Hi,does anyone on here own an L405 3.0 Autobiography?

Just wanted a few questions answered please  If you have nothing nice to say,say nothing at all.

There are some here indeed, plus some of us have driven the different L405 versions in various terrains, so go ahead and shoot! l=Oo\________/oO=l l:OolΞΞΞΞΞΞΞloO:l

Current
RANGE ROVER Vogue 4.4L SDV8 - 2013 - Indus Silver, on Almond.
RANGE ROVER Vogue 4.4L V8 - 2002 - ex-2003 G4 Challenge Event Vehicle, Stage 3: Australia
RANGE ROVER HSE 4.4L V8 - 2004 - one-of-one Overfinch
RANGE ROVER P38a 4.0L V8 - 1999 - ex-2000 TReK Event Vehicle: South Africa

Previous:
RANGE ROVER Vogue 4.4L TDV8 - 2012 - RANGE ROVER 3.6L TDV8 x3 - RANGE ROVER Td6 x1 - RANGE ROVER Classic 3.5L V8 x1

My main questions are as follows....

Is the Autobiography worth the extra cash on top of the Vogue or SE?

Which wheels do you have?

Anyone got the deployable steps and if so how much did they cost and were they worth it and do they tuck away nicely?(I had them on my previous Westminster and loved them as they looked very sleak tucked away).

Thankyou in advance  If you have nothing nice to say,say nothing at all.

Hi, changed order from vogue se to autobiography, collected it two weeks ago.. Well worth extra! Plus couple add ons! Run with 22" did notice increase in road noise difference than the 21". Pictures on here somewhere.

Have customers with deployable steps & tow bars from factory... I recall them saying as a factory option they are less then £1000 but as a dealer fit they are closer to £4000 each!

Wow thanks for this info......anymore titbits??  If you have nothing nice to say,say nothing at all.

modbarra wrote:

Hi, changed order from vogue se to autobiography, collected it two weeks ago.. Well worth extra! Plus couple add ons! Run with 22" did notice increase in road noise difference than the 21". Pictures on here somewhere.

modbarra thread and pics, http://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic24907.html ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

Thanks Stan!

Do ALL Autobiographies come with the wooden steering wheel & outer door badges?

Is the interior TOTALLY leather covered? If you have nothing nice to say,say nothing at all.

we have an Autobiography 4.4 but on the regular occassions it's off the road being fixed we are normally lent a Vogue SE 3.0 - the Autobio comes with 21in wheels, we actually chose the 20in downgrade because it has to do a bit of offroad stuff and the bigger wheels don't really work off road, and this has the added bonus of lowering the bling level and improving the ride quality slightly (especially over 22 in wheels). the Autobio has leather headlining, over the doors, all over the dash (Vogue SE is just over the instrument cowling) everywhere basically and the quality of the leather is one grade up - much softer. it's probably not as hard wearing though, but if you want the ultimate luxury product i'd opt for Autobio, especially as you get the panoramic roof as standard which i think is essential.

having run a 3.0 recently for almost a month whilst our car was being fettled, i now think that if we replace the car in a couple of years time we'll probably opt for the 3.0 - the engine is much quieter under load and whilst it's not as grunty, it seems more than ample for this type of vehicle and the six seems to mate better with the 8 speed box than the eight does. also the 3.0 feels much more light on it's feet, steers and rides a bit better than the V8 thanks to the lighter engine i assume.

oh, we debadged ours externally and whilst the leather/wood wheel is standard, you can delete that option and have a leather wheel which is much nicer in my humble opinion.

Good discussion point and I’m sure most Autobiography owners are right to be just as happy with their choice as I am with my Vogue SE 2014.5 collected 1st March. For my first ever Range Rover I was working from the brochure current when I ordered in August 2013 and ‘permed’ my selection as follows:

• I prefer to keep my cars as low profile as possible in Manchester city centre car parks to minimise unwanted attention so tend to clearly avoid obvious “top of the range” (OK I know it’s a RR anyway!)
• 3.0L TDV6 has proved fine for me – same sort of power and pace feel as I’ve always had on my beemers and mercs with 3.0 l diesels. I used a 4.4 SDV8 on a recent LR off-roading day and could just notice the difference but nothing I’d pay for. I’d guess the 5.0L V8 petrol would be awesome and justified for some, but I’m now retired and doing modest mileage so I’d see little real benefit beyond the initial “buzz”
• ‘Standard’ features on the AB over and above the VSE included:
o panoramic roof – essential to me so ordered as extra
o front fog lamps – essential to me so ordered as extra
o 21 inch wheels – I wanted 20 inch for comfort and quiet running
o Autobiography scripts and badges – not my scene
o Style 19 seats, massage, 4 way rear power seats etc – only ever use rear seats for grandkids and fit child seats!
o Leather headlining – no real interest
o Heated wood & leather steering wheel – nice so ordered as extra
o Carpet mats with contrasting edging and metal corners – ordered rubber mats all round as extras
o Illuminated tread plates – no interest
o Blind spot monitor etc – essential to me so ordered as extra
o Remote park heat – no interest
o Surround camera system – essential to me so ordered as extra
• I did then add:
o Electrically deployable towbar - for towing contingencies
o Full size spare wheel – for my peace of mind!
o Atlas side vent graphics – I think they complete the styling
o Silver roof rails and bars – sometimes use roof box, and they complement the Atlas side vents
o Loadspace rails and cross bars – I’ve always been used to kitting out the boot in my various estate cars
o Wade sensing – I’m entitled to some toys!
o Bright pedals – I just like these!
o Deployable side steps – marvellous! Work like a dream, very subtle when stowed
So I’ve got my ‘truck’ with all the ‘AB’ bits I really wanted plus ‘non-AB’ extras important to me that mean I was into AB pricing territory anyway. And I love it!

I can enter our village up a steep winding hill and when driving with customers in their 4.4's they often complain "the car wants to wash out on these bends" but if you do the same test in a 3.0 they don't!!! Interesting.......

I think it maybe the extra weight of the V8 in the front...

If i ordered a derv 405 tomorrow it would be the 3.0 just because they are quieter

I think the noise argument is interesting. The L405 SDV8 4.4 is quieter at cruise than the L322 TDV8, but under acceleration it is considerably louder. I think this is a deliberate thing?

I have not driven a V8 diesel but my goodness if the 3.0 is quieter than the 4.4 I hate to think what the 4.4 sounds like because the V6 is NOISEY and as it needs to regularly rev hard to keep a reasonable pace this is quite intrusive. The other downside of the 3.0 is that there is no ARC on the suspension which is one of the big benefits of the L405 (although the ARC does come with LR's special feature of lots of knocking and many days in the shop allowing me to contemplate the differences between V6 AB loaner and 5.0 SC AB whilst my suspension is rebuilt once again )

The SDV8 actually sounds quite 'nice' under acceleration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA9YK8SUdGs