My last daily driver was a 2013 Mercedes ML350BT which was a great car and I considered a new GLE500 for a while, as well as a Porsche Cayenne S before deciding on a Range Rover.

After a 5 month wait (actually to the day!!) I picked up the keys last week to my first Land Rover product, a 2016 RRS SDV8 HSE Dynamic. Handover was good apart from the missing tow pack which started a slight issue with the dealer principal, after they tried to suggest it was my fault that it wasn’t ordered. This got resolved and it will be fitted in the next few weeks, however it did leave me with some negative impressions regarding the dealership.

The car didn’t get driven much for the first few days, but with an Easter weekend full of day trips I finally had the chance to put it through its paces….first impressions are it’s an awesome vehicle and I thought I would share a few observations.
Coming from the ML, it certainly seems to be larger inside the cabin, much more spacious, but not sure about the boot space as this seems to be narrower in the RRS. Luxury wise it’s in a different class. Even the wife commented that “it makes the Mercedes look cheap in comparison!!!”

The ride is very good, the car just seems to waft along at freeway speeds however it also loves the twisty stuff in Dynamic and Sport mode. It’s certainly no lightweight sports car and the Cayenne is certainly more of a driver focused SUV, but then I didn’t buy the RRS for that purpose.

I did struggle with the seats at first but after a few days I managed to find a comfortable seat position. Storage space in the cabin is a little limited and I know others have commented on this before. I certainly notice it compared to the Mercedes.

Meridian Surround system is pretty good. I’m no expert in this field but it is definitely a step up from the HK system in the Merc (which I also used to think was good).

Adaptive cruise control is simple and effective to use and was a good option choice in my opinion.

I know this is a well-known issue, but the front parking sensors not working automatically is an annoying matter. I raised this with the dealer at handover and they didn’t know how to turn them on automatically. I found the setting in the main setup screen and turned on auto, but it re-sets each time the vehicle is turned off. I am aware of a software upgrade for this so will have the dealer look at this soon.

In control apps seems to be a waste of money. The apps available in Australia are limited and the ones which are available provide no better functionality than the infotainment system provides as standard. Unless things improve in the future my recommendation would be to not tick this on your options list.

The surround cameras work well and provide good views; however I would have liked the picture quality to be better.
The much-maligned infotainment system is actually better than I was expecting. After a little practice I can find most functions easily. I think the criticism regarding the speed of the system is warranted and this is an area which needs improvement. As a comparison, I had a new Mercedes C250 as a loan car over xmas and the infotainment system/satnav was incredibly slow to react, much slower than the RRS in fact. Just shows that this issue is not limited to JLR systems.

The Sat Nav system is good and seems on a par with other systems I have used, even if the graphics are a little dated. Works fine though and is perfectly functional.

The V8 diesel engine is a monster. Clearly not as quick or powerful as a supercharged V8 but it pulls very well and has a nice V8 growl to accompany rising revs, with buckets full of torque. It is surprising just how quick you can pile on speed with very little effort…..something I will need to be careful of or risk the inevitable speeding fines!!! It’s not the right time to be measuring fuel efficiency as I am enjoying the new engine too much at the moment.

When it comes to looks it certainly has to be one of the best looking SUV’s around. I spec’d mine with Indus Silver, Contrast Santorini roof and custom coloured Style 508 22 inch wheels. Along with the Dynamic pack black trim I am very happy with the colour scheme. I even had the LR badges changed to the old black/silver ones to keep with the colour of the dynamic pack.

A few days after collection the car went to a local detailer for Opticoat Pro paint protection to be applied to exterior and wheels. Window tints were fitted (a necessity with the sun here in Australia), and interior fabric leather protection also applied.

The final results are fantastic (see pics) and I’m certainly looking forward to spending more time on the road……..and I don’t miss the Mercedes at all!!!




















 2016 Range Rover Sport SDV8 HSE Dynamic (Indus Silver/Santorini Black Pano Roof, Ebony/Cirrus leather, custom grey Style 508 alloys)

One of the finest examples I've seen. I had mine opticoated a few days after collection as well.

Enjoy the new car, I know you've waited a long time and I'm sure it feels great to finally be in it!

Congratulations!!!

