2018 Range Rover Velar

2018 Range Rover Velar

Episode 3724
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

When Jaguar entered the SUV world with the F-PACE, we raved about the excellence of their mostly ground up design. After all, they could have simply rebadged a ute from their cousin Land Rover. Now, as it turns out, it’s Land Rover doing some reverse engineering, with a new SUV based on the F-PACE, the Range Rover Velar. 

If you’re not a Land Rover enthusiast, you might wonder where this 2018 Range Rover Velar fits in. Well, it’s a true midsize entry, slotting in between the larger Range Rover Sport and compact Evoque. 

Engine choices are in step with the Jaguar F-Pace; 2.0-liter turbo-4s, one diesel one petrol, and a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 that rates 380-horsepower and 332 lb-ft. of torque. All work with a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission.   

But lest you think this is simply old-school badge engineering, know that Land Rover engineers did indeed start with the bare bones of the F-Pace, including maintaining its 113–inch wheelbase. But from there, they created an all-new Range Rover. 

And certainly a high-fashion one.  With no obvious resemblance to the F-Pace; just plenty of styling cues from other Land Rovers; with a floating roof design, some snazzy fender trim, and pop out door handles thrown in for good measure. All standing on up to 22-inch wheels.

More emphasis was put on off-road performance as well. So, in addition to standard all-wheel-drive, the Velar is available with Terrain Response 2, and gets an electronic air suspension setup not obtainable on the F-Pace, at least for now anyway. And, it’s not just pretty, with a towing capacity of 5,500-lbs. 

Admittedly, handling prowess has been lost in the process, as the Velar doesn’t feel quite as light on its feet as the F-Pace, but ride quality is truly sublime.

Dialing up Dynamic mode helps it feel it’s sportiest, and owners can dial in their own customized setup. 

Maintaining their superior off-road image is vital to Land Rover, and the Velar is truly more capable than most will ever experience. It also feels rock solid with its aluminum monocoque chassis construction. There’s no ability to engage a low range; but the full suite of electronic aids specific for the trail, have the ability to send full power to whichever wheel is getting the most traction, getting you through just about anything you might encounter.

Of course you’re well-swaddled in Range Rover luxury while doing that, including numerous leather packages, and supremely comfortable seats. It’s a gorgeous look.

This is certainly not your father’s Land Rover, unless he had his own proprietary touch panel control system installed. Here it’s Land Rover’s new InControl Touch Pro Duo with twin 10-inch capacitive touchscreens. 

With few traditional physical controls, it can be intimidating when you first hop in, but it’s a mostly-logical setup that doesn’t take too long to get comfortable with.

Rear seat passengers don’t miss out on the luxury treatment either, and space is among best in class. 

As is cargo room, 34.4 cubic-ft. behind the 2nd row, 70.1 with the 40/20/40 split seatbacks folded flat. 

All of that makes this Range Rover as functional as it is beautiful.

As for track work, our supercharged V6 Velar hopped off the line eagerly with good all-wheel-drive grip. The rear really squats down as you take off, hitting 60 in 5.5-seconds. 

And right away, you realize Jaguar kept all of the cool exhaust notes for themselves, as here you just get some droning engine noise.  Shifts are quick and smooth however, taking you through the ¼-mile in 14.0-seconds flat at a nice even 100 miles-per-hour. 

It was a difficult task determining what exactly its capabilities are in the handling department. The chassis feels proficient enough, but as soon as there’s even a hint of understeer, the “safety at all costs” computer initiates “priority slow down procedures” and starts triggering the brakes.

It does exhibit only minor body roll throughout the cones however, with medium to light steering.  

And just 102-feet is all it took to bring this thing to a halt from 60. Some nose dive is to be expected bringing 4,471-lbs. to a complete stop that quickly, but even that was relatively minor. 

Government Fuel Economy Ratings for the V6 are 18-City, 24-Highway, and 20-Combined. We averaged a fine 21.7 miles-per-gallon on the required Premium. That makes for an Energy Impact Score slightly below the average for all cars, with annual oil consumption of 16.5-barrels and CO2 emissions of 7.3 tons. 

A wide range for this Rover has prices starting at just $50,895, and stretching to at least $78,095 for an R-Dynamic HSE V6; our tester was closer to $90,000.  Yikes!

