2019 Range Rover Velar p250 R-Dynamic SE

The verdict: The Velar delivers great luxury, style and capability, futuristic and modern.

2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE

Key features: Air suspension, Touch Pro Duo with two 10-inch touchscreens, quad-zone automatic climate control, active rear locking differential, heated/ventilated/massaging front seats, all-terrain progress control, adaptive cruise control, and power liftgate with gesture opening.

Speaking of opulence, the Range Rover Velar’s biggest strength is its overall sense of luxuriousness. This starts before you step into it, from the retractable door handles to a low roof that makes the exterior lines appear stretched and taut. That feeling extends to the interior, with fantastic materials all around, clean styling and two large screens (part of the new Touch Pro Duo system) staring back at you from the center console. As mentioned above, the Range Rover Velar’s interior is a very luxurious space.
 The cargo area is expansive (34.4 cubic feet behind the rear seats), with four hooks to hold grocery bags in place and easy pulls that drop the 40/20/40-split rear seats without forcing you to walk around the side. The kick-to-open rear liftgate works easily once you realize the sensors are on the sides of the Velar, and a foot motion will close the liftgate, as well.

Touch Pro Duo continues to be a mixed bag for me, but there are aspects of it that are a definite plus. Both screens are gorgeous, with high resolution, bright colors and well-designed menus. It’s also very quick; there’s no lag when jumping through functions, and there’s minimal delay upon startup — a shortcoming we’ve noticed in systems from other manufacturers. There’s a dedicated volume dial, as well, which was appreciated.

The top screen controls most of the multimedia and navigation functions, while the bottom screen houses vehicle, climate and some seat settings.

Safety and Convenience

The Range Rover Velar offers some standard safety and convenience technology, Standard safety technology includes autonomous forward emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, rear parking sensors, and cruise control with speed limiter. More advanced features like adaptive cruise control, a blind spot monitor, traffic sign recognition and lane keep assist are optional in packages. An around view monitor is available as a standalone feature.

There are also two available parking packages to help maneuver the Velar. The Park Package adds 360-degree parking sensors and reverse traffic detection, which detects vehicles crossing behind the Velar from either direction. The Park Pro takes it a step further, with a park assist system that can steer into parallel or perpendicular parking spaces.