Land Rover Range Rover Velar review

If you avoid petrol-powered Velars, you’ll find running costs are not too painful. The D200 diesel is worth considering because it has the best official combined fuel economy figure (aside from the optimistic figure provided for the P400e plug-in hybrid), and even the far punchier D300 is capable of more than 30mpg when driven sensibly. It's also worth knowing that the Velar's starting price, with our favoured D200 diesel engine, is quite a bit cheaper than most of its rivals, including the BMW X6 and Audi Q8 – partly because most competitors offer only bigger six-cylinder diesel engines.

None of the conventional engines are great for company car users because they are all in the top tax bracket. We’d therefore point you towards the P400e, which, when specced correctly, emits as little as 49g/km.

We'd go one rung up for the S because it comes with our preferred D200 engine and adds some useful extra kit for a reasonable cost. You get 14-way powered front seats, the upgraded infotainment system with built-in navigation and Meridian stereo, power-folding door mirrors, 19in alloy wheels and a powered tailgate. We don't think going to the SE or beyond adds enough extras to justify the price hike, unless you want to opt for a more powerful engine or the company car friendly P400e plug-in hybrid option.

You get more engine choices with R-Dynamic S and R-Dynamic SE versions. They get the same basic kit as S and SE, but add sportier styling. R-Dynamic HSE has Windsor leather, an electrically adjustable steering wheel, the upgraded sound system and the 20-way heated and cooled electric front seats. Edition models don’t add much other than a unique 20in wheel design. HST is the only way to get the P400 engine, but it does add suede cloth inserts on the seats and steering wheel, and a head-up display.