5 Thoughts About the 2024 Range Rover Velar
Author:
Sean Tucker.
Quick Facts:
- The Range Rover Velar is a luxurious midsize SUV larger than the Evoque but smaller than the classic Range Rover
- Every Velar is all-wheel drive (AWD). Engine options include a 247-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder and a 395-hp turbocharged inline-6-cylinder with a mild hybrid system
- Prices range from $62,775 (including the $1,275 delivery fee) to over $80,000
Some luxury SUVs are bought by shoppers who go into their choice with an open mind and spend time carefully weighing their options. Others are for buyers who know what they want before they shop. In our experience, Range Rover buyers tend to be Range Rover lovers before they start shopping. A Rover makes a distinctive choice in a field full of similar German and Japanese alternatives, and that’s what Rover buyers are looking for. So, testing a Range Rover is always a little different. Am I telling you how to weigh this thing against the BMW X5 and Lexus RX? Not really. Because, let’s be honest, if you’re considering a Velar, you likely don’t have a spreadsheet of buying options open right now. You’re just wondering whether to buy a Rover.
So, let’s dive right in. The Velar is the newest Range Rover product – an arguably midsize (we’ll argue in a minute) luxury SUV with a tasteful exterior, a stunning minimalist interior, and the option of a lusty turbocharged inline-6-cylinder engine that could hang out with the V8s without anyone saying it didn’t belong. My tester was the top of the line, a Dynamic SE with the inline-6, in Zadar Grey (we’re using UK spellings here because Rover) with a Cloud/Ebony interior with Shadow Grey Ash veneer. It had an asking price of $81,033 after delivery.
1. The Velar Has the Soul of a Muscle Car
Cars have vibes. You know that if you’re considering a car from a brand famous for its British bona fides and off-road chops, so thoroughly associated with safaris that it’s hard to imagine a cheetah perched on something else. Range Rover has a vibe, and it’s not really something anyone can compete with. But it’s hard to picture the Velar with a roof rack and a ton of mud on it. Journalists traditionally get about a week with a car for a review like this. With some cars, I have to sit down after the week is over to try to figure out what the vibe is. With the Velar, it took less than a day. I didn’t get to take it off-road in my week with it. But you probably won’t either. This is the high-style Rover product. So, the on-road performance is relevant. And on the road, this is essentially a muscle car.
Weird comparison? Hear me out – its dominant features are a constant velvet rumble even at neighborhood speeds and a twitchy throttle pedal that takes some getting used to because, if you add a hint of too much pressure, it surges. Yes, technically, there’s a turbocharged I6 under the hood. Not a V8. But you won’t quite believe that from the driver’s seat. Put your foot down, and this thing roars and leaps. Rovers are known for soft suspensions – the key to an off-road reputation older than me. With nearly 400 horsepower on tap, this is a powerful car that can jump off the line but corner, well, as sloppy as a big SUV built for the trail. So, the vibe? Luxury muscle car. Yes, you climb up instead of down to get in. But once you’re there, the driving experience is familiar. If BMW SUVs feel like sports cars at their best, the Velar feels like classic muscle.
2. There’s Oddly Little Advantage in Buying the I4
My turbocharged inline-6 got from 0 to 60 in 5.2 seconds. It has 395 horsepower and is EPA-rated for 21 mpg in combined highway/city driving. The turbocharged 4-cylinder option does the same sprint in 7.1 seconds. With 247 horsepower, it’s EPA-rated for — wait for it — almost the same thing. A difference of 2 mpg gives it a 23 on the window sticker. The EPA estimates that buying the smaller engine will save you $300 a year at the gas pump. I don’t want to pretend that’s no difference. But at this price point, it’s not much of one. The I6 will cost you upfront. But it gives you far better performance for not much of a long-term penalty.
3. Hope You Like Minimalism
The Velar has an achingly beautiful interior. Rover stripped this one to the bare minimum and made each component out of exceptionally well-chosen material. The Shadow Grey Ash wood is particularly striking. With the only opening in the center stack closed, the lines are smooth. The cabin looks like something out of a modern art museum. But everything – and I do mean everything – runs through the touchscreen. It’s a fast, responsive touchscreen and neatly convex to follow the contour of the dashboard beneath. But adjusting sound volume? Several taps in a menu on the passenger’s side of the car. Changing the temperature? Several taps on the driver’s side. Some functions, like changing the drive mode, are things you do in Park, and placing them behind menus is fine. But I found myself frustrated at the lack of knobs and buttons for simple functions most drivers do in motion. This isn’t quite the level of user-unfriendliness of Tesla. You can at least get into gear, adjust your mirrors, and signal a turn without the touchscreen. But Rover has sacrificed a lot of usability to get that minimalist look.
4. This Is a Compact SUV in a Midsize-SUV Costume
The strangest thing about the Velar is its dimensions. It’s quite large from the outside – unquestionably a 2-row midsize SUV. But from the inside, it’s closer to a compact model. Dimensions for the front seats are very comfortable. But both rear seat passenger space and cargo area are smaller than you’d expect from such a long vehicle. Let’s compare the Velar to a more mainstream set you might be more familiar with, the Honda CR-V and Passport:
Honda CR-V (compact)
- Wheelbase: 106.3 inches
- Length: 184.8 inches
- Rear Legroom: 41.0 inches
- Rear Legroom: 39.3 cubic feet
Honda Passport (midsize)
- Wheelbase: 110.9 inches
- Length: 189.1 inches
- Rear Legroom: 39.6 inches
- Rear Legroom: 41.2 cubic feet
Range Rover Velar (midsize)
- Wheelbase: 113.1 inches
- Length: 188.9 inches
- Rear Legroom: 37.17 inches
- Rear Legroom: 34.4 cubic feet
The Range Rover Velar is nearly the longest of the group and has the largest wheelbase. However, your rear-seat passengers and their luggage would have more room to spread out in a compact Honda. The second row of the Velar is a nice place – my tester even had heated seats. But it’s a tight fit, which is odd in such a big vehicle. Where did all that space go?
5. Beauty for Beauty’s Sake
It went to styling. The Velar’s best trait is — well, look at it. It’s gorgeous inside and out. An off-the-rack suit will make you look like you belong in the second row of seats around the fringes of a board meeting. A tailored suit will make everyone in off-the-rack suits assume you’re leading the meeting. The Velar is the tailored suit of off-road-capable SUVs. It looks contemporary and elegant, from the aggressively sloped front fascia to the door handles that retract flush when locked. It looks capable of hitting the trail from the big wheel arches to the tiny overhangs. Very few vehicles can pull off both of those at the same time.
Rover knew it had a special design with this one. The puddle lights that shine down beside the car after you unlock it show little line drawings of the Velar on the asphalt as if they couldn’t get enough of the silhouette, either. The valet is likely to park the Velar under lights. It looks that good. And those beautiful proportions — yeah, they rob the rear of space.
The Wrap
The Range Rover Velar competes with the likes of the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE. Those continental models might offer a bit more refinement in the corners, but they won’t match the Velar on tailoring and won’t snarl like it does when provoked. There are trade-offs to every luxury 2-row midsize SUV. In this one, you trade away some rear-seat space and some knobs you’ll sorely miss. But, in their place, you get muscle-car acceleration, real off-road proportions, and the exclusivity of a rarer choice. Related:
2024 Land Rover Range Rover Velar: Choosing the Right Trim.
