Range Rover L322 Review (2002-2011)

The Range Rover L322 is extremely roomy for passengers and luggage, and also feels very sumptuous inside. All models, including the base HSE, feature leather upholstery, and the further up the trim levels you go, the greater the quality and its application throughout the cabin. Wood veneer of various types is applied lavishly and tastefully, while in Autobiography models there are deep-pile carpets and rugs that would look great in your living room.

Standard in some models and optional in others are heated and cooled seats, while in later versions of the Range Rover you could order individual rear seats that recline electrically and feature airline-style multi-adjustable headrests. In the limited edition Autobiography Ultimate Edition, there was even a leather and wood-covered drinks chiller between the rear seats.

A sophisticated air suspension system gives the Range Rover L322 its cosseting ride quality and is also of assistance off-road (for those who dare to venture there) as it can increase the car’s ground clearance. It can also be troublesome though, as we’ll discuss further down this page. Over its fairly long production life the Range Rover mk3 was fitted with a number of diesel turbo engines and both naturally-aspirated and supercharged V8 petrol units. The diesel line-up began with a 2.9-litre straight-six (from BMW), which was later replaced by a 3.6-litre V8 diesel and then a 4.4-litre version, both Jaguar-sourced. If you don't want diesel, early offerings were a 4.4-litre V8 petrol and a supercharged 4.2 V8; the supercharged model later grew in capacity to 5.0-litre.

An automatic gearbox is standard on all Range Rover mk3s, as is a very sophisticated, capable and easy to use permanent four-wheel-drive system.

From July 2007 the Range Rover could be ordered with four-zone climate control so that rear passengers could control their own in-car environment: regular climate control is standard on all Range Rover mk3s. Other upmarket touches – some standard, others optional – include touchscreen satnav and hybrid TV, surround sound audio systems, entertainment screens built into the back for the front seat headrests, and a ‘dual-view’ screen in the facia that allows the passenger to watch television whilst the driver sees only the satnav.

When it’s in good health the Range Rover mk3 is a fabulous way to travel, but reliability issues have always dogged it. Repairs are costly, so please do read this review carefully before buying.

There’s a thriving and large network of independent specialists around the UK with which you need to acquaint yourself if you’re to afford to run a Range Rover L322. One owner reports having spent £28,000 over 10 years to keep their Range Rover mk3 on the road. Ouch. Not only is an independent Land Rover specialist hundreds of pounds cheaper for servicing, but because they deal with older cars on a daily basis they should have a clearer idea of what to look out for and how to fix problems cost-effectively.

The Range Rover mk3 requires an interim service every 12,000 miles/12 months and a full service every couple of years or 24,000 miles. Depending on the model, a specialist will typically charge between £215 and £235 for an interim service and £285 to £345 for a full service. There will always be a few extras though, to bump up those prices. Very importantly, ask the specialist how often they recommend changing the oil and filters in the automatic gearbox and how much it will cost. Land Rover claims the gearbox is service-free, but in some instances owners who have followed that advice have ended up with a £5,000 bill for a replacement gearbox.

Now that the Range Rover L322 is comparatively old and likely to be high mileage, certain things will be wearing out or packing up. A new air compressor for the air suspension costs between £550 and £682 depending on the vintage of the car, and a set of brake discs, pads and sensor wires will set you back around £235 each end of the car. Ignition switches are starting to fail now: on an early model a replacement will cost roughly £275, but on later versions with the switch located on the upper dash, that cost rises to £575. Alternators are now starting to expire and they’re approximately £485 fitted. And as there’s no point scrimping on the tyres of a car as large and heavy as the Range Rover, budget on upwards of £600 for a set of good quality tyres.

As for fuel costs, well, you don’t buy a Range Rover for economy. Official figures for the petrol V8s range from an average of 17.4mpg to 24.2mpg, but don’t be surprised if around town you get 13mpg or less. The diesels range from 24.9mpg to 30.1mpg, with several owners claiming that such fuel economy is achievable in (careful) real world driving.

Land Rover Range Rover Mk3 (2002-2011) Expert Review Alleged reliability of the Range Rover mk3 is sometimes claimed to be superior to that of the Range Rover mk2, but its problems are manifold. One owner reports that in the course of 197,000 miles his car was subject to three gearbox rebuilds, new suspension airbags, the replacement of all the brake pipes, and the removal of the engine to extract diesel glow plugs that had corroded into place.

Biggest and most expensive issue on all models and years of Range Rover L322 is the automatic gearbox, and while faults commonly show at around the 100,000-mile mark, gearboxes with as few as 60,000 miles on them have suffered failures. They start off with the gear selector being hard to move, progress on to snatchy gearshifts, then eventually stop working altogether. The problem stems from Land Rover’s insistence that the automatic gearbox is ‘service-free’, whereas the reality is that the gearbox oil and filters should be changed annually for safety’s sake. A new gearbox can be £5,000 or more and even a rebuild is on the wrong side of £2,000.

Electrical gremlins are many and varied, so press every button and switch to make sure everything works as it should – a dashboard instrument failure, for example, can cost £1,000 to fix. With the fancy air suspension, the air compressors have a life of about four years (replacements are £550-£700) and the airbag ‘springs’ do start leaking. Using the height setting control, make sure the Range Rover you’re looking at runs smoothly and quietly between settings and maintains its height when you turn off the engine.

Turbochargers are now starting to fail in significant numbers, particularly with the early 2.9-litre Td6, and cost £2,500 or so to replace. Turbo actuators can become stiff and trigger the limp-home mode through the ECU, while ageing coolant expansion tanks can start to split and leak. Water pumps, radiators and hoses are on their way out by 100,000 miles, and the ball joints in the front and rear suspension, together with the rear suspension bushes, frequently give up the ghost.

There are countless other issues too, so to minimise the potential for financial pain during your ownership of a Range Rover, invest in the services of a Land Rover specialist for a pre-purchase inspection. They should be able to spot the pitfalls and give you a rough idea of what extra you may need to spend in the near future.