Range Rover Sport owner looking to switch to the 4R

[engineeer]

Quick update 1/24: all done negotiating on my 2016 Limited. Every dealership within a 50 mile radius said they can't match or beat the 8% below MSRP deal that I'm being offered.

I finally have enough posts to start this thread :madgrin:

I've always been a fan of 4Runners, but ended up getting a new Range Rover Sport HSE Supercharged V6 (current body style) a while back. I put 275/55/20 KO2s on there and have taken it off-road several times (Hollister Hills, north of Tahoe) and to the snow up in Tahoe. I love it overall, but it's lacking in the trunk space department and the aftermarket is all but non-existent. It handles and goes surprisingly well for a vehicle of its size. However it is a RR, so long-term reliability is a concern especially when the other vehicle you're comparing to is a Toyota

I'm looking to trade it in on a 2016/2017 4Runner. Given that the RRS is on the fancy side of things, I'm leaning towards the Limited for the following reasons: keyless start/stop, seat coolers (always wanted these!), full-time 4WD, and front and rear parking assist (nice to have, but not absolutely needed). I'm not a huge fan of the chrome everywhere, the front bumper or the rims/wheels, so I'd probably plasti-dip and replace those parts.

I've briefly test driven the Trail Premium and the Limited and was impressed by both. Has anyone here spent time behind the wheel of (or better yet owned) the current style Range Rover Sport that can provide some insight into how they compare longer term? It's hard to tell a lot about a vehicle after a 5 minute test drive :\

Thanks in advance

 

[engineeer]

It might be a little silly, but I'm also a bit concerned about the gas mileage/range of the 4R (spent a couple hours looking up aux fuel tanks last night).

With the RRS, I can make it up to Tahoe, drive around up there for a weekend, and make it 1/3 of the way back on a single tank. Despite my heavy right foot, I somehow manage to get 18mpg combined and 21-22mpg on the highway.

 

[SnowTrail]

Fuel economy will be in the toilet based on the way you drive, and while a limited gives you full time 4wd/modding is harder. TEP for for rear locker, crawl...

 

[ColoradoToyota]

It might be a little silly, but I'm also a bit concerned about the gas mileage/range of the 4R (spent a couple hours looking up aux fuel tanks last night).

With the RRS, I can make it up to Tahoe, drive around up there for a weekend, and make it 1/3 of the way back on a single tank. Despite my heavy right foot, I somehow manage to get 18mpg combined and 21-22mpg on the highway.

You can probably do similar in the 4R, my guess would be 1-3mpg less if you're a leadfoot depending on tires etc. I manage 17-18 highway and 14-15 around town depending on road conditions (often in traffic, often in snow with 4wd activated off and on) and I drive somewhat aggressively - I also have 275 BFG KO2's which have taken about 1 mpg away.

Can't help you out on comparison to the RRS, however my guess would be your transition would be easier to a Limited with real leather and the cooled seats and climate control etc (I run hot. I rented an explorer with cooled seats a few months back in Wyoming in the middle of summer and my god they're incredible, pipes cool air right up your gooch which will cool you right down). AWD vs part time 4wd is a preference thing but there's no denying AWD is a nice way to go. If you'd be transforming the look and getting rid of all the chrome and whatnot, then that's a good amount of work, so it's a matter of weighing the cost/effort of doing so vs the benefits of the limited.

 

[1engineer]

It might be a little silly, but I'm also a bit concerned about the gas mileage/range of the 4R (spent a couple hours looking up aux fuel tanks last night).

With the RRS, I can make it up to Tahoe, drive around up there for a weekend, and make it 1/3 of the way back on a single tank. Despite my heavy right foot, I somehow manage to get 18mpg combined and 21-22mpg on the highway.

Driving with some sense you will get between 340-400 miles from a tank. That's it. Why don't you fill up BEFORE at that "1/3 of the way back station" you get to Tahoe? Like when you still have 1/2 a tank?

 

[philsey]

It's hard to tell a lot about a vehicle after a 5 minute test drive :\
Thanks in advance

You don't say what the RR's motor is. Not many newbs come on here and complain, but of those a very high percentage is "lack of performance".
My first test drive yielded the same opinion. The 4.0/tranny is programmed for early upshifts, and reluctant downshifts, on-hilly-highway cruise control is not pleasant ... and until you learn to drive a 4R it is anywhere from perplexing to maddening. I've learned mine, and I love it - some others not so much.
So, to repeat oft-spoken advice here: Test drive, test drive, test drive. This motor is plenty powerful, but it's higher up, and not a V8.

