As serial users of 322 and 405 Rangies going back 20 years, was fascinated to actually try one, briefly, a week or so ago.

Hmm. On the positive side, the new 6cyl diesel felt very smooth, quick. Nicer to use than the TDV8 which never really felt like a V8 to use. The big petrol V8s never really feel right for these cars. We had a 405 AB V8 petrol supercharged back in 2014 and, frankly, it overwhelmed the car, far too much pitch and dive under power/braking if you use the gas, unseemly for anyone else on board. So, new engines good.

But...first, it felt quite plastic-y inside, the wheel has bits of glossy black plastic which look cheap, not a good look.

Wind noise - much more than I thought there should be, had to check a few times that both front windows were closing properly (they were).

User interface - having to go into the screen and sub-menus to make seat adjustments that used to be on buttons in an obvious place. This obsession with making everything in a car like a smart phone or an iPad. It's a car.

But the overwhelming feeling was one of "hmm, is that it..?". Didn't really grab me, left me thinking about a late-plate 405 to replace our 4 year old TDVB AB.

Just me?

I was quite impressed after my test drive, but I guess it somewhat depends on expectations. Reality is that the L405 is a damn good car, so there's never going to be a "night and day" difference.

I share your frustration about the seat controls being on the screen, although I noticed if you nudge the buttons on the door, the additional seat controls appear on the screen straightaway. I thought that was quite a good compromise and would save you having to click through multiple menus. 2024 Range Rover P550e AB

Interesting feedback. I’m now ten days or so into my ownership experience and almost 1,000 miles!

I agree with you on the steering wheel - the chrome-look plastic isn’t a good look and I think needs to be made from a more premium material. The new Defender’s steering wheel has a more premium feeling material albeit I don’t know if that would be particularly fitting of the L460. Low down plastics are not good quality.

I find driving experience night and day compared to my L405 SVA. Potentially that’s down to the frankly sublime silky smoothness compared to quite a harsh ride setup on the L405 in SVA form. The dynamic chassis control is very impressive IMO and pairs perfectly with the P530. I do agree that there is a bit of nose up and down under acceleration and braking but that doesn’t really concern me much and is no worse than other big, heavy cars with lots of power.

Wind noise isn’t an issue in mine at all - what spec did you drive? I’m beginning to think the Active Noise Cancellation really does do a lot!

Good points from Flugplatz, though I didn't think the seat control through the screen problem so bad as once the seat is in the right position one can leave it or use memory settings if there are several regular drivers. Raising and lowering the suspension through the screen is a real bore though, there should be a rocker button like on air suspension cars since P38. I didn't think the wind noise was so bad, maybe one just notices it a bit more as other noise is less. Only Range Rovers since 1988

The majority of seat adjustments can be made via the door buttons and, as said, the key things after that are the memory buttons.

Very interesting feedback, thank you.

As a serial 20+ years FFRR owner I had high expectations for the L460, but I have mixed feelings about it, and probably it will not be my next car.

A negative aspect that doesn't seem so important in this forum is the weight.

When the L405 was launched, a big improvement was a 400kg weight reduction compared to the previous model.

When I switched from my old L322 TDV8 (313 HP) to an L405 SDV6 (250 HP) I saw benefits everywhere: similar straight line performance, reduced noise-vibration-harshness, better handling, improved fuel efficiency, avoidance of the "high-power" tax that we have in Italy (20€/year for every kW above the threshold of 185 kW, which corresponds to 250hp)...

The last point about the Italian "high-power" tax is extremely important here, when we have to sell our cars: anything above 250HP is avoided by the vast majority of the buyers.

Now the L460 is 200 kg heavier than before. The result is that if we take an L460 D250, which would be my choice, and we compare it with an L405 SDV6 (250 HP), which I own now, we see worse mileage and worse performance, due to this huge increase in weight.

On top of this, I didn't see any significant improvement in other areas, except for the integral steering. No new significant features, identical look from the front side, similar offroad capabilities (actually worse due to the extra weight...) and actually things worsened also in terms of practicality, with fewer buttons, worse ergonomics, and what about the reduced choice of interior colors?

Very disappointed. Sorry for sharing...!

WOW. I feel your pain, Andyravenna. That's quite a tax hit.

Do you know, the more you think about it, the more you realise that a new FFRR purchase is made with the heart rather than the head. I went from having had two FFRRs to the next two being RRS but, this time round, I'm going back to FF.

Why do people have a massive car with so much room yet are very often in the car alone? Why do people have such a conspicuous target for climate change activists and yet agree with some of their aims? Why do people have such a capable off-road vehicle and yet never venture further than Waitrose's car park? Why do people have a car that can tow 3.5 tons and yet not have a towbar?

Answers on a postcard, please.

yes Crocs, the 185kw+ tax is really a pain!

Crocs wrote:

WOW. I feel your pain, Andyravenna. That's quite a tax hit.

Do you know, the more you think about it, the more you realise that a new FFRR purchase is made with the heart rather than the head. I went from having had two FFRRs to the next two being RRS but, this time round, I'm going back to FF.

Why do people have a massive car with so much room yet are very often in the car alone? Why do people have such a conspicuous target for climate change activists and yet agree with some of their aims? Why do people have such a capable off-road vehicle and yet never venture further than Waitrose's car park? Why do people have a car that can tow 3.5 tons and yet not have a towbar?

Answers on a postcard, please.

Because Crocs, life's too short and if you can afford it, buy the things you like and enjoy. I actually use my car a lot off-road for Fieldsports so why not buy the best?  All LR cars from 1984
2021.5 Vogue SE D300 Carpathian Grey
2018 Vogue SE British Racing Green GONE

So finally I got to test drive one whilst my AB infotainment software was being updated .

Two hours in a petrol car instead of the 4.4L diesel .

Wonderful! Seems like there us more space in the front , footwell seems to of grown, the camera system is awesome ,
The vents in the front have been designed into the facia and are worthy of a FFRR

The HUD is now a must have. Very quiet. Calm soft ride. Very easy to speed, but suspect that’s more to do with the petrol engine. The test car had retractable running boards , which has now become a condition of purchase by SWMBO , but at least I have a YES!

I will probably go SWB It’s enough, the extra is always nice to have but the hassle element of parking a LWB is probably not worth it. Only the dog benefits and the amount of “stuff” I can carry to France.

So…. It’s a disgusting amount of money, but if I’m given a decent delivery time frame I might well order, it’s a lovely car . As posted elsewhere I believe the recession will take the fiiz out of the market and I can pick up a cancellation spot. If anyone knows of a dealer with spare spots please pm me.

The three year tracker is now an extra. Annoying . As is much of what JLR Do… but hey the devil you know…

Intend to buy the diesel 350, is that having any of the problems the old 3l engine used to have ? Incidentally Ford are bringing in the 3l engine into their pick up later this year. They used to supply (&own) JLR , and the reviews referred back to the issues JLR had. No idea of which jlr model.

All diesels are now mild hybrid, and the battery takes over below 7mph or similar.

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