Devil's advocate consideration, admittedly based on a lack of knowledge and some ignorance around aftermarket LPG systems. However:

A diesel engined RR was manufactured and designed to run on diesel.

The supercharged petrol engined RR was manufactured and designed to run on petrol.

Many RR owners accept that in whatever variant, they are not necessarily cheap to own, maintain and keep in service, hence needing to be an eyes wide open and sober purchase.

Therefore, does adding an LPG system to these ingredients not also add an additional risk of major consequential damage to your SC engine, either through longer term LPG use, or some failure of the aftermarket LPG system or otherwise if incorrectly installed?

Not statements, questions

Well first off im under no illusion. I know neither of them will be cheap to run.

Also it used to be that diesel was by far the cheaper to run due to big MPG figures. Hence making it attractive to people who covered big miles. However thats not the case with the TDV8, or even the TDV6 for that matter.

Lastly id be purchasing one with the LPG system already installed. i wouldnt be paying a penny for that. As long as it was documented to be a good system fitted by a reputable garage.

Always best to make a complicated car more complicated by adding an aftermarket LPG system I find.

Thats why I have a diesel. If I go somewhere, I don't have to save up to come back.

Seriously though, as others have pointed out, work out how many miles you do etc and do the man-maths.

May be better cost wise to get a Supercharged with LPG already fitted if you want to go that route. That way you won't have to fork out for the initial install and it will be fitted and "proven".

On the flip side, if you have a new LPG install, you can choose a kit and installer you like and oversee its fitment.

Personally, I'd chip a diesel. Don't notice its an oil burner when you are up and running.

Poss easier to sell on, as a Supercharged with LPG is more of a niche market. To my mind anyways.

Drive them all. make up your mind.

Good luck either way.

 2011 Range Rover Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8

Previous cars :
2003 Range Rover Vogue TD6
1999 Discovery Td5 ES
1995 BMW M5 3.8 6 speed
1992 Range Rover 3.9 Efi Vogue
1992 BMW M5 3.8
1988 BMW 735i SE
1989 Ford Sierra XR4x4 2.9i
1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport

Ive had both... Currently running a TDV8 and toying with a 5.0 change

Unless you have the shilling to run a fairly new FFRR, if you do high milage and need to look at LPG to offset the price of running it them i think you maybe should think twice Go and drive them all... That'll make your mind up...

No LPG allowed on the channel tunnel, so TDV8 for me

A further fly in the ointment - EGR & turbo failure on TDV8 cars ?
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that as of yet . . .
As any owner of any variant of this car knows, the cost of fuel can pail into insignificance when it comes to major repairs -

Discuss !

 Where do you go after one of these . . . ?

Initially I chose a TDV8 as replacement for the 4.2SC but then found out it had turbo issues (they were changing the turbo before the purchase but my concern was, what caused the turbo to fail in the first place). Then the perfect 5.0 SC came by and i was HOOKED.

The math for me is easy, living in a very cheap petrol country and not having paid for any fuel for 5 years, sort of offsets the cost of running a FFRR on petrol quite a bit. So I went for the perfect car (for me) and that is a 5.0 SC as the engines seem to be a lot more reliable than the TDV8, even though not a hell of a lot TDV8s have turbo issues maybe (I don't have the statistics but I do know it happened to a few forum members).

I'd look at the difference in purchase price between a TDV8 and SC and then simply calculate the amount of miles you'd have to do to "consume the difference". If the "inconvenience" of stopping on a regular basis is not an issue for you, then go for the LPG version (I drove LPG for years and always increase tank size as much as possible, the last was a GMC Vandura with 300 liter of tanks installed that is the same range as a TDV8 ). Make sure it is a good LPG system with the flashlube system on it, just to be sure that the valves are fine.

Ultimately it is what makes sense to you and suits you best.

Chipping a TDV8 to make it feel like a SC is also not cheap, if done properly and you need to take that cost into account as well.

Lastly, the 5.0 SC is more fuel efficient than the 4.2 SC so in man-math terms the perfect excuse to buy one  MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

I had a 3.6 TDV8 which was a very good car. I now have a 5.0 S/C which is an even better car. I prefer the smoothness of the petrol and I also much prefer the servicing costs; the diesels I've had always cost more come service time.

RE the LPG thing, well I've had them over the years. A 4.2 S/C Jaguar XJ, a 3.5 Isuzu Trooper to name just 2. I honestly wouldn't do it again, it's just way too much hassle and you need to do a fair few miles to break even financially which, let's face it is the only reason that people convert to LPG. I still hold the view that if you can't afford the petrol costs then you should get a diesel. If LR had intended LPG as the fuel it would have come like that from Lode Lane.

Real world economy. The diesel takes you about 30% further for every litre and that's based on my driving style which isn't overly fast. I tend to stick to the speed limits although I do like to make decent progress. Brisk and smooth. If you drive a S/C hard it is very easy to give it a drink problem on the same level as Paul Gascoine though. Oh and the V8 diesel sounds a lot less tractor-like than the TD6 does.

@need4speed

Welcome to the forum btw. You have arrived at the best Range Rover forum.

