[BlackPearl]

The Range Rover Sport is enjoying a lot of sunshine in Spain.

Costa Brava


Andalucia


In the narrow streets of Albaicin, Granada

[BlackPearl]

Back from a stunning trip to Spain. It was a 7000 Kilometers round trip and the Range Rover Sport performed flawlessly. It was 40 degrees plus most of the days in Granada and the car did not break a sweat.

I made a mistake one day and misjudged the amount of sand while taking an offbeat route to a beach. The Range Rover Sport got stuck. It just sank due to the weight and my heart almost sank with it. I got down to take off some air from the tyres, but found that the valve mouths of the tyres were already under sand. Put the vehicle in sand mode and gunned the accelerator. The car slowly started to come out. Got relieved and Rajsri said she would take a video of the rest of the part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ipZnHFthos

Back in London now and under quarantine. Whatever I say about the Range Rover Sport would be less. It is a stunning vehicle and the love for the vehicle is growing everyday.

[BlackPearl]

80,000 Miles update:

The front right track rod had lost its play and hence it was getting difficult to get the alignment right. Got it changed last week.

The new track rod


Installation in progress


After installing the new track rod the alignment got messed up. The vehicle started throwing all kinds of warnings.



Alignment in progress. The problem here is one just can't walk in and get something done, everything has to be done through booking. Got a date a few days later at Kwik Fit. Till that time I was not able to drive the vehicle.



Once the alignment was done all the warnings went away. Next was to get some much needed cleaning.



Polish in progress


All done and parked


I have kept a detailed log of all the expenses till now i.e. 1 years 8 months of ownership.

Here are the details and I was shocked to see 5000 pounds of fuel



All the inputs are not under the correct heading for example the tyre should be close to £800, but I must have typed in wrong and some of it went under a different heading. Will need to rectify that.

[BlackPearl]

It has been a very long time since I last updated the thread. It is not due to negligence towards the Range Rover Sport after getting the two Defenders but it is due to lack of time. The annual maintenance and MOT was due in November 2021 and went to Halfords to get them done. The 10 year old vehicle passed MOT with flying colours and the technician said that the car is in excellent condition.

The vehicle undergoing annual maintenance and MOT at Halfords


The receipt


Vehicle Report


The year end trip to Spain and Portugal was coming up and I was worried about the tyres. The Pirelli Scorpions are very good on tarmac but the 20 inch tyres are prone to cuts and bulges when driving in city due to the kerbs. It is not always possible to avoid them inspite of driving very carefully. So researched on the net and found that Radar tyres have an upsize for the Range Rover Sport. Bought the tyres from Blackcircles.com and the service was excellent. They came to our place and changed the tyres. It was a good decision as we found out one of the tyres had an internal damage.

The new tyres Radar Renegade AT5 being fitted




These new tyres (265/50 R20) have taller sidewalls than the previous Pirellis (275/40/R20)


We started our trip immediately after getting the tyres fitted and had to drive carefully for the first 1000 Kilometers. The ride quality has definitely improved with these tyres but the braking distance has been affected on tarmac. These tyres do not instill as much confidence as the Pirellis under braking. But overall I am happy with the tyres.

We started from London and the first stop a place called Broto in Northern Spain. It was a distance of 1450 Kilometers that took close to 20 hours and the vehicle ran like a sewing machine.

Resting after the long drive


I am loving the more aggressive stance with these AT Tyres


We roamed around Spain and Portugal for the next 2 weeks before coming back to London. A few pictures from the 6000 Kilometers trip.















The picture of the cost breakup for the Range Rover Sport till now

[BlackPearl]

The car has been amazing and there is hardly anything that I can update on this thread that I have not mentioned before. Close to 3 years now and it puts a smile on my face everyday I drive it. Saw this sticker on the back of a Land Rover Discovery at Dover on the way to Calais and I should get that sticker



Went to Italy on a 4000 mile round trip and the Range Rover Sport performed brilliantly as usual. There was one thing that failed prematurely and had to be changed before the trip was the rear left brake calliper. Apart from that nothing except regular maintenance!



Went to Lake Como, Dolomites, Florence, Rome, Portofino and Cinque Terre before returning to London.

A few random pictures of the car in Italy -











Waiting at Calais in France for the return journey over the English Channel



A few pictures from different places -













This was a forced smile, it was quite difficult to handle the boat! Now I know what reviewers mean by cars handling like boats

[BlackPearl]

The Range Rover Sport has been with us for almost 3.5 years and more than 50K Kilometers later, I can definitely say that it has been one of the most reliable cars till date. The car is almost 12 years old and everything works as expected.

Sharing a few stats till date-

Cost Structure


Odometer


Fuel Efficiency


Got the cam belt and water pump changed at 4x4 Specialist. The bill was reasonable. However, the rear tailgate struts had to be changed. It was completely my fault that one of the struts broke during a trip as I overloaded the boot and tried to force shut the tailgate. The cost was shocking as both the struts had to be changed and had to be programmed. Posting the bill here -



Edit: An update without photos of the vehicle is not worth writing down A few photos from the last trip -

[NPV]

@BlackPearl, The Man and The Machine are both made for each other

Thanks for sharing this wonderful thread with us.

Hope I get the opportunity sometime to visit the UK and accompany you on a road trip in one of your vehicles (I won't even know which one to pick!).

Stay blessed, keep smiling and keep munching memorable miles.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

An update without photos of the vehicle is not worth writing down A few photos from the last trip -

The pics you share with all that greenery is the polar opposite of the scenery I get to experience in our SoCal desert. Its awesome, thanks for sharing these pics. You have a beauty.