New SUV test drove 3 today

[jakesmith]

Drove a few today

Range Rover Sport D300 2023 £65k - interior is best I have ever sat in, ride was sublime. Had enough power but not excessive didn't feel fast, was quick enough. Mrs felt it was like 'being in a minibus' it's very high up.

Audi SQ7 2023 V8 4.0 £65k - night and day faster just another planet of performance, still gets a good second of lag before launching you though but very fast. Quiet for a V8. Vorsprung interior with all the extra leather & carbon was OK but realisically nowhere near the Sport in terms of quality. Lightyears ahead to drive, much lower and better feel. Wonder what an X3 or X5 Comp would be like presumably mush sharper again but this was fine for me

Range Rover Velar P400 2.0 Petrol Hybrid 400BHP £55k 2024 - suprisingly quick, 5s 0-60 and felt very perky. Interior fit / quality / space not quite up to the Sport. Looked lovely but didn't feel as quality an as we keep cars for a long time think it might not wear as well felt a bit cheaper / softer. Was nicer to drive than the Sport, lower, more responsive throttle and handling, less boaty.

I liked the SQ7, Mrs liked the Velar, a decent Velar can be had for a healthy £15k less though

I would be concerned about the hybrid system / battery long term reliability in the Velar being honest and not sure it is good value now electricity is so expensive plus I already have to plug my R8 in whenever I drive it (conditioner as it isn't used much) and it's a bit of a pain not sure I want to do it every time with the Velar.

[Krikkit]

I know someone with the Velar - fantastic performance but the economy once the battery is empty is rubbish (I averaged 29mpg in it going to LM24 at very close to the speed limit)

It also had an issue with the hybrid heater replaced under warranty, £1600

I'd have the non hybrid, probably the RRS, or get an early L460 and bank for a warranty

[lornemalvo]

jakesmith said:

Drove a few today

Range Rover Sport D300 2023 £65k - interior is best I have ever sat in, ride was sublime. Had enough power but not excessive didn't feel fast, was quick enough. Mrs felt it was like 'being in a minibus' it's very high up.

Audi SQ7 2023 V8 4.0 £65k - night and day faster just another planet of performance, still gets a good second of lag before launching you though but very fast. Quiet for a V8. Vorsprung interior with all the extra leather & carbon was OK but realisically nowhere near the Sport in terms of quality. Lightyears ahead to drive, much lower and better feel. Wonder what an X3 or X5 Comp would be like presumably mush sharper again but this was fine for me

Range Rover Velar P400 2.0 Petrol Hybrid 400BHP £55k 2024 - suprisingly quick, 5s 0-60 and felt very perky. Interior fit / quality / space not quite up to the Sport. Looked lovely but didn't feel as quality an as we keep cars for a long time think it might not wear as well felt a bit cheaper / softer. Was nicer to drive than the Sport, lower, more responsive throttle and handling, less boaty.

I liked the SQ7, Mrs liked the Velar, a decent Velar can be had for a healthy £15k less though

I would be concerned about the hybrid system / battery long term reliability in the Velar being honest and not sure it is good value now electricity is so expensive plus I already have to plug my R8 in whenever I drive it (conditioner as it isn't used much) and it's a bit of a pain not sure I want to do it every time with the Velar.

My idea of quality in a car is one that doesn't break down on a regular basis. I'd love a RR but couldn't deal with the hassle (if almost everything I've read about them is true)

[jakesmith]

lornemalvo said:

My idea of quality in a car is one that doesn't break down on a regular basis. I'd love a RR but couldn't deal with the hassle (if almost everything I've read about them is true)

Thing is we’ve had an evoque for 10 years and in that time we’ve had 2 abs sensors, an alternator and diff, in 80,000 miles of motoring. Hardly a nightmare. Appreciate other people have been less lucky. It’s not an Ingenium engines one mind you

[daqinggregg]

jakesmith said:

Thing is we ve had an evoque for 10 years and in that time we ve had 2 abs sensors, an alternator and diff, in 80,000 miles of motoring. Hardly a nightmare. Appreciate other people have been less lucky. It s not an Ingenium engines one mind you

I wouldn’t call needing a new diff (irrespective of it being done under warranty or not) in 80,000 miles, hardly a nightmare, not like it’s a service item.

[andy43]

I’d only bother with a hybrid if it’s a company purchase - BIK advantages - otherwise the SQ7 or similar with a V8 would be my SUV choice.
I have an X5 45e phev - 40+ miles of pure electric which I do use constantly but the EV performance isn’t really ideal for motorways, or press a button and it’ll do 500+ miles on hybrid with very good performance for its size. In a straight line anyway. It’s very heavy and feels it, but it’s the only sort of car that gets close to ticking the BIK and spec and space boxes.
Also think a warranty is essential for something this complex.. unless it’s Japanese.

