Range Rover vs Jaguar F-Type
In the previous Avalon vs Range Rover post I concluded the Range Rover is a fantastic truck or car and when you have another car the issues are minimized. In this post I'm going to look at the Jaguar F-Type vs the Range Rover. Since Ford ownership Jaguar and Land Rover/Range Rover have been forced to work together in the Premier Auto Group, they were sold together to TATA. Therefore new Jaguars and Range Rovers share engines, drive train philosophy and other bits.
If you run oversized tires, Make sure your spare is oversized too.
In my early 20s I had a great job interview. The economy was shitty so I was looking forward to going to it. I had a Range Rover p38a on 33" BFG AT tires, which were great offroad but I had a slow leak from slamming one of the rims into a rock.
On my way to the job interview my bad tire/wheel lost its air. So I changed it BUT I had only 4 33" tires, the other was the standard 28.x" size tire. I thought it would be fine.... It was not.
The car was underivable, I had to drive to a tire shop that was close and just have them repair the 33" tire because the car was completely unstable and unhappy with different size tires. The computers were having a fit, the center locker was having a fit, the differentials were upset. It was not good.
Range Rover versus Toyota Avalon ( ES350 )
I've seen more than one person on the Range Rover forums go from an Range Rover to an Avalon. Usually from an older out of warranty Rover to a newer Toyota. I pondered it for a bit. TBH I picked up a Toyota Avalon as well as sort of an interim car until I can get into an L405. I think there are several reasons for such a hop, but not all of them materialize to be a positive.
- Range Rover buyers want a nice interior. While the Toyota Avalon and ES350 are not on the same level as a Range Rover even a P38 or Classic, they are better than the average "Camry."
- Range Rover owners get burned out by some nagging issues, or even big ones and may want a reprieve with a "Reliable" car.
- My last three Range Rovers had water ingress issues, from the roof, even though they were waded a lot. So I bought a 2016 Avalon without a sunroof, the XLE. It still leaked, and it seems like any standing water you drive through will make the floor wet, even an inch.
- My Toyota Avalon keys fell apart.
- I think the interior is a bit tougher and the exterior are both tougher on the Range Rover
- But my Avalon always starts, even when I've left it in a parking lot in Illinois for a 8 weeks.
- So The Toyota definitely has its issues, however, they are not "big issues"
- The Toyota Avalon is much less "solid" feeling than a Range Rover. There are many rattles and build issues whereas a Range Rover, particularly newer ones feel solid the Toyota feels a bit, rattly.
- Driving in my Dads Maserati, Q5, and Jaguar today I noticed the Maserati also feels like the Toyota where as the other cars absorb bumps without rattles the Maserati and Toyota let you know the road is rough with various interior cabin noises.
- I think the real moral of the story is buy a Range Rover with a warranty and you'll be happy with a combination of reliability and luxury in a way that a Range Rover or a Toyota can't provide, unless you own both the Toyota/Lexus and a Range Rover, which isn't a bad combination either, as I owned a Prius and Range Rover combo for quite some time.
- The upholstery is really different. One of the things I miss most in the Range Rover is how soft and nice the steering wheel is. Something subtle but very tactile, the leather wrapped Avalon steering wheel is hard, the Range Rover steering wheel is soft and supple.
- The leather seats in the newer Avalon are hard, in the Range Rover they are supportive and comfortable.
My takeaway is that you'll always regret selling your Range Rover. They are just endearing cars, even when they are not great. I look back at the sale of my Range Rovers as I do a break up, or perhaps selling a prized Rolex. Whereas a Toyota will likely live beyond the time you want to have it.
Wiper Blades, Ball joints, and Brakes
Wiper Blades
are such a small thing, but this post can really apply to many small things.
Wiper Blades are one of those items where you have a huge option in price variance, according to consumer reports, the cheapest perform as well as the most expensive as long as they are changed often. I find blades (vs traditional wipers) work a bit better on the L322 at high speeds as the wipers tend to lift at about 80mph. ( While 80MPH is illegal on much of the east coast, it is the speed limit throughout much of the desert and west. )
I would go to RockAuto.com and pick up about 4 full sets of blades on sale for my L322. They cost about $5 each and are easy to replace. And I would replace them every six months to a year to keep that streak free shine.
I am stickler for a clean windshield, so cleaning your windshield off at each gas stop will help the blades work better by ensuring good content. I lift the blades up so debris falls off the blades.
Getting blades or windshield wipers replaced by a dealer can cost a lot whether you drive a P38a or L405 getting blades at rock auto and changing them out yourself makes a lot of sense. I also want to disclose this is not a sponsored post, rock auto does have great prices on wiper blades, and brakes.
Brakes
Brakes are another thing where keeping on top of your pads will make a big difference down the line. I would replace your brake pads every 2 years or earlier. Get cheap pads from rock auto and just replace them. Pads are so easy to replace it's important to stay on-top of them because the rotors on the Rover are a bit more difficult, especially the rears which have the parking drum built in.
If your truck has clunks it can be due to a few things but often it is the ball joints and just tightening the roll bars. ball joints do go quite often on a rover. This is another item where rock auto is great. Picking up bump stops get all of them at once, switch out each link per side at the same time on a rack, you'll be good to go and out the door with 1k more dollars in your pocket than a dealer.