Had the L322 For 4 and a half years….never owned a car for anything like this long and gettin the urge to change. Love the L322 but am uncertain about upgrading to a L405 with its potential problems with crankshafts, knuckle joints and issues that are just emerging.

Need something that will tow 1500kg (4 wheel trailer and lightweight Autotest car). 4 wheel drive not important, annual mileage only about 4K per year so fuel consumption not that relative.
Use it for very rare 200 mile plus journeys.

So what do I look at? Or do I keep the L322 and buy another toy?

Budget circa £40k, decisions, decisions. 2012 tdv8 Westminster arrived Jan 19 gone Dec 23

200 TDi discovery bobtail gone
RR classic v8 bobtail gone
300 tdi Discovery 3 dr gone

If you are only doing 4k per year just stick with the L322. If you have £40k burning a hole in your pocket then buy an L405 SD4.4 ( no crank issues BTW) for 30K and then sell it a month later for £20k when you realise you don't like it as much as your L322 and buy another L322 for £20k... 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

@V8 Bob

The problems you name are mostly pre-2016. If you could stretch to a 2017/2018,
you will find most issues ironed out. But as JayGee says, you have to like it.

So before you decide to switch to an L405, take it for a long drive. And if you do repairs
yourself, realize that many construction details are different, other tools, more electronics..

And that could indeed on a later dat make you wish you still owned an L322..

I used to have a D3 for almost ten years. Never really found a replacement that made me
feel as happy as I was with the D3. Downseized to an F-Pace, back to a D5 SD4, now
a FFRR P400e. The simple grunt of the TdV6 and the nimble steering are dearely missed.. I-pace First Edition Santorini & 2nd car Mazda MX-30 Advantage red/black
PHEV P400e Hybrid Autobiography Loire blue= SOLD
D5 SD4 HSE Lux Corris grey = SOLD
D3 TdV6 HSE Lux Vienna Green =SOLD
P300 F-Type 2018 Ultra Blue = SOLD
25t F-Pace 2020 Loire Blue = SOLD

I have had the same conundrum for the last few years. I moved from a L322 to a L405 which initially seemed good but didn't have the Range Rover 'soul' the L322 did. I then tried a disco5 but have now got another L322. I went for the last of the 3.6 with he 6 speed as had been around a while by then and didn't want to be having a age related unknown issue with either the 4.4 or the 8 sp box (although they are looking fine)

My problem is I do not 'trust' the L322 on longer important journeys so really need something else but something as nice as the L322.

I have thought about a new defender (we did have an old shape one until it crippled the wife) but not sure it will be a nice as the L322.

Options at the moment seem to be, get another L322 maybe with low milage and the 4.4tdv8, Disco 5, Defender, L405 or do something really crazy like an XC90.

We can't be the only ones in L322's wondering what next. Current: RR L322 2010
Past: RR L405 2017, RR L322 2012, 2008 & 2004, 2018 D5, 2016 Defender, 2011 D4, a few Disco2s, P38, RR Classic, couple of Disco1's, SIII SWB

Were in the same boat, fortunately or unfortunately, once you have had FFRR nothing seems to compare. Had the same L322 since 2008 and its been bliss and amazing, no real issues to speak of.
ULEZ is forcing our hand somewhat as i work in the zone and we have family, but the fear of some of the issues the L405 has does make me wary of dropping £40k for a bundle of trouble.

In the past i have always bought on low owners service history, not so much mileage as i figure if it was a basket case they would have moved it on.

Having never driven a 405 is it that much different?

Im considering a later L322 and a ULEZ compliant car for day to day? OR a 5.0 and stick 2 fingers up to ULEZ

For low mileage - get a petrol imho. ULEZ compliant, no turbo issues, no DPF/fuel dilution issues etc etc. blah blah blah. k

L322 / L405 ... the L405 is a better vehicle ... but I understand the comments around not quite having the 'feel'. The L322 has a heft to it which you feel when driving. The L405 does a ton to lighten that heft and make it feel a much more modern style of driving feel.

If I were in your shoes ... unless you really want the L405, keep the money, keep the L322 - its doing its job just fine by the sounds of it and buy a toy. Then you get the best of all worlds. V8 or else ...

