Anyone have experience with Land Rovers? TV shopping again...

[starstruck08]

Well it turns out my truck was not strapped up enough to be a proper tow vehicle and even just normal use for a year has made the engine all but stall out completely. I've dumped a few thousand dollars into my truck (including installing a hitch) and just... I've learned my lesson.

Now I'm in the market for something different. I'm going to stick to less than 15 years old and less than 150k miles. 2004-2006 is my sweet spot for years so I'm comparing the numbers on all the truck stats.

I know I want less than 10k towing capacity since I only have a 26' trailer, but I want to aim for a minimum of 7k towing capacity just to account for gear. I want a covered bed, truck cap, or SUV. I need four doors.

I really like the 2004 Chevy Avalanches, but I'm also looking at Extended Cab Silverados and Suburbans/Yukon XLs, but they don't come up as often. In Fords the Expeditions are a little more accessible but tow packages were optional and it HAS to have a factory tow package with the transmission cooling and all that - I need something safe and reliable after my bad experience with my 1998 Expedition. Excursions are rarer but powerful. A Ford 1500 would be fine too if I could find an extended cab one with a short bed, but you have to sift through all the baby work trucks that can only tow 3k to find them, and I'd have to add on the cost of the truck cap afterwards.

Today I saw a Range Rover and researched it - The Land Rovers in general seem to have pretty decent tow ratings, but they also have pretty small wheelbases and some of the ones I see for sale are cheap and don't have built in hitches so I feel like it's too good to be true.

Does anyone have experience owning one and towing with one? My research says that common sense for the length of my trailer that 130 wheelbase would be ideal, and safety is a big thing for me! Here are the specs for a 2006.

Any other tow vehicle shopping advice would be appreciated! Key phrases to look for, etc. I've got an approved $8000 loan to buy a used car from a dealership so that's my budget. I'm pretty sure I need to stick to a V8 (some modern vehicles can tow with a V6, but I'm looking at vehicles that are at least 10 years old). I'd really like a brake controller and back up camera, but I may have to install those after market since they weren't standard on many vehicles that long ago.

And this is just a dumb personal thing, but I'd love to have a sunroof...

[starstruck08]

Hmmm reading this thread makes me not sure about using a Land Rover: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...cle-48224.html

I still feel like there might be something I'm missing. I do like the Avalanches but I want to make sure I'm not suckered into something pretty instead of something powerful enough to do what I need it to and do it safely...

[Wayne&Sam]

Look at a 2011 or newer Dodge Durango. It can tow 7200lbs, and is a great daily driver.

BTW my first LR was a 1967 (in 1970), followed by a '70 and a '95.

[Bob662]

Be sure to investigate the reliability of the Range Rovers before zeroing in on one. Also consider repair costs of the RR's.

[JPSpins]

I'd spend some time at the library reading Consumer Reports reviews of used vehicles, lemons, expected repairs etc. Also, talk to trusted mechanics and well-rated repair shops.

[tony hunt]

When owning a Range Rover you should budget for maintenance costs in the region of $5k a year. The real trouble is, it is very difficult to be satisfied with any other vehicle after a Range Rover.

I am an owner since 2004 and find it to be a great tow vehicle, primarily because of the self levelling air suspension. Be careful with your 7k towing capacity; you are getting real too close to the "paper" limits.

[jdalrymple]

I have owned several.

They spend a lot of time in what I have learned is the native habitat:

In the garage, with the hood up.


I like them, and the one I have now we use as many folks use a Gator, or other OHV vehicle.

It has windows, heat and air.


I would keep a more dependable rig for a main tow vehicle.


JD

[wvstreamer]

I would be nervous about maintenance on the Rover. The 5.3 in Avalanche and Silverado has proven well. If you got the 2500 in that age range you get a 4L80 transmission and that's very good for long term maintenence budget. I would also avoid the 5.4 in Fords.

[GGreen]

I bought my 2005 LR3 HSE with the factory tow package and added a Prodigy brake controller. I owned and towed a 1999 Airstream Safari 25' for three years all over California and it worked great. I was just using the factory hitch and ball, no weight distribution or anti sway. I live in Truckee near Lake Tahoe. Almost every trip involves going over mountain passes and along twisty mountain roads. I've never had any hint of sway or any other problems. I eventually sold the Airstream and upgraded to a 1983 Avion 30P, which is heavier and longer. I towed it with the factory hitch set up for a year, then installed a Curt hitch on the LR so I could use the weight distribution hitch that had come with the Avion. The LR is extremely stable under all conditions and ties even my 30 foot Avion very well. I often go down to the California coast and back up to Truckee which involves going over Donner Summit at 7200'' . Very happy with the towing experience and the vehicle has been great with no serious maintenance issues or expenses. I have 150K miles on it so far. I plan to eventually buy a 2010 - 2012 LR3 which has a 400hp engine vs my present 300hp just to make pulling the Avion ( about 7000 lbs) uphill. But my present set up works fine. It's an awesome vehicle and a great TV!