Still, if you’re like us, your first response to the middle-weight 2018 Range Rover Velar may be “just what we needed, another luxury SUV”. But, Land Rover has been building posh off-roaders for longer than anybody, so it’s always good to see what they’re up to next. Now it’s up to the rest of the segment to see if they can keep up with the Velar.

Specifications

  • Engine: 3.0 liter
  • Horsepower: 380
  • Torque: 332 lb-ft.
  • 0-60 mph: 5.5 seconds
  • 1/4 mile: 14.0 seconds @100 mph
  • EPA: 18 mpg city / 24 mpg highway,
  • Energy Impact: 16.5 barrels of oil/yr
  • CO2 Emissions: 7.3 tons/yr
2024 BMW X2 1

2024 BMW X2

The X1’s Dynamic Alter Ego Gets Bigger and Better

Episode 4406
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

It seems like everyone in the SUV world is trying to out-rugged one another. But over at BMW, they just keep doing what they do: Making stylish, high-performance sports activity vehicles, and even making them more attainable. This latest BMW X2 is proof of that.

At first glance, the 2024 BMW X2 Compact Sports Activity Coupe looks like the more dynamic platform-mate to the BMW X1. Afterall, the X1 utility is just so boring it needed the help. Weel, that’s not at all true, of course, but BMW is the brand that spearheaded the whole coupe-like SUV movement and continues to spread that theme throughout their lineup. So, hence this fast roof X2.

For its second generation, the X2 has gotten a lot bigger, a full 7.6-inches longer, which means it can now call the X1 its little brother. The roof slopes more drastically than before too, with even bigger changes in back, with the SUV-like liftgate and minimal back glass replaced with more glass set in a hatchback-style lid. Some might say the exaggerated fenders and sharp creases are a bit much, but we’re not among them. It looks great, especially with the optional M Sport Package’s 19-inch wheels, unique bumpers, and black trim.

Still, like many stylish small utilities, it is still a little hard to see out of. But that’s what cameras and a myriad of sensors are for. The X2 is clearly more upscale than before with xDrive all-wheel-drive now standard. So, no more front-wheel-drive X2s for now, though that never was a big deal to us, or to the owners of the new MINI Countryman who share this chassis.

BMW’s curved display is easily the highlight of the interior; operating with the ninth generation of iDrive technology, it blends the LED driver display into the central touchscreen. Front seats are both sporty and comfortable, and while many stylish sloped roof SUVs often sacrifice the utility part, rear seat space in the X2 is plentiful. With 25.3 cubic-feet of space, rear cargo capacity is barely less than the X1, and max capacity, at 51.7 cubic-feet, is actually more than the X1 due to the longer body.

This xDrive28i is the base offering, powered by a 241-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo-4 with 295 lb-ft of torque. For an upgrade, that same engine gets cranked up to deliver 312 horsepower in the M35i; both get a seven-speed DCT. We stuck with the standard 2.0-liter for testing, dialed in Sport mode, and hit the track. And while it does feel very quick on the street, whether it was turbo lag or engine tuning, there just wasn’t a real sense of urgency off the line.

Once it got rolling though, power did pour on pretty effectively, getting us to 60 in 6.2 seconds, and then stayed very consistent down the track. There was even a nice little kick of additional oomph with every gear change. So clearly not the most invigorating BMW experience we’ve had recently, but the 14.9-second quarter-mile, finished at 96 mph, is plenty quick for an entry-level ute, and there’s always the M35i.

We’d also put handling in the “upscale” category. Even with the M Sport Adaptive suspension, softer tuning produced more body roll than expected. Steering was a bit too vague and light for our taste; without the tenacious grip we expected through our handling course. On the other hand, this X2 was very stable and safe, with a more substantial feel than before. In our panic braking test, the X2’s pedal was soft until the very end of travel when it firmed up quickly. But with an average stopping distance of a scant 96 feet, they clearly did their job.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings for the xDrive28i are 24 City, 33 Highway, and 28 Combined. We averaged a quite good 31.1 mpg of Premium. That rates slightly better than average for the Energy Impact Score, 10.6 barrels of annual oil use with 5.3 tons of CO2 emissions.

Pricing starts at $42,995, which is $1,500 more than a base X1. Then a healthy step up to the M35i which starts at $52,395.

While we did appreciate the original X2 for its more stylish take on the X1, there’s a lot more to love this time. The 2024 edition of the BMW X2 is more than just a better looking X1, it’s bigger and better all around. Now, one could argue if any brand really needs three coupe-like SUVs in their portfolio. But when you’ve got the formula for success like no one else, you might as well deploy it in as many ways as you can.