It might be a little silly, but I'm also a bit concerned about the gas mileage/range of the 4R ..... I somehow manage to get 18mpg combined and 21-22mpg on the highway.

Yes, silly. I get about your same mileage, but if mileage is of great concern maybe you should be trying on Corollas. Besides, Duuuude, if you can afford a RR, wtf is a couple mpgs, eh? Besides, in reliability, you'll recoup those costs in multitudes.

One last thing; will you be ok with what the neighbors think, you know, stepping down and all?

Jeeez ... another "engineer".

 

[e60ral]

I didn't have a range rover, but i've always had BMW's and the 4Runner was a huge transition. You should get the limited; it will be much easier and cheaper for you to make the limited look and perform like a trail than it will be to make a trail have the features of a limited.

In the trail you will be giving up things like dual climate control, auto wipers, smart key (i think you get this with the trail premium though?), etc... I don't miss all of these things, but a few of them are a real pain not to have.

 

[bofa]

The biggest difference imo is going from a unibody to body-on-frame. These are apples and oranges. A better cross-shop might be a Grand Cherokee with a V8. BOF has more of a truck feel but the Limited may be a good transition in terms of creature comfort.

Agree with the posts above - definitely test drive.

 

[sn_85]

Have you considered the Lexus GX460? Has all the luxuries you'd want, a V8, Toyota reliability and while the list of available mods is nowhere near as much as the 4R it's still based off the same platform so aftermarket suspension bits should fit in the same. Unless you're doing rock crawling the GX460 should take you anywhere a 4R would.

 

[FourEyedWilly]

I cross shopped the two brands. Two things are going to be glaringly obvious and need serious consideration when and if you decide to make the switch.

1) You are giving up a lot of luxury. I don't care what the 4R Limited comes with. My general take is that the inside of a RR is akin to jewelry from Cartier where the inside of the Toyota is more "He went to Jared."

2) Power and perceived feel. Again, you will be giving up quite a bit here. I live in Summerlin, NV where every third vehicle is a RR and I can tell you that they absolutely trounce my 4Runner no matter how much I mash on the skinny pedal.

All this said I'm in love with my 4Runner. I've become a far more compliant driver. Pretty much have to be. I came from a Tundra with the 5.7.

I do like that we can mod our vehicles and maintain a comfortable DD. I'm running a complete OME setup so I may be stiffer than a few other fellas here but I really do love the ride. Like others have mentioned already. Limited models require a bit more modding but it's not insurmountable. I went with a TE Premium as further down the road I want the 4Runner to take up the third spot in the garage and moves from a DD to a dedicated weekend toy.

Good luck in your endeavor. I would seriously consider my two points as honestly for me, those are the two that could get you hung up or not liking your choice.

Cheers!

 

[fogcitysurfer]

I agree about the power and luxury difference. I have driven RRs and have owned V8 4runners and Tundras. If you like the power you will definitely miss it with the 5th Gen 4runner. I decided I was going to kill myself in the 5.7 Tundra, so I am okay with the V6 of the 4runner. But, all that being said, there is something pretty amazing about 4runners and the community. Nothing else like it on the market, its capabilities, style, aftermarket.

 

[Jetboy]

A 4runner is a lot different. A Range Rover Sport is a car with big tires. It's a lot closer in form and function to a Subaru than it would be to a 4runner. A 4runner is a truck with extra seats. It's going to drive a lot differently. I've driven an Evoque quite a bit. I'd guess they are more similar to a RR Sport than different. The evoque is a Ford Focus and was designed to be a direct competitor with an Audi TT (According to range rover). It's very much a 4 door hatchback awd car. That's not a bad thing. But you need to recognize that the 4runner is going to be a whole different animal to drive/own. Rougher ride. Louder. Less power. Similar mpg. But it also has some benefits like durability, high resale value, offroad capability, and things of that nature. It depends on what you want to do with it.

