[ddndrive]

Hi Everyone ,

I have been in the market to buy a luxury SUV for last few weeks and after seeing few options, I have zeroed down on VELAR .

Size wise ,it seems a perfect SUV to drive in and around the city .

Although the price is tad too expensive for its size and engine but due to lack of options under 1 cr, we could not shortlist any other option

Now, my main worry is the horror stories that we all keep hearing regarding the Reliability and the after sales service of RR .

I would be trading in my 6 years old 320i which has been rock solid in reliability with almost zero troubles in these years and I generally like to keep my car for 6-7 Years .

I am in two minds whether I should go for a Velar as reliability is definitely an important factor for me while deciding a car

Do you guys recommend me buying a Velar or shall I look at other options ?

Kindly advice !

[graaja]

Any specific reason why you are looking for the Velar?

For the same price point, an X5 40i would be much more powerful with a 3.0 liter turbo petrol and also much more reliable.

[Y@SH]

I got home the velar a month ago, the D200 (diesel), you can get the P250 if you are looking for pure self driving. Prices of both are around the same but you get a 80liter tank with the petrol and just a 62 litre tank with the D200 (smaller as AdBlue tank takes up space).

I had an option to wait for the New Sport however it being a completely new car I was not sure about the reliability of both electronics and mechanics.

The velar being on sale globally since past 5 years Im sure most of the issues have been sorted out. The ride with the air suspension is very smooth and sound insulation is amazing. Quality of interiors TopNotch since its a Range Rover after all!

However you can get the X5 but the rear seats are not as good as the ones in the velar and I am not a fan of BMW interiors honestly.

The other option is the Macan, however its much smaller.

[ddndrive]

Originally Posted by graaja

Any specific reason why you are looking for the Velar?

I saw other options as well like GLE , X5 , Q7 , Q8 but except RR Velar and Q8 did not like other options due to various reasons

Originally Posted by graaja

the same price point, an X5 40i would be much more powerful with a 3.0 liter turbo petrol and also much more reliable.

Me and my family did not like the front end design of X5 . Also, it is difficult to distinguish between X5 and X3 from the front .
Biggest reason was that the car would also be chauffeured driven sometimes(mostly self driven) , the back seat was one of the bad ones since it was quite upright with no seat adjustment .
Having said that , I agree there is no other SUV which comes close to the driving pleasure that X5 provides in its segment but since the requirement is different X5 is no more in the list

Originally Posted by Y@SH

I got home the velar a month ago, the D200 (diesel)

Congratulations!

Originally Posted by Y@SH

velar being on sale globally since past 5 years Im sure most of the issues have been sorted out.

I hope so! TBH, this was the main reason why Velar is still in my buying list as I too feel that they must have sorted out most of the problems.

Originally Posted by Y@SH

other option is the Macan, however its much smaller.

As you rightly mentioned, it is too small in size and only because of this reason, we did not even bother to visit the Porsche showroom.

Any owners of Velar here on the Forum, who have been using it in last 1-2 years or more and could help me in sharing their experience with the car ?

If not Velar, kindly recommend which SUV shall I go for in my budget ?
I am ok waiting for 3-6 months incase there is some new/facelifted SUV coming of any luxury brand within the budget

Any advice ?

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by ddndrive

I have been in the market to buy a luxury SUV for last few weeks and after seeing few options, I have zeroed down on VELAR .

Although the price is tad too expensive for its size and engine but due to lack of options under 1 cr, we could not shortlist any other option

Now, my main worry is the horror stories that we all keep hearing regarding the Reliability and the after sales service of RR .

I am in two minds whether I should go for a Velar as reliability is definitely an important factor for me while deciding a car

I had got an opportunity to see the assembling of the Velar, Evoque, F-Pace and Discovery Sport in the JLR Plant in Pune.

The way the kit comes packed in a box and how they control the quality and everything, is impeccable.