2024 GMC Canyon AT4X AEV Edition

2024 GMC Canyon AT4X AEV Edition

Getting High With A Little Help From Some Friends

Episode 4405
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

Last year, an all-new GMC Canyon arrived, taking the truck to new levels of capability and off-road performance with the debut of the AT4X. Well, something told us that story wouldn’t end there and, indeed, GMC has now teamed up with the folks at American Expedition Vehicles. So, let’s see if their dirty deeds lift the Canyon to the next level.

If you were to go by the looks of most pickup trucks and utilities in any given parking lot these days, you’d think that most everyone had to traverse some kind of barely possible trail, climb over giant boulders, and perhaps ford a few streams, just to get to the strip mall. Well, it’s doubtful that’s the case you ever did need to do such things. But, if you do, this mid-size 2024 GMC Canyon AT4X Crew Cab AEV Edition is the vehicle that can do it.

No trim packages here, the AEV additions that have been added to GMC’s most capable Canyon are quite comprehensive, enough to tack five-figures onto the AT4X’s price. They include chunky fender flares to overlap the unique 17-inch bead-lock-capable wheels, which are wearing 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler M/Ts. Next up are heavy-duty bumpers and a full-size spare placed in a vertical mount at the front of the 5-foot bed; while underneath, are ultra-high strength hot-stamped boron steel skid plates protecting the rear differential, radiator, steering gear, transmission, transfer case, and fuel tank. Finally, 1.5 inches of additional lift over the AT4X, sitting it 4.5 inches over a standard Canyon, delivering more than a foot of ground clearance.

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It’s a cohesive package that also looks great, not over the top, but the same well-balanced approach we’ve seen from other partnerships between GM and American Expedition Vehicles.

So, mission accomplished in creating an extremely capable off-roader, as driving through our off-road course was more of a Sunday stroll for this truck, with the tires gripping obstacles at slow speeds and the suspension easily soaking them up at higher speeds. There are even available underbody cameras to let you monitor what you’re rolling over.

Driving through our off-road course was more of a Sunday stroll for this truck.

About the only area that didn’t get an upgrade is under the hood where you’ll still find the same 2.7-liter I4 turbo engine delivering 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. This Turbomax sounds a bit like a Duramax at startup, but quickly smooths out and runs strong enough to pull 6,000 lbs. of trailer. Though it didn’t seem to be in the mood to pull us much at all at our test track, where it just lumbered off the line with very little urgency to 60 in 8.5 seconds. Shifting in the eight-speed automatic transmission was a little lazy, too, with a noticeable drop off in power with each gear change, but it does pick up some steam as we worked our way down the track where it clocked a respectable 16.5 seconds to finish the quarter-mile at 85 mph. For a monster off-roader it felt very stable, tracking straight and true, with very little correction required on our part.

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Clearly, it would have been happier driving over the cones of our handling course rather than between them, as body roll, weight transfer, and tire rollover were all quite noticeable. But it also never felt unstable or did anything unexpected. In braking runs, we could feel the initial lack of grip from the mud terrains, but the brakes themselves were strong and fade-free. Its 115-foot stop average from 60 we rate as quite good.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are down slightly from the AT4X, at 16 across the board for City, Highway, and Combined, though we averaged just 14.0 mpg of Regular. That’s a worse than average Energy Impact Score with use of 18.6 barrels of oil yearly and 9.3 tons of CO2 emissions.

Canyon pricing starts at $37,895, stepping up the ladder to the AT4X takes you to $55,895, and then adding the AEV Edition package brings your total starting price to $65,995.

Whether a mid-size truck is worth that amount of money depends on the amount of capability you need, or perhaps it’s more what look you’re going for. On both counts, the 2024 GMC Canyon AT4X AEV Edition is the most capable and toughest looking Canyon ever. One that is truly built to deliver.

Specifications

As Tested

  • Engine: 2.7-liter I-4 Turbo
  • Transmission: 8-speed auto
  • Horsepower: 310
  • Torque: 430 lb-ft.
  • EPA: 16 City | 16 Highway | 16 Combined
  • Towing Capacity: up to 6,000 lbs
  • 0-60 mph: 8.5 seconds
  • 1/4 Mile: 16.5 seconds at 85 mph
  • Braking, 60-0: 115 feet (avg)
  • MW Fuel Economy: 14.0 mpg (Regular)