Range Rover Sport (or similar)

MAG77

Yeah the air suspension is a fairly good system but can be expensive if anything big goes wrong with it, also most of the RRS’s have active cornering which uses hydraulic anti roll bars and that plays up a lot now they’re getting older and can be anything from £1k to £5k to sort out!

If your going to be driving on rough or unsurfaced roads a lot I don’t think a RRS is the right vehicle as although they look tough they eat suspension arms and bushes and due to the design of the vehicle some of them can be costly to replace! Also the larger alloy wheels can crack or buckle on large potholes.

They are very expensive vehicles to maintain and a lot of the jobs on them can get very costly very quickly due to the design and the restricted access to many items!

MAG77

I would totally agree with this, you may be best looking at something like a Mitsubishi shogun or if you don’t need something as big a Nissan Xtrail as suggested earlier!

=adrian=

Yes, I got really put off yesterday. It seems like this is not only RRS problem with expensive repairs and running costs but the whole LR brand. Not good as I was quite looking forward to owning one.

MAG77

If you really want a landrover the most reliable are the freelander 2 or a Defender. Although they both do have their problems they’re not as bad as the rest of the range!

=adrian=

Problem with many of the off road cars mentioned here is that they look very bland and dated now, exterior and interior (at least the versions within my budget). RRS has a certain character which other lack. I am a very visual person, I need to like the look of my car, and most of them do nothing for me. I need to have anotger Autotrader session tonight to look closely at otger options.

woody10381

Subaru Forrester?  Not the most economical but they are generally considered bullet proof and good to drive on & off road. XTe spec will get you all the toys too.

=adrian=

Yes, that is one of the cars I have missed so far. Though from what I heard Subaru brand is not very relible either. I will have a look at them too

woody10381

I'm surprised to hear that, I cant comment on the newer models but the version (up to 2008?) was considered to be one of the most reliable cars you could own. My family have owned various Subaru's in that period and never had to spend a penny on repairs. The main drawback to any Subaru is a somewhat 'plasticky' interior so it's worth bearing that in mind if that is something particularly important to you.

=adrian=

My ex-workmate had a Forrester a few years back when we worked together. He had nothing but problems. Eventually he had to sell it. Maybe he was just unlucky.

But also heard that from other couple of people that Subarus are not very relible. I don't have any personal experience though. Will definitely look at Forrester as well.

I am really gutted about the RRS though, as on paper that looks like the perfect car for me. And I also like its bad boy look (I am such a kid )

Iain42

Hi Adrian,

Like you, I have to like the look of my car, so that rules things like the Porsches and BMW's out if having a SUV.  I got a RR Velar 6 months ago, and am still in love with it.  Only other SUV's I would consider on looks would be Mercedes and Volvo. Other half is on her third Evoque, has never had a problem.

Have you considered PCP?  Cost of both of ours is very reasonable, as Range Rovers have great resale value. I was surprised, thought the Velar I wanted would be out of my price range, but it wasn't.  Though I know I'll never own it, guaranteed future value is big....  That option would mean you're driving a car covered by warranty, so at least you know the cost.