I would recommend you to go ahead with the Velar. A person in my society picked up a Velar D200 at about the same time as I picked up my X3. He is very happy with the car and with the after sales as well. Same for a close friend of mine as well who has a diesel Disco Sport for the last 3 years now, he is also happy with both the car and aftersales.

And if I am not mistaken a MY23 update is coming soon for the Velar, it’ll be better if you wait for sometime. Atleast this was what was told to me by an official in the plant itself so no dealership half-baked mumbo-jumbo as well.

You can consider the Jaguar F-Pace as well, it’s the same underneath and space is very similar.

I have sat in the rear seat of the Velar and the back seat felt very similar in terms of space to my X3.

[inwester]

Originally Posted by ddndrive

Hi Everyone ,

Now, my main worry is the horror stories that we all keep hearing regarding the Reliability and the after sales service of RR .

Kindly advice !

If I were you I would pick GLE and X5, in that order, especially if you are worried about reliability. Velar is a great looking car, but unfortunately JLR and reliability doesn't go hand in hand, not to mention the fact its overpriced in India for a smaller sized car. I had Q8 for a while and found the ride a bit firm for my taste (it had massive 22" wheels).

Here is the Car and Driver review if you are interested and they gave it a 6/10.

https://www.caranddriver.com/land-ro...ge-rover-velar

Good luck.

[DonHyd]

Good that you liked the Q8. It is an underrated car. It shares it's platform with some of the marvels of automobile engineering - the Cayenne, the Bentayga and the Urus. And it looks absolutely gorgeous in person. Velar, though great on many fronts but spending 1 crore on a 4 cylinder car - think twice about it

[pbm]

I think you should reconsider the new Q7. I had taken a test drive a few weeks back.

The premium plus model of Q7 is ~99L on road. As far as I know, none of the other cars you are comparing have air suspension except the Q7. The GLE offers the same only with 400d/450 which costs ~1.2cr.

Pros for the Q7:

1. Adaptive Air Suspension
2. Good insulation for cabin noise/vibrations due to the mild hybrid petrol engine
3. 3.0 L engine
4. AWD
5. Decent rear seat comfort, but second to the GLE 450/400d

Cons:

1. Fuel efficiency
2. All touch glossy MMI - fingerprint magnet
3. Manual steering adjust
4. Not many people are okay to spend that much on the Audi badge.

On the driving front, especially since you expect it to be mostly self-driven, I'm sure the BMW X5 would be a better option. But I think the adaptive air suspension would make a big difference in ride comfort. Maybe you should TD the vehicles again on rough roads.

Good luck!

[ddndrive]

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

He is very happy with the car and with the after sales as well. Same for a close friend of mine as well who has a diesel Disco Sport for the last 3 years now, he is also happy with both the car and aftersales.

Its good to hear 2 positive reviews from the owners . Builds your confidence Although, its a rare thing to hear good reviews on JLR aftersales

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

if I am not mistaken a MY23 update is coming soon for the Velar, it’ll be better if you wait for sometime. Atleast this was what was told to me by an official in the plant itself so no dealership half-baked mumbo-jumbo as well.

Thanks for this info. but wont this MY23 be delivered by Feb-March next year? Any possibility of deliveries of MY23 starting before that?

Originally Posted by inwester

I had Q8 for a while and found the ride a bit firm for my taste (it had massive 22" wheels)

You mean you sold Q8 ? The celebration model comes with 19 inch wheels . Please share your ownership experience of Q8

Originally Posted by pbm

I think you should reconsider the new Q7. I had taken a test drive a few weeks back.

The premium plus model of Q7 is ~99L on road. As far as I know, none of the other cars you are comparing have air suspension except the Q7. The GLE offers the same only with 400d/450 which costs ~1.2cr.

I am not sure but I think X5 as well offers the Air suspension in all their models .
For Q7, I totally agree that this is the SUV which ticks most of the boxes and seems the most VFM under 1 cr . Initially this was the front runner as my head was totally convinced but after various discussions at home it was a thumbs down for Q7 mainly because it is at the end of its cycle(8-9 years old design) and we don't want to spend such money and have a feeling of driving a discontinued model after 1-2 years

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by ddndrive

Thanks for this info. but wont this MY23 be delivered by Feb-March next year? Any possibility of deliveries of MY23 starting before that?