Looks fantastic DrFox.... SDV8 arrived and fantastic even the infotainment!
1983 2 door Range Rover ARB Bar X9000 winch ARB Rear Bar now semi retired.
Many big trips done in this one.
1982 Rangerover nearly restored.
22 Defender D250 with lots of stuff for outback touring
Nice 2013 Freelander TD4 manual (for daughter to learn on) with much better stereo compared with previous SD4 SE with Meridian which sounded bad!
2013 Land Rover Defender ute.

JKay wrote:

One of the finest examples I've seen. I had mine opticoated a few days after collection as well.

Enjoy the new car, I know you've waited a long time and I'm sure it feels great to finally be in it!

Congratulations!!!

rangiejools wrote:

Looks fantastic DrFox....

They are certainly a great vehicle. Soon to test mine out in the outback and along the Gipps River Road towing our off-road caravan 3200kgs when loaded.

DrFox1969 wrote:

JKay wrote:

One of the finest examples I've seen. I had mine opticoated a few days after collection as well.

Enjoy the new car, I know you've waited a long time and I'm sure it feels great to finally be in it!

Congratulations!!!

Thanks JKay, really enjoying the new ride.

How about you with your new one?

I couldn't be happier thanks!

Yet to take a long trip in her but as schoo holidays are coming up we are planning a trip.

Many of my observations are similar to yours, even tho mine is slightly different (as you already know )

Still early days and I'm still in the stages where I'm not fully relaxed driving her yet but I'm loosening up as days go by

Once again, glad you're enjoying the new Range Rover Sport. Those wheels look amazing and suit the car so well. Opticoat looks amazing too as do the tints.....

Truly stunning!

PeteRRS, What tyres are you going to use ion your Gibb River Trip? SDV8 arrived and fantastic even the infotainment!
1983 2 door Range Rover ARB Bar X9000 winch ARB Rear Bar now semi retired.
Many big trips done in this one.
1982 Rangerover nearly restored.
22 Defender D250 with lots of stuff for outback touring
Nice 2013 Freelander TD4 manual (for daughter to learn on) with much better stereo compared with previous SD4 SE with Meridian which sounded bad!
2013 Land Rover Defender ute.

Glad the wait is over and you're enjoying the motor DrFox!

Looks great.

@PetesRRS - can't wait to hear about your trip! I did the Gibb River Rd many years ago (2004 from memory) as a tourist on a outback excursion and my memories are of really heavily corrugated roads... the air suspension will be working overtime! MY15.5 Fuji White, SDV8 HSE Dyn Stealth Pack
Gone: MY14 Fuji White, 3.0 TDV6 SE
Gone: MY10 Stornoway Grey, 3.0 TDV6

DrFox1969 wrote:

My last daily driver was a 2013 Mercedes ML350BT which was a great car and I considered a new GLE500 for a while, as well as a Porsche Cayenne S before deciding on a Range Rover.

After a 5 month wait (actually to the day!!) I picked up the keys last week to my first Land Rover product, a 2016 RRS SDV8 HSE Dynamic. Handover was good apart from the missing tow pack which started a slight issue with the dealer principal, after they tried to suggest it was my fault that it wasn’t ordered. This got resolved and it will be fitted in the next few weeks, however it did leave me with some negative impressions regarding the dealership.

The car didn’t get driven much for the first few days, but with an Easter weekend full of day trips I finally had the chance to put it through its paces….first impressions are it’s an awesome vehicle and I thought I would share a few observations.
Coming from the ML, it certainly seems to be larger inside the cabin, much more spacious, but not sure about the boot space as this seems to be narrower in the RRS. Luxury wise it’s in a different class. Even the wife commented that “it makes the Mercedes look cheap in comparison!!!”

The ride is very good, the car just seems to waft along at freeway speeds however it also loves the twisty stuff in Dynamic and Sport mode. It’s certainly no lightweight sports car and the Cayenne is certainly more of a driver focused SUV, but then I didn’t buy the RRS for that purpose.

I did struggle with the seats at first but after a few days I managed to find a comfortable seat position. Storage space in the cabin is a little limited and I know others have commented on this before. I certainly notice it compared to the Mercedes.

Meridian Surround system is pretty good. I’m no expert in this field but it is definitely a step up from the HK system in the Merc (which I also used to think was good).

Adaptive cruise control is simple and effective to use and was a good option choice in my opinion.

I know this is a well-known issue, but the front parking sensors not working automatically is an annoying matter. I raised this with the dealer at handover and they didn’t know how to turn them on automatically. I found the setting in the main setup screen and turned on auto, but it re-sets each time the vehicle is turned off. I am aware of a software upgrade for this so will have the dealer look at this soon.

