2022 Land Rover Range Rover Velar Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Few automakers have made luxury SUVs for as long as Jaguar Land Rover. There's class and elegance to the Velar that announces wealth and taste. Everyone knows it's a Rover and everyone is conflicted between the brand's cachet and the fear that "oooh-ahhhh" features like its pop-out door handles will suddenly stop working. Reliability is not what draws people to a Range Rover. It's the look. And the Velar looks better than almost all of the many small luxury SUVs out there.

What's most impressive is how Land Rover references the big Range Rover's tall, tent-like profile and scales them into a lowered, sporty package with the same proportions. The long wheelbase, short overhangs, trapezoidal roof, sweptback fascia with the trademark Land Rover grille and square lights, and even the mass of the fenders, are all unmistakably Range Rover.

The Velar makes subtle adjustments, such as the roof's slope that gradually drops toward the rear while a wide shoulder crease separating the glass from the body gradually rises. It's an almost liquid form that manages to be both blocky and streamlined, especially with the flush door handles. It's the look we're now witnessing on the redesigned 2022 Range Rover.

Other special details include the taillight lenses, which have mirrors to give the illusion of depth. Two deep air ducts between the edge of the roof and the tailgate's spoiler are reminiscent of the NACA ducts on a Bugatti. The R-Dynamic trim adds bronze accents to the hood, darkens the grille, and adds a more aggressive front bumper. We're happy to see the base 18-inch wheels removed—they were the Velar's one inexcusable design element—and nicer 19s are now standard. Our test car, the base Velar S trim level, had the optional Black Exterior Pack and 20-inch black wheels. Set against Fuji White paint, there's no sharper way to dress unless you opt for the largest 22-inch wheels.

The interior is just as slick as the exterior. Our all-black cabin was dressed down compared to the heavily optioned 2020 and 2018 models we previously tested. That means a lower-grade leather, no leather on the dash (a soft and textured synthetic material is used instead), and a few splashes of aluminum on the door panels and speaker covers. The white contrast stitching and patterns on the seats are attractive, as is the polished black centre stack that's the defining element of this interior. The materials, even in this base trim, are high quality. Fit and finish are exemplary.

The three screens—two touchscreens of varying sizes, plus a reconfigurable instrument panel—are sharp and feature sophisticated, simple graphics. Upper trims feature extra leather and softer headliners, plus richer, two-tone colours and textures on the seats. But the cheaper Velar still reminds you what you're driving.

Sharing its chassis with the Jaguar F-Pace, the Velar handles and steers unlike any Land Rover preceding it. The lower centre of gravity and lighter weight pay off when cornering and braking—two things the bigger Rovers never seem to enjoy. Where the smaller Evoque is equally entertaining on a back road, the Velar's smoother ride is better damped and more controlled, even on the standard coil-sprung suspension.

The optional electronic air suspension with adaptive dampers can automatically level the vehicle according to the weight on board, and can raise the body 4.5 centimetres for up to 25 centimetres of clearance. It also provides a "magic carpet" ride that's plusher and more isolated than the standard suspension.

The base engine is a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four producing 247 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque, connected to an 8-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive (AWD). Like most turbo-four powertrains in this segment, it provides average response. It accelerates this 1,875-kilogram (4,100-pound) vehicle at a decent clip but only if you prod the accelerator pedal. Otherwise, the eight-speed automatic short-shifts and keeps the Velar in the tallest overdrive gears in low-speed city driving. Exciting it's not.

The standard Terrain Response system has six driving modes for different conditions, including a Dynamic mode, and adds paddle shifters to quicken the transmission's response. All Terrain Progress Control, essentially a launch control for slippery surfaces, is now standard as well. But the Velar's mission as a street Rover compromises any off-road capability. There's no locking differential or low range like you'll find on the larger Range Rover models. Granted, most owners who have those features don't use them. Avoid puddles more than half a metre deep and you'll be fine.

The optional 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six pairs with a 48-volt mild-hybrid (MHEV) system, and is available in two states of tune. The R-Dynamic model get 335 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque, while the HST has 395 hp and 405 lb-ft, courtesy of an electric supercharger. Launched for the 2021 model year as a replacement for Land Rover's supercharged V6, this powertrain makes the Velar worth its premium price.

Mild-hybrid setups like this help the Velar reduce fuel consumption since many of the vehicle accessories can be powered by a separate lithium-ion battery. That same battery also powers the electric supercharger and a motor-generator that works as a more powerful starter motor. It doesn't shut off the engine or run in electric mode while in motion. But this powertrain serves up the high performance that luxury buyers expect while lowering emissions.

If you're looking for a V8, look back to the 2020 model year. That's the first and last time Land Rover's exuberant 5.0-litre supercharged V8 will ever appear in a Velar. We tested a 2020 SVAutobiography Dynamic and needless to say, it was incredible. Very efficient diesel engines were available on earlier model years as well. A plug-in hybrid is now available in Europe but there's no mention of it coming to North America.