[AB]

Yep, Audi gets my vote.

[Ricky997GT]

try the gle 400d. wonderful car.

[jakesmith]

andy43 said:

I d only bother with a hybrid if it s a company purchase - BIK advantages - otherwise the SQ7 or similar with a V8 would be my SUV choice.
I have an X5 45e phev - 40+ miles of pure electric which I do use constantly but the EV performance isn t really ideal for motorways, or press a button and it ll do 500+ miles on hybrid with very good performance for its size. In a straight line anyway. It s very heavy and feels it, but it s the only sort of car that gets close to ticking the BIK and spec and space boxes.
Also think a warranty is essential for something this complex.. unless it s Japanese.

THanks for this, the problem is the LR models that have the performace I want (5s 0-60 or better) are all hybrid only. We tend to keep our cars a long time, buy them young it mitigates to some extent the risk they've been mistreated previously, miss the first chunk of depreciation, and then you get good value over say 10 years even with a few repairs. But now you said this a 4.0 V8 is probably a more likely reliable long term proposition than a JLR hybrid system with batteries...

[ZX10R NIN]

Try the GLE53:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202509015...

Or the 400D:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202509186...

Have you looked at the F Pace (it's the twin of the Velar) they're a very good car & you'll get a top spec (as well as a 2 year warranty) one with the same D300 drivetrain for a fair amount under the Sport:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202509256...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510076...

3.0T Cayenne Platinum Edition:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510076...

EH:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507174...

[WPA]

Audi SQ7 would be my choice

[macajc88]

Land Rover do the Velar with a 3.0L inline 6 petrol which could be worth a look. It's only a MHEV so shouldn't give you the long term battery degradation issues you're concerned about, sounds good and has the performance to match. I think they're a good size compared to the Sport etc.

My dad has a 2024MY he bought new. Interestingly, he had a loan Audi Q7 55TFSI while his car was in for minor accident damage and, imo, the Audi felt a generation older inside.

[jakesmith]

macajc88 said:

Land Rover do the Velar with a 3.0L inline 6 petrol which could be worth a look. It's only a MHEV so shouldn't give you the long term battery degradation issues you're concerned about, sounds good and has the performance to match. I think they're a good size compared to the Sport etc.

My dad has a 2024MY he bought new. Interestingly, he had a loan Audi Q7 55TFSI while his car was in for minor accident damage and, imo, the Audi felt a generation older inside.

thanks for this didn't know about that option will have a look

[jakesmith]

ZX10R NIN said:

Try the GLE53:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202509015...

Or the 400D:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202509186...

Have you looked at the F Pace (it's the twin of the Velar) they're a very good car & you'll get a top spec (as well as a 2 year warranty) one with the same D300 drivetrain for a fair amount under the Sport:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202509256...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510076...

3.0T Cayenne Platinum Edition:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510076...

EH:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507174...

Thanks mate will have a look

[Wills2]

For that money I'd get a used X5 M50i with the 530hp V8

[Ezra]

You might want to have a look at Lexus, reliability and longevity then taken care of. Cabin quality and fit/finish is a given and 10 yr warranty if Lexus serviced, eg:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202508205...

[CABC]

macajc88 said:

. It's only a MHEV so shouldn't give you the long term battery degradation issues you're concerned about,

I thought the opposite was true in that the small batteries in mhev are enduring way more deplete/charge cycles and therefore degrading way faster than well managed full BEV.

[andy43]

Ezra said:

You might want to have a look at Lexus, reliability and longevity then taken care of. Cabin quality and fit/finish is a given and 10 yr warranty if Lexus serviced, eg:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202508205...

Yes but bong bong bong bong bong gets tiring. I tried one. Lovely place to sit, until it starts moving.
Bongs at speed limits, roundabouts, ley lines and postcode changes.
It's switcheable offable but an utter PITA to go through the menus on every journey.

[Ezra]

andy43 said:

Yes but bong bong bong bong bong gets tiring. I tried one. Lovely place to sit, until it starts moving.
Bongs at speed limits, roundabouts, ley lines and postcode changes.
It's switcheable offable but an utter PITA to go through the menus on every journey.

Well, on mine I've turned most ADAS stuff off, once - and it stays off.

[scot_aln]

Ezra said:

Well, on mine I've turned most ADAS stuff off, once - and it stays off.

What year is that at? I thought in last few years all that annoying stuff has to default to on at every start up.