2020 Range Rover Velar vs 2019

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. 

When you've got 50-something models to choose from, it's very difficult to suggest - or even guess - at the sweet spot in such a large range. The P250 is a fine start and the R-Dynamic additions made it a lovely car for a fair chunk under $100,000. That's a lot of money, but not by Range Rover standards.

There are some frustrating exclusions both at the bottom end (no sat nav or Apple CarPlay/Android Auto in the base Velar?) and reverse cross traffic alert in most of them is an option. The list of options is truly dizzying.

If you're not planning anything more difficult than a trip to the snow or the hobby farm, a big-wheeled Velar is going to look and feel great and seems a lot more expensive than it is. Even better, it drives well and feels a million bucks in the right spec.

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.

The Velar is a beautiful design. Looking more Evoque than Range Rover - front end aside - there are clear influences echoing from Rob Melville's LRX concept all those years ago. Including the flush door handles (okay, the LRX didn't have any, but you get the point).

The exterior design is sharp and to the point, with an obvious skew to urban lifestyle tastes rather than off-road practicality.

A body kit is only available with the SVAutobiography, and I'm reserving judgement on that until I see it.

The Velar looks better with bigger wheels and depending on colour, a black roof looks the business.

Our interior images show another cracker of a cabin from Range Rover. Like the exterior, the Velar's interior is a step ahead. Some Land Rovers can feel a bit ordinary inside, but Range Rovers always deliver, especially now the new Evoque has been revealed.

The Velar's cabin is genuinely lovely, with beautiful leather and various optional wood veneers. Even most of the plastics are all right and the various fabrics are also pleasant to the touch.

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.

How many seats? It's a good question. Like its under-the-skin sibling the Jaguar F-Pace, the Velar looks like it could easily swallow seven people with a third-row seat, but alas no such luck. It's five seats or bust.

Front and rear legroom are excellent, courtesy of very generous interior dimensions. It feels bigger in comparison to the F-Pace.

Front and rear passengers are each treated to a pair of cupholders for a total of four. There are four bottle holders, various 12-volt power points and several USB ports.

Starting with an impressive 673 litres of boot space, put the seats down and you'll have 1731 litres of cargo capacity. And that's before you fit a roof rack or roof box to the rails.

All Velars have similar mechanical specs - they're AWD and come with an eight-speed automatic transmission. As with most of the rest of the shared Jaguar Land Rover stables, there are four trim levels in the range - the vanilla Velar, then S, SE with the range topped by the HSE (until the SVAutobiography arrives).

How much your Velar will cost is dependent on an unusually high set of variables - all eight (eight!) engine specifications are available with all four specs, so the price list stretches on forever.

For a detailed model comparison, check out our snapshots. All prices are quoted in RRP (or MSRP as the manufacturers suggest) and the drive-away price is subject to the usual taxes and charges.

The entry-point is the $71,033 Velar D180, but this standard features list applies to every available engine.

You get 18-inch alloy wheels, an eight-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, remote app, auto LED headlights, auto wipers, leather and suede trim, power tailgate and a space-saver spare.

There's no sat nav (an almost $2000 option) on this car, which would be fine if it had Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Which, for a solid $520 via the 'Smartphone Pack', you can have. Cheaper than sat nav, yes, but it would be nice if it were standard.

Each spec level is also available with the R-Dynamic package, which is essentially a styling pack for inside and out - different wheels, upgrades to seat leather, aluminium trim pieces and, on some models, an upgrade to the sound system. R-Dynamic adds around $6000 to the price of each trim level and inclusions are slightly different between the models.

The big price jump to the S adds 19-inch alloys, an 11-speaker stereo, ambient interior lighting, electric front seats, sat nav, auto high beam, LED headlights with signature DRLS, puddle lamps, Wi-Fi hotspot with on-board SIM card slot, powered and heated folding mirrors and road-sign recognition.

The SE builds again with about a $5000 price increase, with 20-inch alloys, a 17-speaker stereo, side parking sensors, digital dash, matrix LED headlights, self parking, scuff plates and reverse cross traffic alert.

The top-end HSE nabs you 21-inch alloys, massaging front seats with heating and ventilation and metallic interior finishes.

At the end of 2019 (fingers crossed) the Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition will arrive. Priced at $175,322, it comes with a fair chunk of the HSE's equipment list, quilted perforated leather trim, knurled aluminium switchgear, 21-inch alloys, electronic active differential, sports adaptive dampers and various styling features.

And a bellowing 405kW 5.0-litre supercharged V8, which, in other JLR cars, can wake the dead, so with the variable active exhaust, prepare for neighbours complaining.

Each Velar comes with JLR's new stacked touchscreen technology, 'Touch Pro Duo'. With two big touchscreens, one high in the dash as before and one where the dash meets the console, it allows you to spread the different functions across the two screens.

As has been the case over the last few years, it's better than before, with much faster hardware. It also includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (finally) but you have to pay $590 for the privilege. You've also got USB and Bluetooth connectivity. Physical media fans will be disappointed by the lack of a CD player.

The colour range is suspiciously short - 'Narvik Black' and 'Fuji White' are freebies. 'Byron Blue', 'Kaikoura Stone' (bronze? brown?), 'Corris Grey', 'Firenze Red', 'Yulong White' and 'Indus Silver' are all $1780 while 'Aruba' and 'Silicon Silver' weigh in at $3550.

Gold and orange fans will be disappointed.

