I posted a request on pistonheads and was advised to post here for more accurate advice so here goes...

I am in the market for a ffrr over the next few months, upgrading from a bmw 7.

Having looked round online it seems the going rate for a 2010 tdv8 with less than 60k is around £35,000 whereas the 5.0 sc in similar condition is around £30,000.

Using honest johns real world mpg of 22 for the sc and 29 for the tdv8 and my annual mileage of 9k along with the reduced finance costs of leasing a car 5k cheaper it actually looks like I might be able to justify the sc!!!

Is it true that the costs of servicing the petrol should be lower?

Also is the current mileage more important on the petrol model, I am used to people saying that diesel engines can run on and on but I don't know what would be considered high mileage for the petrol version. 

sawm, welcome, you will be in for some interesting and informative replies soon !!

TDV8 = closer to 25mpg real world
SC = closer to 16mpg real world

and yes, purchasing, servicing will be cheaper on the SC and they will both do huge milage

And finally, welcome sir

The SC purchase price is lower, but the depreciation may be higher.

Some say the SC gives you more smiles per gallon

Personally, the 3.6 TDV8 (re-mapped) gives me plenty of smiles so whichever you choose you'll be grinning from ear to ear

You may need to visit rehab to stop yourself leaving boy racer corsa's for dust at the lights with either

Thanks for the replies so far.

Riccartonrr how does a standard 3.6 feel in terms of power? I was worried that they would feel sluggish but not having driven one I might be completely wrong.

I know the answer is to test drive one so I will probably go to a dealer who has a few that I can try out and compare.

No matter how much maths I do, I know that if I had the balls to buy the sc, my family would try to have me sectioned!!

I had a 4.2SC and now have a 3.6TDV8 with a bluefin Superchip.

I have to say the torque in the TDV8 with chip is stonking!

The fuel consumption of the SC was just too extreme for me.

As an example, I could get around 270 miles on a tank in the SC and usually over 400 in the TDV8.

There are those on here who curse the devils blood, but in the real world, the SC was too rich for me. Got - 2017 SDV8 Autobiography in Loire Blue
Had- 2008 TDV8 Vogue SE in Java black
Had - 2007 S/C in Stornoway Grey

Both diesel and petrol versions are great cars. Choice of engine is very personal. I had a 3.6 TDV8 and it is in no way sluggish as opposed to the earlier TD6.
I prefer petrol for the instant response and smoothness and would never go back to diesel.
Considering you are coming from the Pistonheads website you must be a petrolhead and the word petrolhead contains the word "petrol", here you see your question has been answered, buy yourself a Supercharged you know you deserve it.

I nearly bought a TDV8 but due to one turbo blown, I cancelled that buy. Then I realized that the TDV8s do have issues related to turbos while the SCs have no engine issues that I'm aware of. So that made me convinced the SC was the way to go for me. Plus that I just like the idea of a 500 BHP 5.0 liter supercharged V8  MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

CSK wrote:

it is in no way sluggish as opposed to the earlier TD6.

The TD6 just ensures that you drive in a dignified manor - befitting of a Range Rover.

The TD6 just ensures that you drive in a dignified manor - befitting of a Range Rover. Smile

Yeah Right................................  MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

Well if it helps, I used to have the TDV8, 2007 Vogue SE, and I now have a 2010 5.0 S/C.

In the real world I get an average of about 18 from the 'charger against about 26 from the TDV8. On a gentle (70mph) motorway run the difference is bigger, 22 versus 35.

Driveability is similar although you need to adopt the "early Foot In" style for the diesel when pulling away from junctions but that's something you don't notice after the first week or so.

But, unless you have a very good warranty be aware that the diesel has far more scope for generating a big repair bill. I had a turbo, an EGR valve, 2 injectors and an alternator go on my diesel. Just praying to the God of warranty on each occasion. They were all seriously large bills. Oh and an adaptive headlight failed, which admittedly could happen on any car. That was a stonking £800...for one headlight unit.

Overall at 9k miles a year you shouldn't notice much difference overall. In the petrol you'll be drip feeding it at the pump, in the diesel it costs more come service time and you need a very good warranty. The diesel will have a higher resale value but that's of no interest if you lease it. That's one reason I have the 'charger. SWMBO doesn't tend to notice fuel costs but she bitches like billy-oh if I come back from the dealer with a grand bill for a service. And of course the other reason is 510bhp makes me giggle like a girl

Foresight is a great thing..

Currently on my first FFRR

Having researched for quite a while i set my heart on a 3.6tdV8 Vogue. Finally after finding the right car with right service history and 65k mileage, single owner etc i took the plunge and purchased the car.

