RR Sport P400e PHEV

RR Sport P400e PHEV

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Discussion

harry01hog

Original Poster:

41 posts

94 months

Thursday 30th January 2020
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I'm considering one of these to replace my C63 AMG Biturbo as I will be increasing my annual mileage from about 10k to 20k in the near future - and Mercedes have stopped the normal C63 (only the S is available now which I cannot afford)

My main concern is the perceived unreliability of RR - are they really as bad as they seem to have a reputation for being?

It will be my only car so any major issues would be a problem. I've looked at other manufacturers for similar vehicles but no joy - they seem to be underpowered compared with the RR.

Any comments or experiences would be appreciated.

bompey

567 posts

242 months

Thursday 30th January 2020
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I have a friend who recently got one of these and who then returned it because he couldn't get it up his drive. For your sort of mileage you will most likely be running on the 2litre petrol engine as the electric range is only 20 miles or so. I'd avoid.

PistonBroker

2,517 posts

233 months

Thursday 30th January 2020
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Touch wood, overall reliability of our almost 2 years old EU6 Disco Sport has been good.

The only issue has been the well-known DPF and oil dilution issues but that's not insignificant - an oil and filter service with them is £220 and, at one point there was the chance of 4 of those in the 3 years on top of normal servicing, and a replacement DPF - which seems to be their go-to fix - is £1800 and, having had one under warranty and one under goodwill, I'm told I'll be paying if it needs another one.

All takes the shine off an otherwise nice car and has certainly put me off the brand. Plus it's a wounder paying £350 a month to rent it and having to leave it on the drive much of the week.

I like the idea of the RRS PHEV - 20 miles on electric would suit our commute - but as said already, I gather the numbers don't stack up once you're out on the road using a 2.0 to lug a heavier than standard car around. For me, if they can't get EU6 right - issue on DS, Evoque and ePace seems to be DPF location - I worry about how well they can manage PHEV.

Just remembered rain seemed to play havoc with the tailgate around Christmas. Disconcerting having it attempt to close as you're unloading the big Christmas shop! Oh, and ours has the creaking rear suspension the Autocar long-termer had too.

Throttle Body

450 posts

180 months

Thursday 30th January 2020
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I've just ordered a RRS PHEV, so I've been looking into all this closely. This is what I concluded:

- You need to fit a home charger. The charging network away from home is terrible.
- The PHEV makes sense if you do a lot of local trips because you can rely mainly on electric. If you do lots of longer journeys, you are not going to benefit much from electric, but will suffer higher consumption from the petrol engine. The PHEV is a compromise which suits people who do shorter trips.
- The take off of the PHEV is much better than an ICE version.
- I haven't seen much on PHEV specific reliability, but it is a more complicated RRS, so it is bound to throw up problems. If reliability is important to you, you are risking your happiness with a RRS.
- Both the ICE & the electric motor drive through the gearbox and 4x4 system, which I think is better than other cars where the engine drives the front wheels and the electric motor drives the rear. Clarkson complained about the Volvo PHEV leaving tyre skidmarks on his lawn when he pulled away because of the torque mismatch.
- The battery is under the boot floor, where the spare wheel would otherwise have been. In addition, the boot floor is raised by an inch or two, which compromises the boot space.
- You get electric pre-heating as standard, controlled from your phone.
- Contract hire costs are quite reasonable, and full maintenance is well priced.
- Someone might steal it
- LR dealers have a poor reputation. Make sure your stealership has a good reputation.

I'm looking forward to mine arriving.

GBR1

53 posts

157 months

Sunday 9th February 2020
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The other option is the BMW X5 45e.

3.0L petrol vs the 2.0L in the RRS.

Bigger batteries with electric range of up to 54 miles, real world seems to be 40 ish mile in this colder weather.

Looks to be a good alternative to me..

GBR1

djc206

12,738 posts

132 months

Monday 10th February 2020
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I’ve had mine for 4 months now. About half of my miles are short local journeys and it’s ideal for that. Mine only has 2400 miles on it so not really in a position to comment on long term reliability.

Economy wise being a small turbo engine if you give it the beans it’s thirsty. I drove about 60 miles along the A27 which is endless roundabouts the other day in a bit of a hurry and returned 20mpg (solely on petrol). Equally I was running early to Heathrow last month so sat at 70 or less from Fleet to Heathrow and it managed 35mpg again only on petrol.

One thing about the petrol engine is it’s not the smoothest sounding. It’s no agricultural diesel but it’s not like a nice VAG 2.0T.

I’m very happy with the car. It’s so comfortable, it looks great, it drives incredibly smoothly and I can charge it in 2 hours at home (7kw charger installed with a generous govt grant). Would I get one if I did 20k per year? Probably not.

Throttle Body

450 posts

180 months

Monday 10th February 2020
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djc206 said:
I’m very happy with the car. It’s so comfortable, it looks great, it drives incredibly smoothly and I can charge it in 2 hours at home (7kw charger installed with a generous govt grant). Would I get one if I did 20k per year? Probably not.
I've got one on order, so it is good to hear your views. On the subject of home chargers, do you control charging from the car, or from the charger? For example, if I want the car to be fully charged by a particular time in the morning, or if I want to delay charging until the night time, do I set this with the car or the charger? If it is all controlled by the car, presumably I can install a cheaper simpler charger.

djc206

12,738 posts

132 months

Tuesday 11th February 2020
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Throttle Body said:
I've got one on order, so it is good to hear your views. On the subject of home chargers, do you control charging from the car, or from the charger? For example, if I want the car to be fully charged by a particular time in the morning, or if I want to delay charging until the night time, do I set this with the car or the charger? If it is all controlled by the car, presumably I can install a cheaper simpler charger.
Timed charging is set up in the car. You can also set up timed climate on the same screen.

Throttle Body

450 posts

180 months

Wednesday 12th February 2020
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djc206 said:
Timed charging is set up in the car. You can also set up timed climate on the same screen.
Very helpful. Thank you.