range rover velar

[lou91]

im thinking of buying a range rover velar,ive not done much research on them apart from test driving and liking the car.

I did look at a rrs but so many people i know have had problems and i dont need such a big car.So looking at a suv size car,just want to know if anyone has one and how they are.
Ive looked at q3,q5,kia sportage evoque & velar,realistically would like the velar but nearly everyone said dont bother!!
I drive around 20k a year.

Thanks

[Big Al.]

I drove one as a courtesy car, whilst my RRS was in for a service, and no not for me, couldn't see where it fits into the range TBH.
I felt it was bland compared to the Range Rover Sport. all IMHO.

[CSK1]

I've been given one as a courtesy car too.
Didn't feel special, you sit much lower, more "in" the car as opposed to a Range Rover's throne like seating position which gives you more visibility.
It's very much like any other premium SUV brand.

[lou91]

I dont think anyone would prefer a velar to a rrs! but compared to other suv they are good in look aspect ,but dont have a clue about reliability

[Shanksy87]

The Velar with the TDV6 is my preference. The engine has been around for many years in one form or another and gives a premium feel with the wave of torque it offers. The interiors are all the same and you would expect the more recent 19/20 model year cars to have the bugs worked out that the 18 model year launch cars would likely have suffered.

The RRS is a great thing, but they struggle to fit into normal parking spaces and you can feel the additional mass of them. If you need to space then its a no brainer, but not everyone does.

[mach1]

Being slightly old, I've owned most models of Range Rovers (and Discoverys & Defenders) over the years and for me the Velar is a more 'everyday' version of the Full Fat RR, filling the gap between that and the Discovery.

The FFRR feels more special and is more of an experiance each time you drive it, but the Velar is more usable as a daily driver, especially in town. Controversially, I'd even say that it was a better all round car and definitely drives better.

The RRS doesn't feel different enough to the FFRR to me and the Evoque is almost too small to be useful.

But.... Do go for the newest model that you can afford. I had a 2018 S which was a complete dog of a car, so bad that after a couple of months I swapped it in for a new (2020) HSE and they are night and day to drive. You also need to go for either the D300 or the petrol version, the smaller engines aren't worth having.

[jack_86]

It’s a tricky one the velar, for me they only look good with all the spec and the big wheels but then I don’t think they justify the hefty price tag that spec commands! And base spec just looks abit poverty.

[lou91]

the velar i looked at was standard entry spec,the only thing i didnt like theres no sat nav and no basic things i have in my current car.So i ended up looking at next spec which has the sat nav! Im really not fussed about engine,i would be looking at a 19 or 20 plate.
It is a lot of money for what you get but i do want to get a nice car , so either get a standard suv or pay bit more and have the velar.
i have also been told to get a petrol compared to a diesel,i dont mind which one but any advice?

[jack_86]

I’m in the same boat, my current deal is coming to the end in September and I’ve looked at rrs, velars, Macans, cayennes, glc63s and to me the Best bang for your buck is the x3 m comp.

For your mileage though I’d go diesel. I have heard that the fuel tanks aren’t huge on them either.

[lou91]

thats a good selection of cars,i'll stick to a diesel then.

[skwdenyer]

lou91 said:

the velar i looked at was standard entry spec,the only thing i didnt like theres no sat nav and no basic things i have in my current car.So i ended up looking at next spec which has the sat nav! Im really not fussed about engine,i would be looking at a 19 or 20 plate.
It is a lot of money for what you get but i do want to get a nice car , so either get a standard suv or pay bit more and have the velar.
i have also been told to get a petrol compared to a diesel,i dont mind which one but any advice?

Is the satnav actually worth paying extra for rather than just using a phone?

[lou91]

No its not ,but would rather have it built in,just easier or its me being lazy ! but i do have sat nav in my current car so would want one still

[Big E 118]

My wife has a Velar and I really don't like driving it, it feels very underdeveloped dynamically.

The interior is a very nice place to be, good quality materials all round.

To me the brakes are far too over servo'd and the throttle lag is just terrible. The variable ratio steering is not calibrated very well, you can't assume that at the same speed on the same corner the car will turn in the same. The ride is acceptable. Maybe I'm being hyper critical but we've had a whole range of 4x4's from Range Rover as well as, BMW X5, Volvo XC90 and the Velar dynamically does not feel a finished product and way, way off our old RR Sport in terms of driving refinement/quality.

We have actually used the Velar off road (nothing too serious) and I was really impressed with it's ability.

[lou91]

Thats interesting ,ive only driven it for short drive ,and you cant really drive how you want when you got the sales sitting next to you !!
I was told i could take it away for a day ,so will probably have to.

