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The 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar has a sumptuous interior, a pleasant ride, plenty of cargo space, and long list of standard features. However, modest safety scores and a below-average predicted reliability rating push it to the bottom third of our luxury midsize SUV class.
Is the Land Rover Range Rover Velar a Good SUV?
The stylish Range Rover Velar should meet the needs of most luxury midsize SUV shoppers. It boasts a modern cabin with quality materials, along with generous passenger and cargo space. The Velar’s powertrains and ride quality are also refined. Despite all of that, you can’t ignore this Land Rover’s below-average predicted reliability. If you're a cautious shopper looking for good safety and reliability scores, you may feel more at ease with a BMW X5 or a Mercedes-Benz GLE.
Should I Buy the Land Rover Range Rover Velar?
The Range Rover Velar is a good choice for shoppers seeking the latest and greatest tech. The simplistic interior and exterior designs help some of the more unique features stand out – such as its pop-out door handles and dual touch-screen displays. One screen controls most climate, seating, and adaptive suspension settings, while the other operates the infotainment system. The system is eye-catching and useful. The Velar shares a few of the same features with the Jaguar F-Type and F-Pace. For now, however, you can only find the new cutting-edge infotainment system in the Velar.
Should I Buy a New or Used Land Rover Range Rover Velar?
The Land Rover Range Rover Velar is a brand-new vehicle for 2018, so there are no older models to choose from.
Our goal is to make shopping for your next car as easy as possible. You'll find everything you need to know about the Range Rover Velar in our comprehensive review. It combines concrete data (like fuel economy estimates, horsepower specs, and cargo space dimensions) with 16 professional Range Rover Velar reviews.
The Best Cars team – a department of U.S. News & World Report – has been reviewing cars, trucks, and SUVs since 2007. With more than 75 years of combined automotive experience, our group of editors, writers, and analysts ranks a wide variety of new and used cars and issues three annual awards: Best Cars for the Money, Best Cars for Families, and Best Vehicle Brands.
How Much Does the Land Rover Range Rover Velar Cost?
Retail prices for the new Velar start at $49,900. That's similar to what you'll pay for the Land Rover Discovery and Audi Q7 base trims. Powertrain options include a turbodiesel engine (available in the Velar S for $56,200) and a supercharged V6 (standard in the $67,400 Velar SE). Other models include the Velar R-Dynamic, with prices ranging from $60,100 to $67,600, and the range-topping Velar First Edition, which rings up for $89,300 before adding options.
Check out our U.S. News Best Price Program for great savings at your local Land Rover dealer.
Which Is Better: Land Rover Range Rover Velar or Land Rover Range Rover Sport?
Prices for the Mercedes-Benz GLE is an excellent luxury midsize SUV for families. It has an above-average predicted reliability rating, and it's one of the few 2-row SUVs with more overall cargo space than the Velar. The GLE's available 550-horsepower AMG model is a good pick if you want potent acceleration, and there's a plug-in hybrid version for higher fuel efficiency.
Which Is Better: Land Rover Range Rover Velar or Jaguar F-Pace?
The F-Pace is a smaller luxury compact SUV from Land Rover’s sister company, Jaguar. The Jaguar costs about $8,000 less than the Land Rover, but it doesn't have as much cargo space or as many standard amenities. Additionally, its infotainment system is complicated. If you can afford the Velar, you'll likely prefer it over the F-Pace.
How Many People Does the Range Rover Velar Seat?
The Range Rover Velar is a 2-row SUV with room for five people. Its seats are cushy enough for a full day of driving, and the cabin feels airy and bright thanks to its generous dimensions and panoramic sunroof.
The Range Rover Velar comes with the typical list of LATCH anchors: a set of lower anchors on the outboard seats and a tether anchor for every rear seat.
Inside, the Range Rover Velar has a sophisticated styling. High-quality materials are abundant, complementing the minimalistic layout and sleek infotainment screens. If you want to upgrade beyond the standard seats (which are trimmed in synthetic leather and suede), Land Rover offers a perforated, grained leather, as well as a rich wool blend that test drivers admire.
For a vehicle this size, the Velar has a generous amount of cargo room. Behind the second row is 34.4 cubic feet – enough room to easily accommodate a large Costco run or a pair of Labrador retrievers. Fold the three-way split-folding rear seat to create a 70.1-cubic-foot cargo hold.
The Velar's innovative infotainment system includes two large displays: one mounted in the dash that can tilt up to 30 degrees for better viewing, and one mounted underneath. Both touch screens feature stunning graphics, and you can also control settings using two knobs and capacitive buttons on the steering wheel. Once you learn the system, navigating through the menus is easy.
Land Rover offers a trio of engines for the Velar, all of which are mated to a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission. In addition to a turbocharged four-cylinder (the standard engine), Land Rover offers a supercharged V6 and a turbodiesel. The supercharged V6 is the most potent of the bunch, increasing off-the-line acceleration and boosting towing capacity from 5,291 pounds to 5,511. Some test drivers bemoan the lack of a meatier engine option, like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo's 520-horsepower V8.
The EPA fuel economy estimates for the Range Rover Velar’s standard four-cylinder engine are 21 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. Those are among the highest ratings in the class. The optional turbodiesel engine is even thriftier, at 26/30 mpg city/highway, while the supercharged V6 is rated at 18/24 mpg.
