Frankly Frankl - April Update Land Rover Velar - Frankly Frankl-life, luck, love and automobiles

 

I have known the Jaguar and Land over folks for a very very long time. In 1968 I was part of the CAR magazine team which founder Sir Williams Lyons with a Car of the Year award for the Jaguar XJ6.

In those days Car of the Year meant a great deal, these days every single publication or internet has its own award rendering it meaningless.

The company has been through some really bad times under the British Leyland ownership. Mercifully they have been rescued by Indian automotive company TATA and I am delighted to say that they are turning the corner. Range Rover n particular have become a status symbol and the company is very cleverly capitalizing on it. They’ve decided to forget about huge numbers concentrating on profits instead.

I have had a chance to test the Defender-running under the Land Rover label and the Velar plus the 125 thou wonder the first PHEV offered by the company California.
The local dealer Tom Price lives 700 yards from me. I know because I cycle past his place every day. He has a huge operation. To give you an idea his family dealership sells among other things Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Ford, Lincoln,McLaren, Aston Martin, Ford, Mercedes and Toyota. Oops, I forgot Cadillac and Lotus. So with all these cars at his  disposal what does he drive? A Range Rover. Says it all. The only time I’ve seen him drive anything else was an Aston Martin DBX707 which was astonishing and which he was kind enough to test for a week.

I saw him last week as he was emerging from his RR and mentioned that I have been to the dealership to consult some expert. Wonderful product said Tom, if you talk to the factory tell us to send us more, we can sell everything we can get. Having driven not just the Defender but the Velar and the PHEV as well I can fully understand. The build quality is now quite exceptional. I did not hear a single rattle in any of the three. The one which faces the toughest test was the Velar. Slightly smaller than the RR I had doubts abut getting three sets of skis, boots and the usual paraphernalia up to Northstar. All this plus three passengers. The 400 hundred horsepower V6 coped admirably. It was not all fun and games as the blizzard was closing in and we were anxious to get away. Not a minute too soon. It was already snowing on Interstate 80 and the road was becoming treacherous. With my demon  driver  daughter Annabelle-formerly of Motor Trend fame- we got down the hill partly by luck and partly by judgement. It was a miracle

That we’ve managed to avoid an imbecile rocketing past us only to do a 360 yards from us. To give you an idea how bad conditions were we followed a huge truck for about 25 miles, it was the only safe way to travel.

The Velar was supremely comfortable all the home and was equally  at home in Stanford where we were visiting a professor. He kicked some tires and was most impressed. Monterey was a bit off a challenge with there howling winds but that too was well within the Velar’s capabilities. One disappointment-the fuel consumption. I am known for being careful, dare I say parsimonious when it comes to fuel economy bt much as I tried 22 mpg seemed to it.The price from 62 thousand up is pretty reasonable, clearly the biget engine is the one to go for. It is amusing that my good friends at Car and Driver are still showing their auto British bias by listing it 16th among its competitors, laughable. Of course if you have 22 year old testers with 10 years experience that is what you get.

MInd you, even C&D had problems picking faults with the 125 thou PHEV RR. It is so good, so beautiful and so desirable that much as they hated to admit it-this particular RR is a class act. It is also a case machine because following Ferrari’s example they now have an atelier. For the uninitiated it is luxurious room with all mod cons offering consultants on how to spend thousands more. The most lucrative and popular extra is off course bullet proofing which costs a fortune but rich folks love it.

Most buyers will settle for something in the 150 thou region but there are version that go past the 200 thou mark.

If I were in the market the Velar would be my choice. Prices are holding up well for the 3 liter engine version  which is the sensible choice.

It is really refreshing to write good things about RR, for many years all I’v ever heard were complaints about the electrics and rust. Mercifully those are in the past.

 

Frankly Frankl - April Update Mazda CX 50 - Frankly Frankl-life, luck, love and automobiles

 

The 2024 Mazda CX-50 has been a most pleasant surprise. Little thing that many testers don’t notice. Let me give you an example. On the screen in front  of you there are two lines pointing ahead. If you move over the white lines on the road one of them gets darker to give you a civilized warning that you should move back into your lane. No lurching on the steering wheel which in some cars can be pretty scary, no. Just a grown- up warning for grown-up people. Ditto the warning bells which on several rival brands verge on the hysterical. Clearly the in house and vastly overpaid lawyers
Are hacking a field data the expense of the customers.

It is also remarkable value for money. Having been testing for something like 45 years I could tell that the CX-50 is a triumph of the engineers over the money men. Many years ago when my partner and I ran CAR magazine in Britain

We often offended manufacturers if we thought that some of cars were rubbish. Totally predictably they canceled their advertising. That as we all know kills all germs, but like Domestos. What happened next? We got calls from the engineers who said thank you CAR, we’ve been telling the bosses that using an inferior suspension part or oil seal might save a few pounds in the short run but will come back like boomerang in warranty claims.

Some companies listened, we gave them deservedly better reviews and shock horror they started advertising again.

The CX-50 is fun. Clearly more fun with the 256 hp turbocharged four than with the basic 187 but than you would expect that. Certainly ,if you have a family and enjoy skiing you do not want to follow the trucks in the inside lane all way to Northstar then pay a bit more and get the bigger engine.
The 50 looks good and in the finest Miata tradition handles well. At the end of the day the trick is simple-let the designers and engineers get on with their jobs and you will have a winner on your hand. I would be happy to recommend the CX-50 to any of my friends.

There are 8 versions to choose from and I would definitely skip the ones with the smaller engines. Once you are with the 256 the choice really is up to you. Should you go to extremes and order the Turbo Premium Plus you are looking at 44 thousand dollars. Go to the dealer,kick some tires. Very often they have something on the lot they would like to move so if you are in luck the version they are offering could be be more than you’ve budgeted for but if they are anxious to shift it, go for it.
On the road you should get 28.5 miles per gallon provided you don’t drive it with too much enthusiasm.

The infotainment is less complicated than several others and the sound quality is good.
If I needed a car would be the CX-50 without hesitation. It is that good .