The Velar is much tighter inside than midsize SUVs and only slightly roomier than compact SUVs. That pretty exterior reduces headroom, especially for rear-seat passengers, and limits visibility due to very thick B-pillars and small rear windows. Cargo space is barely adequate—552 litres behind the rear seats and 1,358 litres when those seats are folded. These are the sacrifices the Velar makes so it can be ravishingly handsome.

But while style concessions can be overlooked, the Velar makes one of the worst mistakes in modern car design. There is no discrete control for the parking brake. Earlier Velar models had a regular push-pull tab by the driver's left knee. On new Velar models, it's replaced by a blank plate. Is it now on the right side? Beneath the retractable cover on the console? Hidden behind the armrests? We had to consult the owner's manual to learn how to operate a most basic and essential safety feature.

You would never guess: It's the P button that locks the transmission into park. By pressing and holding the transmission button, you engage and disengage the brake. Like many cars with electric parking brakes, the Velar automatically engages the brake when you put the car in park and disengages when selecting reverse or drive. But why do this? Making one button control two completely independent functions is illogical and dangerous in a real emergency. Plus, we banged our hand into the new shifter several times, sometimes shifting it into sport by mistake, because the bulky hand grip blocks the volume and climate controls behind it. The Velar's older rotary dial shifter made sense and got out of the way—and there was a parking brake button anyone could find.

At least Land Rover's new Pivi Pro infotainment cleans up the interface on the two touchscreens so it's faster and easier to use. The steering wheel loses the touch-sensitive controls that sometimes didn't work on earlier Velar models. But the Velar illustrates a frustrating trend where automakers redesign critical controls for the sake of redesigning them (and cutting production costs). This has to stop.

We were expecting our Velar's infotainment system to freeze or cause errors during our test. Buggy software that never gets fixed has been a Land Rover trait for quite a long time. Remarkably, that wasn't the case, and we found other things to like about the system as well.

Pivi Pro simplifies the layout with fewer icons and more logical arrangements. For example, the most used functions for navigation, phone, and audio are on the left, while the three large tiles in the home screen show the most useful info and controls for those functions at a glance. It's easy to customize (you can show an app icon layout instead, for example) and the setting pages require less scrolling.

You'll also find a lot more useful features if you dig deep. You can now say "Hey Land Rover" to activate a voice assistant, or create your own phrase. There's a new PM2.5 air filter and a sensor that monitors carbon dioxide levels in the cabin. An available heated windshield can clear fog and ice faster than a defroster and will automatically engage in colder temperatures. The navigation can identify frequent routes and suggest traffic detours, automatically begin directions for commuting, and silence voice instructions when it determines you know the local roads. The 4x4 app details the exact dimensions and off-road measurements of your specific Velar and can sense if surrounding water is rising too high for the vehicle to clear. The 360-degree cameras can show the vehicle in three dimensions. An off-road mode continuously shows the front and sides of the vehicle on the main screen.

The instrument panel can show full-width maps and reconfigure the gauges and information displays in a variety of layouts. The driving assist display isn't that detailed, however; it won't show surrounding vehicles on highway lanes like Mercedes-Benz or Tesla. The optional adaptive cruise control has steering assist that's good but not as great for semi-automated driving as other competitors. LED headlights, automatic high beams, 14-way power heated front seats, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a 12-speaker Meridian sound system come standard.

Crash-test ratings from U.S. agencies aren't available, but the Velar scored well in the European New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) when it launched.

A European-spec 2017 Velar, which is mechanically similar to the North American version, scored five of five stars and a 93-percent score for multiple front and side impact tests rated with front and rear passengers. However, it's worth noting that the Euro NCAP testing protocol is different from those used by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), so the results don't directly translate.

Standard driving assists include forward emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, traffic sign recognition, and a driver attention monitor. The 360-degree cameras and adaptive cruise control with steering assist are optional.

The 2022 Range Rover Velar P250 starts at an MSRP of $66,850 but can easily pass a retail price of $90,000 in the fully loaded Range Rover Velar model. Our Velar S with the four-cylinder engine was $74,926 (Canadian, estimated) with $2,445 destination and a few welcome options, including the 360-degree cameras, head-up display, heated steering wheel and windshield, automatic parking, and the Black Exterior Packs' cosmetic upgrades.

Choosing the six-cylinder mild-hybrid models is the way to go for power and efficiency. Driven gingerly, the base six-cylinder powertrain has fuel consumption of 11.8 litres per 100 kilometres city, 9.0 highway, and 10.7 combined. (These figures are converted from U.S. EPA testing; Natural Resources Canada figures were not available at time of publication.) The electric-supercharger/turbo combination gets 12.4 L/100 km city, 9.4 highway, and 11.2 combined. In comparison, four-cylinder models get 11.8 L/100 km city, 9.0 highway, and 10.2 combined. So, despite less power and less displacement, the four-cylinder engine doesn't have a true efficiency advantage over the base mild-hybrid inline-six powertrain.

The Velar is a good buy among luxury SUVs because of its incredible attention to style and chassis dynamics. Even the electronics are good and work well—so far. In the Land Rover family, it's a deal. But for utility and value, other SUVs like the BMW X5 and Volvo XC90 offer more space, just as much performance, and (nearly) as much style for similar money.

Note: Images show a US model.