This luxurious SUV now starts at £12,000, so why bother with a lookalike from China?
Everyone knows Jaecoo as the “Temu Range Rover’ but let’s shift the narrative.
Can you pick up an actual Range Rover for the same price as this value-led Chinese newcomer’s SUVs? Boy, can you – and we’re not talking about a boggo Evoque or hypermiled Mk2 Range Rover but the sleek Velar, which is soon to enter its second generation yet still looks as fresh and decadent as it did nine years ago.
For £24,505, the price of the entry-level Jaecoo 5, you could get a 2021 Velar with only 58,000 miles on the clock. And that’s with a mild-hybrid diesel that can return 43mpg, versus 41mpg for the petrol 5.
Up your budget to £30k, where prices for the larger Jaecoo 7 start, and you could nab a same-age Velar with the creamy 3.0-litre straight-six diesel and just 40,000 miles. It’s a match for the cheaper car on economy, and for performance, ride, handling, refinement and tech it’s got the newbie licked.
The Velar still looks like a concept car with number plates and the interior remains similarly striking with its triple screen set-up. It’s intuitive to use too, with the third screen on the lower centre console offering permanent shortcuts for the heated seats and the like, and physical dials for the climate control flanking it on either side.
In 2023, the interior became more minimalist and generally less usable when the two central screens were replaced by one larger unit, which did away with the dials and permanent shortcuts. However, material quality overall has always been generally very good throughout the car’s life cycle and the steering wheel and seats feel especially expensive.
The Velar’s footprint is similar to the BMW X3‘s and Audi Q5‘s, and despite the shapely body, it’s a practical car. Space in the back is on the money for this class, with enough room for tall adults, and the boot betters its rivals, at 632 litres.
As for the driving experience, the Velar is a sort of long-distance GT dressed as an SUV. It makes for a fab motorway weapon, cruising fast and comfortably. On twisting roads, the Velar handles competently, but it stops short of being engaging.
So the Velar is a pretty compelling all-rounder and you might see fit to overlook gripes such as the slightly fussy ride and noisy cabin exacerbated by the largest, 22in wheels. Air suspension improves that. It was an expensive option on four-cylinder models but standard on six-cylinder cars.
There are other reasons to choose the bigger engines. The fours are pretty refined, but the smooth sixes are excellent and more reliable. We would avoid the D180 and D240 2.0-litre diesels with a high reported failure rate. The D200 (the numbers correspond to a model’s power in PS) is a revised version, introduced in 2021, and is proving more reliable. The six-pot D275 and D300 are the picks of the range (they switched from V6 to straight-six power in 2021).
The petrols are rarer but also more reliable than the 2.0-litre diesels. In 2.0-litre P250 and P300 form, they’re fine. The 3.0-litre P380 and later P400 are fantastically powerful, smooth and sonorous, but don’t expect more than 25mpg. There’s also the P400e, which pairs the 2.0-litre petrol with a battery and electric motor. It’s good for around 30 miles of EV range in the real world and owners haven’t reported any major reliability concerns. It doesn’t command a significant premium either.
What to look for
Four-cylinder engines: There are many horror stories about the 2.0-litre diesel, particularly regarding the diesel particulate filter, timing chain, turbos, oil dilution, excessive cylinder wear and coolant leaks. The 2.0-litre petrol and later 2.0-litre MHEV diesel are safer bets, but they can still suffer timing chain and turbo issues.
Six-cylinder engines: Many owners agree the 3.0-litre V6 and straight-six petrol and diesel engines are the most reliable. Nevertheless, listen for knocking in the diesel (crankshaft issues) and watch out for heavy coolant use in the petrol (water pump problems).
Alternator: The belt tensioner can fail in MHEV cars. Budget for as much as £2500 unless it’s covered by a sensible extended warranty.
Steering: If the electric steering motor develops a hairline crack, the electrical circuit board inside the unit is exposed and becomes corroded, rendering the car undrivable. Check for grinding, groaning or a heavy feel.
Transfer case: Signs of a drip or transmission warning messages could point to a leaking transfer case, which can lead to component damage and costly repairs.
Electrics: Many owners have faced frozen display screens. The solution is normally to turn the car off and on again. Failed parking sensors have also been reported, typically rendering the entire sensor system inoperative.
Also worth knowing
Service intervals are every year or 16,000 miles, but some owners recommend changing the oil more frequently.
Given JLR’s reputation for patchy reliability, you might value the reassurance of an extended warranty. It will typically cost around £1000 for a year from JLR. For a little more, plenty of third-party providers will cover a Velar for three years.
A Velar that’s more than five years old won’t attract the £425 luxury car supplement. VED will be £195 annually – or £620 if the supplement applies.
Insurance is a thorny issue for some Range Rovers, yet the Velar was never that badly affected. Insurance groups range between 31 and 50, so it could still be costly, though.
How much to spend
£12,000-£15,999 Mostly early, low-spec and high-mileage examples. Be wary of cars with only part service history.
£16,000-£24,999 Reasonable mileages (below 70,000) and models other than the poorly regarded 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel.
£25,000-£34,999 Lots of low-mileage, high-spec examples, including plug-in hybrids and rare 3.0-litre petrols.
£35,000-£80,000 Low-mileage two- or three-year-old Velars through to nearly new cars. Hot SVAutobiographys (542bhp supercharged V8) too.
An owner’s view
Arianne Smith: “After 85,000 miles in our V6 diesel Velar, we recently sold it. There were highs and lows. The dealership experience has been patchy. It began really well. Then the JLR parts shortage led us to being told to place a blanket over the engine block every night to retain some heat to mitigate an issue with the faulty glow plug control unit. But we also had some amazing times: our Velar coped with Austrian Alpine winters, 3500-mile round trips between our homes in Tyrol and Scotland, and returned 43mpg, even fully laden.”