The lengthy optional features list includes the nifty activity key, sunroof (if not already standard), upgraded multimedia and sound system, upgraded navigation system, black pack or individual black bits, self parking/park assist, various accessories, floor mats (ahem), different size wheel rims and designs, air suspension, matrix LED lights... the list goes on. And on.

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.

I hope you've caught your breath from the spec lists because there are more engine specs in the Velar range than there are hangers-on at an awards party.

Each has a number that doesn't denote engine size but metric horsepower. The P tells you it's a petrol and the D a turbo-diesel. There is no manual transmission available, just the always-excellent eight-speed automatic from ZF.

JLR's 2.0-litre four-cylinder 'Ingenium' range underpins the Velar's powertrains and are available in petrol or diesel with single or twin turbos. Of course, being a Range Rover, four-wheel drive is standard across the range. 

The first of the diesels is the D180, developing 132kW/430Nm. The D240 offers 177kW/500Nm, the increased power made available with the addition of a second turbo.

Switching to petrol, the 2.0-litre P250 spins up 184kW/365Nm. The P300 punches out 221kW/400Nm, courtesy of an extra turbo and a more advanced electro-hydraulic valvetrain.

The D275 is first in the not-long-for-this-world 3.0-litre diesel V6 range, with 202kW/625Nm while the D300 gives you 221kW/700Nm.

Moving back to petrol and the also-about-to-be-pensioned 3.0-litre supercharged V6 petrol P340 sends 250kW/450Nm and the P380 280kW/450Nm. 

Performance figures start at a respectable 8.9 seconds for the sprint from 0-100km/h in the D180, down to 5.4 seconds for the P380, which is a reasonable turn of speed for a car of this size and weight.

Towards the end of the year you'll be able to buy a Velar with one of the world's most pleasantly obnoxious engines, JLR's delicious supercharged V8. If you want a quick 0-100 acceleration time, that's the one you want.

All Velars come with a single-speed transfer box, Land Rover's 'Terrain Response' system and various off-roadey goodness like hill-descent control. On-road fun is helped along by a torque-vectoring system using the brakes.

Towing capacity varies between the models, so you'll need to check with your dealer. Unsurprisingly, a towbar is an option.

Given Land Rover's commitment to electrification, a plug-in hybrid can't be far away.

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.

Obviously, "your mileage may vary" is an understatement when it comes to the Velar's fuel consumption.

Diesel fuel economy, as you might expect, wins out in the numbers game. The D180's official rating starts at 5.9L/100km (157g/km) and the D240's is 6.5L/100km (171g/km). The 3.0-litre V6 brings a small increase to 6.6L/100km in the D275 and the D300. 

The P250 four-cylinder petrol will return (in the lab, at least) 7.6L/100km (173g/km) and the P300 7.8L/100km (178g/km). Moving on to the petrol V6s, Range Rover says both the P340 and P380 will return 9.4L/100m (214g/km). The V6's fate was sealed early in 2019 with the announcement of the company's Ingenium straight-six engines.

Fuel-tank capacity also varies between the models, from 60 litres in the D180 to 66 litres in the D300 vs the petrol cars' uniform 82-litre tanks.

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.

Given how many engine options are available, it's hard to give you a definitive answer. I can tell you that the R-Dynamic SE P250 is a fine car, though. Loaded with options as it was, it was one of the most refined SUVs I've ever driven. The P250 is an unstressed sounding engine, the Velar sailing along happily on a wave of torque.

On air suspension, the Velar remains unruffled by lumps and bumps but has a weird habit of getting a bit floaty when not in Dynamic mode. It's not unpleasant, it's just weird.

One thing I really liked about the Velar was the steering. I was expecting an isolating set-up, but it had good feel and sensible weighting. The variable rack means that Range Rover's engineers didn't sacrifice road responsiveness for off-road usability. A run in a Range Rover PHEV a couple of weeks before had probably polluted my thinking.

This isn't a review of the Velar's off-road capability but a) it's a Range Rover and b) the fundamentals look good. Coil-sprung cars have a wading depth of 600mm and obstacle clearance of 213mm.

Add air suspension to your Velar and you can wade up to 650mm and obstacle clearance increases to 251. Ground clearance is listed at 165mm. 

So, fundamentally, it's as smooth and stylish to drive as it is to look at, and feels better than the last F-Pace I drove.

The Velar ships with six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, tyre-pressure monitoring, reversing camera, lane-keep assist, forward AEB with pedestrian avoidance, and lane-departure warning.

Traffic-sign recognition is available on all but the base car, with or without R-Dynamic.

Blind-spot monitoring, high-speed AEB, and reverse cross traffic alert are part of a safety pack and standard on the HSE.

The Velar scored a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating in September 2017.

There are also three top-tether anchor points and two ISOFIX points.

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.

The Range Rover warranty is an increasingly isolated three-year/100,000km warranty, although oddly premium brands are sticking with this sort of package. Three years' roadside assist helps sweeten the deal.

You can control the car's service cost with a service plan. This varies between engine specs, with the 2.0-litre petrol starting at $1500 for five years/130,000km.

The 2.0-litre diesel will sting you for the same money but only 102,000km. The supercharged V6 petrol ($1800) and V6 turbo-diesel ($2200) both go for up to 130,000km. This seems like good value.

The owner's manual will tell you when a service is due, as will the onboard computer. The manual will also tell you things like where the battery is, top speed and tyre pressures.

The Velar hasn't been around very long so common reliability issues, problems and faults are hard to pinpoint. For the same reason, resale value is difficult to assess. The waiting time for a new Velar is dependent on how weird a combination of options you choose.