RR P38, 4.6. This has happened twice now, and has got me wondering:
When running on an almost empty tank (but with some left according to the fuel gauge), the engine has started to lose power. The more I put my foot down, the slower it goes, but if I ease off to a light throttle it seems to drive as normal. Putting petrol in cures the problem. So far, so normal - running out of petrol, been there, done that. However...
When I have run out of petrol in other vehicles, the engine has lost power, started to splutter and kangaroo, and then stopped within a few hundred metres. In both cases with the RR, the loss of power has been gradual and predictable (i.e. no spluttering), and I have been able to travel several miles before stopping to fill up - although at low throttle openings and moderate speeds. It's almost as if cylinders are cutting out one by one as the fuel gets lower.
Typical of the RR - it even runs out of fuel in a civilised way! In both cases it was reassuring - once was on a fast unlit A-road after dark, towing the Series on a trailer, and once was on a motorway in between service areas - as it gave me enough time to get to a safe place to refuel.
Is this a cunning plot by LR to avoid sh*gging the catalysers, a feature of modern fuel injection systems, or just "one of those things"? The fuel gauge was replaced under warranty less than a year ago, but it must be faulty at the bottom end, as it was not reading empty, although from the amount it took to fill it, it had only 5 or 6 litres left on each occasion. Most gauges would be reading empty long before that.
Any thoughts?