Range Rover Velar: End Game
RANGE ROVER VELAR
END GAME
Words by Alessandro Marrone
Photos by Andy Williams
That may seem strange, but right now there is a segment that does not know the word crisis, it is precisely that of SUVs. With car makers taking out of the oven more gigantic and luxurious models, but also with such small dimensions as to put them in competition with classic hatchbacks and showing off a more affordable price compared to a few years ago, between one extreme and the other there is an ocean of further variants that are literally numbered as if they were pairs of shoes. It is impossible, in the most remote way, to go out of a dealer without having found the SUV that suits your needs, provided you really need a Sport Utility Vehicle. In fact, it has been spoken (and sponged) for a long time about this category that has become almost fashionable precisely because it has been mistreated by the most conservative faction of motorists, but to tell the truth and after two decades, the steps forward have been on all fronts. Starting with less polluting engines and reduced fuel consumption and the ever-improved ability to combine utility with driving pleasure, without counting that sportier look compared to, for example, a more traditional sedan or station wagon, which before the invasion of SUVs held much of the market now reserved to them.
If the name Land Rover has always been synonymous with off-road, with the legendary and now retired Defender, the Range Rover that has been able to carve out a wide slice of the market, presenting the first model in the 70s and evolving to become what it is now, a luxurious spaceship capable of taking the family on holiday, devouring the home-office journey and even tackling paths that would dwarf three-quarters of the competition. On the other end of the list there is the Evoque, which has also just revealed its second generation, the most fashionable declination that a small size SUV could wish for. Excluding for the moment the excellent Freelander, more inclined to an intensive use far from paved roads than the other models in the range, we have the latest born in the family, the Range Rover Velar. This is an entirely new model, an ambitious project that remains incredibly close to the concept that has anticipated the futuristic lines and innovative solutions that it brings with it, and that will undoubtedly be further reflected in the next models of the brand.
Let’s put it this way: there are SUVs and then there’s the Velar. And with this I do not want to forget all the other exceptional 4X4 available on the market, for the vast majority still able to do well what they were created for, which is pretty much everything. But we must admit that Land Rover has not had the fear of going to explore areas that until now we have rarely seen, at least on cars that can be crossed on the road every day. The Velar is a bit like an expressionist painting that hides an impressionist objective beauty. Do not call me crazy, I will explain better this argument in the next few lines and please close for a moment Wikipedia, this won’t become an essay on art’s history. We are in front of an object of incomparable aesthetic level, because it seems impregnated by the desire to amaze and capture the eye for that unique profile, made such thanks to a massive and aggressive front and a sloping tail almost pointing towards the sky. Usually we find ourselves praising a particular angle of a car, but the designers of LR seem to have discovered a solution that has also made the side profile racy and smooth as that of a modern design element. Exactly, the most apt comparison would be just to call into question some kind of minimal contemporary furniture that you could find on the pages of “Architecture & Design Magazine”. A piece of furniture that is beautiful as well as functional, because I remind you that we are still talking about a medium-sized SUV with 5 doors, 5 seats and a large boot.
Under the bonnet you can choose between two petrol units: a 4-cylinder 2.0 turbocharged with 250 horses, or the exorbitant 3-liter V6 supercharged capable of delivering 381 horses, while the best compromise – at least for the moment – turns out to be that of our long-term test, a 3.0cc turbodiesel V6 outputting 300hp, much brighter than the smaller 4-cylinder engines with 179 or 240 hp. This one is not only able to sit comfortable in the generous engine compartment, but offers a considerable boost to any regime, delivering 700Nm of torque at 1500 rpm, enough to perform any overtaking maneuvering smoothly, without feeling the slightest resistance opposed by a weight that is close to 2 tons. Obviously traction is on both axles and we have plenty of possibilities for adapting the chassis and the consequent controls based on the type of terrain covered; among the modes of the Terrain Response we find Comfort, Dynamic, Eco, Snow, Mud and Sand, logically also influencing ground clearance, moreover adjustable regardless of the selected driving mode. Coupled with the virtuous V6 there is an automatic transmission with 8 speeds, very fluid and perfectly able to manage the gears independently, also engaging the most dynamic setting of the Velar, but in case you want to deal with it in first person, just use the paddles behind the steering.
To reign supreme within this RR is definitely the sense of luxury and technology, as for example for the two 10-inch touch screens placed in the center of the dashboard and from which you can interact with the settings of the car, with the multimedia system and the excellent satellite navigator, without renouncing the possibility of keeping two different parameters under control. In addition, behind the wheel there is a third all-digital display that houses rev counter, speedo and other on-board computer menus. Turning on the engine, still rather silent, the gear lever (well it’s a roller) rises from the central tunnel and once you have covered the first few kilometers you will not want to stop for any reason in the world. The Velar is not a small car, certainly not, but being at the wheel seems to fumble with something immense, also because of the massive line of the engine bonnet. In reality, despite this impression, driving in the city or on narrow country roads is never a worry situation and once the measures are taken, even parking the car will be a breeze, thanks obviously to the help of the few cameras all around.
All right, it’s beautiful, it has a great endowment that gives a nod to sportiness, thanks to the R-Dynamic package and the possibility to choose for huge 22-inch wheels, but how does it behave on road and far from the asphalt? This is a question that might seem obvious as annoying traffic in August, but it often happens to have all the ingredients for a great result and fail on the most beautiful part of the movie. Our Velar amazes, its 3-liter is powerful but not so thirsty, with an average consumption of 6.6 l/100km and with the ability to accelerate with the arrogance of a car of a completely different category. Entering through corners do not expect to slide it like you would with a Caterham, the steering is communicative and the chassis does great things, but the size and weight that you carry with you follow your requests to a certain point, then you will understand that its sports side is really exploitable when you call it, but for most of the time you will prefer to drive in a relaxed manner and enjoy the tons of luxury at your disposal. Of course a 0-100 of just 6.7 for a diesel SUV, really does shine your eyes. The same goes for the price list that starts from € 58,500 for the less powerful 2-liter petrol and reaches € 89,900 for the most powerful 3-liter with 300 horses, perfectly justifiable figures if we take into account what the Velar represents and its innate capacity on the road and also where you will call in question its excellent traction and height from the ground, still impressive and in full Range Rover style.
The amazement of the incredible light of the LED matrix headlights is another strong point and most of the details that make the Velar design a premium one (for example the retractable handles on all the four doors, the dedicated logos on the central pillar or the reduced height of the windshield and rear window) the hardest thing will be to live without all the vices to which this considered mid-range RR has accustomed us. I’m talking about the steering wheel controls, innovative thanks to their multi-functions layout, or its quietness and the incredible ability to grind hundreds of kilometers without the slightest effort. Range Rover has scored an exceptional blow here, further enhanced by a futuristic design that elevates the Velar to be an objectively beautiful car and not just something nice to drive. And that’s good, because the world is full of good cars, but driving what in its way is a work of art of its segment will make every day less gray. Among many, the Velar is perhaps the only SUV you’ll look at once parked.
RANGE ROVER VELAR D300 SE R-Dynamic
Layout – front-engined, all-wheel-drive
Engine – V6 cylinder 2.993cc – turbodiesel
Transmission – 8-speed automatic gearbox
Power – 300 hp @ 4.000 rpm
700 Nm @ 1.500 rpm
Weight – 1.954 kg
Acceleration – 6,7 sec.
Top Speed – 241 kph
Price – from € 81.700