Range Rover Reliability? Looking for positive stories.

potentialbuyer said:

We're curious, are there any LR/RR owners out there who have gone 7 years w/o a single repair or maintenance issue?

Thanks in advance,
Potential RRS Buyer

Click to expand...

There's no owner in the world that has ever achieved this regardless of the vehicle driven. However, if you want something as close to that as possible, then a Lexus is certainly your choice. The tradeoff is the bore factor. My wife has a GX470 ('03) and while she loves it, I fall asleep every time I drive it. It just does nothing for me in the 'ride experience' department. I do like the styling quite a bit (thanks Toyota Prado) and its extremely reliable, but it has no 'wow' factor. Conversely, you can just tell the RRS was built around the driver the minute you get in, from the layout of the cockpit to the actual feel of the car while driving. Mind you it is a 5600 lb SUV but for what it is, the handling is quite nice. Don't bother with the HSE it is TOO slow. The styling is second to none, it is quite simply THE best looking SUV out there.

If you don't get 'it' - that is - what its like to drive a driver's car, then you won't want to spend the money on a RR. Don't feel like this is a negative, the majority of drivers in America don't get it, and just want safe, reliable, fuel efficient vehicles hence the reason I see all the RAV4's, Accords, Pilots, etc, etc - quite frankly I don't get how anybody can stand driving those things day in and day out but that's just me. It's one of the major differences between Americans and Europeans - Americans have to drive Europeans want to drive.

Mine has been reliable thus far, with just a few non-mechanical issues, but I personally have no problem dealing with that and driving a RRS rather than having no issues and driving around in a Lexus. If the RRS was as reliable as the Lexus, then it'd be a no-brainer, but then that would be too easy, right?? The GX460 is the safe choice, the RRS is the more passionate one. It all comes down to what you're looking to get out of it. Lastly, I will say that the RRS' experience mostly minor things, and the electrical gremlins that have historically plagued these cars is largely a non-issue with the Sport. I too at first had some trepidation that I'd get stranded on multiple occasions, that the car wouldn't start, that the lights would turn on and off for no reason - but that has NOT been the case, not anywhere close. I love it.

Hope this helps.

Based on my opinion only....

... I really loathe people who complain about a vehicle having issues based on the price they paid. - i.e. at $40K+ there should be fewer problems or better reliability. I believe (almost) the opposite; the bigger the price tag the bigger the problems. Just because your (Rover) cost 80-grand doesn't mean it's immune from problems. Your technology-laden Rover, BMW, Audi, MB, etc. by default is going to be more prone to "issues" compared to your Ford Focus, Toyota Echo or VW Golf as it's equipped with things these lower-grade vehicles will never posses.

That said, I never had a single issue with my 2008 RRS. I got it despite the (Land Rover) "reputation". It was especially hard as I've been a BMW loyalist for many years. I will admit I was influenced slightly by what I read about SC models so I purposely purchased the HSE. It appears there may be slightly more issues (if any) with SC vs. HSE. I'm still a bit nervous about the SC for 2010 therefore I again ordered the HSE (delivery due 11 March).

In fairness to those who are having or have had "issues" I can sympathize greatly. Even the smallest of problems can grate on your nerves making you feel like you bought a lemon - I've been there too. This is why I think postings about "problems" dominate these (or any vehicle) boards. We never tell the manager of our favorite restaurant how great our meal is, we just bitch when we get lousy service. :think:

But here's the flip side;

Right now my 2006 Beetle has an airbag light on... It's been "fixed" twice already. It also had to have the battery replaced, starter replaced, stereo replaced, rear window motor replaced (convertible) and driver's door hinge replaced - and I only have 30kmi on it!

My 2007 Mini Cooper is a complete rattle-box. From the center console to the dash to the door to the headliner I feel like I'm driving inside a giant pan of Jiffy Pop!

My 2009 XF BROKE DOWN on I-5 the week I purchased it!!!!!! I was stranded for over 9hrs in Deliverance country. And to top it off Jaguar Roadside could not get ANY (yes I said ANY) of their network of tow companies to come!!! Eventually it was my dealer located 175mi away who sent a truck to come take my car to a dealer in Fresno. (side note: I did get a $4,000.00 "I'm sorry" check from Jaguar).

Would I buy any of these cars again? Absolutely - in a heart beat! :thumb:

I agree with others who say there is not a vehicle on the road that will be
completely trouble free in a seven year period. If any mechanical device
has two moving parts, there will be a problem at some point.

That being said, the Range Rover Sport is a very reliable vehicle.

Like any vehicle, you have an issue here and then, but nothing seriouds.
I had many many more problems with my '07 BMW 530i than I have
had with my RRS HSE. And best of all, the RRS is actually enjoyable
to drive and has quite the wow factor.

I, too, opted for the HSE over the Supercharged for greater reliability.
However, I have not heard that the Supercharged is significantly
less reliable than the HSE--just more moving parts.

I strongly recommend purchasing a RRS / HSE or Supercharged.
You will enjoy the vehicle and find it to be quite reliable.

potentialbuyer said:

...so we've been looking at switching over to a 2010 RRS.

Click to expand...

just noticed this part in your original post. i'm not sure if you'll get enough responses here from 2010 owners to form a balanced opinion. now i could be wrong and this is just me shooting from the hip, but many of the 2010 owners have come onto this board in past 6 months or so and i don't think six months of ownership is enough time to gauge reliability. we've got plenty of 2006-2009 owners who can give you a great idea of the longer term reliability, but the initial posts of the 2010 owners show some quirks us early guys didn't see.

i think all RRS owners benefited from a platform largely based on the LR3 in that many early problems and kinks were worked out on there by the time the RRS hit production. and i thought LR was breaking thru the stereotype of maintenance and reliability with both the LR3 and the RRS. i drove a 1998 4Runner Ltd for 8 years before upgrading to my 2006 RRS HSE. i did nothing but oil changes and tires in eight years of ownership plus one recall thing that i can't think of right now. the 4Runner was a weekend car for 2 years before it became my daily driver and i never took it offroad. by comparison, the RRS has been just about the same. a daily driver from day one and offroaded frequently, i had a leaking front diff replaced under warranty. sure i go thru brakes like crazy, but i put sliders and the front skid plate on the bloated one so i shouldn't be surprised. i have a few seals that are starting to seep (80k miles) that'll hopefully get fixed before my extended warranty expires in march, but that's it.

not exactly a 2010 positive story, but hope it helps. plenty of us 2006-2009 guys getting up there in mileage with good experiences.