I've just testdriven a 4.4 TDV8 for half a day. Compared to the 3.6 TDV8, it has much more torque, it is more refined, quieter at idle but with a nicer sound higher up in the revs, performance is way better and really impressed me.
Compared to the 5.0 Supercharged I also testdrove, in my view the Supercharged is still the better car, even more refined, very quiet at idle and nice sound when going higher in the revs (wasn't it the previous Porsche boss who said they would never make diesels because the fun starts where it ends with a diesel... at about 4,000 revs?... he got sacked and Porsche went on to build diesel cars anyway!).
Also I found the 4.4L had a kind of on/off instant when you are pressing the throttle which the new Supercharged hasn't. It is less obvious than on the 3.6 TDV8 but still there.
Has anyone who has driven the new diesel experienced this?
Also speaking to my dealer, he confirmed all new diesels have the DPF (Diesel Particle Filter) as standard and they have specced all 3.6 TDV8 in the past without this option whenever possible as they had clients complaining about the filter clogging up. These were mainly clients driving a lot of short distances.
The dealer feared more problems now that they are fitted as standard.
He didn't know if Land Rover has addressed this problem which seems to be common to all cars fitted with DPF.
This would be the main drawback for me as I drive a lot of short distances with a longer trip from time to time but the thought of the filter clogging up haunts me as apparently you have to go through a process of driving around at high revs with no other purpose than to clean the filter out which doesn't sound very economical to me and plain silly as the reason you buy diesel is to save on fuel bills in the first place.
Decisions, decisions,...

Hmm, interesting. I suppose it depends on what/how you use the car as to whether you choose diesel or s/c. I have just got the new 4.4 TDV8 in replacement for my sports car (a family decision). I don't expect or even want to drive the RR like a sports car as it would really disappoint, after all it's one of the worlds best 4x4s not sports tourer. But each to their own I suppose. Anyway to some points you made: I don't know what you mean by an on/off instant, haven't noticed anything untoward so guess it's not affecting my car, still got some go in it and although obviously slower than my last car it's no slouch. Sure it's not sub 5s off the line, like the last one, but then the average car isn't that quick either. As for the DPF, this had concerned me slightly as the stories made it sound like it would block and result in expensive repairs by just looking at it. Also have a friend with one on an Audi, which does often need to be cleared but then he only does town journeys generally on 10mins at a time. Right, according to the documentation from LR there is no mention of driving at high revs. What is needed is for the engine to get to a good running temp, if the warning comes on then it is suggested to drive the car at between 45 - 70 mph for 25 mins until warning goes off. Says the more steady the speed the better.

I'm loving my car so far ...

CSK wrote:

Also speaking to my dealer, he confirmed all new diesels have the DPF (Diesel Particle Filter) as standard and they have specced all 3.6 TDV8 in the past without this option whenever possible as they had clients complaining about the filter clogging up. These were mainly clients driving a lot of short distances.
The dealer feared more problems now that they are fitted as standard.
He didn't know if Land Rover has addressed this problem which seems to be common to all cars fitted with DPF.
This would be the main drawback for me as I drive a lot of short distances with a longer trip from time to time but the thought of the filter clogging up haunts me as apparently you have to go through a process of driving around at high revs with no other purpose than to clean the filter out which doesn't sound very economical to me and plain silly as the reason you buy diesel is to save on fuel bills in the first place.
Decisions, decisions,...

Not really in the topic, but what are the symptoms of the clogged filter?[/quote]

Nothing...except for the small warning triangle on the dashboard...I drive mostly in town with some highway 2/3 times a month and the warning sign comes up alot but kind gotten used to it, so doesn't bother me. Then when on the highway the sign dissapears eventually...
Was told by my stealer that not clearing dpf will not result in any problems!...go figure..

JJ

From what I was told when picking up the car, and read in the LR leaflet that came with the car, there are 2 levels of warning - Amber indicator and Red warning.

Normal operation should result in the DPF clearing itself. However there are operating exceptions, these occur because normal has not provided the opportunity for automatic regeneration to take place. In this situation a message will be displayed.

Amber indicator: Indicates the DPF requires a manual regeneration procedure. The remedy is simple. As soon as possible take your vehicle for a drive until the engine is at normal operating temperature. Now drive for at least 25 minutes at speeds between 45mph and 70mph. Note: A constant speed will allow for a more efficient regeneration.

