cost...it is definitly a better SUV. Good Luck.

 

Man this thread is so much fun, it reminds me my Maserati years.

Glad to see i'm not the only one

 

There's a reason why most independent extended warranty companies exclude Land Rover/Range Rover as a covered vehicle.

 

Uhh..get the Sport.

 

Why do you want an SUV anyway...especially one that seats the same as a sedan? The only reason I see for ever getting an SUV or minivan is where you really need to seat 6,7 or 8 people on a regular basis. If you only need to seat 5, get a nice sedan which will be more fun to drive, be more economical and look better too... friends don't let friends drive SUVs...

 

frank, you and i are like minded on this topic. is a rr that much of a status symbol?

gawd...

 

The only 2008 release from Land Rover to date is the LR2. The Range Rover has yet to be disclosed but I expect some adjustments, the last makover was '03 (aside from the Sport).

 

my range rover has been the most expensive vehicle to maintain than any other i have ever owned.

i have an 4.6 hse that has been a total drain on my bank acct. i am the second owner but bought it only a year old...as new. as soon as the warranty was over...all hell broke loose!!!!!

 

Maserati ??!! I was planning on trading my Range Rover in on a BiTurbo- at least it would be more reliable ! I do not underestand why anyone thinks a Rnge Rover is a status symbol . Everytime I seem one, which is usually broken down on the side of the road, I fell pity for the poor fool who bought one. I imagine they owned a lot of Enron, also.
There are too many better looking, more reliable and less expensive SUVs on the market to purchase a RR. If attention is what you desire, take the Ferrari.

 

i had 3................no problems.

2001 range rover hse, 2004 range rover hse, 2007 range rover sport

 

John, it sounds much more elegant when described more simply as "the range rover experience".

Yes, the are generally as unreliable as you suggest, retained value sucks and franchise terms must oblige the dealer to be both inept and obnoxious BUT you must have had some magical range rover moments during your journey.

I've had two. I'll doubt I'll ever purchase another, but I wouldn't have missed the range rover experience for quids.

You've got to have a bad day to know what a good one feels like.

Best,

 

Tim, Very well put, I try to make fun of my experience because it was so disappointing and frustrating. I had unrealistic expectations as my previous cars were MBs and BMWs. I anticipated it being a great driving, reliable vehicle and even convinced my neighbor to purchase a $94K SC model. He hasn't spoken to me since. He traded it in on a H2 9 months later for $68K and less than 10k miles. Ouch, I feel as though I should reimburse him at least $20K.

 

not if... but when!

 

... and Ferrari is a perennial JD Power favorite.

 

john...missed you the other weekend. did see your car however. easily the nicest 308/328 at the show...easily! your car should have won the class judging and not the 288 gto. not fair imo.

pcb

 

May not be 100% correct, on this, but here's what I know:

'07 Range Rover (full-size) got a new interior and some mild exterior updates. The new interior is much nicer, and will have venitlated as well as heated seats for the first time in Rover. Motors carried over unchanged, as they had just been introduced in '05 and '06 (NA and SC, respectively). The full-size also got the Terrain Response System from the LR3/RR Sport. The info on www.rangerovers.net should show all these updates.

'08 model year for Rover in general is coming about so that the LR2 can be released as an '08. Given the changes made for '07 to the full-size Range Rover, it is doubtful that they will make any additional changes.

RR Sport and LR3 carry on with minor, if any changes for '07-'08. The '07 modely year for all Rover models was very short, with a late introduction and an early end prior to the '08 release.

Yes, they tend to live up to the reputation of being unreliable s--tboxes, but they do drive nicely, are very comfortable, and are really the only SUV that has the level of luxury and materials comparable to a large European luxury car.

Hope that is more to the point of the original post.

 

OnRamp, respectfully,I cannot disagree with you more. The MB GL 450 beats the rr in comfort,speed, acceleration, and fun to drive ( not to mention reliability). I just walked in from a weekend in the Hill Country and the MB was such a pleasure to drive. I never felt the same enthusiasm returning from the same trip in the rr. Most of the time I would be pissed off because something else quit qorking on the rr and I was off to the dealership on Monday mornings.

 

Having extensive experience with both (sister has MB which she rarely drives, I had the Rover before giving it to my mother), I can say:

Comfort: Rover no ques ion, the seats are better with better adjustments.

Acceleration: MB no question, feels more 'alive'

Fun to drive: Rover, FAR better steering dynamics then my SL let alone my sister's truck. The MB definitely has better grip/performance, however when it comes to fine control, the rover wins hands down with its BMW sourced steering rack and BMW-aided in development suspension design. Case in point: The big benz relies far more on computer aids to keep it planted at all times, while in the rover they are more a rare safety check

Reliability: Both I would consider 'marginal.'

The rover seems to have more things failing on it now as its mileage is going up (>70k on it, its a 03) like the Nav being temperamental and one of the headlights being temperamental. We had a differential failure at just over 50k miles as well. Other then that though, its been fine, with few trips to the dealer other then the usual maintenance.

The Benz is a service queen. Check engine lights more times then I can remember, mostly due to 'something' wrong in the front. I still remember when I drove it for a quick stop at the mall, only a few miles from my sister's. When I parked, the passenger side front wheel well had smoke coming out of it! It had to go back at least 2x for stupid tirepressure warning malfunctions (which also didn't allow the car to travel over 50mph...something annoying when you are 30 highway miles from the nearest dealer. It has been in the shop longer and more often in its year and 10,050 miles then the Rover in its 4 years and 74k miles.

Now if really want to hear about a shop queen, ask about my mother's succession of MLs... an odyssey that only ended when she got a RX.

Overall, next time I think I am not getting either another rover still UNDER WARRANTY, or no truck at all (esp. as I am starting to feel that a A8 with its great Audi 4WD is more then enough for our NE winters). The Lexus wins hands down in relaiblity, but its God-aweful steering makes even the Benz feel like a Ferrari.

 

I never said anything about fun-to-drive. My preference for the Rover would be strictly for highway/city driving such as that on my daily commute.

Having said that, I have heard (and dealt with) horror stories on just about every model of every Euro-luxo car and SUV on the market. Even some of the "bulletproof" Lexus models have had issues. We have friends who, after something like 8-9 visits to the shop for vibration/transmission issues with a RX330, ended up getting the dealer to buy it back. My father-in-law bought a Acura MDX (old generation) for his wife. Last time he picked me up at the airport in it, we kept hearing a clunking sound - turns out the shock mount tore away from the unibody and was dangling on the rear driveshaft! I've seen problems with just about every Benz model (started selling Benzes back in 1992) and have lived through some nightmares with family cars (one particular, dead, ML320 comes to mind) and I personally owned a 2004 Audi that blew its transmission at about 7k miles. Prior to that, I owned a VW GTI that had to have new ignition coils in the first year (massive service issue with Audi/VW 1.8T motor).

So, yes, the GL probably handles better than the Rover, but a Cayenne handles better than the GL, and they will all most likely have you visiting the dealer on a semi-regular basis. I wouldn't ever call the Rover a great handler, and I wouldn't call it reliable. I think it feels and rides more like a luxury car, not a sports car, and I most likely won't buy one with my own money anyway.