Velar test drive

[Col Lamb]

Out and about this morning I called in at Hunters LR/RR in Billsbarrow near Garstang to see if they had a Velar which they did.

Externally it looks good, paint finish was good, the panel fit was also good.

Alas that was where being good stopped or to be precise when I opened the door and saw the interior.

Still I am getting past the first problem I encountered. I am average height and managed to bang my head on the edge of the roof getting in as access is a bit tight.

The only showroom Velar was what will be the massive bulk of the sales and that is the 2.0D, sat in the drivers seat which had very limited adjustments problem number 2 surfaced, hard and uncomfortable seats with a wierd stamped pattern to them.

Problem number 3 is easy to describe, just take a close look at the grey/black soft polystyrene meat and fish product packagingyou get from the Supermarket, well that is the top dashboard material or at least that is what it looks like.

Major problem number 4 was the use of shiny gloss black plastic in the centre consol area, on this showroom model it was highly marked with grubby finger prints but worst of all was that it was already very, very badly scratched. Sorry, but there is absolutely no excuse for putting a sub standard material in the interior whose prime function is as a touch screen for switch operation.

Problem 5 was the quality of the remaining finishes, aka F Pace, so yet another black mark.

I gave up and got out, but not withour cracking my head on the door getting out, it really is far to tight.

This is the dealership with ignorant Sales staff and again the three worthless plonkers who describe themselves as so called SE's who were all sat at their desks could not be bothered to get off their asses and ask if they could be of service.

[Mistertoad]

Thanks, Col, I will not be visiting the LR dealer down the road from us.

[Dandock]

Thanks Col. Beats me where some of critics are coming from. Such fundamental issues and 5 stars! Umm!

[Dandock]

And here's a classic... at times absolutely inane! I detest that interior with a passion. Smacks of US naff and is obviously aimed firmly at China. I wouldn't be surprised to see one of those ubiquitous waving cats on the option list.

And just look at the bottom line!

And why would anyone with a shred of sense want Ed Sherrans mug spread across the dash! I'm really sold!

https://www.goodwood.com/grrc/road/news/2017/7/1/

[Yanwoo]

Thanks Col. Beats me where some of critics are coming from. Such fundamental issues and 5 stars! Umm!

If I'd have trusted what some people had said about the Macan on rival car forums, I would have never have walked through the door of a Porsche dealership...

[Col Lamb]

And here's a classic... at times absolutely inane! I detest that interior with a passion. Smacks of US naff and is obviously aimed firmly at China. I wouldn't be surprised to see one of those ubiquitous waving cats on the option list.

And just look at the bottom line!

And why would anyone with a shred of sense want Ed Sherrans mug spread across the dash! I'm really sold!

https://www.goodwood.com/grrc/road/news/2017/7/1/

£83k quoted in the article as the otr price.

OK so it has more rear legroom than a Macan and more space inside at the front.

For me I just could not live with the internal shiny black plastic that is oh so Mercedes.

Despite the negatives I have written no doubt people will buy the Velar but probably as an alternative to a Cayenne, X5, Q7, RR Sport, Disco, Volvo X's and if it ever comes out the FPace's bigger brother.

[Mistertoad]

I'm sure the Velar will sell like hot cakes, as will the E-Pace, so good luck to JLR. I quite like the look of their I-Pace, but will wait for the bugs to be well and truly ironed out before dipping my toes in that patch of water

[Yanwoo]

OK so it has more rear legroom than a Macan and more space inside at the front.

Despite the negatives I have written no doubt people will buy the Velar but probably as an alternative to a Cayenne, X5, Q7, RR Sport, Disco, Volvo X's and if it ever comes out the FPace's bigger brother.

Yeah, it's quite a different car from the Macan, both in size and driving experience. Although, I'm sure there will be people like me who are considering both, in the understanding they both offer something different, and part of the decision making process is what I want to prioritise.

I think they're both excellent in their own ways, but both also have downsides and issues, just depends on your perspective how much weight you put on those things. A lot of people are going to be very happy with the Velar (assuming it doesn't suffer F-pace level issues).

I've been evaluating for a while, but nothing has really shifted me from wanting a macan. I wanted to check out the velar, which I've done, and it's help me decide I do want the sporty drive which the velar doesn't offer. The F-Pace offers that too - test drove that recently as well - and I like the exterior design about the same as I like the macan (i like cat inspired designs!) and has a bit more space, but I'm nervous about the gremlins, and the interior is decent but not great.

So I think I'm waiting now to hear about the macan facelift, and hoping, they do the infotainment upgrade to get it up with the panamera and (likely) the new cayenne. Maybe they're going to do what Jag did with the f-pace when they saw the macan; respond a bit to the velar, and take some more time to upgrade the car tech (if that wasn't the plan before).

Otherwise, I may have to roll the dice with an f-pace (or e-pace, if it looks like they've ironed out the f-pace issues with that one) for a few years, and wait for the new model macan in 2022/23. When I get the macan, I kinda want it to tick all my boxes

[Col Lamb]

Just waiting for my mug of tea to cool so had a play with the Velar confuserator.

YOUR BUILD
EXTERIOR
Yulong White £725.00
21" 10 spoke 'Style 1033' with Satin Dark Grey finish £0.00
Body-coloured roof £0.00
Clear Glass
Matrix LED Headlights with Signature DRL £0.00
INTERIOR £0.00
Light Oyster Perforated Windsor Leather £0.00
20–way driver/passenger seats with memory, massage and front heated/cooled seats £0.00
Extended Leather Upgrade £0.00
Light Oyster Morzine headlining £0.00
Shadow Aluminium Trim finisher £0.00
Leather steering wheel with Chrome bezel
Meridian Surround Sound System (17 Speakers 825W) £0.00
OPTIONS £2,705.00
Climate Pack £730.00
On/Off Road Pack £435.00
Full Size Spare Wheel £350.00
All Terrain Progress Control
Configurable Dynamics
Surround Camera System with Wade Sensing £880.00
Terrain Response 2
Cabin Air Ionisation
Configurable Ambient Interior Lighting £205.00
Four-zone Climate Control
Lockable Cooled Glovebox
Premium Carpet Mats
Gear shift paddles £414

Total price £76.5k

That is for the 380 horses petrol engine.

Some really good plus points on the available extras:-
Headlining available in four different colours including a very light one hence no need for a Pano to lighten interior.
Load space management, more options to shake a stick at, makes Porsches offerings look very limited,
Internal protection covers and footwell mats, just the job for the country set.
External pretty good colour choices available
Neat colour choices for internal seating allbeit with some questionable patterns
Boys toys, plenty of options

Still not tempted.

[Pete]

Meridian sound system probably sounds better than the Burmeister, I'll give it that.

Lots of nice options for free, but I don't get having to pay for flappy paddles.