Range Rover Velar SE D240 2017 Review

An elegant exterior design makes a strong first impression for the Range Rover Velar. Its sophisticated lines help the Velar to sashay perfectly into the existing Range Rover line up, slotting between the Range Rover Sport and the more affordable Evoque.

With nine variants available, including a limited ‘First Edition’ model, the Velar range is certainly extensive, even by premium SUV standards. Four standard models are available, from a base model through to the luxurious HSE, while Velar R-Dynamic versions offer sports styling in four different variants. If that’s not enough choice, the Velar is offered with Range Rover’s full options list which is one of the most extensive in the market.

On test is the Range Rover Velar SE D240, which sits at the upper mid-point of the basic Velar lineup. The D240 engine is a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged diesel unit delivering 177kW and 500Nm. When exploring regional roads you sometimes pine for the oomph of a six-cylinder, but, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, it is more than adequate for city dwellers.

Entry to the Velar club will set you back some serious dollars, with this model wielding a $100,950 price tag. Get too chummy with options list and you’ll soon add thousands…more on that soon.

Your initial outlay will at least secure some serious luxury – with which Range Rover owners will be familiar - and a somewhat unexpected bounty of technology to please demanding younger buyers.

The Velar ‘journey’ begins as soon as the car is unlocked and the pop-out handles extrude from the doors. Obligatory puddle lamps are now de rigueur in vehicles from Havals to Mustangs and the Velar is no exception, its lights beaming a line drawing of the Velar onto the ground but to be frank, a simple light would be more effective.

Once in the cabin, it is clear you are behind the wheel of something pretty special. The large twin colour touch screens in the centre fascia control many aspects of the vehicle including dynamic settings and audio and visual functions.

Surprisingly, ‘easy to use’ is an apt description for the twin screens. Admittedly, on first glance they do look over done, and unnecessarily complex, but controls are intuitive and it is fairly straightforward to navigate multiple information pages and manage vehicle settings.

Some of the dials are contextual, so their use changes depending on which function menu you are in. For example, once in the seat menu, dials for the HVAC controls will also control temperature and ferocity of the front massaging functions.

A capacitive touch wheel on the left spoke of the steering wheel is a little tricky to use if you want to switch between the driver information display and audio controls, but I’m sure familiarity will make operation easier.

Capacitive touch is also used for the interior lights, so to operate you press on the lights themselves. A solid two minutes were spent fumbling for buttons in the dark of the motoring.com.au underground garage before I happened upon this piece of cleverness.

But this sort of cleverness is one of the Velar’s delights. There are so many great details, buyers will be making discoveries for some time after taking delivery. It was only on day six - while meandering in city traffic - that I discovered the two news channels, Reuters and CNN, which will either read stories to you or, when stationary, let you scroll and read yourself.

Airplane arrival and departure times can be looked up via flight numbers with navigation details to the relevant airport loaded into the navigation system for speedy commuting. Probably a more useful feature for Europeans darting between major cities and countries, yet nonetheless, a useful party trick for us Australians.

Other tech features seemed a bit redundant on this Velar model. While not a sports derivative, the SE D240 is equipped with a curious array of performance related technology. For example there’s a lap timer and graphs to monitor throttle and brake input which, in this spec, does seem rather overdone.

For a luxury vehicle, the finishes are great, but many of the Velar’s top features are expensive options. On this test vehicle, the calculator shows options adding 30 per cent on top of the list price.

You’ll need $4370 for the sliding panoramic sunroof, heated and cooled seats are $7730, premium leather is $1910 and the handy  head-up display will set you back $2420 (and must be paired with a $560 solar attenuating windscreen). Premium paint is also an eye-waterer with the ‘Firenze’ red metallic hue adding $1780.

The D240 SE doesn’t offer air suspension or configurable dynamics as standard fitment, so you’ll be adding an additional $2110 and $940 respectively and, disappointingly, key Range Rover offroad features including the more advanced Terrain Response 2 and All Terrain Progress Control aren’t standard either. Bundle these together and you’re adding $1070.

All told, the loaded price of the test vehicle was $131,990, factor-in the on-road costs and you’ve meandered into a serious luxury SUV category.

All of which starts to make the Range Rover Velar look expensive compared with other category favourites, such as the new - and much torquier - BMW X3 30d, which can be had for just $83,900 plus on-road costs.

Of course this model Velar really is about luxury-sports and not sports-luxury. If you’re looking for something with a substantial design focus, but isn’t big and as brash as a full blown Range Rover, unquestionably the Velar hits the mark. It’s also a clear step up from the smaller, more affordable Range Rover Evoque, and the technology integrations are a significant improvement.

As for the driving experience, well the Velar is certainly not as wallowy as a Range Rover Vogue on road. When colleague Marton Pettendy attended the Australian launch of the Velar, he referred to it as a car rather than an SUV and, rolling on standard 20-inch wheels, the refined ride is incredibly comfortable. The suspension does an excellent job in damping out even rough bumps so, in just about every circumstance, you’re enjoying a smooth and relaxing drive.

Being a medium SUV, there’s a lot of practical, usable space inside the Velar, including decent headroom in the second row seats. But we found with the driver’s seat pushed back to accommodate a 183cm driver, there’s a significant reduction in legroom for a similarly statured rear seat passenger.

It terms of fuel consumption, the Velar’s officially published ADR figure is 5.8L/100kms. But over a combination of highway and spirited country drives, we saw the Velar sitting on a steady 8.3L/100km read out, so it’s on par with most similarly sized diesel SUVs.

For tech-focused design lovers, the Range Rover Velar offers lots to like. And the vast array of personalisation options should ensure you won’t be parking next to an identical Velar any time soon – an important feature in the me-too world of prestige SUVs.

Unfortunately our test car did have a couple of rattles which detracted from the Velar’s luxury positioning. The window glass rattled in both the left-hand front door and driver’s side rear door when fully up, and some plastic trim in the boot creaked. Hopefully these would be simple things for a dealer to fix.

Which brings us to servicing. The Range Rover Velar D240’s servicing schedule is curious, with its international 34,000km/24 month interval carrying over to Australia. As our roads offer some of the most challenging conditions in the world, it will be interesting to see how this extended interval works in practice. Theoretically it could mean only one visit to the dealership service department during the initial warranty period.

A check of the small print is worthwhile as Land Rover states on its website that an optional vehicle health check service is recommended for Australian vehicle operating conditions, while additional servicing may be required for adverse conditions. Why not avoid doubt and just reduce the recommended interval to 12 months?