2018 Range Rover Sport vs Range Rover Velar

What's the difference?

The Range Rover Sport is a fine alternative to the largely German competition. As the name suggets, it's aimed at the Audi Q7/BMW X5 set, even if it isn't as quick or as agile as the sportiest of those.

The surprising thing about this particular machine is the four-cylinder diesel. While probably considered a heresy by many, it's an excellent engine for a car that has had a much-needed interior technology boost.

It is looking a bit old elsewhere, though, especially beside the Velar and Range Rover. It can't be long before an exterior facelift comes along.

Cooler than a frozen polar bear, the Velar SE R-Dynamic cuts such a fine figure on the road that you'd forgive it for driving like a broken slinky. Happily, then, it doesn't. Smooth, comfortable and a treat to pilot, the Velar D240 is absolutely playing with the segment's best. Just keep an eye on that options list...

The Range Rover Sport is clearly here to evoke (cough) both Range Rover's forward-looking design language, pioneered in the Evoque, as well as the traditional look of the Range Rovers of old. Only problem is, in the darker grey of the test car, it looked a bit dated. Which is weird.

All of the good things were there (like LED daytime running lights, headlights and tail-lights) but the two-tone effect of the blacked-out pillars and roof just didn't really work. Well, not for me anyway.

The finer details of the Range Rover and the Evoque don't seem to have made it to the Sport. I saw one in a lighter colour and thought it looked much better, more modern. Maybe I was having an off week.

The cabin is really good and has had a little freshening up. The 10-inch touchscreen is new and carries the new version of Jag's InControl system. Underneath is the very appealing, if slightly overblown, climate control screen, with its funky dials-with-temperature-display treatment. The materials are excellent throughout, and it's a very comfortable, relaxing cabin.

It is so close to perfect it’s incredible, with a rear end that juts out too far over the rear tyres the only noticeable downside.

But that’s a small complaint, really, and the Velar looks stunning from every other angle. From the black grille that splits the two thin headlights, to the flared guards that frame snug-fitting 20-inch alloys. Our car was the R-Dynamic bodystyle, too, which adds branded treadplates, that leather steering wheel and a sportier-looking front end (but adds $6k to the purchase price).

Climb inside, though, and things get even better. This is a world-class interior that is seriously, seriously cool. Great swathes of tan leather coat every touch point, the twin-screen infotainment system looks sleek and modern, and the choice of materials is first rate - a sea of polished silver, gloss-black highlights and one of the sexiest steering wheels in existence.

Up front, you’re faced with an almost overwhelming amount of technology, from the digital driver’s binnacle to the twin digital centre screens that operate everything from seat-massage functions (but remember, you’re paying more for that) to the media settings. 

Like its big brother, the Sport isn't small. It's only 15cm shorter, at 4.85 metres, and, if you so choose, you can cram two more seats in to make seven. If you don't, the boot will hold a striking 684 litres. Drop the back seats and that figure jumps to 1761 litres.

Front seat passengers have plenty of storage options, with two deep bins, one of which is underneath the pair of sliding cupholders - I was sorely tempted to fill them with water, slide them out of the way and launch Thunderbird 1 from the huge space underneath.

There are another two cupholders in the back, and pockets in the doors, but they're not really good for bottles. That's what the Thunderbird 1 hidey-hole is for.

Passengers have plenty of space, with good leg and headroom for those in the rear - who will be quite happy, even if they're over 180cm. My 185cm son was happy enough being chauffeured about.

At 4803mm long, 2145mm wide and 1665mm high, there’s no shortage of Range Rover Velar, and so the space in either row is really very good.

Up front, there are two cupholders, and a tiny storage cubby next the the rotary gear dial. The deep storage bin that separates the front seats is home to two USB ports, a SIM card reader, a power outlet and a HDMI connection.

There is a huge amount of leg and headroom in the back, especially behind my diminutive (5ft 8 inch) driving position, but even taller riders will have no trouble. You could squeeze three adults in the back, too.

Elsewhere, a pull-down divider houses two cupholders, and there is room in each door for bottles. There are vents for backseat riders, and a single 12-volt power source. Finally, there are two ISOFIX attachment points, one in each window seat in the back.

The easy-access boot is deceptively large, too (though the overhanging rear-end is a bit of a give-away), with close to 558 litres available with the rear seats in place. That number grows to 1616 litres with those seats folded flat - big enough, I can report, to fit a new screen door from Bunnings.

A space-saver spare is standard fit, and you can opt for a cost-option alloy wheel if you wish, but it will eat into boot space if you do.

Deciphering the Velar model lineup is like gazing upon the mind of a madman. Think eight model grades, a total of six engines and an options list that could make a Packer wince.

Our test car is the Velar R-Dynamic body style in SE trim and fitted with the middle-rung of the three diesel engines on offer. It comes with a list price of $106,950.

That money buys you 20-inch alloys outside, along with those auto-deploying door handles, heated mirrors, Range Rover puddle lights, keyless entry and start, a powered boot and a set of very cool “Matrix LED” auto headlights with DRLs. 

Inside, expect leather seats and trim, powered front seats, one of the best steering wheels in the business and a thumping 17-speaker Meridian sound system.

On the tech front, navigation is standard, and is controlled through the awesome (though sadly Apple CarPlay and Android Auto-free) dual-screen 'Touch Pro Duo' system, which makes use of two 10-inch touchscreens. They join a third, 12.3-inch digital instrument display that replaces the analogue dials in the driver's binnacle.
 
