First Impressions (Going from MY13 LR4/NAV8 to MY16 LR4/SCV6)

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Paxton407

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I purchased a new blacked out HSE Silver LR4 a few months back. I have to admit that the rotary knob did take some getting used to - I didn't necessarily love it right at the beginning. But you will get used to it, and when you do, you'll grow to love it. It's much faster than a column shifter when switching gears, especially going into reverse. I routinely bounce between drive and sport without issue. Give it a chance.

I too love the suspension and the SCV6. PLENTY of power. I was presently surprised as I was somewhat skeptical that the jaguar SCV6 engine was going to be able to adequately haul this 6,000lb monster. But it does, and then some. Minor supercharger whine under full throttle, but its more of a whirring sound and only audible when the windows are down. It is not an unpleasant sound in my opinion.

Regarding your comments on the transmission - give it a good 1,000 miles before you start to judge. Mine is smooth as silk. I have no problems at dead starts or stops, no jerking, and no gear hunting. I'm totally in love with the 8spd gearbox. It's one of the highlights of the vehicle imo. Very refined feel to it. Just like the rest of the vehicle.

For those of us that bought 2016.5 LR4s (HSE Silver or Landmarks) I truly believe we received the refinements of a Range Rover for 30k less. I love my truck.
 

SoCalPaul

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I gotta admit when running out todo a chore - I tend to grab the wifes's keys more than mine. It is fun to drive.
 

mpinco

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Let me just say - I love the rotary dial. It's super refined, and aesthetically way more pleasing than an antiquated column sticking out of the middle of the car. The whole "I need to look down at the dial" thing is a little BS. After a few hundred miles, if you cant figure out and remember that you're just turning a *** through the same clicks as shifting a lever, something's a bit amiss with you.

Agreed if you are always on pavement or mild trails and only change settings at start of journey. "A few hundred miles" is the all you need. Doesn't take a lot of thinking. Less so when your running a difficult trail and need quick changes without taking your eyes off the goal. Between TR and D/S knobs the last thing you want to do is decode the array of options. I personally dislike knobs vs. column. Column shift is a 'feel' for what you have selected. Knob requires looking down. Two different sensory inputs. One efficient, one less so.
 

jettore

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Im also finding the knob to not be an issue. I dont look down anymore to make changes. Reverse or to Sport are no problem, just a bit of brain retraining and no longer even think about it.
 

DaJammer

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Couldn't agree more. Purchased mine in June and has been a true joy to own and drive!

I purchased a new blacked out HSE Silver LR4 a few months back. I have to admit that the rotary knob did take some getting used to - I didn't necessarily love it right at the beginning. But you will get used to it, and when you do, you'll grow to love it. It's much faster than a column shifter when switching gears, especially going into reverse. I routinely bounce between drive and sport without issue. Give it a chance.

I too love the suspension and the SCV6. PLENTY of power. I was presently surprised as I was somewhat skeptical that the jaguar SCV6 engine was going to be able to adequately haul this 6,000lb monster. But it does, and then some. Minor supercharger whine under full throttle, but its more of a whirring sound and only audible when the windows are down. It is not an unpleasant sound in my opinion.

Regarding your comments on the transmission - give it a good 1,000 miles before you start to judge. Mine is smooth as silk. I have no problems at dead starts or stops, no jerking, and no gear hunting. I'm totally in love with the 8spd gearbox. It's one of the highlights of the vehicle imo. Very refined feel to it. Just like the rest of the vehicle.

For those of us that bought 2016.5 LR4s (HSE Silver or Landmarks) I truly believe we received the refinements of a Range Rover for 30k less. I love my truck.
 

PaulLR3

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So I have my 2013 in for service and have a 2016 loaner with just 700 miles on it. SCV6 is a little slower but the 8-speed is excellent and makes up for it. A V8 with an 8-speed would be awesome if it existed. Steering and suspension feel so much tighter than mine with 50K miles. Funny how these items wear so slowly that you don't notice they are worn until you drive a new one.

Leather and seat cushion support are lower grade, must be a difference between HSE & HSE-LUX. I'd pull the battery terminal on the start-stop battery if this were mine. And I HATE the running boards, they are intrusive and useless for my tall family.

In conclusion, I think I would be fine with a Discovery 5 with the SCV6/8-speed combo. Looking forward to a test drive when it appears.
 

Forty Deuce

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This is an interesting discussion. I bought a 2106.5 Silver Edition HSE. (The Landmark Edition didn't offer the Montlcino Red and I had to have that color!). So far I've put about 12K miles on it. Living in California I've driven from the deserts of Nevada in 110 degree heat to Northern California mountains at 5000ft. Road trips and 10hr drives as well as daily commuting. Been on some light off road driving and plenty of So-Cal freeways. My impressions thus far are as follows.

This beast is wonderful. The second row sun shade has been a little problematic but it's a work in progress. The fit & finish is high grade and impressive. I like the cabin layout and even then rotary knob transmission. I have found it to be easy to use, intuitive, quickly learned, and to be honest quite classy. (That single feature never fails to receive a reaction from first time passengers.) I learned to dislike column shift vehicles years ago and can't see past that dislike so the rotary knob was a nice design change to me. The HVAC is potent. The cargo capacity is good. Sound system is clear.

The drivetrain is fantastic. I've been throughly impressed with the silky smooth 8-Speed transmission and truly can barley perceive most shifts when it's done automatically. In sport mode, of course, I feel the gears more but that likely has to do with my actions rather than the transmission itself. The SCV6 has plenty of power for me. It's quick and takes me to freeway speed quicker than any 3 ton vehicle this size should have a right to expect. It's faster than most of the other large size SUV's I've driven and truly falls within (or a tad above) the performance band I would expect for a vehicle that's packing true full time four wheel drive, and that much solid metal onboard. Off road the LR4 is sure footed and capable. I've been wildly impressed with its handling and abilities. Truth be told...it's a three ton, highly capable, off road machine (perhaps the last of its kind) with very refined on road manners. It is not a sports sedan and a little body roll in the corners and some loss in acceleration from a previous V8 model is not anything worth my concern.

Dislikes? The infotainment screen could be a little faster and larger. I guess I knew this was the JLR weak spot and I expected worse than it is so it kind of is an even break there for me. I strongly dislike having to use a hard sync cable to use the InControl Apps. The result is I rarely do except for long drives and when using the audio book app. The running boards are not my favorite but the wife and kids love them and they already saved me from a rolling shopping cart crashing into the doors. They will stay for now but rock sliders will eventually take their place.
 

PaulLR3

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Just dropped off the loaner and picked-up ours with a new water pump installed.

Here is how I see it, that SCV6/8-speed transmission drives excellent. If I never owned a V8 I would be completely happy with it. But accelerating up the on-ramp with my LR4, I know that the V8 is just a little better than excellent.
 

R Hermann

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Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I am on the fence between a new Lux and a low-mileage '13. Hoping to do a back-to-back test drive this week.
 

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