The source had told me festive season is when the MY23 will be launched, delivery maybe by this year-end at max.

I am not sure but I think X5 as well offers the Air suspension in all their models .

The SportX Plus models which constitute the base variants of the X5 only get the adaptive suspension, no air suspension…

The 6 cyl 40i X5 SportX Plus is extremely VFM at 94L OTR Mumbai, compared to other cars and it’s higher variants as well, only thing is it misses out on some essential features expected at this price point.

[vinay_ss]

I own a Discovery V ( all new Disco). I can only provide you my inputs in terms of service support. I've used the dealerships across chennai, Bangalore and Pune. I must say that I've always come back satisfied with the service support. The Pune dealer specifically has been a good experience.

I've never felt low on confidence on the Discovery although it's probably the least sold and underrated vehicle in their stable in india. These are great vehicles and in use overseas for many years now. I've not had any niggles with my own car. It's 2017 MY.

Go for the Velar !

[ddndrive]

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

The source had told me festive season is when the MY23 will be launched, delivery maybe by this year-end at max.

Got this re-confirmed from one of the dealerships, the sales person said that the Velar they are selling now is MY23 only

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

6 cyl 40i X5 SportX Plus is extremely VFM at 94L OTR Mumbai, compared to other cars and it’s higher variants as well, only thing is it misses out on some essential features expected at this price point.

X5 was on top of my list as I am a very satisfied owner of a bimmer since last 6 years but as you rightly mentioned that they have missed out on some important features and the thing that completely ruled out the X5 was the combo of poor rear seat(no reclining option for a 1 cr car ) , Front design(nothing exiting and very similar to X3) and interiors not giving that luxury feeling for a 1 cr car . Having said that, If BMW comes out with the LCI version with any of these 1-2 changes, I would eyes closed go for the X5 because the heart still says X5 .

Does any one has any idea about the launch of the Facelifted X5 ?

Originally Posted by vinay_ss

I've never felt low on confidence on the Discovery although it's probably the least sold and underrated vehicle in their stable in india. These are great vehicles and in use overseas for many years now. I've not had any niggles with my own car. It's 2017 MY.

Go for the Velar !

Thanks for sharing your experience. Getting such reviews directly from the owners will definitely help me in taking a decision in favour of the Velar

[ddndrive]

Guys, any advice on Q8? Is the Celebration model worth considering ?

I like the looks, space, engine etc of the car but is it worth spending 1.1-1.2 Cr on an Audi?

Also the Q8s are not selling as much as they should have as I personally feel it has the looks, style, Engine, interiors, space etc to give a fight to other contenders but for some reason the numbers are very low, what could be the reasons ?
Is it mainly because of the same reason that people don't want to spend so much on an Audi or am I missing something?

[ananbanka]

We picked up the Velar over a year ago, and it was definitely a heart over the head decision! During the purchase period we test drove the X5, F-Pace and the Q8. The GLE wasn't available for a TD at the time.

I think the X5 and Q8 are better than the Velar in every practical sense! From the feature list, to the build quality to the way they drive. They are definitely more value for money than the Velar, which is saying something for the luxury segment.

The Velar was picked for one single reason. The way it looks. And god it looks amazing.

The Velar doesn't drive as great (petrol), and I honestly prefer driving my Superb on the highways instead. It doesn't have good legroom in the rear, either. So if any of these points matter to you, I'd recommend skipping the Velar.

The X5 was only written off because we did not like the way it looks. We didn't pick the Q8 because it was about 15% more expensive at the time, and out of our budget, else that would have been the car we purchased!

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by ddndrive

Guys, any advice on Q8? Is the Celebration model worth considering ?
?

Friend of mine switched from an XC90 to a Q8 - more for tax depreciation purposes and sometime new. Apart from the refined engine, he felt it was a downgrade in terms of interiors and features.