For car buyers on a budget but with a taste for the high life, there is only one luxury SUV: the Range Rover L322 of 2002-12. It still looks the business, especially the TDV8 Westminster Edition of 2012 with its illuminated treadplates, gloss black trim, and heated and cooled rear seats.
It cost £70,000. Today, you can pick one up with 27,000 miles on the clock for £30,000, or with 100,000 miles for £16,000. This 2600kg Range Rover will consume diesel at the rate of 30mpg but, when occasion demands, launch itself from 0-62mph in just 7.5sec. If you’ve got some heavy towing to do or you just like arriving stirred but not shaken, it’s the SUV of your dreams.
Or nightmares. The thing is, an L322 is a complicated beast with ill-matched mechanicals. Without expert, preventative maintenance, they can fail – expensively.
For example, regardless of which engine it has, the L322 has an appetite for gearboxes. They’re all automatics: the first, a five-speed from launch to 2005, then a six-speed and, from 2010 on diesel models only, an eight-speed. The ZF five-speed and GM six are by far the most troublesome and let go from around 85,000 miles. They’re ‘sealed for life’ units but while that boast helped keep the lid on service costs in the vehicle’s first three years, beyond that they do like fresh fluids and filters, and should then be more reliable.
Cars from launch to around 2006 were the subject of a technical service bulletin (TSB) to check and upgrade the front diff and driveshafts, which had been wearing out prematurely. Chances are the L322 you’re interested in has had the work done but check anyway.
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The good and bad
So my partner and I have bought two of thes, first being a 4.4v8 112k 2005 plate at 9 years old and then our current 2011 66k 5.0 V8 supercharged. The first one was on and off the road with faults and the only car to leave me at the road side twice.
Second one has been fantastic, no other car can compare for luxury, speed, comfort and just overal enjoyment. Dont get me wrong, I was hesitant getting a second after the first experience, but these last of the line RR's are by far the best. Wil struggle to find a car that compares when needs must.
@azzer8
Well one would hope that by the end of the line thay would have it right....but no, according the independant expert, still major design flaws.
Clearly you have been lucky, and my personal sense is that the petrol engined cars are the better engines. But am I prepared to take a chance on being lucky?
However, you have to wonder why it would take so long to sort a model out......either they just dont have the skills to do it, or they just dont give a shit. Either way its bad, very bad!
Particularly now that they are building £200k cars. I want to be proud of a once great British brand, but at the moment they are an embarrassment, and a luxury I am not prepared to afford.
Those design flaws are still
Those design flaws are still there as was designed by BMW using many parts from their parts bin and unfortunately they were mainly the items that broke on my original RR.
The 2011 still has some of those design flaws such as tailgate and water ingress but as long as you are aware of these and take preventative measures the car will look after you. I know the suspension airbags will go at some point, but being a RR and common thankfully they are not too expensive to repair.
And yes the petrols are much better, wouldnt touch a diesel even before this whole dieselgate.
£28k in servicing in 10 years!
I know this is an expensive car but £2800 a year just in servicing for a modern car is ridiculous. I wonder what went wrong. Ultimately unless you've got a large bank balance or the ability to maintain one yourself, I'd steer well clear.
@ will86
Agreed Will. My guess is that there was a major component in that cost....gearbox most likely, as they are prone on Range Rovers to fail.
Madness.
There is something seriously wrong when...
...an actual punter (who is a car nut) actually "feels some remorse" for the warranty company.
reliability survey
Not every one. Of the Bottom 10 in the warranty direct reliability index there's 2 BMWs (2nd and 3rd worst ) and 2 Mercs.
In the US Consumer Reports the Mercedes GLA had the worst owner satisaction rating.