 

[nb rob]

There's some really good posts here. Phil is right on; there's a lot of complaints about lack of power, but it's there higher up in the RPM band. Definitely test drive.

I live in the whillywhacks, but a lot of my work is in Boston. When I have to step on it in interstate traffic, it works great. It takes a bit of adjustment, and then I find myself stomping on the gas when I get back home for a few days.

For the gas thing, I go to some remote areas for fishing and camping. I would like a jerry-can mount myself... but for most places I travel, the range on the fuel tank is pretty good. I get 18.5 ish MPG.

"He went to Jared" I laughed my ass off at that. Excellent comparison.

 

[TRUSTYAXE]

Another vote for power/perception concerns. The RRS is either a 3.0 or 5.0 supercharged I believe. Its all give and take, power goes down-reliability goes up. The Lexus was probably a good suggestion.

 

[phillyd2]

A good friend has the RRS and can only advise that you seriously test drive the 4R. They are two completely different animals.

As suggested, also take a look at the Lexus GX460 as well as the LC.

 

[alman7]

Friend of mine has a 16 HSE. Going to a 4runner will feel completely different. Slow and bumpy compared to the HSE. You could not pay me enough money to have a RR. His has been at the dealer about once a month since he got it. I found the Trail Premium with KDSS to have the best road feel.

 

[bbenson]

I had a LR3 that was lifted 3 inches and I loved that car. Very capable, but all the little things I had to fix really added up. All the parts are over engineered and far to expensive. Had I not been able to read the forums and fix a lot of the issues along the way it would have been a huge money pit. I love my 2016 4runner! Drives just as nice and the reliability thing is no longer an issue.

 

[FrontRange4Runner]

The 4Runner will be slower (serously), less luxurious, less sporty and drive a lot more like a truck than a RR. It should also have much lower maintenance cost and be 10x more reliable. I think the limited would be the correct choice for you, just make sure you spend a bunch of time test driving it. We get a lot of people who make the 4Runner switch for reliability reasons, and many of them come back complaining about the "lack" of power. The 4Runner has all the power it needs to go anywhere at the speed limit, so it's not under powered, however it does not have any "extra" power such as a RR. Make sure you take a look at the GX460 (slightly used is same price a 4runner), or the LC200/LX570. They are all more powerful and luxurious while maintaining the same standard of reliability and may fit your needs better. Good luck!

 

[Donovan1]

I have friends with RRs that love them for 2-3 years then wish they would be stolen or burst into flames. My guess is that coming from a RR and using it relatively gently like you have that you're not going to love the 4Runner at first. It's slow. It get's obscenely poor mileage for vehicles in it's class. It has poor on road (KDDS will help) handling compared to a RR which is designed to be a better on road vehicle. And it's a Toyota which means it's going to be fairly boring and bland compared to the RR.

What's really going to get you is the reliability of these and if something DOES break, you won't have to take it to the shop and leave it there for two weeks to replace a $3,000 switch of some kind that is being brought over from Europe on a paddle boat. The T4R is a great truck for 4X4ing right out of the box as the RR is however there is also quite a bit more aftermarket which can help you get where ever you want with the T4R.

If you're inclined more to the comfort and luxury of the RR, have you looked at the Lexus versions of the 4Runner or the Landcruiser? They are still very capable but have a lot more of the fancy stuff. I was looking at a GX at the time I bought my 4Runner but it got even worse mileage (V8) and not that much more power. The T4R do have amazing resale value however as I believe they were #1 in resale last year so I decided if I needed to sell later this would be a good option to have now. They still won't be as slick on the road but are really nice. IF you're looking for something more rough and tumble, the 4Runner is a good choice.

 

[Elan750]

My Brother in law has the RRS, supercharged. He hit a small deer with it on an Upstate NY road. Damaged the headlight, etc. and he went on his way. an hour later the truck shuts down. Turns out the radiator started leaking, overheated the engine. The dealer quoted the repair at 29k. No thats not a typo. Luckily Geico payed the bill.
I will always lust for an old defender, and the new ones are beautiful, but I would never own one. Not because a baby deer brought down my brothers, but after this many years, Land Rover engineers are still struggling with basics of building reliability. I don't mind fixing cars myself, but when the cost of parts is offensive, and its eating away at your weekends, while still demanding a premium monthly payment, no thanks.