2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar Review
 

The new Velar is one of those models that are kind of low key and not talked about enough. For those interested in one or want to learn more about it, here's a quick summary I gathered from TopGear about the vehicle.

The Velar's size is between the Sport and the Evoque. The Velar is a great vehicle for off-roading and all models have AWD. The seats are relatively high and the vehicle is rather tall. It is meant for outdoorsy, scenic drives and offers a panoramic view. The Velar has a minimalist and stylish interior and a center console with two large touchscreens. Overall, it is a stylish and functional car that's sizing is good for denser city driving, as well as scenic drives.

Who here has a Velar and what are your thoughts on it?

Your concise review was the exact reason we bought the Velar in June of this year. It's true the car is an eye catcher, it is sleek and beautiful. The interior is very comfortable and laid out well. We purchased because of what we thought was a great history of reliability by Land Rover and were very excited we were able to make this car our own.

One of the primary things we were told before purchasing the car was that it did have voice activated navigation but soon after driving away we found there were no commands in the "Infotainment System" dealing with navigation. After several days of reading the manual and working with Land Rover Customer Support we found that the only way to activate a destination in the "Infotainment System" was to key in the address using the on-screen features or to activate a cell phone app "Route Planner" and send the destination to the car. After starting route guidance the system does provide voice turn by turn instructions with a previously selected voice, male or female, and accent, either British or American English.

The dealership did work on the voice activation issues and were finally able, with the help of their Land Rover Tech Support Group, to get the Navigation system to allow for two commands, "Go Home" and "Cancel Route Guidance". It took three trips to the dealership to get a paint issue fixed on the rear spoiler. The initial problem was caused at the factory, but the remaining issues were the lack of quality control at the dealership, returning the vehicle only to have us discover the initial problem was fixed but they caused other problems, totally frustrating. We have had an issue with the AC which ended up being a leaky hose and was repaired quickly. The "Infotainment System" locked up, no sound, no screen display, and other issues. The car was returned to the dealership and after two weeks at their facility they finally had to replace the TCU. Shockingly when we received the car back it did have voice activated navigation and it seems to work well.

We still have issues with the radio and MP3 player cutting out for seconds at a time over and over again. We haven't tried to work with the dealership to get that fixed yet.

In total we have owned our Velar for about 130 days and it has spent 38 days at the dealership.

It's running well has great power, we have the P380. It handles great and is a pleasure to drive. Looking forward to winter when we will see how well it handles the snow packed roads and to see if an earlier reported failure of the Velar having side windows icing up, has been fixed.

Didn't mean this to be a downer but wanted to open and honest about our experience with the Velar.

Oh wow, thanks for sharing. There seems to be quite a few discussions on issues with the new Velar since it was released. Hopefully they get the issues you mentioned fixed for you. Do update us on how the vehicle is in the winter and how it handles when you get the chance.

I appreciate this thread. I have been strongly considering leasing a 2019 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE, and after reading this and numerous other online reviews, I am very concerned. I had been under the impression that JLR reliability issues were fading into the past. Sure, I did not expect them to be perfect, but being a Mercedes-Benz owner and enthusiast, I am blown away at the numerous complaints about electrical issues, missing features, and temperamentality of equipment. The cars I am looking at are over $80k. I want something that is going to work correctly.

Update
 

I wanted to provide a quick update to my previous posts concerning our Velar. With several trips to the dealership and many updates to the software we do now have full voice activated navigation. When first starting the car, either after over night or after a stop at a store, when the MP3 player is starting, it does have a couple of blips in the sound after running for 2 minutes. That is it and then it plays flawlessly after that. I have not seen this same type of interruption if I'm playing Sirius XM radio. One thing I'm getting used to is that it takes 2 minutes to get Voice Response to accept commands. I look at it like my Laptop, it takes a few minutes to get up and running whenever I reboot and that is essentially what is happening after a start up of the car, a reboot.

The car is strong and runs great. It is beautiful and driving it is really great. I'm also a Mercedes Benz C450 owner, the electronics does not match the stability of the Benz but it is getting there. BTW, I have ordered a 2019 AMG C43. We leased the Velar so we have 2 1/5 years left to either enjoy this car or put up with it, I prefer to think of it as enjoy!!

Would you do it again is the question? Would you say that I should go for it?

Car and Driver: Our 2018 Range Rover Velar Is Exhibiting Electronic Bugs at 22,000 Miles

Thoughts?

I Would
 

I would do it again. I would get assurances from the dealership that the Voice Activated Navigation works by telling it an address to navigate too. I believe that this car is strong and fast and handles great. The styling is beautiful and the interior is very comfortable and quiet!! Just another piece of info from me. I live about 35 miles from the dealership, after the first time going in because of a paint issue on the rear spoiler, I told them I would not be driving it in anymore. I call roadside assist and have it hauled into the dealership and then arrange for a loaner, that has saved a lot of miles. It was in three times because of the paint issue, first one was a factory problem then twice more because of the dealership's lack of quality control. I really do love the car and would do it again!! Good luck with whatever decision you make!!

Recently, I've been really taken by the Audi Q8. However, the money factor on their leases is bananas right now ($400-600/month interest). Land Rover is extremely aggressive with its leases. It is comforting to me to know that you would do it again.

That's interesting, I've heard the exact opposite. I'm interested in a Velar or RRS but only if I can get comfortable with reliability which I am having a hard time with.