Range Rover Velar vs Toyota Fortuner

What's the difference?

I think the Velar R-Dynamic HSE D300 is the most beautiful Range Rover ever made and one of the most stylish SUVs money can buy. It’s also fast, not too expensive and a proper Range Rover. It’s not big though, and if you’re looking for a seven seater you’ll have to step up to the big daddy Range Rover.

Do the right thing here, don’t skimp on the engine and go for the D300 diesel with its giant torque and the Velar will give you a driving experience as good as it looks.

I don’t think its essential to step up to the HSE grade at all and it’s a no-cost option to go for smaller wheels shod with higher profile tyres – just saying. 

So, after a week of driving the Toyota Fortuner Crusade, did it have a podium finish for my family?

I was hopeful, but no. The driving performance was mixed and only being able to fit two car seats will limit flexibility for younger growing families. I don't like the way the third row is stowed as it makes the boot a bit awkward to use. Combined with the retro-feeling tech and short servicing intervals, there can be some improvement here, especially in a market that is surging forward with all of those elements. I did enjoy the high driving position, safety features and the forgiving suspension, though. 

My son liked the 'Feverish Red' colour and that he didn’t need my help to climb in and out of it.

Can you believe there’s actually somebody out there who doesn’t think the Velar is stunning? It’s true, I’ve met him. And for fear of retribution I’ll keep his identity a secret, but let’s just say he’s more of a Suzuki Jimny man. And while I can appreciate the aesthetic ruggedness of the microscopic Jimny, the Velar could not be more different.

The Velar’s design is also vastly different from the traditional giant-brick Range Rover styling with its swept-back profile and smooth, almost line-less surfaces. Look at how those head and tail-lights sit almost completely flush with the panels around them – phwoaar, this is pure car porn.

When the Velar is locked the door handles sit flush against the door panels, like a Tesla’s, and deploy when the car is unlocked - another theatrical hint that the Velar’s designers wanted this SUV to look slipperier than a bar of wet soap.

The images I’ve taken don’t really do the Velar justice. The side shots are with the air suspension at its highest and the front- and rear-three-quarter ones are taken with the Velar on in its lowest setting giving it a tough stance.

The Velar I tested had an HSE badge on the back which means it’s the top grade in the range. If you look closely there’s another plaque, a tiny one, which says R-Dynamic which is a sports pack that adds the air intakes at the front, the vents in the bonnet and gives them 'Burnished Copper' colouring, which looks like a rose gold. Inside the R-Dynamic pack brings bright metal pedal covers and treadplates.

The Velar R-Dynamic HSE’s cabin is beautiful and modern. In Land Rover style the cockpit looks robust with large dials and a clear layout, but the double-decker displays and multi-function switchgear are technologically sophisticated.

The 'Light Oyster' (let’s call it white) 'Windsor' leather seats top off a prestige interior and if you look closely at the perforations a Union Jack will jump out at you. Not literally, that would be very dangerous while driving, but the pattern in the shape of the United Kingdom’s flag will become apparent.

The sliding panoramic roof, the tinted glass and the 'Santorini Black' paint were all options and you can read about how much they cost along with the list price of this Velar below.

Nothing discernible to me has been changed since the last model but let me paint the picture for you. Imagine a dual-cab HiLux with a boot and you’ll come up with something similar to the Fortuner.

It sits proudly at 1835mm tall. The sides are almost slab-like and it's squared off at the rear, which the chunky C-pillar and dark windows do nothing to detract from. It’s definitely prettier up front with a nicely tapered bonnet.

City-dwellers need not beware, at 4795mm long and 1855mm wide, it’s accommodating in a tight car park.

The interior is classically Toyota. Everything is where you expect to find it but it’s lacking some wow factor. There are a lot of hard plastics throughout that highlight this.

With tech, trims and ambience all getting upgraded in the market, the interior is a bit of a let down.

However, there’s a certain comfort in seeing a traditional gear shifter, handbrake and manual clock in an off-roader. In my mind, it lends a certain weight to the vehicle's capability.

The Velar looks large, but the dimensions show it to be 4803mm end-to-end, 1903mm across and 1665mm tall. That’s not enormous, and the snug cabin is a cozy reminder that this is a mid-sized SUV.

