Thanks Norman, your comments are useful, as we had a 4.4 Vogue L322 for a short while.

It's a difficult choice if you have to go diesel. The 3.0 is much quieter than the 4.4 but the turbo lag in the 3.0 is very annoying. I have not driven them loaded up but I would suspect that the 3.0 may feel a bit gutless in this scenario. The lack of active suspension in the 3.0 would swing the choice on its own for me though. This transforms the car and is the biggest step forward on the l405 from L322.

I considered pushing the boat out and going with the SC AB, but tried to learn from the lesson I'd been taught with the ML. I actually tried to get hold of the hybrid too, but that was a sometime never car when I tried to get a delivery date, so I gave up on that idea.

The hybrid ought to be the solution to both diesels problems. However I would be would be very wary about buying one of these before they have been in production a while. There have been a lot of issues to sort out on the l405 already and the added complexity of the hybrid drivetrain I am sure will only add to the problems. Maybe reliability is the reason they still are not available?

I'd get to a dealer and try both. On paper, the active suspension would sway me but the only way to know is to try it yourself, especially on some of the roads you regularly travel.

No, I've heard enough positives about the 3.0 to stick with what I've ordered. If it was for me to drive all the time, I'd have gone for a 4.4 or 5.0 SC, but most of the time I will be driving this, my wife and probably my Daughters will be in the car with me, so I won't be thanked for stretching its legs! Thanks for your input everyone.

I have been given a brand new 3.0 Vogue Se as a loan car.Its got about 50 miles on it.
As my only previous experience with RR was with 4.4's i expected the car to be slow,unresponsive and generally under powered.I was wrong on all accounts.

What a machine !!!

Firstly,even at high speed the car is really quite.Secondly once you get it up to speed it still offers you more.The ride is very smooth.You don't feel the car is straining at all.

I have driven around town and on the motorway and i rate this car highly.I don't feel there is major difference between the two engines.Albeit my own car was used versus a 2014 3.0

Knowing what i now know I wished I had considered the smaller engined car in the first place.

Wow. I have to say, these weren't the responses I was expecting at all!

Extra performance and grunt, half decent grumbly v8 soundtrack and its not much worse on fuel economy.

The 3.0 is good .........but it doesnt compare to the 4.4 in the 405. It is the right engine for this car. '14.5 SDV8 Nara Bronze for sale
'17 BMW 740e Msport Individual on order
'17 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT 6.4 Hemi on order
'16 Bentley Continental GT V8S Mulliner Driving Spec
'07 Alfa 159 3.2 Q4
'05 Mini Cooper R50
'95 Volvo 850R modified to 400hp
'89 Jaguar TWR ed XJ-S V12 Convertible

"It's the right engine for the car"

A debatable point this. A FFRR is all about quiet, refined and relaxed motoring. There is nothing quiet and refined about the V8 diesel. It is competely outclassed by the competition and LR should be making replacing this engine a priority. It should be the right engine but it isn't. If you want performance then go petrol if you want a relaxed quiet cruising then go for the 3.0. The 4.4 misses on both counts for me.

V8 D all day long less Body Roll and NO Fing Eco Crap Stop Start

Yes had both

No replacement for displacement

Yes I'm a dinosaur

Agree on the suspension and the stop start.

I don't know why they don't offer the active ride as an option on the V6. It is clearly technically possible as the Sport has it.

Stop start can be turned off (I think)

Yes you can. My start up ritual is press engine on, then press stop start off.

And the big orange glow light grrrrrrrr