l322 for d3 swap

[rangietragic]

Thinking maybe sometime in the future trying to swap my 03 td6 L322 for a tdv6 se or hse d3,as i want to do more off roading and the d3 has more accessories available.Only a bit of an idea at present as i really don't want to step down to a d3,but may have to .Any thoughts?

[mitchE39]

We have got my TDV6 D3 which I've now had for 3 months, and dads range rover which has been with us for 6 years now. Honestly, the engine and ride in the D3 are marginal better. It's smoother, quieter, faster, and has an extra gear (6th) for cruising. The only place the TD6 rangie really beats the D3 is in the interior. It looks much nicer than my disco which has black everything with no wood. It's not bad, not by any means, but the cream and walnut dash of the rangie is nicer.

I'd encourage you to go drive a disco, they are different cars, but I wouldn't consider it a complete downgrade at all

2005 D3 TDV6
2004 Rangie TD6

[rangietragic]

Been looking at a few d3 hse's on carsales,none mention a navigator or reversing camera,also only one mentioned a sunroof,it had three.One i nearly bought before i got the L322 had sunroof,dvd players,navigator,bi xenon head lights,an 06 model.What are they supposed to have?

[D90]

All have bi-xenon headlights except for the base S models. Pretty sure the only sunroof you can get has the 3 windows. Most HSE models would have factory GPS but not all. Hard if not impossible to replace HSE head unit with an after market one. Some SE models may have after market head units with nav and reversing cameras. No factory reverse camera I believe.

[Epic pooh]

Navigation was an option (and an expensive one); the sunroof is called an alpine roof so you get three (rear fixed, front opens); all HSEs have memory electric seats which are excellent; none had factory reversing camera; the headlights are xenon in HSE and the option is to have adaptive lamps which are excellent; the HSE had two sound systems -std and logic 7 (the logic 7 has 14 spkrs and is most excellent); an option you might look out for is the e-diff; rear air is good; early ones were available as 5 or 7 seats.

I remember a top gear test where Clarkson basically said the D3 did everything as well or better than the early L322 ...

[TerryO]

From my observations it was mainly the 05 HSE's that came with all/most of the options and then you had to wait until the run out 09 models till once again you start to see HSE's with all the option boxes ticked. Often it is the V8 model that has most of the options standard, TDV6's with all the options are rearer from what I have noticed over the years.

Our 05 HSE came with the following options;

Alpine roof
Adaptive head lights ................... excellent option especially if you do lots of country driving
Logic7 stereo. ............................one of the best stereos in any car
Console fridge ............................ A real good thing on long trips
E-diff ........................................ A great thing for serious off roading
Premium Sat Nav ....................... The sat Nav is crap, the 4x4 off road screen is a real good thing
Rear air ..................................... Speaks for itself
Front sensors
Personal Phone integration system. ...has never worked so no comment
Roof rails ..................................... the short rails are better than nothing. The long rails are the go.
Seven seater ............................... Good option, but have only used it once and adds lots of weight.

I think it also has the premium ice option, what ever that is.

The only options above I would be more than happy without is the front sensors and the sunroofs, the Alpine roof add lots of weight to the vehicle, the front sunroof leaks inside the car when the drain tubes block up and it allows heat into the vehicle on sunny days and it can be a bit noisy with wind noise as it gets older.

As I said if you check out the 06 to 08 HSE's for sale, chances are, you will find few of them if any with all of the above options. The 09 HSE was a run out model so LR often added lots of the options standard to try and sell them before the D4 arrived later in the year. The 09 is the one to get if you are prepared to pay double of what you can expect to pay for the same 05 model and some of the 09's had other extra's you couldn't get in the 05. I have seen the occasional one with the winter pack which included the heated seats option advertised. Which is a great option for those who live some where like Goulburn which where we do, our D4 has heated seats, heated screen, mirrors etc. and they are a god send in winter.

Our 05 model has been used extensively off road and has the bumps and bruises to show for it, don't think I could bring myself to do the same stuff in a nice shiny 09 model, but that is just me.

Good luck in finding the right car, the D3 is a real good bit of gear and with a few extra factory options fitted it just make it even more fun to own and drive.

[Graeme]

Used D4 values are dropping - I was offered $33K for my 09-build 3.0 SE with 150K kms as a trade-in without any reference to its gbox problem and not likely to be worth much more with a ZF re-manufactured gbox.

[justinc]

Keep the L322.

Jc

[rar110]

Your FFRR is an early one. Which sounds like is at an age that's causing headaches.

The D3 is an excellent vehicle by all accounts. I've never owned one. But I was originally looking at a D3 to replace the 110. An SE will have about the same equipment levels as an early FFRR.

However, D3 will have TR which definitely improves off road ability from my limited experience and reduces the risk of drive train breakages compared to other land rovers.

When I was researching the D3 I gleaned the 07MY resolved some early D3 design glitches eg dual bus and 09MY D3 got some D4 electronics.

Personally I'm really enjoying the tdv8 L322 with TR. It has an incredible amount/combination of power, torque, on/off-road traction. Mines the poverty pack yet it still has lots of features. They are coming down in price. Mine was really good value, as it had highish km, but still in great condition with a perfect service history.

The D4s price is also coming down. A 2.7 D4 is probably comparable to the power & torque of a TD6. The TDV6 has a bit more get up and go and D4 is essentially a D3 platform just modernised and refined even more.

IMHO one particular advantage of a L322 over a D3/4 is vision over the bonnet. The bonnet is really noticeable in a D3/4, but not so in the L322. I've also noticed, from my observations when parking next to a D4, is the L322 seems to have better ground clearance and departure angle than a D4 at standard height. The compressor is better protected in a L322.

However, as you say it's much easier to buy stuff to bolt on the D3/4.

[rangietragic]

Keep the L322.

Jc

Would love to,nicest rangie i've ever owned,but last 6 months all i seem to do is fix things.Have got another steering column to install plus another front valve block,to go with the new front air struts and new fuel pump.Now i'm having nightmares about the gearbox letting go.It has 224 thou kays on it.