I'm reasonably certain now that I'll go for a 4.4. I actually like the rotary gear selector and the 8 speed gearbox seems less troublesome than the 6 speed.

Just have wait for July and funds to arrive and start looking in earnest.

Thanks all for the welcome and the replies.

Dunc.

Good decision, you wont regret it. Just make sure the turbo drain mods have been done. BMW i3 Electric Car
2012 Full Fat RR 4.4 TDV8 (now gone)
2006 VW Touareg 3.0 TDi V6

OK. Thanks for the advice. What mod needs doing and is it visible and thus easy to check?

Dunc.

Do a gentle drive for 10 miles or so and then kickdown, watch in the mirror, if it resembles a scene from a bond movie with loads of smoke the mod needs to be done.

There is a land rover bulletin on here somewhere describing it in detail, it's an expensive job (approx £1000), I had to get it done on mine. BMW i3 Electric Car
2012 Full Fat RR 4.4 TDV8 (now gone)
2006 VW Touareg 3.0 TDi V6

They don’t all suffer from this. Might doesn’t. If it does smoke like AJ says then it needs doing. Some garages won’t do it as it involves drilling into sump. Swarf! Even Rovertune won’t do it. Lots of info on here on who will do it though
Also, boot it everyday and don’t drive it like a pussy 🐱  2011 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE Buckingham Blue with Ivory and clear glass = "Rory"
New Defender D300 90 on order so "Rory" will be going to a new home....!
1974 Series 3 Lightweight = "Millie"
My preferred specialist: www.glenrands.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------

Mines not got it and I have no issues. It was never done at factory at that time, that came near the start of L405.

Don’t let it stop you buying the one you want, if everything else hits the spot.

Bear in mind that most cars might smoke when first booted if they have just been shunted round a car lot for a few weeks.

 2011 Range Rover Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8

Previous cars :
2003 Range Rover Vogue TD6
1999 Discovery Td5 ES
1995 BMW M5 3.8 6 speed
1992 Range Rover 3.9 Efi Vogue
1992 BMW M5 3.8
1988 BMW 735i SE
1989 Ford Sierra XR4x4 2.9i
1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport

Re-drain mod: I tend to drive mine like Miss Daisy & I was petrified that mine hadn't been done & needed doing. Turns out mine hasn't been done so I flawed the old girl on a slip road to 3k rpm & still no smoke, so don't get too paranoid about it.
Also, if you look underneath where the exhaust is, look for oil splashes that could/will mean oil cooler leakage.
You gotta try one! 2012 Orkney Grey Westminster 4.4TDV8 with Ivory interior.........nice!
BMW R1200GS
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
Just one Montesa now, 349 White Wonder
Austin A40 Farina MK2
1975 Morris Marina 1.8TC

Its not a case of driving like Miss Daisy, driving sensibly around a local area seldom will you need to exceed 2500 rpm and thereby allowing the oil to build up if so affected. The oil dumping into the engine doesn't do the DPF any good as the oil smoke passes through and the soot level does increase dramatically. Back pressure on the oil return line isn't a good thing either, flow of oil is what you need through a turbo to prolong it's life. Having to drive it on a regular basis over 2500rpm isn't a solution either.

If you find one that doesnt smoke after a few miles less than 2500 rpm thats great, if it smokes at all after driving gently IMHO walk away or negotiate a lower price to get the drain mod done.

Drilling the block and potential problems from swarf isn't really a problem in my opinion, any swarf will be flushed through the sump and drained out during the job. Any remaining swarf will be stopped by the strainer and beyond that the oil filter.

I no longer my Rangie so I have no axe to grind one way or the other, if I got another Rangie I would have the job done again if it was a smoker. BMW i3 Electric Car
2012 Full Fat RR 4.4 TDV8 (now gone)
2006 VW Touareg 3.0 TDi V6

I agree with the majority on here that the 4.4 is a much better car in many many ways BUT I wouldn't rule out a 3.6 completely.
I've ended up with one of each, both the same spec VSE and I would suggest that you think about what you want from your car. For bragging rights in the clubhouse the 4.4 wins hands down every day but as everyday transport I've found it's not so clear cut, most of the improvements become irrelevant quite quickly, unless you are doing mega miles the improved MPG on the 4.4 is negligable, saving £200 in 10000 miles is insignificant and if you are doing mega miles a 10+ year old JLR product mightn't be the best bet. On the theme of running costs the 4.4 will continue to depreciate faster than a 3.6 simply because they are newer and more expensive, a lot of wear and tear items are considerably more expensive for a 4.4, decent brake parts are more than twice the price and a pair of 4.4 shock absorbers will make you wish you didn't have electric controls on them - they are enough to make you cry, and I don't even notice the difference between the brakes and suspension when I go from one to the other.
IMHO the difference between the 3.6 and 4.4 is not like the difference between the 3.0 and 3.6, the 3.6 was a huge improvement from the 3.0 with many noticable benefits in reliability, performance and refinement.
I've found that I'm using the 3.6 far more than the 4.4 and I didn't understand why as they are both equally available to me. I've recently figured out why, the seats and the steering wheel in the 3.6 are more comfortable than the 4.4, not massively there's certainly nothing wrong with them in the 4.4 and it isn't something that you notice on a test drive, it's only after doing lots of miles in both.
For all of the improvements on the 4.4 the only thing that I miss when I'm in the 3.6 is the Active Cruise Control and there aren't even many 4.4's that have that.

Well....I'm still leaning towards the 4.4 but there's time to change my mind yet!

On a related but separate note: I've been looking at lots of L322s on Autotrader, eBay, Gumtree, FB Marketplace and I've noticed two round controls either side of the mid-level centre air vents. One is obviously labelled 'Engine Start/Stop' so I'm pretty sure I know what that one does but the other just has two arrowheads, one pointing up and the other down. What's it for?

TIA

Dunc.

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Thanks, Stan. It'd been driving me nuts for a couple of days!

Dunc.

Interesting Cass to hear a real world opinion from an owner with both.

What about a 5.0 Petrol V8

No DPF, EGR or drain mod issues.

Expect -20mpg figures but not an issue if you don’t cover the miles. Quickly forgotten when you drive it enthusiastically, they are seriously quick for such a big vehicle.

Good luck with whatever you choose

I went for the 4.4 on a 2011 model and it still drives like new. No major issues in 18 months of ownership either. I wasn't disappointed