Good afternoon,
The forum has been a great source of info and enjoyment whilst I waited for my new car to arrive.
The story so far.....
I have previously been an X5 driver in the main for over a decade until September 2016 that is. That is when I bought an F-Pace 2.0L Diesel AWD R-Sport. Within a week, and after several visits to my local dealer, I rang JLR customer services and the supplying dealer, and told them of the issues I was having. To their absolute credit, after a very quick investigation they responded with several options. One of these was for the car to be replaced by them. Given a 9 week build time, they left me to use the car I was returning and in January of this year i collected the new F-Pace... Same derivative, but slightly different specification.
The same Jaguar/ LR dealer contacted me when the Velar was announced. I paid a no obligation refundable deposit and waited for more details on the car. I did not want the car until Sept/ Oct 2017. In late August, I confirmed my spec for a D180 S and was given a build date of the 15/9/17, with a handover booked in for around the 1/10/17.
On the 15/9/17, the dealer got in touch to tell me the car wasn't going to start being built that day!
The car was actually finished and being shipped into the dealers. They would have it by the 20th.
I collected it on the 22/9/17. I guess having been placed in the build slot queue early, it was a simple case of the dealer moving the slot, until the appropriate date to get the car built arrived. The dealer also mentioned they thought the factory was ahead of schedule.
Although I live in the Midlands, Taggarts of Motherwell supplied both of the F-Paces and the new Velar. My justification for a 600 mile round trip for the 3rd time to fetch a car? Their complete support and assistance in getting me out of the first F-Pace and into the 2nd. between them and JLR I could hot have asked for better service with the Jaguar. So I elected to buy the Velar from them too.
Early observations of the car.... the 2nd F-Pace was very good. However the Velar has been a revelation so far. Quiet. incredibly comfortable, and most surprising of all, the engine is incredibly refined. The F-Pace version now feels very crude by comparison. Yes it is a sharper handling car (I had mine on 20" wheels) , but the way the Velar (on steel coils with 19" alloys) rides and drives is just astounding. I wish I had bought the 20" wheels I originally chose. It is s shame that dealers were not given D180 demonstrators. I could only find D240's with air suspension all running on fat wheels!
So with some of the concerns that I had read about with steel coils and with the F-Pace being very firm on 20's, it made me decide to stay with 19" wheels.
The engine is the same in both vehicles, but again, sat behind the wheel of each, the Velar feels so much quieter, smoother and better balanced. When I came out of many years of driving a V6 diesel BMW into 4 cylinder Jaguar diesel, the difference was very notable, but I got used to it. I have the same feeling of difference now, but for the positive. The Velar 4 cylinder diesel is infinitely better, and given that I can only guess the V6 Diesel Velar must be amazing. I can't comment on performance as the engine is too new and being handled carefully. So far, it has done all that has been asked effortlessly. I know it won't be a rocket, but it certainly doesn't feel like a touch. I haven't tried dynamic mode just yet.
It's early days for proper MPG figures, but the first tank saw me do just shy of 40MPG. But that included the car being sat at the dealers with the engine running for over 2 hours on the forecourt, whilst an In-Control issue was resolved for the Spotify/ iPhone connection and set up.
The tech on the Jag was not always the best in terms of it working every time it was asked. The Velar, aside from the initial set up issue when collecting the car, has not missed a beat and everything just works, and smoothly. You do have to be very precise with where you press the steering wheel buttons to get them to work. Both the Jag & the F-Pace do share the same confusion as to whether it is my iPhone or iPod that should play Spotify over USB! :roll:
For me... so far... The F-Pace was a lovely car to own and drive many miles in... the Velar though... it seems to be in a different league for a car that shares so many of the same "bits" as its counterpart.
As I mentioned, it's early days, and I may post again after a using the car a little more. So far it's been a case of 500 miles covered in 4 days and I have loved every one of them so far.
The forum has been a great source of info and enjoyment whilst I waited for my new car to arrive.
The story so far.....
I have previously been an X5 driver in the main for over a decade until September 2016 that is. That is when I bought an F-Pace 2.0L Diesel AWD R-Sport. Within a week, and after several visits to my local dealer, I rang JLR customer services and the supplying dealer, and told them of the issues I was having. To their absolute credit, after a very quick investigation they responded with several options. One of these was for the car to be replaced by them. Given a 9 week build time, they left me to use the car I was returning and in January of this year i collected the new F-Pace... Same derivative, but slightly different specification.
The same Jaguar/ LR dealer contacted me when the Velar was announced. I paid a no obligation refundable deposit and waited for more details on the car. I did not want the car until Sept/ Oct 2017. In late August, I confirmed my spec for a D180 S and was given a build date of the 15/9/17, with a handover booked in for around the 1/10/17.
On the 15/9/17, the dealer got in touch to tell me the car wasn't going to start being built that day!
The car was actually finished and being shipped into the dealers. They would have it by the 20th.
I collected it on the 22/9/17. I guess having been placed in the build slot queue early, it was a simple case of the dealer moving the slot, until the appropriate date to get the car built arrived. The dealer also mentioned they thought the factory was ahead of schedule.
Although I live in the Midlands, Taggarts of Motherwell supplied both of the F-Paces and the new Velar. My justification for a 600 mile round trip for the 3rd time to fetch a car? Their complete support and assistance in getting me out of the first F-Pace and into the 2nd. between them and JLR I could hot have asked for better service with the Jaguar. So I elected to buy the Velar from them too.
Early observations of the car.... the 2nd F-Pace was very good. However the Velar has been a revelation so far. Quiet. incredibly comfortable, and most surprising of all, the engine is incredibly refined. The F-Pace version now feels very crude by comparison. Yes it is a sharper handling car (I had mine on 20" wheels) , but the way the Velar (on steel coils with 19" alloys) rides and drives is just astounding. I wish I had bought the 20" wheels I originally chose. It is s shame that dealers were not given D180 demonstrators. I could only find D240's with air suspension all running on fat wheels!
So with some of the concerns that I had read about with steel coils and with the F-Pace being very firm on 20's, it made me decide to stay with 19" wheels.
The engine is the same in both vehicles, but again, sat behind the wheel of each, the Velar feels so much quieter, smoother and better balanced. When I came out of many years of driving a V6 diesel BMW into 4 cylinder Jaguar diesel, the difference was very notable, but I got used to it. I have the same feeling of difference now, but for the positive. The Velar 4 cylinder diesel is infinitely better, and given that I can only guess the V6 Diesel Velar must be amazing. I can't comment on performance as the engine is too new and being handled carefully. So far, it has done all that has been asked effortlessly. I know it won't be a rocket, but it certainly doesn't feel like a touch. I haven't tried dynamic mode just yet.
It's early days for proper MPG figures, but the first tank saw me do just shy of 40MPG. But that included the car being sat at the dealers with the engine running for over 2 hours on the forecourt, whilst an In-Control issue was resolved for the Spotify/ iPhone connection and set up.
The tech on the Jag was not always the best in terms of it working every time it was asked. The Velar, aside from the initial set up issue when collecting the car, has not missed a beat and everything just works, and smoothly. You do have to be very precise with where you press the steering wheel buttons to get them to work. Both the Jag & the F-Pace do share the same confusion as to whether it is my iPhone or iPod that should play Spotify over USB! :roll:
For me... so far... The F-Pace was a lovely car to own and drive many miles in... the Velar though... it seems to be in a different league for a car that shares so many of the same "bits" as its counterpart.
As I mentioned, it's early days, and I may post again after a using the car a little more. So far it's been a case of 500 miles covered in 4 days and I have loved every one of them so far.