In my first 8 months of running I have spent approximately £3,5k on diesel related maintenance and servicing. I am not complaining by any means as now the car is running beautifully but there are a couple of very important points or pieces of advice I would happily pass on to anyone who might like to listen.

To help set the scene, my dad runs a private estate looks after as part of his duties a 2007, 4.2 SC ffrr / 2013 5.0 SC ffrr & a 2014 RR Sport 5.0 SC. (previous owner of the estate had a 2008 3.6tdV8) so he has lots of experience in no expense spared maintenance..

- When you find the right car and if you can get agreement from the owner, take it to a highly recommended independent specialist or v trustworthy and experienced main dealer to get it fully checked out. I promise that half an hour on a diagnostic and an hour of labour cost to prod and drive the vehicle will help you get a reasonable picture of what to expect in up coming maintenance (basically no nasty surprises)

- Realise that diesels are subject higher stresses and as such the bells and whistles in the engine that make them run like hot butter when they are working, when they go wrong accept that you will simply have to spend large amounts of money to get it right. don't be afraid to spend the money.

Reviewing the many conversations I had with my dad over choice between V8 diesel and V8 petrol in advance of my buying a ffrr I remember arguing the toss over false economy of diesel and the sheer expense of daily running a V8 petrol. At the time my choice was swayed due to commitments i had at the time meaning i was expecting quite high mileage and the obvious saving a V8 diesel was going to give me.

In retrospect I was very wrong, even though I love my car as it is now, I purchased something I thought was perfect, but over the course of a number of months have had to have a list of issues rectified to make even my dad now admit my diesel is a pretty amasing car. But the time it has taken me to get to this stage, the headaches and inconvenience and a slight bitter taste because of some of the hassle has really changed my mind. Also if you are a MPG fan, when purchased I was clocking it fill to fill at 22mpg on motorway journeys, after rectifying all the issues i recently did a motorway journey to Leeds from leafy surrey and averages 35mpg, which I think is staggering. (Although, I don't bother doing this any more and simply just accept that it is going to cost me over £100 every time i fill it up lol)

If i was going to do it all again I would only recommend a 4.2 SC or if you have the cash a 5.0 SC. The diesel is great, but only really beneficial if you are going to do lots of motorway mileage where you can take advantage of the saving, or if you can guarantee your buying something that is not going to surprise you a month later with an injector or two / set of EGR valves / Air Flow meters etc etc

Purchasing a car like this you expect it is going to cost you lots to run in fuel and maintenance, regardless of diesel or petrol, but realistically I would say diesel is going to cost you more in maintenance than petrol is ever likely to and probably less polluting too after reading some research on diesel particulates emitted from modern large diesel engines.

So just my opinion, but i wouldn't go diesel again after the experience I've had over the last few months unless it was a brand new and or fully warranted car. The perception I had in buying a diesel ffrr was really off the mark.

So long term, I have decided to run my current 3.6tdV8 for another 6 months, but no more than a year and then exchange for a 4.2 or more likely 5.0 SC.

Not that i would ever admit this to my fortuitous farther lol

Good luck with your choice

The big issue with the 4.4 tdv8 is the oil feed pipe was incorrect on a few and I believe they are still in the recall process where they drill a new supply straight into the block. That alone worries me greatly as I don't think you should be drilling into a cast block at all and then tapping it... I love my diesels but I have a diesel daily hack and if I had the money I'd get the sc.
Diesels these days have too much gubbins to reduce particulates and they all screw up. Two egrs, two turbos, a dpf, intercooler... The list goes on. Long term getting the dpf knocked out and deleted and the egr's blocked and deleted is the way to go. And best done the day the warranty runs out.

SC it all the way.
Get a 4.2 2009 with lower miles and save yourself even more money! FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

The 4.2 SC engine is a great piece of kit. Forums are notorious for people having a good old moan (me included) and I doubt if you will find a bad word said about the 4.2 (and indeed 5.0).

Both the 4.2 and 5.0 use a fair bit of fuel and because of their nature they don't really encourage you to drive with economy in mind. Diesels (any diesel, not just the TDV8) are really designed to be used for hours at a time. Hence trucks, coaches and fairground generators. So if you spend 7+ hours on the motorway every day then it could well stack up. Diesels hate short runs, petrol is much more forgiving.

I'm not against the TDV8 at all. I was quite tempted a while back but for me and my personal circumstances the whole end to end TDV8 business case just does not stack up, the moment something goes wrong and it seems to be very serious ££££.

Besides, a Range Rover should be a V8 petrol by law. Even my lawn mower insists on the stuff. You don't have a black and white tv just because the licence fee is a bit cheaper do you?!  2006 4.2 SC
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