Red warning: This indicates the DPF is completely full. If you see this warning contact you LR dealer / Authorised repairer as soon as possible. When a RED warning is displayed you may also notice that the engine is running with restricted performance. This is to prevent engine damage while the DPF is full.

The above is paraphrased from the LR supplied literature.

I was told if DPF is full then it needs to be cleared by repairer/Dealer, there is nothing you can do on your own to correct this. Also was told that it wouldn't be expensive to clear it if required.

I think that the Amber indicator is displayed when the DPF is 60% full, so dealer told me.

Thank you Scene247 for this very accurate information!
Which doesn't give me much confidence to buy diesel fitted with DPF.
It might be fine for most people who drive long distances but I'm worried the filter will eventually clog up as I do a lot of short distances.
As I said I don't see myself driving 25 minutes at a constant speed (very hard to do down here on the coastal road!) and I see the filter getting clogged up completely quite soon which means a 30 minute drive to the dealer by which time your engine might be damaged or you have to get it towed to the dealer to be sure not to harm the engine.
I think this DPF thing is rubbish and this is why LR did not fit it as standard in previous model years but they now have to have the DPF installed to meet new regulations.

CSK, I would completely agree with you. Steer clear of diesel cars fullstop, irrespective of whether they have DPF or not. I certainly would if all I was doing was short journeys on the road, really no point in diesel.

I would also be careful with the worry of not getting to dealer in time to cause damage - this is not likely to happen unless you continually ignore all indicatorsand warnings and don't bother getting it sorted. I'd liken it to getting an engine failure warning or brake warning or similar and just ignoring it. (not that you would CSK) Just think there might be a slight element of panic mongering. Remember ALL new diesel cars will have a DPF fitted for Euro 5 emissions regulations.

Just to be clear that the DPF should auto regenerate in which case you'd never know about it, to do this the engine needs to be at good running temperature. The notes I wrote were what happens if it doesn't automatically regen because the engine doesn't get to good temperature.

I personally don't expect to ever see the warning, but if I do it's just another good excuse to go out for a nice drive!

Good point to steer away from diesels if you only do short journeys which is my case but I sometimes do a few trips across France which brings my yearly mileage to about 25,000 KM (about 15/16,000 miles).
So Supercharged will be more expensive to run but again I think at a constant 150 KM/H - 95 miles/hour it shouldn't be so bad either.
The 5.0 Supercharged I had for a few days took about 16L/100KM - 18MPG on a good mix of roads, some twisty pass, some motorway, some town so I think that isn't too bad!
The 4.4 TDV8 I took for a drive on a similar mix of roads (only half a day though) took 13L/100KM - 22MPG which I'm sure you can better if you drive slower!
It's not that you would ever drive a Range Rover like a sportscar but for having driven both, the Supercharged is definitely more refined than the new diesel and feels more special, also without driving it like a hooligan it is nice to know the power is there and to open the taps from time to time.
This is the reason we have toll booths here in France, it is not illegal to accelerate up to the speed limit is it?
I can still remember the driver's face of the kitted out Focus RS when I left him standing with the Supercharged.
This is the thing I like about it, it does really have the performance but without showing off.

scene247 wrote:

From what I was told when picking up the car, and read in the LR leaflet that came with the car, there are 2 levels of warning - Amber indicator and Red warning.

Normal operation should result in the DPF clearing itself. However there are operating exceptions, these occur because normal has not provided the opportunity for automatic regeneration to take place. In this situation a message will be displayed.

Amber indicator: Indicates the DPF requires a manual regeneration procedure. The remedy is simple. As soon as possible take your vehicle for a drive until the engine is at normal operating temperature. Now drive for at least 25 minutes at speeds between 45mph and 70mph. Note: A constant speed will allow for a more efficient regeneration.

Red warning: This indicates the DPF is completely full. If you see this warning contact you LR dealer / Authorised repairer as soon as possible. When a RED warning is displayed you may also notice that the engine is running with restricted performance. This is to prevent engine damage while the DPF is full.

The above is paraphrased from the LR supplied literature.

I was told if DPF is full then it needs to be cleared by repairer/Dealer, there is nothing you can do on your own to correct this. Also was told that it wouldn't be expensive to clear it if required.

I think that the Amber indicator is displayed when the DPF is 60% full, so dealer told me.

No amber and no red one on my RR... the only color I get is a yellow indicator and the longest it had been on there was over a month!

Ok never had one of those...