The Range Rover Velar channels the stable, comfortable ride quality of big brother Range Rover. Its comfort-tuned suspension and torque vectoring systems work together to control body lean and maintain composure through corners, while soaking up unforgiving blemishes in the road. Every model comes standard with all-wheel drive and the Terrain Response system, which features Eco, Comfort, Grass-Gravel-Snow, Mud-Ruts, Sand, and Dynamic drive modes.
These components, paired with the Velar's 8.4 inches of ground clearance and wading depth of 23.6 inches, bestow respectable off-road capabilities. Other off-road features include standard low traction launch (this modulates the throttle to carefully accelerate on slippery surfaces), available All Terrain Progress Control (a low-speed cruise control), an available active rear locking differential, and an available electronic air suspension system with adjustable ride height.
Is the Land Rover Range Rover Velar Reliable?
The 2018 Range Rover Velar has a below-average predicted reliability rating of 2.5 out of five from J.D. Power.
The Range Rover Velar comes with a four-year/50,000-mile limited warranty.
Range Rover Velar crash test scores have not been released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Every Range Rover Velar comes with a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, lane departure warning, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and autonomous emergency braking with advanced emergency brake assist. Additionally, Land Rover offers an impressive list of high-tech safety features, including automatic high beams, a driver drowsiness monitor, rear cross traffic monitoring, traffic sign recognition with adaptive speed limiter, blind spot monitoring, active park assist for parallel and perpendicular parking, active blind spot assist, lane keep assist, a 360-degree camera system, a head-up display, and adaptive cruise control with stop-start functionality and intelligent emergency braking.
Which Land Rover Range Rover Velar Model Is Right for Me?
Land Rover has a peculiar approach when distinguishing between configurations, separating trim levels first by model and then by specification packages. Every model has seating for five and all-wheel drive, and you can select from among three engines, depending on the specification package. The base model is the Velar, which comes as the Velar, Velar S, and Velar SE. The Velar R-Dynamic has distinctive styling and is available in SE and HSE specification packages. The top-of-the-line model is the Velar First Edition.
The base Velar tenders a good value with its lengthy list of posh features. It's a good pick if you want to keep your costs in the $50,000 range. For more power than the standard turbocharged four-cylinder can supply, we recommend starting with the Velar S. You can upgrade to either the supercharged V6 or turbodiesel while enjoying luxuries like perforated leather seats and an alluring Meridian sound system.
A 247-horsepower, turbocharged four-cylinder engine powers the base Velar trim level ($49,900). Its Touch Pro Duo infotainment system features two 10-inch touch screens, Bluetooth, eight-speakers, voice commands, two USB ports, and smartphone integration via InControl Apps. Other standard features include seats upholstered with synthetic leather and suede, 10-way power-adjustable front seats, a leather steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, push-button start, a proximity key, a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, lane departure warning, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and autonomous emergency braking with advanced emergency brake assist.
Key additions to the Velar S include perforated, grained leather seats, an 11-speaker Meridian sound system, navigation, automatic high beams, a hands-free power liftgate, and a Wi-Fi hot spot that can connect up to eight devices. Prices for this edition start at $54,700 with the standard four-cylinder engine, $56,200 with the turbodiesel engine, and $64,200 with the supercharged V6.
The supercharged V6 is the only engine available for the Velar SE. This $67,400 edition comes with a 17-speaker Meridian surround-sound system, an interactive driver display, driver drowsiness monitoring, rear cross traffic monitoring, and traffic sign recognition with adaptive speed limiter.
The Velar R-Dynamic SE starts at $60,100 and gets upgraded cabin materials (such as satin chrome and aluminum trimmings), larger wheels, blind spot monitoring, driver drowsiness monitoring, rear cross traffic monitoring, and traffic sign recognition with adaptive speed limiter. The turbocharged four-cylinder engine is standard, and both the turbodiesel and supercharged V6 engine are available. The sticker price increases to $67,600 for the Velar R-Dynamic HSE, which comes with 20-way power-adjustable front seats with massage, heat, and ventilation; active park assist for parallel and perpendicular parking; adaptive cruise control with stop-start functionality and intelligent emergency braking; active blind spot assist; and lane keep assist.
To celebrate this model's inaugural year, Land Rover is offering the Velar First Edition. With the supercharged V6 engine under the hood, this $89,300 trim comes with special badging, an activity key (a wearable, waterproof wristband that doubles as a key so you don't have to worry about your actual key falling out of your pocket), two additional USB ports in the second row, an electronic air suspension system, the Terrain Response 2 system with automatic drive modes, and an active rear locking differential. Advanced safety features include a 360-degree camera system, a head-up display, active park assist for parallel and perpendicular parking, active blind spot assist, lane keep assist, and adaptive cruise control with stop-start functionality and intelligent emergency braking.
The Range Rover Velar contains many of the traits that the larger Range Rover is known for: serene accommodations, sophisticated styling, and polished on-road manners. For $50,000, Land Rover packs a lot of features in this SUV, including a state-of-the art infotainment setup that includes two screens and an easy-to-use interface. Surprising elements such as a Fitbit-like activity key and a lush wool-blend interior are also available. Unlike the Range Rover, the Velar is available with only light off-roading components, but you can still take this 2-row off the beaten path if you're so inclined.