Space up front is good for the driver and co-pilot, and while things become a bit tighter in the back, even at 191cm tall I still have about 15mm of legroom behind my driving position. Headroom in the second row is excellent, even with the optional sunroof the test Velar sported.

The Velar is a five-seater SUV, but that uncomfortable middle space at the back wouldn’t be my first choice of places to sit.

Boot space is 558 litres, which is 100 litres bigger than the Evoque’s cargo capacity and about 100 litres smaller than the Range Rover Sport’s.

Air suspension is standard on Velars with the D300 engine and not only does this provide a comfortable ride it also allows you to lower the rear of the SUV so that you don’t have to hoist up your bags so high into the boot.

Storage throughout the cabin could be better, but you do have four cupholders (two in the front and two in the second row), four door pockets (small ones), a centre console bin (also little, but containing two USB ports and 12-volt outlet) and an odd square-shaped hole near the shifter. You’ll find another 12-volt power point in the second row and one in cargo area.

At this price point we’d like to see more in the way of power outlets such as USB ports in the rear and wireless charging for phones as standard equipment.

The interior isn’t terribly practical for a seven-seater, so there’s room for improvement. And that seems to be the running theme for the Fortuner.

First and second-row occupants will enjoy the most room but it’s best to think of the third row as 'sometimes seats'.

It was easy for my six-year old to get in and out with the side steps, and he had a great view from the wide rear window.

Individual storage is good with a double glove box, cooled middle console, two cupholders and drink bottle holders in the first and second rows plus an extra two retractable cupholders in the dash (hurrah!). Third row occupants miss out on them completely, though.

However, I think the storage bins and map pockets are a tad too shallow to be that useful.

The boot space is on the smaller side and the way the third row stows on the side encroaches on the space and creates a large blind spot on an already chunky C-pillar.

With all three rows in action, there is 200L of cargo capacity available, but you can stow the third row to get 716L. If you want maximum cargo capacity, the middle seats can also be folded and that figure jumps up to 1080L.

The tech feels retro and not in a good way. The 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system is plain on the graphics and laggy, plus on the smaller side for the market now.

It also only has wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but it's fairly easy to connect.

Also, there is only one USB-A port in the whole car and no wireless charging pad. You do have a couple of 12-volt ports and a handy 220-volt plug for when you’re camping or something but that’s it for charging, which is surprising for a family SUV nowadays.

There are three models for the Fortuner and the Crusade sits at the top.

As with everything, there’s been a minor price hike since the last model but you can pick this up for $62,945, before on-road costs.

There are some nice standard features, like electric heated front leather seats, a powered tailgate, three-zone climate control, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, seven seats (2/3/2 config), 18-inch alloy wheels and side steps.

Our model is fitted with an optional tow bar kit, which adds a tow bar, tow ball and trailer wiring for an extra $1350.

It’s a little annoying that each item has to be individually purchased, so make sure if the model you’re looking at has a tow ball, that the wiring is connected, too.

Compared to the market, you get a decent array of accessories and features for the price tag. 

Land Rover offers a lot of choice when it comes to engines, grades and features… probably too much choice.

The Velar I tested was an HSE grade, but with the D300 engine (the most powerful diesel), a V6 turbo making 221kW/700Nm. You don’t have to step up to the HSE to have this engine, you can have it on the entry level Velar, too.

The D300 is super quiet for a diesel but it’s still clattery, and if you can see this bothering you then there are two petrol engines which make even more power. The thing is no petrol engine in the Velar range comes close to making the same mountainous torque as the D300.

The Velar is an all-wheel drive and it wouldn’t be a proper Range Rover if it didn’t have some sort of off-road capability – which it does. There are several off-road modes from which to choose from mud ruts to sand and snow.

The head-up display will also show axle articulation and the incline angle. Our Velar was fitted with an off-road pack which you can read about below.

The Velar has a braked trailer towing capacity of 2400kg.

An eight-speed automatic shifts beautifully, decisively, smoothly, but a little slowly.

All Fortuner models share the same 2.8-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine but it’s the main star that perfectly complements the 4WD system.

With a maximum output of 150kW and a massive 500Nm of torque, most weekend adventures can be pursued. It also doesn’t feel like you’re digging deep for that power, which is great.