[mikextr]

Will this vehicle also be a daily driver?

[racoco]

We tow a 19' Bambi with a 2006 Land Rover LR3. The same LR3 has in the past pulled our 31' Sovereign. Plenty of power if you take the hills at a reasonable pace.

I have also pulled the 19' Bambi with my 2004 Land Rover Discovery (II). Both SUV's are rated for 7700 pounds.

The LR3 is our 3rd out of 4 Land Rovers. Land Rovers are great vehicles, but you do have to maintain them and it can get expensive. A bit of owner maintenance goes a long way to control costs. Our LR3 has over 212K miles but with regular maintenance is going strong. The Discovery just passed 90K miles; still a youngster.

Good luck with your hunt.

[Hoku]

My Son swears by Land Rovers...just know which year (manufacturer) to determine what replacements may be necessary. I believe BMW bought them just to get the suspension, anti sway, transmission, general technology for their X5.

Another option, Mercedes GL320 Bluetech turbo diesel. Pulls 7500#, we have one, 2009, and towed our FC 23FB across the US, good torque, mpg. Towing on Flats 17, Hills 14mpg. Got it up to 28mpg on a highway trip to Boston airport from home one time, usually we get 24 w/o tow. I think were lucky. Tongue weight on 23FB is lighter than a 26, we have a brake controller but no sway or weight dist. hardware. Worked fine for us but took time to find a good one. Couldn't afford a new one so we found a used with 65k with a MB warranty. Good luck! New to AS.

[wavelength]

I use to sell Range Rovers. They are the most unreliable vehicle on the road. People who own them never keep one after the warranty runs out. I would look for something else. Look at a Toyota Sequoia it will tow 9600lbs and rides like a dream.

[craftsman]

I worked for LandRover North America for a number of years as a construction consultant ,training at the factory in Sollihull . Also trained sales when the Discovery was introduced in the U.S. And supervised construction of Land Rover Centers from Chicago to Tampa . I personally love Land Rover but I wouldn't recommend them to the average person unless you have deep pockets or can actually do the work yourself. They are high maintenance vehicles. Their reputation was built on the the older vehicles, Series ll and lll and early Defender. They have a tendency to spend a lot of time in the shop. I think reliability has improved but there are other tow vehicles that I would consider first.

[airwoody]

I have 2007 RR Sport HSE w/ 75k - Its been a great vehicle - I decided not to use it as a TV as we went from looking at 23ft to purchasing a 28ft- I would have towed the smaller AS with it but as another said once you have one you always want one. After the AS purchase a new RR was not in the budget, I didn't want to push it as we enjoy the RR and want to keep on the road as long as it's cost effective. The only issues I had were due to service not at the dealership. It's a great driver and if your AS was in the 22ft range it should be within limits and would make for nice comfortable experience. I also read a lot of posts on this forum and felt the RR wasn't the best TV anyway

Shopping for 3/4 ton diesel 4x4 which should cover all the bases. Based on my research on this forum.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Airstream Forums mobile app

[csregan]

I have had 2 different Range Rovers SC ('07 and '12) and they were/are great TV for my '12 27' FC. I also had the GMC Yukon XL and Yukon, but neither of those had the comfort or power and the absolute sense of control when towing of the RR.

The RR does have a very short wheel base (113") so I added a Hensley Arrow hitch to help mitigate potential issues there.

Depending on year of the RR, the brake controller wiring is already there and you need the standard Ford (Ford owned RR for a few year) harness adapter to connect.

[Lucky Tom]

I towed my 23 ft Airstream Flying Cloud with a Land Rover Discovery. I had the power I needed but because of the length (wheelbase too short) I had to get a full size truck. If you are only making short trips and no difficult road conditions, you may be able to get by with a LR for a couple years like I did.

[Vitaver]

I own a Land (not 'Range') Rover LR4 HSE 2014 and absolutely love it. Never had to take it to the shop to repair anything. I used it to tow my new FC27FB 2016 from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Silverthorne, CO and back to Denver without a problem, no overheating, no burning oil, never a white knuckle moment, even across I70 in CO up the Eisenhower tunnel and down on the other side, etc.

Since I never read instructions and ignorance is bliss, I only found out that I was exceeding tongue weight by 50% (Blue Ox WD hitch, which I love it too). I was pulling 80 across Texas with strong cross winds: not a problem.

My first Land Rover was way back on my 20's when with a Diesel Defender I drove from Cape Town (South Africa) to Congo Kinshasa (last portion on a barge aboard a ferry from Kampala, Uganda). Not a problem with that one either, even after we found out at the end of that journey that our air filter to the engine was fully destroyed. Mind you 90% of the 'roads' were dirt.

I kept my LR but got an F350 'just in case' and to stay within tongue weight tolerance but if in a pinch I need to tow with the LR I would not hesitate to do it. I love that car. In this posting they talk alternatively abou Range and Land Rovers, I am not sure they are interchangeable. My experience is only with LAND Rover, can't speak for the other. BTW, Range Rover is the most expensive of the two.