London to Sydney & back again!!

Hi Guys
Newbies here & we are hoping we can draw on your knowledge of LR's v G4's

We are planning an overland trip from London to Sydney leaving spring 2012. We currently have an 06 RR L322 Vogue which we planned to kit out with all equipment but we have been having thoughts if it would be better to look at another LR such as a Defender 110, or a G4 RRS, D3. We have seen a couple of RRS G4's for sale & I guess our first question is do we have the right the vehicle to start with before we start tormenting ourselves

The journey is still in the planning stages but we are hoping to go through Europe, down to Turkey, then, not sure how yet but into China. Then from China into SE Asia & then ship the car from singapore to Oz. Travel through Oz & then somehow force ourselves to make the return journey home (not worked out the route for this). If you were planning this type of trip would you stick with the L322 & kit it out or change it for a G4. Topics that have made us question our current car is if it breaks down, what is the likelihood of being able to get it fixed en-route? Being able to obtain parts? How likely is it that we will experience an electrical problem & it isn't fixable once we are outside the EU.

Secondly, has anyone on here attempted a trip like this? We have searched the web & we can find people who have or are doing the trip in defenders, toyota's etc but not in a RR. Does anyone have any advice they can offer

Thanks everyone

bin the range rover ...... get a 110 ... a old series did this run back in the 50's ......the 110 will be a "known" vehicle in the back of beyond ...and could be fixed easyer ..sounds like a good trip ...

Bodix3 said:

Secondly, has anyone on here attempted a trip like this?

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In an 06 RR L322 Vogue ?

Nope, nobody has been stupid enough

If you break down in the middle of nowhere, you are going to be shipping your Rangie to the nearest dealer and getting the bus home. This is the reason people take Defenders and Land Cruisers.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
take heed of what booger tells you,he is very experienced when it comes to stuff like this.good luck with whatever you decide.

even basics like tyres will be hard to find

110 everytime - especially a 300 or 200 engined one

Booger said:

In an 06 RR L322 Vogue ?

Nope, nobody has been stupid enough

If you break down in the middle of nowhere, you are going to be shipping your Rangie to the nearest dealer and getting the bus home. This is the reason people take Defenders and Land Cruisers.

Click to expand...

London-Cape Town in a L322 Range Rover

Home

Extract from their site:

"The vehicle selected itself. In fact it helped inspire the entire trip in the first place.

Most people embarking on a drive through Africa quite sensibly opt for the toughest and simplest vehicle they can find. This usually means a Land Rover Defender or a 1970s/1980s type of Toyota Landcruiser.

However, two things got me thinking. First, having seen some of Africa first hand and done quite some research as well, I realised that if you wanted to keep things easy then quite a considerable proportion of this journey can be made on tarred roads or on gravel roads in reasonable condition. Second, having owned a modern (L322) Range Rover for several years I am impressed with the depth of its engineering, the quality of its construction and its total reliability. At the time of its launch in 2002 it had had the most expensive development programme of any car in history and it shows. Having also done some off-road training with Land Rover I’ve also seen its eye-widening capabilities first hand. It is really ridiculously good off-road.

So the desire to take the Rangie on a proper expedition grew. Problem was, very few people had done anything like this and indeed I’ve found no evidence of anyone taking a L322 Range Rover across the length of Africa prior to our trip. And the problem with being a bit of a pioneer is that you have to work everything out for yourself.

The upside of course was a vastly more comfortable means of covering big distances in the dark continent!"

996TURBO said:

London-Cape Town in a L322 Range Rover

Home

Extract from their site:

"The vehicle selected itself. In fact it helped inspire the entire trip in the first place.

Most people embarking on a drive through Africa quite sensibly opt for the toughest and simplest vehicle they can find. This usually means a Land Rover Defender or a 1970s/1980s type of Toyota Landcruiser.

However, two things got me thinking. First, having seen some of Africa first hand and done quite some research as well, I realised that if you wanted to keep things easy then quite a considerable proportion of this journey can be made on tarred roads or on gravel roads in reasonable condition. Second, having owned a modern (L322) Range Rover for several years I am impressed with the depth of its engineering, the quality of its construction and its total reliability. At the time of its launch in 2002 it had had the most expensive development programme of any car in history and it shows. Having also done some off-road training with Land Rover I’ve also seen its eye-widening capabilities first hand. It is really ridiculously good off-road.

So the desire to take the Rangie on a proper expedition grew. Problem was, very few people had done anything like this and indeed I’ve found no evidence of anyone taking a L322 Range Rover across the length of Africa prior to our trip. And the problem with being a bit of a pioneer is that you have to work everything out for yourself.

The upside of course was a vastly more comfortable means of covering big distances in the dark continent!"

Click to expand...

And if it does break down? London to Cape Town is a much shorter route and more traveled than London and back via Australia!

What are the benefits of having a Rangie over a 110 on an expedition? If you are after comfort then fit nicer seats and more soundproofing. A Defender 110 has more load space, is far more capable off road, easier to service the list is endless...

Just my opinion though

Jack