All of that is the good news. In news that is less good, the Velar arrives with an option list so tall it’s unlikely even a Rangie could drive over it. Our test car was fitted with all sorts of goodies, but they will set you back thousands. 

To put that into perspective, our test car (with its list price of $106,950, you'll recall) will actually cost you more than $140,000 once you've ticked and paid for its options. Even the vast internet lacks the space to fully detail them, but some highlights include the heated, cooled and massaging seats, which will set you back $7730, and the extended leather interior, a snip at $3480.

The SD4 badge means a Ingenium diesel, JLR's very own brand of engine, lurks beneath the bonnet. In this case, it produces 177kW and 500Nm of torque. It's worth noting that the older 3.0-litre SDV6 diesel in the Range Rover betters this new 2.0-litre, four-cylinder twin-turbodiesel by just 13kW and 100Nm.

Power finds its way to all four wheels via a centre differential and an eight-speed ZF automatic. The rush from 0-100km/h takes 8.3 seconds.

You can tow a mammoth 3500kg braked and 750kg unbraked, although it's worth noting that the first figure requires bravery and/or training. And a lot of braking room.

The middle rung of the diesel ladder is the 1999cc D240, which will produce 177kW at 4000rpm and a healthy 500Nm at 1500rpm. That's enough to produce a 7.3-second sprint from 0- 100km/h, and to push it to a top speed of 217km/h.

That power is fed through an eight-speed automatic and sent to all four wheels via a standard single-speed transfer box. The diesel setup will produce a 2.4-tonne braked towing capacity.

Range Rover's official figure puts combined-cycle consumption at 6.5/100km, which seemed realistic, even for this 2100kg machine. We got just under 10.0L/100km in mostly suburban cruising with a couple of short highway runs. So a decent miss, but not really a particularly varied week.

Range Rover serves up claimed/combined fuel figures of 5.8L/100km and C02 emissions of 154g/km. But the fuel figures seem mighty hopeful - the on-board computer read north of 10 litres per 100 kilometres when we dropped it back...

It might not be that much smaller than its Range Rover big brother, but it feels much easier to manoeuvre from the moment you slip behind the wheel. You sit lower in the Sport, and it feels more agile from the second you get moving.

Just for starters, the steering is much quicker, meaning less arm-twirling. The suspension is firmer, and the front end much more interested in firing through corners. While the Range Rover is super-smooth and calm, the Sport has a bit more aggro and doesn't mind being driven hard.

Naturally, it's not X5 M or AMG-levels of fast and furious, because it's still keen to take you down tracks and along beaches in a way its German rivals could only dream of doing.

In the places where it will spend most of its time - suburban streets and highways - it's brilliant. Yes, it's big, and therefore you need your wits about you (a standard blind-spot monitor would help), and parking spaces aren't always big enough, but the smooth ride and cosseting cabin will ensure calm progress.

For a whopper of a car, you'd think a four-cylinder turbodiesel would get a bit lost, but it's more than up to the task of shifting the two-tonner, spinning happily and quietly to keep you moving. The Ingenium engines are terrific things in petrol or diesel, but this diesel feels very much at home here.

For something that feels as plush as a cigar lounge (and, at more than 1.8 tonnes, weighs about the same, too), there's a surprising lightness to the way the Velar goes about its daily chores. In the city, it doesn't really matter whether the transmission is set to Sport or normal Drive, the Velar is a silky-smooth commuter, provided you treat the go-pedal lightly.

Go too hard on the gas, however, and the engine can feel a little laggy, and more weirdly, it's only under hard acceleration that the Velar starts to feel heavy, and you can feel the engine working hard to shift the Range Rover's considerable bulk. Importantly, though, it never feels that way when you're tootling around the city, which is where it will surely spend the vast majority of its time. 

It's the technology overload that impresses the most.

Previous testers have found the steering a little wooden, and that could be an issue on the sportier models,  but I personally think it suits the nature of the low-powered diesel pretty well, offering enough engagement without darting at the slightest input. The ride, too, is almost always great; soft enough to weed out all but the worst road issues (but really sharp bumps will clatter into the cabin), while never feeling spongey or billowy. 

If you have a Trumpian need for power, you best shop further up the engine range, with the 500Nm of torque on offer sounding plenty on paper, but lacking the punch in the real world to really get the Velar up and moving, 

Still, the seats are outrageously comfortable (although our test car was fitted with cost-option versions), and the vision is mostly terrific, except out of the back window. But it's the technology overload that impresses the most. It's all just so damn cool.

The Velar scores an impressive standard safety haul of six airbags, a reversing camera, AEB with pedestrian detection, reverse cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning and a tyre-pressure-monitoring system. 

The SE adds active cruise control and a 360-degree parking aid (which is like having parking sensors everywhere).

Range Rover offers a three-year/100,000km warranty with roadside assist for the duration. That's starting to look light-on as non-premium makers pile in to offer five years. The roadside assist covers the usual stuff, but they will also come and get you out of a bog if you've gone rogue on four-wheel-drive trails.

You can cap your service prices with a service plan up to five years/130,000km, and servicing is required every 12 months/26,000km.

An underwhelming (but sadly pretty standard in the premium world) three-year, 100,000km warranty is standard, but it is helped by the 24 month/34,000km service intervals offered on the diesel engine.