Land Rover Range Rover Velar SUV 2.0 P400e R-Dynamic HSE 5dr Auto Owner Review

My first and last Land Rover. I have owned several SUV’s in the past and got curious to know what the fuss was about regarding Range Rovers, the Velar model was chosen because of the size and beautiful design. Ordered it in Portugal with all extras, new and was delivered in 4 months.
The good stuff. Very comfortable seats, despite controversy I find the Pivi Pro responsive and easy to use. Good handling and responsive steering. Lots of choices for exterior, interior and alloys. The 360 camera is amazing. Auto terrain works really well.
I like the selection of shortcut buttons on steering wheel. I got 5 years warranty or 150000 Km.
The safety features such as lane assistance, pilot assist and blind spot are good but not great, I felt a lot safer in my Volvo SUV. Signature Sound System from Meridian is great but again not excellent, I think the B&W Premium Sound is much better.
I would have thought that JLR had fixed all issues after original release in 2017 but no. The most irritating is the fluctuations on sound volume, reported it to the dealer, it has been over a month and so far no reply. Searched forums and this problem has been around since 2022 but again JLR seems to ignore it. Last software update for Pivi Pro was released 21st of February 2021, it causes problems to PHEV and there is a note from JLR about it. How long will owners have to wait until they release a new update?!
A few things I noticed and worth pointing out. This car costs over £100k in Portugal, the standard carpets are cheap, probably worth les than £20, no option to upgrade for the premium which costs £225 during configuration. Expandable Sun Visors, no and there is no option to upgrade either. To open fuel tank there is a need to press a button inside the cabin. Locking the electric boot doesn’t lock the car. In Portugal only two Engine options, P180 Diesel and P400e, can’t understand why. No option for Air Suspension, it appears this was a challenge for JLR engineers to fit on Hybrid models, no such problem for other brands in the market. No Towbar either and no explanation from JLR (PHEV Only). The driver seat is not centred, was pushed as much as possible to the middle, probably for the Driver to access the Infotainment Screen, makes it hard to clip seatbelt.
Overall I agree with Parker’s total score.