Optional Extras

When I ordered my car I think I turned into a nodding dog when the rather lovely saleswoman went through all the optional extras I could order! Seem to have ordered pretty much everything except for the TPMS. I would find it helpful if people could feed back the good and the bad of the extras they've added to their cars. Is the solar glass any good for example? My thinking was that with so much leather in the interior it may keep it looking better in the long term. On the other hand, Devon doesn't have Dubai type temperatures!

This is the first new car I've ever bought which may help to explain my Churchill like behaviour!!!

Cheers

I did the same as you for the same reason I suspect...and in truth, I wouldn't miss hardly any of the extras if I didn't have them, at least not individually. However, I wanted a luxury car that made me feel like my Vogue did, and to achieve that, the extras are a must...for me it is a classic case of 'the whole being greater than the sum of it's parts'

So... Don't regret any of it

(19-02-2012 11:52am)Token Wrote:  I did the same as you for the same reason I suspect...and in truth, I wouldn't miss hardly any of the extras if I didn't have them, at least not individually. However, I wanted a luxury car that made me feel like my Vogue did, and to achieve that, the extras are a must...for me it is a classic case of 'the whole being greater than the sum of it's parts'

So... Don't regret any of it

For me - Pano Roof, Rear camera, and Adaptive Dynamics are well worth the extra.

I'm bit of a gadget fan so didn't take much persuading. The panoramic roof sells itself doesn't it?!! Looks amazing.

Am really looking forward to getting it. Was told May but who knows. I was patient until I did the factory tour and LR experience. Now much less so!

Before I got my car I was loaned a car for about a month by my dealer. That car was a dynamic which had the lux pack (£4k) and the sports seats (£3k). When I priced that car up it came to about £54k. My car is a dynamic and the extras I added were pana roof, dipping mirror, spare wheel.

I have to say that I have not really missed any of the extras that were in the earlier car. Don't get me wrong, if money is no object then go for a fully loaded car, however the Dynamic and Prestige are well specced and the extras are a nice fo have rather than a must. The pana roof to me is an essential, and the one extra which I liked for convenience was the auto boot open, however, the fact that it is so sensitive would drive me mad. My advice would be buy what you can afford but the extras are a nice to have rather than an essential.

Couple of the extras I ordered which I wouldn't want to live without is a dipping rear mirror and a spare wheel instead of the foam jobby stuff.
If you are considering a spare get it in your spec as aftermarket spare wheels, tools and the foam pieces add up to considerable more than if its in the original spec.
Think also about your wheel type.
Might be better to spec a wheel that appeals to you and sets your car apart from a standard one AND might be a lot easier to clean.
I also specced the adaptive dynamics on my prestige and wouldn't be without it.

Mine is the Dynamic so has Adaptive Dynamics and the extra Dynamic Mode as standard which are brilliant and essential on this car in my opinion so of the optional extras my car has:

Pano roof - fantastic, possibly the best optional extra.
Meridian 825W system - very good, I like more bass and will be adding a sub in the boot but otherwise it is the best factory car system I've heard.
Dual View TV - dual view is a great talking point but very rarely used because while TV reception when parked is good, on the move it is unusable in my experience. I have used the TV when waiting for the kids from after-school sports etc and happy to have it.
Powered tailgate - nice actually, particularly useful when it is dirty and you don't want to touch it!
Auto-dimming mirror - good, always had one.
Surround camera system - very good, while I didn't use the reverse camera initially, I now kinda like to use it to double-check how close I'm getting to stuff. I do like the other camera's too - great for avoiding kerbs etc. The only criticism I have is that HD tech is available and 1080p would have looked amazing.
Blind spot monitoring - it works but I don't really think about it and so it clearly isn't important to me.
Keyless entry - love it!
Park assist - dunno, never tried it. It's just a button at the moment - not sure I'll ever use it! More a "my car can park itself" talking point.
Climate control - essential. Had it in all my car's in the last decade.
Premium satnav and HDD - good, would have liked a higher def resolution but otherwise good enough. The SWYS voice control is hit or miss for me but could be useful once I've learnt its quirks I guess.

Things like auto wipers, auto lights, Xenon's, parking aids etc I sorta expect in cars now and they are standard on the Dynamic anyway. The 20" wheels looks good but I'd have looked for 19's if I thought I would ever venture further off-road than a muddy field.
The front heated windscreen is very nice to have too - liked it in my Disco and glad to have it as standard again.

For me the pano roof, adaptive dynamics and headlight plus the electric boot are a must.
Funnily enough the one thing I have regretted not having was the heated steering wheel. I did not think this was essential, and probably is not but I have had a couple of mornings when I thought it would be nice.

Thanks guys. It's interesting getting a different perspective. I've never had a car with a powered tailgate and the whole concept of seems strange to me! I'll probably view it as a must have within a week.

It's a bit vague what the SWYS can actually do. Nobody seem to rave about it on here but perhaps it's a grower.

Anyone got adaptive Xenons and/or Solar Glass? Useful? Good?

Mine has all the extras except Solar Attenuating Glass, Smoker's pack, Metallic Paint and Hi-Beam assist............
I find the Lux pack seats superb but doubt they were worth the extra cost. I laughted at having an electric boot release and now couldn't live without it (they should be standard on all cars) after finding how dirty the back of the car gets. I had the heated steering wheel in my last FFRR and that is an essential in UK winters if your car sits outside over night. Could easily live without hybrid TV and dual view screen, TPMS and the Blind Spot warning system as well as the bits I didn't spec.
The Adaptive BiXenons are great if you live in the sticks and have twisty country roads to drive at night