Range Rover Sport Autobiography

[Kent Border Kenny]

As per my thread in the Car Buying forum, I’m looking for a new two-car garage to cover a family car and then also a convertible supercar that is nice enough to use on longer drives, to replace both my SL63 and R8.

I’ve decided to get a Range Rover Sport for the family car, regather than the E63 / RS6 / Stelvios that I’d been considering, and I’d love to know if there’s anything that I need to be made aware of, or if there are any tips or hints to make life with it easier.

I’m going for a 215 Autobiography with the 500bhp petrol engine, and not planning on using it off road. I do plan to use it up North for visits in the winter, so need half an eye on tyres that work well in the snow and ice.

[ChocolateFrog]

Why would you get the sport over a FFRR?

I'm not a badge snob but I can't think of a car with a worse imagine than a supercharged RRS.

[camel_landy]

Read some of the discussions on Winter Tyres...

General Synopsis:

• A Winter Tyre is to be used when temperatures are below 8 degrees, not just in snow & ice (different silica content in the rubber).
• In the UK climate, that's usually from Oct/Nov - Apr/May.
• Narrow tyres work better (and potentially give you the chance of running snow chains)
• Get a second set of rims, fit the tyres and run them for 6mths of the year.

M

[Filibuster]

I just bought some Michelin CrossClimate SUV for my P38 Range Rover.
Even here in Switzerland it should serve me well all year round.

ETA Camel Landy is spot on with his description, btw.
And the MCC tires I bought have their limits, as do each other tires have. One should simply be aware of what they are.

A Range Rover on proper winter tires is among the best vehicle for every wintery condition.

Edited by Filibuster on Monday 8th June 09:13

[Kent Border Kenny]

ChocolateFrog said:

Why would you get the sport over a FFRR?

I'm not a badge snob but I can't think of a car with a worse imagine than a supercharged RRS.

Basically because I don’t care what other people think about my cars, so bought the one that I wanted.

Even worse, I picked the colours to match my other cars, not because of how people thought it looked.

I now have an R8 Plus, S63, Range Rover Sport and Smart Forfour in matching white with black wheels.

[Shanksy87]

I've spent significant time in both the FFRR and RRS and would suggest they are quite different vehicles to live with despite being objective similar. The RRS could be the 1 car garage, the FFRR cannot.

If you can, target a 16MY car, the infotainment was markedly improved and the touch screen response a level up on the 15MY cars and you can operate the seat heating without going into the infotainment. A 65/16 plate should get you this.

[Osinjak]

Shanksy87 said:

I've spent significant time in both the FFRR and RRS and would suggest they are quite different vehicles to live with despite being objective similar. The RRS could be the 1 car garage, the FFRR cannot.

If you can, target a 16MY car, the infotainment was markedly improved and the touch screen response a level up on the 15MY cars and you can operate the seat heating without going into the infotainment. A 65/16 plate should get you this.

I came from a 2015 BMW to RRS ownership through Approved Used and when I first started test driving them I couldn’t believe how bad the InControl was. So much so that it became a deal breaker and ended I up with 66 plate AB with InControl Pro which is much better but still not as good as BMW, Audi, etc. What I will say is the first year of ownership was emotional, it seemed to go wrong every bloody week but touch wood, it’s been fine for a while now. He says.

[cayman-black]

Great car and good choice that engine is epic!

[Filibuster]

Kent Border Kenny said:

ChocolateFrog said:

Why would you get the sport over a FFRR?

I'm not a badge snob but I can't think of a car with a worse imagine than a supercharged RRS.

Basically because I don’t care what other people think about my cars, so bought the one that I wanted.

Even worse, I picked the colours to match my other cars, not because of how people thought it looked.

I now have an R8 Plus, S63, Range Rover Sport and Smart Forfour in matching white with black wheels.

Did you buy one already, or do you have a specific one in mind?
Each to their own and all that, it's a free country! If this is what you want and are happy, great!!

For me a white RRS with black wheels sounds absolutely ghastly. I'm more a FFRR in dark blue, small wheels, no tints, sand leather kind of guy.
But hey, as long as we all enjoy what we drive and so ....

Can you post photographs of this all white/black wheels collection?

[Kent Border Kenny]

Filibuster said:

Did you buy one already, or do you have a specific one in mind?
Each to their own and all that, it's a free country! If this is what you want and are happy, great!!

