Five things you didn’t know about the new Range Rover Velar

HONEY, I shrunk the Range Rover. Sleek new Velar fits between the baby Evoque and flagship Vogue. But you’ll need to brace yourself for the price.

The new Range Rover Velar has arrived in Australia, but it comes with a hefty price. Picture: Supplied.

1. It looks like a concept car

Range Rover penned a new look about six years ago with its baby Evoque; it has proved so successful every model since has been a derivative of that sleek design. The Velar fits between the Evoque and the full size Range Rover in the line-up which means, although it looks like a million bucks, it is in fact cheaper than a full blown RR. However, “cheaper” is a relative term …

Concept car comes to life: the Range Rover Velar. Picture: Supplied.

2. The one we tested costs $144,830 plus on-roads

The starting price for the “launch” edition of the Velar is $112,850 — before on-roads. For that you do get some goodies included, such as matrix LED headlights that mask oncoming cars of its high beam, and fancy pop-out door handles that will be the first thing proud owners show to their friends. And probably more so their enemies, purely to make them jealous. Standard kit also includes lane departure warning, which vibrates the steering wheel and feels like you’ve run over a rumble strip even if you haven’t. You also get a power tailgate with gesture opening, Wi-Fi hotspot capability, high resolution touchscreens in the cabin, a 17-Meridian speaker sound system, and massive 20-inch wheels.

The cabin has three large high resolution screens, including one which tilts at the touch of a button. Picture: Supplied.

3. That brings us to the options list

Heated and cooled front seats with massage function and 20-way adjustment are $7730 (you’ll need to de-stress after the price alone), panorama sunroof is $4370, perforated leather seats with the union jack logo are another $1910, metallic paint is $1780, and electric steering column adjustment is $890. The list goes on.

4. It’s got some grunt

The 3.0-litre turbo diesel has plenty of oomph (221kW/700Nm). Matched to an eight-speed auto it gets off the line smartly and ticks over at low revs at freeway speeds to aid fuel economy. Range Rover claims a 0 to 100kmh time of 6.5 seconds, but on our GPS timing equipment it was even quicker on an average of four runs (two in each direction) with a full tank of fuel: 6.3 seconds. This is almost as quick as a Volkswagen Golf GTI and yet the Velar weighs almost two tonnes.

The 3.0-litre turbo diesel has ample performance. Picture: Supplied.

5. It drives as good as it looks

The lower centre of gravity and low roof height mean the Velar doesn’t throw its weight around as much as other two-tonne SUVs. The bonnet, fenders, tailgate and body structure are aluminium. Only the doors are steel. The matrix high beams work accurately most of the time; they never blinded other cars during my time behind the wheel but I would have liked them to light up the sections around other cars a bit more often than they did. The ride comfort is impressive given it has such massive wheels and it steers sharply — for an SUV — in corners. My only reservation is the prospect of warranty claims. If I didn’t venture beyond the urban jungle I’d take a punt and own one.

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling