Including my father, this is RR no. 21, and it has been pretty special, both as a car and for the life events that it has witnessed . Currently my 4 year old and large, middle aged dog share the back seat, as the dog can’t manage the boot without assistance. There is a new little person on the way, which means the back seat is no longer an option for the 70 kg hound, who is a very much loved member of the family. Dog refuses to have anything to do with ramps or steps, so door access is the only obvious option. Discovery 5 was a non- starter. Depressingly the only car that currently seems to fit the bill is a BMW X7. Wife had a 355 coupe a few years back which had all the character of a washing machine. Other than an AM which does about 500 miles a year, life outside a RR seems very foreign. Could probably hold out until the end of the year if there is anything from LR that might be on the horizon. Would a X7 be a disappointment? The 3 series that my wife owned had more electrical issues than all my RRs put together, and ate run- flats with a ferocious appetite. Please help!

Welcome to the forum

Really sorry to hear if the impending prospect of an X7 and hope we can help you out before that happens!

A couple of questions:

1. What does the X7 provide that the fatty doesn’t? (It’s not clear to me from your description).

2. I’ve known a lot of people who’ve had problems with dogs accepting ramps, but I’ve had no issues and my current collie loves his. Have you considered the, ultimately much cheaper, option of employing the help of a professional dog trainer to help? Combine this with a proper, rigid, alloy ramp (none of the flimsy stuff) and it could make all the difference.

Very interested to hear and please do tell us more about your dog


PS: For example, a good first step in ramp training is to have it in the house for a several days, even getting him/her to eat their dinner and any treats off of it. Is the dog food, pray or toy driven?

PPS: Proper ramp:

https://www.easyanimal.co.uk/deluxe-telesc...DDdjaSnxR4

Presumably the idea is to put the child(ren) in a third row of seats leaving the dog to occupy the seat accessible via the door.

Assuming you don't want to (or can't) lift the dog and/or it jumping out might damage its joints and you don't want to put it in a cage, could you fold one of the rear seats (perhaps the larger side) and then get the dog to enter the loadspace over the back of the folded seat, having removed the shelf? The muddy paw angle might be addressed via LR accessory seat covers. Maybe this is impractical if a child seat needs to be attached/detached each time the dog gets in/out.

Some dogs will sit in a footwell, either at the front passenger side or at the back, though clearly less comfortable than on the seat, maybe not ideal for longer journeys.

Going by a friend's X5 and imagining the X7 to be "more of the same" then it would be significantly less capable off road and in wintry conditions (this may depend on whether you fit winter tyres). Don't give up on the RR too easily. Only Range Rovers since 1988

Hi Merlin Dog
Greetings RM A bit like Beetlejuice, I have been mentioned and here I be. Animal behaviourist at your service. Red Merle suggestion of getting your dog used to the ramp around the house is a good idea. Rather than detract from the Fatty v's X7 discussion, if you would like to drop me a pm , we can discuss your dog and getting him/her to use the ramp , without issue .
Regards
Goldie

Thanks GR

I cannot think of a LR option, but a Volvo XC90 would be an option with (in my opinion) a better brand image than BMW -certainly better looking that an X7 which looks aesthetically challenged externally. Volvos are a long way from a Range Rover in terms of luxuriousness even when fully specced but then they are considerably cheaper.

In contrast to some of the anti BMW opinions above I think the X7 would be an excellent choice. It will be better than or equal to the RR in all areas I would say other than looks, off road capability and image.

I was always looking forward to BMW producing an X7 because I thought that there would at last be worthy alternative to the FFRR and the shocking after sales service that comes with every LR product.

Sadly however, personally I can’t get past the looks of the X7 so I will be buying yet another RR.

Going back to the original question, I’ve only seen photos of the X7; I’ve never seen one in real life. Is it out and about yet?

However, from the photos alone, could you live with those looks?

To me, after having gone through quite a good phase recently, it looks like their worst design since they finally managed to get shot of Chris Bangle. Chris could design “ugly”, but this manages to combine ugly with dull and still manage to add a touch of chintz. It looks like the sort of think that the Japanese could have designed when they were first trying to build luxury cars, but hadn’t got the hang of styling it yet. Think 1970’s Toyota Crown, or even a current Toyota Land Cruiser. Was it designed primarily for the Chinese market?

As you say it’s a shocking piece of design which manages to roll bland, ugly and chintz into one package Deigned with the American and Chinese markets primarliy in mind which I suppose is where the majority will be sold.

Many thanks to everyone for the warm welcome. I'm a longtime visitor, and this has always struck me as one of the friendliest forums on the net. RR and dog lovers- can't improve on that!

The hound is a Bernese Mountain Dog, and he (like the RR and child#1) originated in the US, so even by breed standards, he's a pretty big boy.

In the US there is a company called Bark Busters that promise to refund your money if they can't fix your dog's behavioural problems. After six months trying to get the dog to use a ramp, we got our money back. He's built for comfort and not for speed, towers over me on his hind legs (I'm 180 cm) and as a drey dog he is absolutely solid. There isn't any chance of getting him in a footwell, and I did even get him to test drive a LWB, but it's just not big enough. He's not an agile dog and things are going to get worse as he gets older.

Like a lot of big dogs, he is actually getting more anxious as he gets older. He's also very intelligent, and his avoidance strategies are really quite impressive.

We have spent hundreds of dollars and pounds on the best ramps and steps that I have certainly been able to find. The only steps that worked for him are 18 kg, which are too heavy for my wife to lug in and out of the boot.

The problem with the Discovery and the XC90 is that there is very little room between the pushed-forward row two and row three seats. The only two vehicles that seem to have sufficient clearance are the X7 and the Model X, and I don't hate myself enough to buy the latter.

In idle moments I have considered an estate/SW but we have a small cottage in the Lakes that even the old faithful RR failed to get to in that bad weather of March last year.

I do agree that the X7 has a face only a mother could love, but if the X5 is anything to go by, the interiors now seem to be borderline tasteful.

If anyone thought there might be an imminent Road Rover or other on the horizon vehicle, or if there is a step product that is lighter weight, or any other clever solution, I'd be very grateful to hear. Despite all the great suggestions so far, which I really appreciate, I don't think there is a definitive answer yet.

A very interesting sounding dog! Would you mind adding a photo?

I might be being dim here but, if I understand correctly, your new human would use one half of the centre row seat and dog would use the rear side door to access the third row of seats (or the boot). Have I got that right?

It’s interesting looking at the X7’s specifications. For something that’s prices as a FF competitor, it’s got a maximum towing limit of 2.2 tonnes. That’s no more than a Disco Sport can manage.

We’re you planning on towing anything?

For Red Merle - The eponymous beast. And yes, in the absence of other ideas, child # and expected child #2 would have the second row, and Mr B (short for Mr Bear - for obvious reasons), to give him his family moniker, would have the third row. Even this demotion may be rather tricky to deal with

Not sure the photo made it. Mr B, aka Merlin

Just a Laser to pull from Keswick to Ullswater, so towing limits are not really a factor. Quite surprised that the towing limit is so low, however. The car is no lightweight, and the 50d engine doesn’t seem short of puff.