| 2016 Vogue 3.0 TDV6 - 1000 Mile Review | |
Ok so I have finally managed to get some mileage under the wheels of the new FFRR and I thought I would share some of my findings and experiences on here, I know this forum helped me with my search.
So what spec did I get?
I was initially looking at a Disco but with the run out models and my basic needs made it a pretty expensive option, which got me looking at the FFRR (Which to be honest was more my choice but this is the OH main vehicle and what she says goes)  Having studied the options and test driving the Vogue and the Vogue SE my mind was made up, I only needed the standard Vogue, none of the options on the SE made much of a difference to me (I actually cannot stand adaptive CC) and the wife wanted basic functional alloys (her words). The only options I chose were as follows:
- Surround Cameras (we tow a lot)
- Full size spare wheel (practical reasons)
- Fog lamps (car looks odd to me without them)
- Large washer bottle (saves topping it up and it was only £30)
- Privacy glass (more for the dog's benefit than anything else, I actually like it clear)
- Retractable tow bar
The standard options are very generous, the one the sealed the deal for me was electric memory seats (optional in nearly every other car), a real godsend as I swap with the wife regularly during the week. The interior choice was for Ebony/Ivory...I saw an Autobiography in the dealership and that really lifted the interior. I also have a 5yr old boy so it was a compromise of style vs practicality. I treated the leather with LTT leather care to make it easy to remove dirty finger marks (great product BTW)
So this is how she turned out...
So what's it like to drive
Really very good, the V6 is refined on a run but I love the growl when you poke it. I actually tested the V8 and V6, the V8 was a nice engine but for me I did not feel short changed and it met all my driving requirements. I find body control good but then I don't hurl it around, I find the car shrinks around you as visibility is excellent so although its a large car its easy to place on the road. I am huge fan of the driving position, no other car comes close to the outlook and comfort making long journeys a real breeze. This is an experience I have had in driving and being driven in other RR since the Classic models. Fuel economy is good for the size of car, I can get 35-38mpg on a run quite easily and round town just under 30mpg.
So what do I like
- Interior quality is good, it feels premium, time will tell if its built to last
- The overall comfort and practicality
- I like the way it looks, I cant say that about the Q7/X5/Cayenne (its was an important part of the decision making process)
- I like that you can get 3 real people across the rear bench (helped moved my wife away from the Disco)
- I like that it has a nod to practicality in that you can have dark carpets and lower door trim but have ivory accents
- On road refinement is excellent
- I can do 500 miles on a tank
- I love winding my wife up through tracking her movements on the InControl App 
What do I not like
- The piano wood trim attracts dust like nobodies business
- The electric tailgate has a foot sensor my dogs sets off by walking round the car (closing the boot on my head)
- The infotainment system is OK but it needs to be better in this class
- Not being able to read a dipstick when I want to (its electric and will not activate until 10mins after engine shutdown)
- The drivers carpet mat is too small
- The front junction cameras should be on the front bumper not the wing mirrors
- The bird's eye view of the car is not as good as Audi's system
So what's broke?
Well this is a LR afterall and its not my first foray, so I am not losing sleep over this but the following items could do with attention:
- Infotainment freezes occasionally when switching from camera mode
- The AC unit smells musty/damp to me every now and again
- I can hear fuel sloshing around at about 1/2 tank, so it needs baffles fitted (apparently there is a TSB)
Give me a few more months and I will take stock and see if I am still as smitten  2021 L405 Vogue D300
2016 L405 Vogue 3.0TDV6 (Sold)
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8th Jun 2016 1:33pm
Thanks very useful.
