Range Rover Velar review

Avoid the petrol-powered models and you’ll find running costs aren’t too painful considering the size of the car. The 178bhp diesel has an official average fuel economy figure of 52.5mpg, with the more powerful 237bhp variant coming in at 48.7mpg. Even the 3.0-litre diesel returns 44.1mpg on the official cycle, while CO2 emissions range from 142g/km for the 178bhp diesel to 167g/km for the V6.

Although early demand for the Velar means it’s not predicted to depreciate too heavily, this hasn’t translated into competitive finance deals. In terms of pricing, the entry-level Velar costs a little bit more than the top-spec Audi Q5. It's worth noting that the Q5 will be more efficient, quicker and better equipped, too.

At the other end of the range, the top-spec Velar's price puts it on a par with the much faster Porsche Macan Turbo and high-end versions of the BMW X6.

Although Land Rover isn't outright stingy with equipment on the most basic Velar, the cloth seats and 18in wheels probably won’t appeal to many. What you do get is a DAB radio, Bluetooth, keyless entry, automatic emergency braking, LED headlights and an automatic gearbox.

With that in mind, we’d upgrade to S spec. This adds leather upholstery, 19in wheels, sat-nav, a punchier stereo, a rear-view camera and a powered tailgate. The only annoyance is that lumbar support is a pricey option.

SE is tempting if you’re likely to add a couple of options to S, although it’s predicted that most people will plump for HSE trim. While it is expensive, it includes features that are optional on many of the Velar’s rivals.

You can add an R-Dynamic pack to S, SE and HSE that brings dark wheels and sportier looks inside and out, including swish, satin-chrome gearshifters. For a limited time, there’s also a First Edition that gets a selection of premium options and fancy paint. It’s very expensive, though.

While we don’t yet know how reliable the Velar is, we do have data on its siblings, the full-sized Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. While the Range Rover had an average performance for reliability, the Sport scored poorly. Land Rover as a brand also performed poorly, ranking 31st in a table of 32 manufacturers.

It’s also worth remembering that the Jaguar F-Pace, which shares a platform with the Velar, scored below average in our 2017 reliability survey.

The Velar picked up a full five stars from Euro NCAP for safety in the event of a crash. Its overall score isn’t quite as good as the larger Audi Q7, but it’s very close and actually beats the Q7 on pedestrian protection. The Velar is better overall than the Porsche Macan, though.

All versions get automatic emergency braking and lane departure warning as standard, along with six airbags. Technologies such as a driver condition monitor, a blindspot monitor and cross traffic detection are also available.

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