Thread: My New L405 Autobiography

Hello All

New member here from Sydney. Recently picked up a brand new L405 Autobiography and thought I'd just share some of my thoughts on the car.

Any other L405 owners here?

Car had around 40 miles/60km on the clock when I picked her up. Will be interesting to see if and how the engine loosens up and feels different after a few thousand

Like DrFox1969, I Had it coated with Opticoat Pro as well and am happy so far with he results. I only wash it myself.

Seats - Still the most comfortable I've ever experienced in any of my cars. Winged headrests are a nice touch and a must in my opinion. So much so I find myself getting sleepy on the motorway. I haven't really used the massage seats much

Heated/Cooled Seats: Heated what? In the pleasant 23-28 degree weather these aren't required. I do however on occasion need the cooled seats which could do with being a tad cooler I think on the odd day it gets above 35 degrees.

Engine - I must admit I find it a bit noisy at idle and at low revs. However once she's up to speed I can't hear anything, and I didn't buy the car to be sat around idling the engine The mountain of torque makes it very relaxing to drive, especially when I want to push on a bit. There is some lag present, which again isn't ideal I must say, but its only momentary before the mountain of torque comes kicking in! I really really want to test drive a 5.0 Supercharged, but am not sure if thats a good idea!

Fuel Consumption - I averaged a true 8.55 L/100km or 33 MPG (UK) the other day between fills, measured at the pump. When pushing on today that dropped to 25 but this figure was just off the trip. Not bad for a car this size and weight. I used to average 12MPG in my V8 M3.

Infotainment/SatNav - I hate the interface. I find the system slow and hard to use, and my 2006 E46 BMW Convertible I just sold put the LR system, to shame in this respect. However once the destination is in, directions are good and easy to follow. Its just getting the damn destinations in which take some ages in this car.

Blind Spot Assist and Lane Departure warning - Blind spot assist is really handy, but the way I position my wing mirrors means I don't have a blind spot anyway, but every other person I know doesn't do this so I can see how this option will benefit many.

Surround Cameras - Handy, but don't like the way the interface works. Id like to click on a camera and have it enlarge automatically. Not have to click on it, then find the enlarge button just to make it bigger.

Park Assist - Never use it, but tested it twice. First time it worked like a dream, second time I think my alloys may have suffered had it not been for some intervention by yours truly.

Adaptive Cruise - It gets confused and its brain sometimes, so best suited to the motorway or motorway type roads only. On these roads it works great! Also a must have in my opinion

General Ride/Handling - Rides and handles like a dream in my opinion. Glides and wafts along. The L405 hides its hefty weight pretty well in my opinion. When pushing on through the twisties, it doesn't rock side to side anywhere near as much as I expect a car of this weight and size to. You still know you're in a heavy car tho.

Rear Seat Entertainment - Keeps my 6 year old daughter very happy. We don't like taking the iPads out with us and this keeps her (and an occasional friend) quiet and occupied, just the way I like it sometimes.

Side Steps - Had Fixed side steps fitted. These in my opinion finish the car off in the looks dept, and allows me to actually step in and out, as opposed to sliding in and off the seat, hopefully doing my leather some favours in the process. Daughter and Missus make use of them all the time as well.

825W Meridian Sound System - All this man could ever want. No complaints. Tested a 1700W system and although great, would be wasted on me

Bottom line is I'm happy wth the waft/glide along, torquey, luxurious feeling, plus love the road presence this car has. Ive never driven anything else from the Land Rover stable so can't really compare it to an L322.

Heres hoping for relative trouble free motoring ahead (famous last words)

Now for some pictures

You won't ever regret buying the L405. If there's one car a notch up on the L322, it's the 405. However...you might regret the choice of colour

They look fantastic in black. But after having a couple of black/dark cars in recent years, never again. Just impossible to keep clean. Which is why my L322 is white:-)