The Range Rover Velar comes with a choice of three different engines. At the bottom of the range is a 2.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged unit making 247 horsepower. Even with the base engine, Land Rover claims the Velar will hit 60 mph in 6.4 seconds, making the Velar pretty quick with this engine. For drivers who need even more power, a 3.0L Supercharged V6 makes 380 hp, good for 0-60 in 5.3 seconds. And of course, in keeping with tradition, the Velar is also available with a much more frugal diesel engine, a 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo making 180 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to all-four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission.
The Velar is available in three basic trims for 2018, though Land Rover offers several specification packs for a few of the trims, giving buyers more choices than what's obvious. The Velar is offered in standard base, R-Dynamic and First Edition trims.
At its core, the Range Rover Velar comes with 18-inch wheels, LED headlights, an 8-speaker, 250W sound system, heated mirrors, 10-way adjustable front seats and an Advanced Driver Assistance system which features an autonomous braking system, a lane departure warning system, a rearview camera and intelligent cruise control. The S package will add an 11-speaker sound system, perforated leather seats, auto-dimming and power folding outside mirrors with a nifty approach light and bigger, 19-inch wheels.
The R-Dynamic comes with 20-inch wheels, a different front and rear bumper design, burnished copper accents fore the interior, front fog lights and a 17-speaker 825W sound system.
The First Edition pretty much comes loaded to the roof with convenience and styling features. Highlights include 22-inch wheels, configurable ambient interior lighting, a power adjustable steering column, 20-way power adjustable front seats with heating and cooling and a memory function and 23-speakers and 1600W of sound system.
Swoopy Styling
Off-Road Capabilities Without Sacrificing On-road Manners
Luxurious Cabin Appointments
The Range Rover Velar is a brand new vehicle from Land Rover. It's a sporty alternative to the more utilitarian Land Rover Discovery. All it takes is one look at the Velar to see its appeal. The styling is incredibly sporty for an SUV and most people would look at it and swear they were seeing some concept car that somehow escaped an auto show. That swoopy styling is draped over a usable SUV however, one that is able to seat 5 people and stow a ton of baggage, making the Velar one of the few ultra-stylish vehicles to also be extremely practical.
The Velar looks like it should cost considerably more than its base price of around $50,000. That price puts it in competition with other mid-sized luxury SUV's such as the BMW X4, and while BMW have tried to nail the odd combination of an SUV merged with a coupe, the end results aren't nearly as cohesive as what Land Rover have come up with for the Velar. Other than its styling, the Velar is still a good buy, as a sporty handling and extremely practical vehicle.
