Not that many years ago, Land Rover utility vehicles were heavy, expensive and hard on fuel. But changing times and attitudes toward utility vehicles are the reasons why the new Range Rover Velar even exists.
For Jaguar Land Rover, the die was cast a few years back when the Range Rover Evoque arrived. The sleek and sexy shape introduced a whole new group of younger buyers to the brand and eventually spawned a convertible model. And starting in the $50,000 range, it didn鈥檛 hurt that the Evoque was also the least expensive Range Rover you could buy.
The five-passenger Velar 鈥� which means 鈥渧eiled鈥� in Latin 鈥� is positioned a notch or two above the Evoque and, at $62,000 including destination charges, it鈥檚 priced slightly below the $63,900 Land Rover Discovery.
The Velar鈥檚 kinship with the Evoque vehicle is unmistakable. The low-slung roofline, in particular, is taken straight from the Evoque鈥檚 design playbook, which means that a fair bit of cabin and stowage space have been sacrificed to the design gods. The Velar is more fashion statement than practical transport.
Compared to the Evoque, the Velar is considerably larger, so it fits into the midsize-wagon bracket. It obviously boasts greater cargo capacity, whether the folding 40:20:40 rear seat is in place or folded down (it does not fold completely flat). Both vehicles are nearly equal in width and height, which isn鈥檛 surprising given their design similarities.
The Velar鈥檚 equally fashionable interior is mostly clean and uncluttered since it鈥檚 dominated by touchscreens instead of dials and switches. The screen on the dash can be tilted up to 30 degrees and operates the communications and infotainment systems as well as the ambient lighting. A larger tablet-shaped screen in the centre console controls heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
Beneath the skin, the Velar鈥檚 aluminum architecture is based on that of the Jaguar F-Pace wagon, but beefed up for more rigorous duty. An available air suspension is claimed to provide greater ride comfort, and at its tallest setting provides nearly 25 centimetres of ground clearance, which is about four centimetres more than the standard coil-spring setup provides.
The base Velar is equipped with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel rated at 180 horsepower and 317 pound-feet. It鈥檚 also the one to pick for best fuel economy: 9.2 l/100 km in the city and 7.8 on the highway (the V-6 engine is rated at 13.0/10.0). With it, the Velar can accelerate to 100 km/h from rest in 8.9 seconds, according to Land Rover.
The top performer is a supercharged 3.0-litre V-6 that makes 380 horsepower and 336 pound-feet. With this engine, a zero-to-100 km/h time of 5.7 seconds is claimed, which is 3.2 seconds quicker than the 2.0.
An eight-speed automatic transmission handles the shifting for all engines. All-wheel drive is standard for both and includes torque vectoring, which lightly applies the inside rear brake in a turn to help the vehicle rotate.
Other standard content includes navigation, gesture-activated power liftgate, automatic-levelling headlights, rear-parking assist and a head-up display that projects information onto the windshield.
The top trim is the loaded-to-the-gills First Edition that will set you back $95,000. Along with the supercharged V-6, you get 20-way power-controlled front seats with perforated-leather coverings, as well as a panoramic sunroof and a 1,600-watt Meridian-brand audio package. There鈥檚 also a full suite of collision-mitigating safety technology.
Whatever model or equipment level you choose, the Velar will have you riding in style when heading to the mall or heading out on the town. And, if you dare to play dirty, heading well past where the pavement ends.
THE SPEC SHEET
Type: Four-door, all-wheel-drive sport utility vehicle
Engines (h.p.): 2.0-litre DOHC I-4 turbo-diesel (180), 3.0-litre DOHC V-6, supercharged (380)
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Market position: It鈥檚 hard to believe that there鈥檚 enough room in the Land Rover lineup to fit in another utility vehicle without significant price/product differentiation. The Velar joins the Evoque, the Discovery and the Discovery Sport.
Points: Upscale (and scaled-up) version of the slinky Evoque. 鈥� First-rate interior appointments are also high-tech in style and content. 鈥� Base four-cylinder turbodiesel engine appears strong enough, but the supercharged V-6 steals the show. 鈥� Significant 鈥減rice walk鈥� from base to premium trim levels is necessary if you want to get the latest safety tech.
Active safety: Blind-spot warning with cross-traffic backup alert (opt.); active cruise control (opt.); emergency braking (opt.); drowsy driver alert (opt.)
Fuel economy, L/100 km (city/hwy) 9.2/7.8 (2.0)
Base price (incl. destination) $62,000
