OK, I am considering a 3.0D Hybrid model and would like to know more about real world experience of them please. Any members here running one?

What I'm after is understanding stuff like real world fuel economy, are there extra costs involved for servicing, and what is the depreciation like etc. There is a hefty price premium for the thing up front but that won't be the whole story. Sure the road tax is lower but if it's not reasonably more fuel efficient and the depreciation is higher than normal it makes no financial sense.

It's a 2015 3.0 SDV6 hybrid, 340hp, Autobiography.

I've booked a test drive although the figures don't look bad, but they only tell some of the story.

TIA

DOm

My friend drove one and said that the hybrid drive system was not seamless enough and he went for a 4.4.

You will definitely get hurt depreciation wise as the cars are not very popular.

I will be very interested to read comments from owners.

I test drove one. The power delivery is not quite linear but I thought that I'd learn to anticipate the way the system worked.

The tech is interesting. It made stop/start traffic a pleasure and you didn't worry about the stop/start techthat afflicts all modern cars - it will immediately pull away and the engine can kick in later. However, the battery is more like a KERS system - it only works for very short distances (1 mile in full battery mode, IIRC).

You get 4.4 performancewith 3.0 economy but for some reason, they don't fit the Dynamic Response which I was worried I'd miss from my 4.4.

Either way, I liked it enough to place an order for one.

However, I was told that they aren't making any more until Q3 17. It wasn't clear why. It might be that they haven't sold well. It might be because they have some improvements in the wings (more batter life, plug in hybrid tech?). It might be because there was a problem with the tech. No one could tell me so I have cancelled the order for the moment.

I tried several dealers for a test drive when I was in the market and couldn't find one that had one or was interested?

The Mayfair dealer had two when I was looking.

Well, I tried it, the Hybrid that is and thought it was excellent.

Spoke to LR Finance about it to see what sort of residual it might have if I were to finance it. This is a fairly good indication of how they think it will fare for future values. They gave it almost 12% more than the equivalent 4.4 SDV8 which is encouraging, not that I'll finance it I don't think.

So I then borrowed it for a few hours to get familiar with the driving style. It is different-ish, not a lot but pulling away from stopped is a bit strange. First it pulls off on electric power and once you're moving the engine starts, all fairly seamless but you do need to lift off a bit if you don't then want the extra 250 odd horsepower giving you a good shove. It is a good shove too even with about half throttle which is where it's different from the normal diesel. On the SDV* I would keep my foot in at that point just as the turbo is spooling up to keep the acceleration but this one needs much less throttle to do the same.

Interesting is the way the EV part helps when you go to overtake something, you get an immediate surge rather than waiting for the turbos to spool up. In terms of flat out acceleration it's on a par with the SDV8, a good sense of urgency. But it gives amazing economy as well which really did surprise me. Motorway @ 70 was giving 44mpg but around town where you normally expect less it was actually giving 47. However, on a simulated school run, mostly 40mph roads between villages with a few hills it gave me over 60. The regen braking really does make a decent job of keeping the battery charged up and it makes good use of this stored energy going up hills.

So the short version is I bought it. All the spec I wanted, ex LR management car, 15k miles on it and the only downer is that it's Mariana Black. I prefer the greys to hide the dirt a bit, living on an un-made road means mud in the winter and dust in the summer. Just means more washing I guess.

Arrives as soon as it's gone through the workshop. Will post up pics when I have it. One from the LR site in the meantime.

Click image to enlarge

Very nice looking car. I do like black  2021 D350 Fifty Edition - Carpathian Grey
2017 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography (2021-2024) - Santorini Black
2012 4.4 TDV8 Westminster (2016-2021) - Santorini Black

i agree with Rob, lovely motor Dom..  ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

I hope this one is trouble free

Yeah, me too.

Still, couldn't be any worse than the last one now, or could it??? I'm sure it'll be fine. Mow, where's the emojee of a prayer mat?

Rob99 wrote:

Very nice looking car. I do like black

So do I, when it's someone else's job to clean it

Nice car and interesting perspective. I really wish you the best of luck with this car but you have chosen the model that has the most tech to go wrong.
Genuinely interested to see how you get on with it over the next few months as I'm coming around to this new technology slowly but surely and may consider it for the next car but not necessarily a LR product.

Well I drove a few others, mainly to ensure SWMBO remained on side with LR. I chose the Mitsubish PHEV among others which, I have to say, is a properly hateful POS. genuinely couldn't find anything good about it. Range is meagre on electricity, bordering on bloody useless, the inside is plasticky and horrid and anyone who thinks a Range Rover rolls in corners needs to drive one of those nasty Jap-Crap things. It's like a barge on the high sea. It was testing one of these that SWMBO looked at me and said "You aren't seriously considering this over a Range Rover are you?" Job done!!

Sure the FFRR's range is useless on pure electric power, but that's not the idea. It's only there to help with the fuel guzzling stuff like start-stop traffic and hills. And I must say it excels at this storing energy for almost immediate re-use. I also thought the energy gauge was cool, yeah I know, I'm a bitch for gadgets

As for the amount of tech, well a standard Vogue 3.0d isn't exactly short on this. What's a bit more between friends? In for a penny, in for a pound and I might as well have what I want, life's too short to worry about the headaches it might give the warranty company.