Range Rover Velar - British Prince

While the Range Rover is the UK's automotive king, the Velar really looks like a prince. It has all the features of a real Range Rover, as we saw during the first trips. We invite you to read our report.

The Range Rover Velar was officially unveiled for the first time this year at the London Design Museum. Later, a wider circle of journalists was able to read it during the Geneva Motor Show.

However, I missed these premieres. Of course, I knew that Velar had rebelled, but I did not go into details. In a huge number of automotive premieres, sometimes you can miss something really interesting. Error!

range rover sports

Range Rover is synonymous with luxury. The Range Rover Sport is another synonym for luxury - cheaper, but still very expensive. It has nothing to do with sports either. Then we have the Evoque, which, however, stands out quite significantly against the background of this aristocratic rest - both in terms of price and quality.

Therefore, it was natural to bridge the gap between Evoque and Sport. And Velar fills this gap. It looks like a thoroughbred Range Rover, although slightly smaller. Its style is more sporty - big bumpers, ailerons and the like. Live, he makes an amazing impression - almost everyone watches him. I'd venture to say it might be more to your liking than the much more expensive Range Rovers.

Luxury worthy of a prince

Inside the Velar, we find exactly what we expect from a Range Rover. Luxury and attention to detail. The quality of materials is excellent. Leather of the highest quality looks beautiful, especially since the perforation is arranged in ... the flags of Great Britain! It's the same with the material covering the dashboard - it's also real leather.

There are practically no places where you could save money. This is confirmed by the dark upholstery of the roof, completely made of suede. Revelation.

However, it's not that perfect. The number of physical buttons here is practically reduced to a minimum. Looks cool but saves a lot of money to the manufacturer. However, no one tells him to spend money to no avail.

However, we control all vehicle functions via the touch screen. I have to admit that pairing it with handles is impressive. On the air conditioning screen, knobs are used to adjust the temperature. However, select the seat settings and the graph will display the heat or the degree of massage. This creates a very cohesive and futuristic whole. A plus for ingenuity, but the shiny touch screen only collects fingerprints. If we don’t want to spoil the “premium” impression, we have to carry felt fabric with us. There is no other way to do this.

It's no secret that the Range Rover Velar is essentially the twin brother of the Jaguar F-Pace. Therefore, instead of an analog clock, we will see a large panoramic screen while driving. We control using the buttons on the steering wheel, which change pointers with smart backlighting. For example, by default, the left stick is used to control media, but when we enter the menu, the volume and song change buttons will turn into a four-way joystick with an OK button in the middle. In Velara, the mechanical and digital worlds are a perfect match.

Interestingly, this display may contain a map - and not like in other cars, where the clock is still displayed nearby. Here the map can be displayed literally on the whole screen. The current speed or fuel level will be displayed on the black bar below.

Convenience comes first

Range Rover Velar, which we got for the first trips, is not weak. Its 3 liter diesel engine can produce up to 300 hp. More impressive already at 1500 rpm. torque reaches 700 Nm. As we know from physics, it is most difficult to move a body when it is at rest - the heavier it is, the heavier it is. Velar weighs less than 2 tons, but with so much torque available from low revs, it accelerates to 100 km/h in just 6,5 seconds.

And although it would seem that these 300 km provoke a fast ride, everything is quite the opposite. Big power makes you feel confident. With such indicators, we can overtake the vast majority of cars. So we don't have to rush and care about the fast pace.

Behind the wheel of the Velar, I kept finding myself driving at a speed lower than that indicated on the speed limit signs. In this interior, time flows slowly. The seats nicely massage the back, and we soak up the next kilometers to get out of the car even after driving several hundred without any signs of fatigue.

However, I wrote that the Velar has more sportiness than the Range Rover Sport. So what happens when you select dynamic driving mode and drive down a winding road? The character of a heavy SUV is revealed. In corners, the body rolls and is quite discouraging to overcome them at too high a speed. Like a highway cruiser - by all means. However, you would prefer another car to get from Krakow to Zakopane on time.

However, lazy driving in Eco mode results in pretty good fuel economy. Of course, 5,8L/100km on the highway is wishful thinking for a Range Rover. However, I think that driving more than 500 km with an average fuel consumption of 9,4 l / 100 km is a good result.

Comfort and style

Range Rover Velar is comfort in a stylish package. It's attractive and rides great as long as you're looking for comfort. This is when you feel how the suspension picks up bumps smoothly. However, Porsche is doing better with SUVs.

However, there is nothing wrong with this. This is exactly what I expected from a British premium car. Such is the nature of the brand - they do not produce flashy cars, but restrained ones.

The price of the First Edition model with a minimum number of additions is more than 540 rubles. zloty A lot, but the First Edition is more of a car for those who fell ill with Velar very early. Standard configurations cost about 260-300 thousand. zloty HSE versions cost closer to PLN 400. zloty But a full-fledged Range Rover costs thousands. PLN sounds like a good deal.

After the Velar test, I only have one problem with the Evoque. When the Evoque is alone in a parking lot, it lacks nothing, but when I park a Velar next to it, the Evoque looks…cheap.