Hi all,

I'm thinking of upgrading the above car which is my daily mile-muncher....which spends 80% of the time on the motorway.

I do 25-30k miles per year and love the shove of the v8 diesel and the combined fuel consumption.

Will I miss the power from the v8 if I go for a D300 or D350?

Has anyone made this change, what have your thoughts been? My car is a very high spec Vogue SE 2015, I think a nice HSE or AB from 2022 or 2023 would fit the bill.

Thoughts.... Is there much of a difference??

Iceboy

I moved from a 2017 SDV8 AB to a 2021 D350 Fifty Edition just over a week ago.

I don't have long term experience but initial impressions are that the D350 engine is as capable as the SDV8 and in some cases I think a tad more responsive at low speed and when starting off. Maybe that's a function of the MHEV system? 2021 D350 Fifty Edition - Carpathian Grey
2017 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography (2021-2024) - Santorini Black
2012 4.4 TDV8 Westminster (2016-2021) - Santorini Black

My last RR was 4.4 V8 which LR never got to the bottom of a miss-firing issue, eventually the engine failed catastrophically. Another story, but can't fault LR UK as they bought it at market value.

I have had several V8's and the turbo lag has always frustrated me. After a short break from RR's i'm now back in a RR (L460) and I have to say i'm blown away with it. I wasn't really bothered which engine, I was more focused on the spec. The right one came up and it just happened to be a D350.

This being my 7th RR, it is the best by far, the 350 has plenty of power and is good on fuel, and at last, no turbo lag, I find it very responsive and there is still a bit of undertone to the engine that sounds nice.

I guarantee you won't be disappointed, I believe the D300 is equally as good.

Tomo ------------------------------------------
L460 D350 73 FFRR Autobiography Santorini Black with Shadow Pack
L405 4.4 V8 18 FFRR Autobiography (facelift) Santorini Black with Shadow Pack
L405 3.0 V6 13.5 FFRR Autobiography Santorini Black
L322 4.4 V8 12 FFRR Autobiography Santorini Black (RR Styling Pack)
L322 3.6 V8 10 FFRR Autobiography Santorini Black
L322 3.6 V8 07 FFRR Vogue SE Santorini Black
L322 3.0 I6 55 FFRR Autobiography Santorini Black

Having owned 3 V8 Diesels and having a D350 on long term loan, the V8 definitely has the edge in outright acceleration due to the higher torque of the V8, it’s in the higher overtaking motorway speeds when pulling out to overtake or joining another motorway where the difference is especially noticed.

When I change mine it definitely will not be for a 350, I will be going V8 petrol, only because LR in their cost cutting wisdom discontinued the V8 diesel 2021 L405 Vogue SE 4.4 V8 DIESEL ~ #17

Did you find the L460 D350 slower than the 4.4 V8? Interestingly, I found the opposite: that the newer diesels, with their MHEV were much more responsive than the 4.4 from a standstill and when overtaking on motorways. I can't speak to how either performs while towing which might be important to the OP.

Torque-wise, I think they're both 700Nm @ 1500rpm, but they do feel and drive differently. especially as one is in the older L405 platform and the other in the newer L460. The torque in the 4.4 feels much more old-school, whereas in the D350 you could be mistaken at times for forgetting it's a diesel.

I think the best thing for Iceboy74 to do is go and drive one. People feel different things from the same car and no one size fits all. 2024 P550e Autobiography
2016MY TDV6 Autobiography - Gone
2011MY 5.0 SC Autobiography Black - Gone
2005 TD6 Vogue - Gone

Thanks all for your feedback.

I think I shall have to drive a D350 and see how it feels to me.

Iceboy

I did exactly what you are proposing. I owned three SDV8 L405’s and loved the engine.

I’ve owned a D350 since March 2023 and have found it sublime. Smooth with bags of torque and at least if not faster, especially off the line. It’s also more efficient with 40mpg+ easily achieved on a long journey.

The D350 is a mild-hybrid and the combination of the 48V battery and engine software is a big step up making the SDV8 feel a bit agricultural in comparison  MY23 D350 HSE
On my 7th RR plus various other JLR vehicles

I have L405 D350, 2 of my best mates have L405 SDV8 and L460 D350.

Due to endless debates we have decided to settle by good old drag racing. We have tried from stand stil and also rolling races from 40mph at comfort setting.

Both L405s incredibly similar. SDV8 feels faster when driving it but in reality they were side by side. Driver with better response just edged very slightly.

L460 D350 on the other hand was no contest. It won all the races easily. No comparison at all. 2020 Range Rover D350 AB
2017 Range Rover SDV6 AB - Sold
2021 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
2017 Aston Martin DB11 V12 - Sold
2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range - Sold
2014 Range Rover SDV8 - Sold
2014 Bentley Continental GT Speed - Onyx Black - Sold

That’s easy for you to say, in London you have the Mall for such comparisons, in the provinces roads are much skinnier  “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” -where’s the fun in that?

Oh forgot to say. All happened on closed private road of course  2020 Range Rover D350 AB
2017 Range Rover SDV6 AB - Sold
2021 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
2017 Aston Martin DB11 V12 - Sold
2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range - Sold
2014 Range Rover SDV8 - Sold
2014 Bentley Continental GT Speed - Onyx Black - Sold

Thanks Memzy.
Iceboy

I went from a 2016 my17 4.r diesel to a D300. Impressed.

I don’t need anymore … lift off is very sharp. I tend not to travel much more than 100 mph in Europe . More or less the speed limits here . Great oomph in all the speed ranges. In fact twiddle the big toe in a 30mph zone and you are 10 miles over..I had a ticket for just that at 37mph about a year ago…still amazes me how responsive the engine is.

As another poster said, try it. I took the D300 for a test drive determined not to have it, love at first sight. D350 should be fine unless you want to race the hot head Sabaru from the lights:) Filters are in fact so good that in certain circumstances, when the ambient air is already polluted, a diesel car will tend to extract more particles from the air than it emits. Emissions Analytics worked with........etc etc

He who dies with the most toys wins...