In control apps seems to be a waste of money. The apps available in Australia are limited and the ones which are available provide no better functionality than the infotainment system provides as standard. Unless things improve in the future my recommendation would be to not tick this on your options list.

The surround cameras work well and provide good views; however I would have liked the picture quality to be better.
The much-maligned infotainment system is actually better than I was expecting. After a little practice I can find most functions easily. I think the criticism regarding the speed of the system is warranted and this is an area which needs improvement. As a comparison, I had a new Mercedes C250 as a loan car over xmas and the infotainment system/satnav was incredibly slow to react, much slower than the RRS in fact. Just shows that this issue is not limited to JLR systems.

The Sat Nav system is good and seems on a par with other systems I have used, even if the graphics are a little dated. Works fine though and is perfectly functional.

The V8 diesel engine is a monster. Clearly not as quick or powerful as a supercharged V8 but it pulls very well and has a nice V8 growl to accompany rising revs, with buckets full of torque. It is surprising just how quick you can pile on speed with very little effort…..something I will need to be careful of or risk the inevitable speeding fines!!! It’s not the right time to be measuring fuel efficiency as I am enjoying the new engine too much at the moment.

When it comes to looks it certainly has to be one of the best looking SUV’s around. I spec’d mine with Indus Silver, Contrast Santorini roof and custom coloured Style 508 22 inch wheels. Along with the Dynamic pack black trim I am very happy with the colour scheme. I even had the LR badges changed to the old black/silver ones to keep with the colour of the dynamic pack.

A few days after collection the car went to a local detailer for Opticoat Pro paint protection to be applied to exterior and wheels. Window tints were fitted (a necessity with the sun here in Australia), and interior fabric leather protection also applied.

The final results are fantastic (see pics) and I’m certainly looking forward to spending more time on the road……..and I don’t miss the Mercedes at all!!!

JKay wrote:

DrFox1969 wrote:

JKay wrote:

One of the finest examples I've seen. I had mine opticoated a few days after collection as well.

Enjoy the new car, I know you've waited a long time and I'm sure it feels great to finally be in it!

Congratulations!!!

Thanks JKay, really enjoying the new ride.

How about you with your new one?

I couldn't be happier thanks!

Yet to take a long trip in her but as schoo holidays are coming up we are planning a trip.

Many of my observations are similar to yours, even tho mine is slightly different (as you already know )

Still early days and I'm still in the stages where I'm not fully relaxed driving her yet but I'm loosening up as days go by

Once again, glad you're enjoying the new Range Rover Sport. Those wheels look amazing and suit the car so well. Opticoat looks amazing too as do the tints.....

Truly stunning!

ExpatPom wrote:

Glad the wait is over and you're enjoying the motor DrFox!

Looks great.

@PetesRRS - can't wait to hear about your trip! I did the Gibb River Rd many years ago (2004 from memory) as a tourist on a outback excursion and my memories are of really heavily corrugated roads... the air suspension will be working overtime!

IRBails wrote:

DrFox1969 wrote:

My last daily driver was a 2013 Mercedes ML350BT which was a great car and I considered a new GLE500 for a while, as well as a Porsche Cayenne S before deciding on a Range Rover.

After a 5 month wait (actually to the day!!) I picked up the keys last week to my first Land Rover product, a 2016 RRS SDV8 HSE Dynamic. Handover was good apart from the missing tow pack which started a slight issue with the dealer principal, after they tried to suggest it was my fault that it wasn’t ordered. This got resolved and it will be fitted in the next few weeks, however it did leave me with some negative impressions regarding the dealership.

The car didn’t get driven much for the first few days, but with an Easter weekend full of day trips I finally had the chance to put it through its paces….first impressions are it’s an awesome vehicle and I thought I would share a few observations.
Coming from the ML, it certainly seems to be larger inside the cabin, much more spacious, but not sure about the boot space as this seems to be narrower in the RRS. Luxury wise it’s in a different class. Even the wife commented that “it makes the Mercedes look cheap in comparison!!!”

The ride is very good, the car just seems to waft along at freeway speeds however it also loves the twisty stuff in Dynamic and Sport mode. It’s certainly no lightweight sports car and the Cayenne is certainly more of a driver focused SUV, but then I didn’t buy the RRS for that purpose.

