Range Rover (2002-2012) Buying Advice: The Ultimate SUV

A third-generation Range Rover has something of a femme fatale about it: irresistible, but also life-threatening if you step into adventure recklessly. Anyone who has secretly dreamed for years of the magnificent L322, as the model is coded internally, must make a careful assessment between emotional and rational aspects. 

By: Aart van der Haagen

Even though the Range Rover from the 2002-2012 period strikes us right in the heart, we are not going to sugarcoat it. Is owning an L322 such a tragedy, then? Not if you have enough substance to bear the substantial fixed costs. Moreover, you must maintain financial reserves for technical unforeseen circumstances. Let us first answer a pressing question: why would you purchase such a heavy and capricious British SUV? Well, because as a total package, it stands alone in its class. Others of its kind can approach the driving behavior of a regular passenger car, and sometimes perhaps even better. Yet, this is not achieved in combination with an unflinching attitude towards off-roading and a luxurious, stylish package that testifies to good taste. Even in the most lavishly kitted-out version, a Range Rover never remains ostentatious or vulgar. Even with a slightly daring color scheme, that does not happen. It remains graceful and timeless. 

Leading role

Isn't it all a bit early for a classic car magazine to feature a car whose youngest examples date back to 2012? A valid question, but the counter-argument is that the first registrations date back nearly a quarter of a century. Consequently, these cars fall within the realm of favorable tax benefits for business use. As a premium product aimed at a discerning elite, the Range Rover L322 has always played a leading role in the market. It featured innovations that are not always commonplace even today. At the same time, these pose a pitfall for owners, and here we will briefly invoke the old adage: 'the more it has, the more it can break.' Take that aspect into consideration. View it as a critical barrier to the seductive power of a top-of-the-line version packed with extravagant gadgets. The many qualities of a Range Rover come into their own just as well in the less 'loaded' versions. 

Proactive maintenance

Do you really break the bank on a Range Rover L322, as some malicious tongues claim? “It just depends on how you, as the owner, approach maintenance,” states Thomas van Leuken of VanLeuken Automotive in 's-Hertogenbosch. “We advise: not reactively, but proactively by a specialist who knows where the bottlenecks are and can prevent consequential damage. You have to count on things needing to be addressed at every service. That is not so much due to product quality as to the load. With a car weighing roughly between 2,4 and 2,7 tons, the mechanics, especially the chassis, take a heavier beating than with a simple mid-range car. The major costs are usually not in the parts prices, but in the labor hours. That is because many repairs are labor-intensive.”

So make sure the message sinks in that you should only purchase such a Range Rover if you can comfortably budget for the total operating costs. The pinnacle of SUVs has, in fact for generations, been reserved exclusively for a select group. It is precisely that exclusivity that enthusiasts appreciate so much. 

The complete buying guide, with all the weak and strong points, and all the important considerations, can be found in the April issue of Auto Motor Klassiek. Now still in the newsstand.

(More photos below.)