Decision Time F15 X 5 or RR Sport ??

[damian777]

Anyone driven  both a  2014  RR Sport D  with the newer  2014  engine 288 hp giving a claimed 37 mpg  and a  X5 4D  in F 15  variant  ? How does the RR  SD compare  to either of  the  new 3D  or 4D  engined X 5 s ?
After owning four  X 5 s  i'm unsure of what to get in Jan 2015 ....help !
I have  now got use to the twin turbo power and response of the  4 D  X 5 and don't want to swap down to a slower option , once you've had  the power  , you miss it  on a lesser  engine .  I have just  driven a demonstrator  X 5  but only with the 3D  engine  245 bhp i think  , but only round town so not a real comparison when the sales guy was pushing for a deal after a two mile  test  at rush hour in traffic.   
D

[535dboy]

RRS all the way

[damian777]

Yes  the RR SD  is looking fav im afraid  to say on a  BM  Forum site !.   Its the looks of the new X5  that lets the job down.  The back end looks  like a Lexus 450 no flared arches  no rear  air diffuser features , very bland.
The new  RR Sport won hands  down on looks  this year at the Geneva show, the BMW stand was wind swept apart from a crowd around the new  8 series,which i do love  but no room for the kids and 120 mile range ??
After 10 years  with BMW i might be jumping ship  sorry  my Bavarian friends. Auffedessein !
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[sunnydude959]

By the looks of it, the RRS is probably the better choice here - even though I really do hate to say that!

Its excellent to drive, looks the business, the interior is excellent and the residuals are very strong at the moment. HSE Dynamic is the one to go for (oh, and get ambient lighting, its pretty cool how you can get the colour to change! - Would also highly recommend the Meridian sound system upgrade).

I did laugh when I saw that a larger capacity washer fluid bottle was an option! )

[damian777]

Yes i have to agree  at this point,and my other half, her indoors says the  the  RR Sport in white  in particular is the head turner  for the girls at the moment , so that sways it  ,    ( cant believe she told me really as shes the jealous type  ) ) ! Well if  your going to spend all your hard earned  wonga  you want people to notice the new motor dont you , and the F 15  just isn't  working for me ...so disappointed really as i love my 4D M sport but its nearly  4  years old now but only done 19,500 miles , so drives like new and had no problems apart from  the 20 " alloys going blistered like  so many others on this  site .
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[Don Coffey]

I do like the looks of the new RRS but then again I liked the old one too.  My concern would be with reliability. Certainly not a strong point on the previous model.

Don

[X5Sport]

Landcruiser......

[damian777]

If i was going to the North Pole  like Mr Clarkson and Co i would go for  a Landcruiser , but im not and they are  even more ugly than the new X5, so im swayed  to the RR Sport D with 288 bhp ,  !
Looks are important to me for Cars and Females , not in that order as  i can easily  sell my car but im stuck with the other half ! )
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[damian777]

Hello Don
Yes being serious  for a second, the reliability of  RR  the  last ten years  is why i've had four  X5s, very little problems with any of them .  I have close friends who bought new  RR  Sports over the last years and they have kept the local solicitors  busy with litigation  claims  against  main dealers , one friend had a 2010  RR Sport  off  the road more days than on in  its first year , under  warranty, unbelievable !
But all the reports about the new  2013- 2014  RR are looking better  with JLR investing money in technology , fingers crossed.!  Its just the delivery time  thats an issue as the demand is outstripping supply with most going to overseas customers,  says it all really . I dont want to wait six months. If i do then a F 15 might be the only option , when the face lift due ???
They new Range Rover Sport  all aluminium chassis is a big improvement ,as is the  consumption on the 2014 engines unlike previous  Range Rovers and my X 5 is  not getting anything near the published 37 mpg average. I would say 28 is more honest . I hear the F 15 is slightly better but ive got doubts it will average the claimed 38 average !
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[m13lky]

Don, I agree as I said on Damian's other post a mate of mine has a new RRS & has had it in a few times for electrical faults, his was one of the first but nearly half way through his warranty now, everyone we know in the car industry is telling him to order his new one in the next 6 months as you don't want one of these out of warranty unless money is no object! They do look good no denying that.

[graemeX5]

Hi re the RRS I would vote for that as my brother in law had his delivered at Christmas last year. He's had previous RRS and Q7 BMWX6 and E53s .

He is well impressed with the new RRS diesel which is returning about 34mpg due to the lighter weigh of the car. When we went in it it was effortless and very quiet over the old RRS. The stop start I think really helps but I drove it only a few miles and it was easy to drive and much smoother than my old X5.

Damien, I agree with you in the looks department it wins hands down for me too and I think it's residual value will reflect this.

Good luck with your purchase.

[kenniff]

Of course you might struggle to insure it

[damian777]

Why  might i struggle to insure it ?      The BMW X 5s  have the problem for theft  according to the press, any wise criminal in the " car trade "  >:D  can open an  X5 with a lap top and  £ 200 online software, to reprogram the ignition and  off it goes to Russia ...................I had my last  2009 M Sport 3D  software re programmed by main dealer as a recall,  and a letter from my insurance Company insisting i take it to a dealer pronto ... but i hear the issue still exists contrary to Main Dealers comments about 2010 + cars being safe .!    I would not leave  my  X 5 4D at the airport  for two weeks while i'm away as  airport car parks  are  gems to  prof criminals as by the time your home and you notice its gone the tracker is irrelevent . 
Are there  theft  issues with the new  RR Sport ???? 

[X5Sport]

Because of the requirement that car servicing can be done by providers other than the main network, all OEMs have to provide information to allow these systems to be operated elsewhere.  The issue is affecting all the major players and even down to a Ford Fiesta.

The problem is that the legit software is getting outside official channels - usually by a person in the legit network letting it out - and from then on any of those who want that information can get hold of it.

There is simply no simple way of stopping that, only making it tougher.  As soon as one defence system is put in place then a workaround is developed.  It's an IT arms race where a lot of money can be made so organised crime spends the time and makes the changes and starts stealing cars again.  It's the downside of consumers wanting ever cleverer cars, and designers pandering to them.

Comfort access/keyless entry systems are the easiest to steal because the key only needs to be 'in range' and that means it can be jammed to keep the car open, or the code copied over radio and 'played back' to the car and the thieves are in,  once in then they connect their gizmos which the car accepts as legit and bye bye car.

If it was simple to fix, OEMs would have already done it.  All Owners can do is fit systems like 'Viper' integrated alarms/immobilisers.  They have been mentioned in the sticky thread about thefts on this forum.

To stop it all together you would have to force Owners to use only main dealers, and that falls foul of the EU & Other International trade agreements.

Even with these modern challenges the number of car thefts has dropped from more than 310,000 to less than 78,000 - not that that offers much comfort if it was yours that got nicked.

Richard

[535dboy]

There was a recent article in the press saying that insurers companies are not insuring range rovers.