For me a white RRS with black wheels sounds absolutely ghastly. I'm more a FFRR in dark blue, small wheels, no tints, sand leather kind of guy.
But hey, as long as we all enjoy what we drive and so ....

Can you post photographs of this all white/black wheels collection?

Yes, I’m picking it up today. I probably won’t have them all in one place, but will stick some pictures up.

What’s the best way to get a picture on here?

[Osinjak]

Kent Border Kenny said:

Filibuster said:

Did you buy one already, or do you have a specific one in mind?
Each to their own and all that, it's a free country! If this is what you want and are happy, great!!

For me a white RRS with black wheels sounds absolutely ghastly. I'm more a FFRR in dark blue, small wheels, no tints, sand leather kind of guy.
But hey, as long as we all enjoy what we drive and so ....

Can you post photographs of this all white/black wheels collection?

Yes, I’m picking it up today. I probably won’t have them all in one place, but will stick some pictures up.

What’s the best way to get a picture on here?

[Kent Border Kenny]

That’s the SL, on collection, with the R8 behind it, that I’d fully intended to trade in.

[Kent Border Kenny]

And there’s the Range Rover.

[Kent Border Kenny]

And since you asked, here’s the Smart...

[Filibuster]

I remember the Hunter Green collection from an Aston Martin client that had bought each model in the very same colour combination.
Also Chris Evans springs to mind!

Have you always had white cars with black wheels?
Or which one started your collection?

Also congrats on the Range Rover! Although not what I would have bought for me, they are tremendously good cars and also reliability is far, far better than what the internet and many people would have you believed!

[unseen]

In terms of tyres for your RRS, I thought they came as standard with Pirelli Scorpion All Seasons which I think will be okay for anything other than deep snow / extreme conditions (which we hardly get in the UK). I know you can spec summer tyres as well though and this might also apply if you have the very large wheel option on your car.

[Kent Border Kenny]

Filibuster said:

I remember the Hunter Green collection from an Aston Martin client that had bought each model in the very same colour combination.
Also Chris Evans springs to mind!

Have you always had white cars with black wheels?
Or which one started your collection?

Also congrats on the Range Rover! Although not what I would have bought for me, they are tremendously good cars and also reliability is far, far better than what the internet and many people would have you believed!

I used to have all metallic grey, generally as close to Audi’s Daytona grey as possible, I just found myself liking the black and white look after getting a C63 in that sled a few years ago. That’s long gone now (although I did see it on the A20 yesterday) but I stuck with the scheme afterwards.

I’ve still got a grey Tesla P100D, and traded in a grey and yellow Abarth 595 to get the Range Rover.

I plan to swap the R8 and SL for one car that can cover both needs later in the year, I.e. something close to a supercar but convertible wit comfortable seats.

[Filibuster]

Kent Border Kenny said:

Filibuster said:

I remember the Hunter Green collection from an Aston Martin client that had bought each model in the very same colour combination.
Also Chris Evans springs to mind!

Have you always had white cars with black wheels?
Or which one started your collection?

Also congrats on the Range Rover! Although not what I would have bought for me, they are tremendously good cars and also reliability is far, far better than what the internet and many people would have you believed!

I used to have all metallic grey, generally as close to Audi’s Daytona grey as possible, I just found myself liking the black and white look after getting a C63 in that sled a few years ago. That’s long gone now (although I did see it on the A20 yesterday) but I stuck with the scheme afterwards.

I’ve still got a grey Tesla P100D, and traded in a grey and yellow Abarth 595 to get the Range Rover.

I plan to swap the R8 and SL for one car that can cover both needs later in the year, I.e. something close to a supercar but convertible wit comfortable seats.

Have you considered an Aston Martin?
The New V8 Vantage Roadster looks tremendous and like a baby supercar while the DBS convertible is a bit more GT'esque.
Both would be somewhere inbetween the R8 and the SL and should have comfortable enough seats.

Also this would make for "best of British motoring" garage.

[Kent Border Kenny]

Filibuster said:

Have you considered an Aston Martin?
The New V8 Vantage Roadster looks tremendous and like a baby supercar while the DBS convertible is a bit more GT'esque.
Both would be somewhere inbetween the R8 and the SL and should have comfortable enough seats.

Also this would make for "best of British motoring" garage.

I’ll try to test drive all of the options once it’s possible. If the 720S is OK on long drives then that’s maybe top of my list at the moment.