I did struggle with the seats at first but after a few days I managed to find a comfortable seat position. Storage space in the cabin is a little limited and I know others have commented on this before. I certainly notice it compared to the Mercedes.

Meridian Surround system is pretty good. I’m no expert in this field but it is definitely a step up from the HK system in the Merc (which I also used to think was good).

Adaptive cruise control is simple and effective to use and was a good option choice in my opinion.

I know this is a well-known issue, but the front parking sensors not working automatically is an annoying matter. I raised this with the dealer at handover and they didn’t know how to turn them on automatically. I found the setting in the main setup screen and turned on auto, but it re-sets each time the vehicle is turned off. I am aware of a software upgrade for this so will have the dealer look at this soon.

In control apps seems to be a waste of money. The apps available in Australia are limited and the ones which are available provide no better functionality than the infotainment system provides as standard. Unless things improve in the future my recommendation would be to not tick this on your options list.

The surround cameras work well and provide good views; however I would have liked the picture quality to be better.
The much-maligned infotainment system is actually better than I was expecting. After a little practice I can find most functions easily. I think the criticism regarding the speed of the system is warranted and this is an area which needs improvement. As a comparison, I had a new Mercedes C250 as a loan car over xmas and the infotainment system/satnav was incredibly slow to react, much slower than the RRS in fact. Just shows that this issue is not limited to JLR systems.

The Sat Nav system is good and seems on a par with other systems I have used, even if the graphics are a little dated. Works fine though and is perfectly functional.

The V8 diesel engine is a monster. Clearly not as quick or powerful as a supercharged V8 but it pulls very well and has a nice V8 growl to accompany rising revs, with buckets full of torque. It is surprising just how quick you can pile on speed with very little effort…..something I will need to be careful of or risk the inevitable speeding fines!!! It’s not the right time to be measuring fuel efficiency as I am enjoying the new engine too much at the moment.

When it comes to looks it certainly has to be one of the best looking SUV’s around. I spec’d mine with Indus Silver, Contrast Santorini roof and custom coloured Style 508 22 inch wheels. Along with the Dynamic pack black trim I am very happy with the colour scheme. I even had the LR badges changed to the old black/silver ones to keep with the colour of the dynamic pack.

A few days after collection the car went to a local detailer for Opticoat Pro paint protection to be applied to exterior and wheels. Window tints were fitted (a necessity with the sun here in Australia), and interior fabric leather protection also applied.

The final results are fantastic (see pics) and I’m certainly looking forward to spending more time on the road……..and I don’t miss the Mercedes at all!!!

Very Nice Dr Fox. Glad it is finally here. I am really enjoying my ride especially the performance side of things. Have got some K's up now and also some dirt roads , car is pretty good so far , just one problem with the rear hatch seal that is being compressed by the RHS wiring loom and allowing dust in. Needs attention and could be an issue on all RRS.

Cheers IRBails. Glad your enjoying yours.

I saw your post on the rear hatch seal, I must check mine for the same issue.

Not sure I will be offroading anytime soon, especially with my wheels!!!! Think I will generally stick to the black stuff!! 2016 Range Rover Sport SDV8 HSE Dynamic (Indus Silver/Santorini Black Pano Roof, Ebony/Cirrus leather, custom grey Style 508 alloys)

rangiejools wrote:

PeteRRS, What tyres are you going to use ion your Gibb River Trip?

Are you on 20s or 21s? I have Scorpion Verdes but have a spare set of Scorpion ATRs 275/55/20 that I use during the winter as we live on a dirt road. I had a couple of moments (!) in the wet on the Verdes. Much stronger tyre and slightly more aggressive. Ride not quite as good but no extra noise. They are a bit wider and therefore kick up more stones. My friend used them on his 2014 RRS in the Simpson last year including the Hay River track. Passed with flying colours. Car went well although he needed a new front shock (they actually changed both fronts for a new version) when we got home. You may want to check that your car has the upgraded shocks. Earlier ones like my friends were liable to fail in extreme conditions. Not applicable if you have Dynamic option. SDV8 arrived and fantastic even the infotainment!
1983 2 door Range Rover ARB Bar X9000 winch ARB Rear Bar now semi retired.
Many big trips done in this one.
1982 Rangerover nearly restored.
22 Defender D250 with lots of stuff for outback touring
Nice 2013 Freelander TD4 manual (for daughter to learn on) with much better stereo compared with previous SD4 SE with Meridian which sounded bad!
2013 Land Rover Defender ute.