On this forum you will always get a steady stream of constructive and helpful honesty from real enthusiasts with varying thicknesses of wallet.

The constant is a wealth of honest knowledge, always on tap around the clock and provided by some really decent people, sometimes witty, sometimes tongue in cheek, sometimes 'wake up and smell the coffee' serious but out and out snobbery is rare and posts are rarely intended to offend.

Members will want to help you maximise your chances of picking the right car and enjoying rather than regretting a prospective purchase.

As Cam-Tech-Craig, Tug RR, ebajema, mcplcg and others have alluded to, fuel debates aside, another essential part of the pre sale scoping exercise/ budgeting process is to research common service and maintenance requirements and anticipated costs of these necessities for a particular model year and variant.

You might hear people advising that someone shouldn't spend their entire budget on the purchase price of the car and that they should reserve £2 - £3k for the repair of any issues that might arise during the after sales period. Such a slush find might also vary if you are mechanically minded, intend to complete much of any maintenance work yourself or would definitely need to use a garage for maintenance and repairs.

Another good debate to have with yourself is whether or not you would purchase a warranty and the costs of that.

If not already seen, here is the link to one of the forum Wiki buyer's guides. Within this guide is a long list of very real problems that we had with a 4.2 SC within the first 12 months of ownership. You would probably be unlucky to experience all of those issues in such a short period of time but it obviously does happen and the likelihood of having an unpleasant experience can be lessened by doing a lot of homework before buying, in being careful who you buy from and also by selecting the right people to work on your car after sale. These are equally important considerations that should run parallel with any fuel type thoughts:
http://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/post189410.html#189410

I'm glad we stuck with our SC but we were fortunate in that we bought from a dealership fully committed to righting any wrongs. Apparently they're not all like that though and if not, then petrol, LPG or diesel running costs really would be the least of worries.

If you do your research you'll get great help on the forum to find a good one and doubtless you will enjoy it.

Check with your local main agents as three of our nearest won't let an LPG car into their workshops!

The LPG argument is always an interesting one.

Personally I can't understand peoples negative perception of LPG.

Its like everything in life, you buy a cheap 'anything' and you can expect problems.

I have two vehicles fitted with the Prinns multi-point injection LPG system, installed by a professional, and I experience no problems. For those worried of long term damage, my father purchased a 3ltr X5 in 2003, had the Prinns system fitted with less than 1000miles on the clock, he's since covered 120'000+ miles with no faults. I drove the vehicle only the other day and commented afterwards on how well it drove - and that's after getting out of my daily driver, a 4.4V8 Vogue, with a brand new engine that's covered only 10'000 miles since fitting.

If you buy a cheap single point LPG system that was manufactured in China, you you will have problems. If you have it fitted by the polish LPG installers who cannot register you on the LPG database (and thus you are not insured) you will have problems.

If you purchase a system which is of similar quality to the vehicles we all drive, and have it installed by a professional, you will have worry free, fairly low cost motoring. With all the wonderful glory of a V8, not a noisy tractor engine.

For those of you that believe people fit LPG to save money, you are entirely wrong in my case, and my fathers. We fit LPG systems because we wouldn't consider the vehicle in diesel form, we fit LPG systems because there is a well proven, clean burning alternative, that is readily available AND also saves you money. Whats not to love?

Cons for LPG,
-You will loose your spare wheel space, this will be replaced with a tank. When motoring locally I don't carry a spare wheel, when was the last time I had a puncture - not in the 4/5 years of owning my Vogue. If I travel further afield then I carry the spare in the boot - sure this is not the best solution and it does take up some space, but the trade off is certainly worth while.
-Some engines require the use of an additional lubrication system to look after the valves - 02-05 do not need this, Jaguar engined RR's do. Your professional installer would be able to advise you of this.
-The setup is key to ensuring good running performance, I've heard people say their vehicle is sluggish on LPG, well you either have a very outdated single point system, or the installer hasn't set the multi-point system up correctly - you can adjust the fueling to compensate for the fact LPG is less explosive than petrol. When this is carried out correctly there is no noticeable difference between the engine running on petrol or LPG.

Using LPG, I get roughly 225-250 miles of (mainly) urban driving from £55.

I'd be happy to help with any LPG questions or queries people may have. I'm not claiming to be an expert but do have a reasonable understanding of the Prinns system, its installation and setup.

Cam-Tech-Craig wrote:

Ive had both... Currently running a TDV8 and toying with a 5.0 change

Unless you have the shilling to run a fairly new FFRR, if you do high milage and need to look at LPG to offset the price of running it them i think you maybe should think twice Go and drive them all... That'll make your mind up...

We have a 4.4 jag engined LPG conversion, and its fine  2006 (56 Reg) 4.4 V8 Vogue In Bonatti Grey (Gorgeous!!)

Moi aussi!

Boat.Buoy wrote:

Personally I can't understand peoples negative perception of LPG.

.

Usually by those who've never owned an LPG vehicle. I have the same as you, a multi point prinz system, properly installed and registered, on a 2002 4.4 V8.

Never any problem, and it's been fitted for 6 years and 75K miles. .

Another benefit is the engine oil stays clear between oil changes..