I love my tech. But depends on what you need and how much you are prepared to pay for a better screen. The old system can be a bit slow but it plays DAB, Bluetooth audio and connects to your phone. The. Biggest upgrade for most is cosmetic and how it looks in the dashboard. I reckon there is 10k between a good 2015 model and a 2017 model. Not sure there is 10k worth of differences. If you want to save the 10k suspect you won’t be too disappointed with the older version. 2013 L405 AB 4.4SDV8 Luxor/Ivory, 2007 Vogue TDV8 Epson Green/Sand, 2008 Vogue TDV8 Buckingham Blue/Sand, 2003 Vogue 4.4 LPG Epsom Green/Sage, 1998 Vogue SE 4.6 LPG Epsom Green/Cream

when looking for my L450 i had to decide whether to spend that kind of extra money to get the upgraded infotainment or go for the older type...

i agree with red merle that the newer has better media but as Colin says in the above post , what i have does what i need it to..

there is an option for me to stick an android unit in for around £900 but these units are still temperamentle so maybe when they improve and the price comes down.. ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
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Interesting post from Red Merle who has clearly taken the time to get to know the ICTPro system. I had it in a 2017 Jaguar and it drove me nuts. I didn’t find it as intuitive as the previous LR system, present in my previous 4 cars and it kept crashing. I had paid something like £2000 to have this ‘enhanced’ ICE as an option and it was a huge waste given it was never 100% functional- there was always something which didn’t work, despite 4 software updates in a year of ownership. There were two things I did like though. First was the satellite image view, which was really useful, you could also get street view if the image was uploaded on the net. The other thing I liked, when it worked, was it told you how much the fuel was at the nearest fuel station. I paid an awful lot for those two intermittently available features and loads of frankly pointless gimmicks - who wants to read CNN news?!

I’d like to think in the intervening 3 years the system has improved, but one of the things holding me back from the next change is knowing the next FFRR will have an ICE system which I have had a bad experience of! The kit in my current car (2016MY) has never given me a moments trouble, the reversing camera is pin sharp, and it connects to my phone easily. What more does anyone need from ICE?

Thanks for all the suugestions and info, lots to think about. If it means borrowing money to make it happen then I'll leave it a while and see what happens.

There’s definitely a diverse range of feelings about the different models year’s infotainment systems! 😁

I ran LR’s original system in 3 x Freelanders and 2 x Disco 4’s. Until COVID changed everything and made me almost completely office based, my car was my office, driving 35,000 miles a year and using the phone integration many times every day. It was a system that worked well enough, although there were a few irritating bugs - the phone being cumbersome to use and the remote camera displays being too poor to be of much use (a known fault on Disco 4’s, where they are virtually unusable).

When I first took a 17MY car out, on a Land Rover Experience day, I was blown away by the enormity of the change, especially the improvements in camera quality, while all of the bugs in the old system were gone. I went for a test drive in a used 16MY car soon afterwards and liked it, but I couldn’t carry on with the old system.

If you’ve never tried ‘17 and if you don’t really use this part of the car as much as I do (did?), then the previous system will probably suit many - just try and secure a ‘17 if you can get one at the right price.

Incidentally, it’s not perfect! Despite many, many software upgrades, the controls for the rear DVD screens are so bug ridden as to make it much easier for a rear passenger to just take an iPad and watch films on that 🙄

The important point is how much time you will be spending in your car. I don’t travel to work, I use the train (well did pre COVID) and drive around 4000 business miles over a year. Hence not a huge amount of time in the car in the scheme of things, so never really needed to get to grips with ICE integration. If like Red Merle you are doing big mileage and thus spending a lot of time in the car, then getting to know how the ICE works is going to pay off and will be beneficial to your overall owner experience.

FWIW I don’t even know how to use all the features of a smart phone....

Can’t argue with that

CMJ wrote:

... The old system can be a bit slow but it plays DAB, Bluetooth audio and connects to your phone. The. Biggest upgrade for most is cosmetic and how it looks in the dashboard. I reckon there is 10k between a good 2015 model and a 2017 model. Not sure there is 10k worth of differences. If you want to save the 10k suspect you won’t be too disappointed with the older version.

Didn’t know the £10k difference part as never looked at RR prices since buying ours 4 years ago... cos it’s been spot on so no need

The ‘old’ system (in ours at least) has been glitch free, easy to use, works well with iPhones and is excellent.

I agree mostly Ryan.

But I think it’s more a case of I don’t know any different. I have an iPod plugged in for music, I expected to be able to stream Bluetooth to the car and have control and listings on the screen, but I don’t seem to be able to get this to work, when I have the phone plugged in it works fine tho....

I think the car play function might be worth a bit extra but not the difference for the extra model. Next one I get will be a facelift in a few years time, I’ve just extended the in control on mine for another year, and will also do the warranty shortly. It will also need an MOT and service soon!!. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
Fiat 500x 1.4 multiair Lounge 2015
2010 LR D4 Commercial 2.7 TDV6

Yes Mark, meant to end post with the comment, you don’t miss what you’ve not had and any L405 ain’t too bad

Also an advocate of the LR Extended Warranty

You never miss what you've never had ..... the #old# infotainment system works perfectly well and the meridian music is sublime, After all you shouldn't be fiddling with buttons on the move anyways.

I'd channel my thoughts to an AB with the perfect winged headrests (like a pair of breasts wrapped around your head) , electric side steps, massage seats - heated and cooled and a full service history. even a high spec SE wont have those headrests ...

You might need to extend your budget just a little - but it'll be worth it - even without the MY17 upgraded system...

Cheers
Rob .
It's better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission ......... apparently!
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2017 4.4 SDV8 Range Rover Autobiography
Ligurian Black Exterior / Ivory Interior

2016 3.0 SDV6 Range Rover Sport HSE Dynamic
Firenze Red / Black Pack / Black interior

Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C Type RA 2005

Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VI Tommi Makinen Edition

Our Vogue has winged headrests... it was an extra

One of my favourite bits the headrest....

Massage seats - used once
Heated and cooled seats - heat bit is great but takes longer than the heat only ones
Surround cams - played with a bit
Centre cubby fridge - has an empty can in it I keep meaning to move
Mood lighting - keeps the kids entertained
Remote heating - worth the extra
Deplorable steps - probably worth it, I have it on easy exit, so it’s not that difficult to get in and out..... but I did like them on the 323
Full sized spare - home upgrade but I would keep an eye out for one. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
Fiat 500x 1.4 multiair Lounge 2015
2010 LR D4 Commercial 2.7 TDV6

That’s a good point about side steps, although they can be a bit of a pain if you have very long legs, but I haven’t - so I wouldn’t be without them!

I much prefer the fixed ones though, because:

1. They keep mud off the sides of the car, especially if you add mud flaps. They also stop you from having to clean mud out the rubber seal along the bottoms of the doors.
2. If I leave the car parked in “High” setting, they offer significant protection from door dings in car parks.
3. Combined with roof rails, they allow people to ride on the outside of the car, to reach clean grass to be able to clean cow and sheep cr4p off their boots before getting in 😁
4. They stop you looking like a townie! 😉 😆 👍

I’d go with a full size spare wheel too, especially if you’re planning on towing.