Thread: 'sigh' underwhelmed by MY12 TDV8

Originally Posted by Hoges

Just wondering if anyone from LRA reads this forum...

it's interesting to see the difference with the "Toyota" system and how the Toyota company ploughs $$$ into dealership training. I did some management consulting for a small but very effective dealer group in Toyota land and got some visibility to the comprehensiveness of Toyota's reach throughout their downstream supply chain and dealer management...it's most impressive. So off my own bat I wandered the showroom floors of several LR dealership here in Qld and NSW and asked a few questions ... something is very broken... It appears to be the case that LRA has no interest in expanding the business beyond the high-end boutique show it has evolved into today. It's a lazy business model and the legacy is evident in the majority of unsatisfactory experiences related previously here and in posts relating to other LR models .

Dealers are dealers and that's all there is to it.

I still remember when I was looking to buy our 80s Toyota $58k in 1993 - walked into our town's Toyota showroom in shorts & thongs - got ignored went to the adjacent town and bought one.

Toyota - LandRover - whatever just ignore the dealer and do your own research and above all ignore what a salesman tells you - most of the time they know very little other than what their sales bonus/commission is.

Originally Posted by Daniel

Dealers are dealers and that's all there is to it.

I still remember when I was looking to buy our 80s Toyota $58k in 1993 - walked into our town's Toyota showroom in shorts & thongs - got ignored went to the adjacent town and bought one.

Toyota - LandRover - whatever just ignore the dealer and do your own research and above all ignore what a salesman tells you - most of the time they know very little other than what their sales bonus/commission is.

I agree. I never rely on salesperson selling the car. I always do my research first, decide on what car and options I want, then visit a few dealers and get the best price. I rarely find the need to do a test drive and I invariably know more about the car than any salesperson.

As for the Cayenne, personally I think it looks terrible (looks a lot like a Hyundai Santa Fe or something Korean - particularly in the back end). I'm sure being a Porsche, it is a brilliant car though. I would be waiting for the L405 RRV as it is due to be launched in September at the Paris Auto show.

Originally Posted by harlie

Unfortunately I’ve only driven the MY12 around town for 30mins or so, and it was very new with very new tyres (combined with good city streets) so at the time I was actually impressed with road noise. Cracker engine but pound for pound compared to the 3.6 IMO it’s not as good – it has more down low but given the size difference I expected better – it’s no where near as good as the 5.0V10 VW engine which is now quite old (actually discontinued) or the 4.2V8 found in the Q7.

It appears the 6 speed auto 4.2tdi in a Q7 can't get below 12 litres/100km. Ever.
Doesn't the 4.4 tdv8 halve that on an open road cruise?

Originally Posted by d3syd

....
I would be waiting for the L405 RRV as it is due to be launched in September at the Paris Auto show.

The inside info on the L405 is that it will be all aluminium monocoque weighing about 0.5 tonne less than the L322 despite being larger.

The suspension is said to comprise a mix of EAS combined with Adaptive Dynamics as fitted to the Evoque which is absolutely brilliant (electromagnetic shock control). It's just what the RR has needed since the Germans stuffed up RR suspension in the BMW days with the 2002 L322 launch. Hopefully the German seat designs will also be upgraded as well - the L322 seats are terrible.

The L405 appearance is apparently nothing like what the so called "spy shots" are showing it to be and just as well as the "spy shots" make it look terrible.

Originally Posted by Daniel

The inside info on the L405 is that it will be all aluminium monocoque weighing about 0.5 tonne less than the L322 despite being larger.

The suspension is said to comprise a mix of EAS combined with Adaptive Dynamics as fitted to the Evoque which is absolutely brilliant (electromagnetic shock control). It's just what the RR has needed since the Germans stuffed up RR suspension in the BMW days with the 2002 L322 launch. Hopefully the German seat designs will also be upgraded as well - the L322 seats are terrible.

The L405 appearance is apparently nothing like what the so called "spy shots" are showing it to be and just as well as the "spy shots" make it look terrible.

I dont know what seats you have in your L322 but mine are fantastic.. the best ive ever owned and ive had a few cars, and hey they are 305thousand ks old

Maybe they fitted yours with hilux seats?



Dave

Originally Posted by bluegreygreen Rangie

I dont know what seats you have in your L322 but mine are fantastic.. the best ive ever owned and ive had a few cars, and hey they are 305thousand ks old

Maybe they fitted yours with hilux seats?

Dave

Yes I have driven some jap crap over the years and they are not even in the same league although I must say my 1984 NA Pajero with the suspension seat was a quite good setup despite the usual jap crap seat.

I currently have a 2005 L322 HSE td6 and the seats (by comparison with other RRs) are ordinary to say the last - even the armrests are far worse than the older RRs.

My 1989 RR Vogue seats are far better and the1996 P38 were a little better but worse than the 1989.

I test drove some Evoques last week and they are once again up to the usual British standards. The Germans never quite got the early L322 seats right.

Anyway the L322 is now retired to be my daily run around work truck and is being replaced with a 2008 L322 tdV8 Vogue so we'll see if the BMW influence wore off for that model.

Originally Posted by Daniel

The suspension is said to comprise a mix of EAS combined with Adaptive Dynamics as fitted to the Evoque

Adaptive Dynamics has been an option on RRs in some markets at least since 2009.

Originally Posted by Daniel

Yes I have driven some jap crap over the years and they are not even in the same league although I must say my 1984 NA Pajero with the suspension seat was a quite good setup despite the usual jap crap seat.

I currently have a 2005 L322 HSE td6 and the seats (by comparison with other RRs) are ordinary to say the last - even the armrests are far worse than the older RRs.

My 1989 RR Vogue seats are far better and the1996 P38 were a little better but worse than the 1989.

I test drove some Evoques last week and they are once again up to the usual British standards. The Germans never quite got the early L322 seats right.

Anyway the L322 is now retired to be my daily run around work truck and is being replaced with a 2008 L322 tdV8 Vogue so we'll see if the BMW influence wore off for that model.

You got me beat.. Seats in my L322 are waaay more comfy than the 94' Soft Dash. Suppose everyone is different.

Camo