The Velar HSE offers a choice of engines when spec’ing the car, and ours was powered by the four-cylinder 240hp 2.0-litre twin-turbocharged diesel unit (the D240) which is of the Ingenium powerplant family. Granted, it’s not the quickest and takes a little while to wind up, but that’s where the 3.0-litre P380 and D300 V6 fills the gap for those hunting for more return. However, on the flip side, owners of this car are rewarded with an impressive combined fuel economy of nearly 50mpg and emissions of only 154g/km CO2, which means that the figures certainly do add up.

The Velar is a great cruiser, and out on the open road, the diesel engine is remarkably quiet and you almost forget what lies under the bonnet. We took the Velar on a mixture of roads from country lanes to dual carriageways, and the eight-speed automatic gearbox was seamless in its operation. This SUV also felt planted and stable when cornering. The electronic air suspension, another extra (£1,140), makes the ride incredibly smooth, although you can still feel the odd undulation in the road. We didn’t take it off the tarmac, but the Velar is a fully-capable off-roader for those wanting to venture on to the rougher ground.

There’s a plethora of driver aids in the Velar to make being at the wheel even easier, such as adaptive cruise control, the optional head-up display with traffic sign recognition (£930) – a holographic image in the windscreen, the blind spot parking sensors and a favourite of ours, an illuminated image of the Velar on the ground when the car is opened during hours of darkness.

The model equally comes with a surround camera system (one camera is in the centre of the lower front grille, one is above the rear number plate, whilst the two others sit underneath each of the door mirrors) which is invaluable with the car being nearly five metres long and over two metres wide. The only things that we found that weren’t so user-friendly were the twist-type light stalk which made it a bit confusing as to what was on and what wasn’t, and the automatic boot opener wasn’t the most responsive and took a few clicks.

However, other than that, the Velar was faultless.

With a starting price of £44,830 for the entry-level model, the Velar is undoubtedly a good compromise for those who want something slightly bigger than the Evoque, but aren’t quite ready to take on the might of the Sport. The Velar is stylish and the specification is comprehensive, even without the options, so the luxurious HSE is certainly worth a look in the line-up.

Range Rover Velar D240 HSE – specification at a glance:

  • Price as tested: £67,565.00 (including options)
  • Engine: Four-cylinder twin turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel
  • Transmission: 8-speed automatic
  • Max Power: 240 hp
  • Max Torque: 500 @ 1,500 rpm
  • 0 – 60 mph: 6.8 seconds
  • Top Speed: 135 mph
  • Fuel consumption – urban: 39.2 mpg
  • Fuel consumption – extra urban: 55.4 mpg
  • Fuel consumption – combined: 49.7 mpg
  • CO2: 154 (Band G)
  • Length: 4,803 mm
  • Width: 2,145 mm (including door mirrors)
  • Height: 1,665 mm
  • Dry weight: 1,841 mpg
  • Fuel tank size: 60 litres

Range Rover Velar – Where and How?

For more information on the Range Rover Velar, visit www.landrover.co.uk.

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