<\/p>\nOur car was waiting for us at Land Rover Essendon<\/strong>, and on arrival we were greeted by Martin and Michael. A big thankyou to both of them as the entire experience was premium from the get-go, and I genuinely felt as though I was picking up my brand-new car. If only!<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n
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\n<\/p>\nThe vehicle was dressed up and waiting in a separate room, which gives the customer privacy to go through the car with the dealer (and, of course, the opportunity to take photos and make Instagram reels without any interruptions). <\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nThe team had gone to the trouble of ensuring there was a stand with my name (spelt correctly), a sheet over the car, and finished it all with a big red bow. This is exactly what you can expect from the brand when picking up your new vehicle.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nThe reveal process is a real thrill, especially when you have a car like this under the sheet. You have to agree \u2013 this is a very good-looking car. Ours is finished in Ostuni Pearl White with rose gold accents. The interior trim is ebony and includes ebony perforated grained leather and suede cloth seats. <\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nWe were then taken through the car step by step, including how to use the infotainment, the technology, down to each and every dial and button. Finally, we were connected to the Land Rover Remote app, which will be a very handy tool in the coming weeks. <\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nWith this, we’ll be able to check on our car from any location. The app will notify us if we’ve left the car unlocked, it’ll record our journeys, and perhaps its greatest asset is its ability to remote-start and set the car to a desired temperature. <\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nWhen we were setting up the application, it asked me for a nickname, which is always ‘Notar’. In this case, I decided to enter a name for the car instead. So, meet Lala, the Velar. I think it has a nice ring to it. <\/p>\n
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\n<\/p>\nThe car is also equipped with in-built ‘Hey Alexa’ and ‘Hey Siri’ functions, which I look forward to testing on the move. <\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nMichael alerted me to the fact that this particular car doesn’t come with a surround-view camera \u2013 an option that’s unfortunately unavailable in this current climate due to the ongoing chip shortages. <\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nIt’s certainly a feature I’d expect if I were spending this kind of money, but unfortunately no-one knows when this function will be reintroduced and it’s really out of their hands. <\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nWould you wait? The team advised me that with the high demand right now, the majority haven’t been too fussed. Disappointed, yes, but are willing to take the vehicle without certain additions. <\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nCurrently, this is the only feature that you will miss out on when ordering your Velar. The wait time for a Range Rover Velar is six months to a year, which is standard right now. <\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nSo, six weeks and lots to cover. First item on the agenda was to show her off to anyone who happened to be on the route back to the office. Next stop \u2013 MotoGP, Phillip Island. <\/p>\n
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October 25, 2022:\u00a0My first long journey in the Range Rover Velar<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\nThis was my first long drive in the Velar and just my luck, it was bucketing down in Melbourne. Roads closures were occurring all over due to flooding, and I knew that I had a decent, traffic-filled stint ahead of me. The destination – Phillip Island for the MotoGP.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nThankfully, the ride quality of the Velar is excellent. It never got flustered over potholes (and there were lots of them, especially as I arrived closer to the island), plus its cabin insulation is exceptional.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nSo much so that I received a phone call from my colleague, Susannah Guthrie, and the first thing she commented on was the quality connection and the fact that it sounded so quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nThe cabin silence continued through the back roads of the island, where it was calming and still \u2013 until I pumped the stereo, which is exceptional as this car scores a high-quality Meridian sound system.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nDriving to the island in this premium SUV was a breeze. When you\u2019re driving in these conditions, it\u2019s comforting to be travelling in a pleasant and luxe vehicle like this one. Adaptive cruise control was active for much of my stint, which is incredibly intuitive.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nHowever, I forgot that this car isn\u2019t equipped with wireless charging and being the forgetful person I am I left my charger in the boot and I certainly wasn\u2019t pulling over on a freeway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n<\/p>\nYou may or may not agree with this, but jumping in a car that\u2019s over $130,000 and having to pull out your charging cable is disappointing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s more, it\u2019s not an option on this specification, which is unfortunate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nThis is a rather roomy car. There\u2019s a decent sized boot and if I\u2019m sitting in the rear then I\u2019ve got plenty of head and leg room (I\u2019m 173cm). But, with taller adults, it\u2019s a little bit squishy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nOn one of our outings my front passenger had to manouver forward for our rear passenger and both looked rather crammed. But, I can\u2019t say that I often travel with a packed vehicle so it was fine for the short stint.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nIn a nutshell, my first road trip was a success. I\u2019m really enjoying getting to know this Range Rover and be sure to stay tuned for more updates.<\/p>\n
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November 2, 2022: Using the Land Rover app<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\nCar apps are becoming increasingly widespread and they are quite a handy tool. I set up the Land Rover app at the dealership so that I can easily access imperative information through my iPhone.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n<\/p>\nFor example, if I\u2019ve forgotten to lock my vehicle then I\u2019ll get an alert 15 minutes after I\u2019ve parked my car, and I can do so from the app without having to return to the car.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nIt tells me my current range in kilometres and percentage, along with additional security information, such as whether or not my windows, bonnet, boot and sunroof are all locked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nThe fun part comes at the end of the working day when it\u2019s freezing cold outside (as it always seems to be in Melbourne) and I can set the temperature of my car so that it\u2019s warm and cosy by the time I get to the carpark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nIt has a 30 minute timer on it so if you\u2019re not at the vehicle within that time, it will automatically switch off. So far so good as it\u2019s all working seamlessly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nYou can also beep and flash your lights, which sounds pointless \u2013\u00a0I\u2019m sure a lot of people do this for a bit of fun when the car is no longer in their possession but still have access to the app.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nBut, this is obviously useful for forgetful people like myself that can’t remember where they\u2019ve parked their car in a shopping centre. Thankfully, I\u2019m yet to use this function.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/p>\nLet me know if your car has an app and if it works well. More importantly, do you take advantage of this application?<\/p>\n
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