Slightly Dissapointed after test drive.....
Hi everyone, I've been reading everyone's posts now and thought I'd just give my impresions from my test drive.
Like most people, I've been struggling to decide between the prestige and the dynamic, so I drove them both.
My first drive was the prestige 5 door in SD4 auto form, and I must say the interior was beautiful.the leather everywhere definitely make you feel as though you're in a quality product.
The drive was very smooth, with an excellent driving position. What I did notice was that the window sills were just below my shoulder, so putting your elbow on them is a no no. At the moment our main car is a Disco4 HSE, and if you drive that, I would say the drive is very similar, except in the bends and corners where the RRE remains very flat with very little body lean. Bumps are soaked up nicely and the seats are very comfortable. The steering wheel is a nice size too. Driving at speed, there is definitely more road noise though, and the engine is more vocal when you put your foot down. I had the family with me. Well as a guy from land rover, and space wasn't a problem either. I'm 6th 3in but could still sit behind the drivers seat when it was set up for me. With both my boys in there booster/child seats(4 and 2yrs old), my wife could seat comfortably between them in the back. Slight problem for families is that even in the booster seats, neither of my boys could see out the windows, and on longer drives that could be a problem.
The 2nd car was the 3 door Si4 dynamic. My wife took one look and didn't even try to get the child seats in the back. She stayed at the dealership with the boys, so I'd say the 3 door is a no no for families also.
The petrol is a beauty to drive, very responsive and fun. The adaptive dampers make a noticeable difference IMO, with bumps being felt more in standard drive compared the the prestige. In dynamic mode, it's even more noticeable, and the steering wheel firms up even more. I don't think the ride is too harsh, as the seats cushion Zhou very well from the sharper bumps. All in all, I loved it. Not too sure about the leather though. Personally it reminded me of the basic leather you get in a vw or Audi before you upgrade it. It's ok, but hardly special, and for the price you pay, I expected better. The bigger downside was that I only returned 18 mpg, which was awful for this size car.
So overall I loved it, and would personally choose the prestige over the dynamic. When you're driving, you can't see the outside, but you can theninside, and I would prefer the luxury interior, as the exterior is hardly ugly anyway.
The reason I'm slightly disappointed is when I compare it to my disco 4. My disco comes with all the trimmings(premium leather, dab radio etc) including 3 sunroofs(1 that opens) and keyless go(as standard on the she). With the heated steering wheel, tow bar and privacy glass, I paid £44,000. now to get similar spec in the RRE I'd be paying £43,000g(as more cost effective to get the lux pack), as panny roof and keyless not standard
It just strikes me that the RRE is a little overpriced. If it had a 3ltr engine in it ok, but a standard 2.2ltr ford engine from the mondeo, is it justified
For £42,000 I could get the Q5 fully loaded with the 3 ltr engine and decent performance to boot(0-60 in 6.5 sec) and similar mpg to the Sd4, pr for slightly less could get the new X3 with similar performance but much better emissions and fuel economy(and slightly bigger with a view out the back)
The only prob is I think the BMW is ugly and the Q5 to harsh a ride, and I love the evoque. But I still have the nagging feeling it's slightly overpriced.
Am I wrong in thinking this!
My car is an A4 avant 2.0tdi multitronic which is what we were going to trade in against it. We'd never get rid of the disco4. If you want a do anything car with lots of room, I can't recommend it enough
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