[s3dave]

Had my D240 S for 2 years now. Fundamentally a great car; I had the usual RR infotainment software issues. Twice I had a Disco sport courtesy car while it was being fixed and I must say I hated the disco. The Velar has a higher build quality and has better driving dynamics.

About parking a good point was made about RRS and FFRR being too large for many car park spaces. Even with the Velar you have to be careful and I tend to avoid the older multi-storey NCPs. Having said how I like the Velar, my next car may well be a RRS!

[Hard-Drive]

Big E 118 said:

My wife has a Velar and I really don't like driving it, it feels very underdeveloped dynamically.

The interior is a very nice place to be, good quality materials all round.

To me the brakes are far too over servo'd and the throttle lag is just terrible. The variable ratio steering is not calibrated very well, you can't assume that at the same speed on the same corner the car will turn in the same. The ride is acceptable. Maybe I'm being hyper critical but we've had a whole range of 4x4's from Range Rover as well as, BMW X5, Volvo XC90 and the Velar dynamically does not feel a finished product and way, way off our old RR Sport in terms of driving refinement/quality.

We have actually used the Velar off road (nothing too serious) and I was really impressed with it's ability.

My other half as an D240 HSE R Dynamic and I do agree with some of your points. I'm OK with the brakes but I know exactly what you mean about throttle lag, sometimes you put your foot down out of junctions and nothing happens for ages...right up until the bit it tries to launch itself up the road like some over-turbo'd 80s hooligan sports car.

I find the ride too hard to be honest...I guess it needs to be firm to give it some hope in the corners, but it certainly is not a wafter by any stretch of the imagination. I drive a 5 series M-Sport Touring which is a big car (longer than my "proper" Land Rover Defender 110) but the seats, ride quality and handling/dynamics are in a totally different league to the Velar.

There's also some daft design flaws on the Velar. You can start it remotely so it warms up, but you can't switch on the heated screen/rear window so it defrosts. It's got a steering wheel heater...however after a while it becomes way too hot to use comfortably. Meanwhile, the chrome ring running all the way round the wheel (because HSE...) stays freezing so you have this bizarre fire and ice sensation as you drive along. The electric door handles are unnecessary, the gear lever raising out of the tunnel just becomes annoying and a delay to departure after the first few times, and the fact that the infotainment works like an iPad with no tactile buttons means you have to look at it and scroll through menus to do simple tasks like switch seat heaters on (which take ages to warm up too). And your lovely high gloss interior ends up with more visible fingerprints on it than a crime scene in a CSI series finale as soon as you switch it all off.

I've driven a new FFRR and it's much harder to judge where the corners are on the Velar, a much smaller vehicle. There's also a huge amount of menus and driving modes which seem OTT...I've still never bothered to work out the difference between "Dynamic" mode on the infotainment system and "Sport" mode on the gear selector. And if you want to be able to use paddles in Eco mode for a cheeky overtake, you would have had set that up on the menu first to allow it...

That said, it's still a lovely drive, the cabin has a really premium feel, it goes very well for a big tall car, and on a smooth road it's a lovely mile muncher. And it looks absolutely bleddy superb in the right trim...although I can't help feeling the sweet spot would be R-Dynamic trim and bumpers, but with smaller wheels and more sidewalls, rather than the crazy 21" wheels which are IMHO utterly pointless on a big car that has 4WD and a Land Rover badge on it. But it's still a lovely thing, that is perhaps just trying a bit too hard in a couple of areas.

[camel_landy]

Yep, I have to agree on the surfaces, iPad, fingerprints... IMO the minimalist design & reliance on the screens has gone too far for my liking with the Velar but each to their own.

Hard-Drive said:

I've driven a new FFRR and it's much harder to judge where the corners are on the Velar, a much smaller vehicle. There's also a huge amount of menus and driving modes which seem OTT...I've still never bothered to work out the difference between "Dynamic" mode on the infotainment system and "Sport" mode on the gear selector. And if you want to be able to use paddles in Eco mode for a cheeky overtake, you would have had set that up on the menu first to allow it...

It's the 'square-ness' of the design which makes the FFRR, D4, Defender, etc... so easy to drive, despite their size. From the driving seat, you can see the corners rather than having a vast bonnet sloping off into the distance.

As for 'Dynamic' vs 'Sport', IIRC the 'Sport' mode is purely for the gearbox/throttle response. 'Dynamic' does the same thing but it also controls other aspects of the cars handling such as the traction and body control systems.

M

[Shanksy87]

Hard-Drive said:

... and the fact that the infotainment works like an iPad with no tactile buttons means you have to look at it and scroll through menus to do simple tasks like switch seat heaters on (which take ages to warm up too)....

I may be wrong but can't you just push the climate dial in to switch it to become a seat heat controller? Therefore no need to wait for the admittedly laggy HMI to fire up.