£40K will get you a nice lowish mileage 2017 TDV6 high spec Vogue with the updated infotainment, better music system, more modern looks, invisible exhausts to fool the JSO peeps/tyre slashers, and even acceptable fuel consumption for a FFRR.
What!! -Vogue? -Less is More: No roof drain issues, no rotting Dynamic pipework, cheaper servicing, and generally far fewer electrical gremlins due to fewer miles of cable and far less electrical connections, also (they would even have us believe) no knuckle joint issues! Change the oil yourself for £50 (at least in between annual dealer services), and monitor the soot/regens with simple DIY devices, and reduce the (somewhat remote) possibility (in 2017) of crankshaft issues to absolute minimuml. Hopefully not tempting fate here, but I’ve has my 2017 TDV6 Vogue for 18 months now, and it’s been a total joy to own and drive, although I am a bit OCD on the preventive stuff
Not wanting to open the Pandoras’ Box/Wasp’s Nest of Model/engine bashers and take everything totally OT here, so let’s stick to topic folks and highlight merits only, positives, not negatives, please.
I really doubt ULEZ is of much importance in Cumbria as yet?
Best of luck OP in deciding what you want to go for!  “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” -where’s the fun in that?

Well as someone who's paid the deposit on another L322 (my third), and as someone who has a possibly not mainstream view of cars, I see that very little at the moment offers the value of an L322 if you can work on cars yourself. And if you're working on them yourself it means you can do more preventative maintenance for less money than paying a dealer for their standard priced annual servicing on a mid-range hatchback.

My requirements are; ground clearance, a bit of poke, plenty of space for lots of sports kit (sea kayak/climbing kit and ropes/bikes etc etc), and an 'it' factor, a term originally coined in this sense by the motoring journalist Russell Bulgin many years ago. Some call 'it' factor a sense of occasion but an V10 Audi R8 has a sense of occasion but no 'it' factor. I'm not fussed about the badge, it could say Lada or Dacia for all I care. But the soft roaders don't tick ground clearance or bad weather/off road ability, even marginally. Pickups are slow, horrible, and not practical. The only pickups that really tick my boxes are the 3.0 V6 Amarok Highline (with soft rear springs) and the latest Hilux, and even then they're not that practical as they've got a sodding great big bulkhead in the middle of the load space. They're also bloody expensive. Something like a Disco Sport would probably be my top choice if they were a little quicker, and a lot more reliable (and easier to work on). My dad's Evoque has been awful and a friend's Disco Sport has been similarly terrible. They also both seem to rust way worse than any L322. Perhaps not in the visible areas, but the undersides are seriously crusty. So no matter my misgivings on the reliability, size, weight and complexity of the L322 I keep coming back to them. I could afford an L405 but I have no desire to spend the money to get a good one (I have many, many hobbies that all take cash so the car is a tool not a willy waving exercise), but they're also too big to hustle down narrow country lanes. The L322's are big but they're at least tough enough that you can stick them to the edge of the road which on my local stuff gives 8-10" more over my 335d which is only 4" narrower, making it an effectively narrower car.

Anyway, that's just my musings. If you want just luxury then there are better cars. If you want just off road ability then there are better/cheaper options. If you want reliability there are better cars. If you want performance there are better cars. But as an all-round proposition that is cheaper parts and easy to work on then not much comes close to the L322 for the money. The L405 also has galvanic aluminium corrosion issues which on a body shell may become terminal a lot more quickly than on a steel shelled car.

JayGee wrote:

If you are only doing 4k per year just stick with the L322. If you have £40k burning a hole in your pocket then buy an L405 SD4.4 ( no crank issues BTW) for 30K and then sell it a month later for £20k when you realise you don't like it as much as your L322 and buy another L322 for £20k...

Exactly this
Keep it  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
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My heart is saying Land Rover but my head is saying Volvo  Current: RR L322 2010
Past: RR L405 2017, RR L322 2012, 2008 & 2004, 2018 D5, 2016 Defender, 2011 D4, a few Disco2s, P38, RR Classic, couple of Disco1's, SIII SWB

I have looked at the XC60 and 90 and they tick all the boxes for sure but I just know I'd be bored with it in a week after the novelty of a new car has worn off where as every time I get into my L322 I just enjoy it more and more..... 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

10% down on A Rolls Royce cullinan? 😜

I am in the same boat, my 4.2 SC getting a bit long in the tooth and I know some major work will need doing to it in the near future but not warmed up to the l405.

In my opinion the spiritual successor to the L322 is an L663.

But I go on and off them on a weekly basis!

I'm glad its not just me that is having those same thoughts and the wavering on the L663 Current: RR L322 2010
Past: RR L405 2017, RR L322 2012, 2008 & 2004, 2018 D5, 2016 Defender, 2011 D4, a few Disco2s, P38, RR Classic, couple of Disco1's, SIII SWB

Think they should carry a government health warning ….as many have said once you’ve had one nothing else will do. Trying not to look around too much and get settled down to keeping it. Mind you I’ve spotted a RR Sport D300; with the straight 6 engine that’s in my budget albeit with 60k on the clock. 2012 tdv8 Westminster arrived Jan 19 gone Dec 23

200 TDi discovery bobtail gone
RR classic v8 bobtail gone
300 tdi Discovery 3 dr gone