The six-speed auto transmission is fairly smooth but occasionally the pick up is slow, so I wouldn’t be zipping across traffic in this. 

Land Rover says the Velar’s fuel consumption over a combination of open and urban roads is 6.6L/100km. I couldn’t match that, but measured 9.4L/100km at the pump. Still pretty good – if this was a petrol V6, that figure would be higher.

The official combined cycle fuel number is 7.6L/100km. Real world testing saw my figure at 9.1L and I covered a good mix of urban and open road driving this week.

Considering its size and that it’s a turbo, I thought it was fairly efficient for how I drove it, but it could be better given it’s a diesel.

The Fortuner has an 80L fuel tank with an approximate range of 880km, using our on-test average fuel economy figure.

Plant your foot from a standstill and you’ll see the bonnet heave up and 100km/h rush up to meet you in 6.7 seconds. That was something I never go tired of during my week with the Velar R-Dynamic HSE. I also didn’t become bored with the light and accurate steering nor the great visibility.

But the ride, while comfortable on that air suspension when cruising along smooth motorways, had a sharp edge to it over speed bumps and potholes, which I think was the fault of the 21-inch rims and 45 profile Continental Cross Contact tyres.

The turbo-diesel engine is prone to a bit of lag at times and while that’s not a deal breaker, it sometimes spoiled the moment during a bit of sporty driving when the Velar shifted into a higher gear and I had to wait a moment for the mumbo to return.

That peak torque band is narrow, too (1500-1750rpm) and I found myself taking control of the shifting myself with the paddles to keep within it.

That said the Velar R-Dynamic HSE D300 feels superb and easy to pilot.

If you’re leaving the bitumen the Velar is a lot more capable that its looks may suggest. Our test vehicle was fitted with the optional 'Off-Road Pack' which brings 'Terrain Response 2' and 'All Terrain progress control'. A wading depth of 650mm is not too shabby either.

Mostly okay but there are points to consider for long-term use.

We’ve already covered that the engine has enough grunt for off-road pursuits but I enjoyed the torque because it means it's fairly easy to maintain a consistent speed on hills, which isn’t always the case for large SUVs.

However, the steering feels heavy at lower speeds. It makes the car feel older than it is and cumbersome to turn in car parks.

I'm not a fan of the steering wheel, either. The leather is hard/rough and the wood panel insert at the top is slippery, which is an odd combo for an off-roader where you want to stay very much in control.

The taller centre of gravity does give some roll in corners but it’s also not the sort of car you go hard in on bends, anyway. So, that's not surprising.

However, the Aussie suspension tuning gets an A+ because the ride comfort is good and you won’t really notice potholes or bumps.

This has a 360-degree view camera set-up with guidelines but the image is disappointingly blurry for a top-spec model. 

The safety list earns some cred back for the Crusade with the following being standard features: LED daytime running lights, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure alert, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert (always good to have), 360-degree view camera, front and rear parking sensors and trailer sway control.

A couple of cool features to highlight are the 'SOS Emergency Call' button and 'Automatic Collision Notification' system.

The former is for if you’re ever in a sticky situation but don’t have access to your phone but need emergency services.

The latter, will alert the Toyota Emergency Assistance call centre if an airbag is deployed or a collision is detected by the impact sensors. I think these are good features for an off-roader.

It has seven airbags, which include a driver's knee airbag and curtain airbags covering the third row but it is missing the newer front centre airbags that we’re seeing on newer cars.

The Fortuner has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating but it was tested a little while ago in 2019.

There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard seats in the middle row and two top tether anchor points, so you’ll only be fitting two child seats in (unusual for a seven seater). There is enough room in the front with a 0-4 rearward facing child seat installed.

The Velar is covered by Land Rover’s three-year/100,000km warranty with servicing for the 3.0-litre V6 diesel variants recommended annually, or every 26,000km.

Twenty-four hour roadside assistance is also available for the length of the warranty. A five-year/130,000km service plan, capped at $2200, is available for the Velar.

Ongoing costs are always something to consider and the Fortuner comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is standard for the market.

Unfortunately, it only comes with a three-year capped-priced servicing plan, which is unusual for this class.

The services are affordable at $290 per service but the intervals are painful at every six months or 10,000km, whichever comes first.