Range Rover Velar powertrain and specification options will spoil you with choice

Words that you can safely bet will never be heard in a Land Rover showroom when the company’s new midsize Range Rover Velar lands in October: “Gee honey, if only there was more choice…”

This pivotal new model for the Indian-owned British brand will launch with no fewer than 48 variants, including a fully-loaded First Edition model, powered by either the 221kW/700Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 for $168,250, or the 280kW/450Nm supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine for $168,862.

Add the optional ‘Flux Silver’ satin paint (read, no gloss coat) for $12,860 and you’re looking at $181,722, or around the price of an entry-level model of the flagship Range Rover.

Yes, the market for premium midsize SUVs clearly knows few boundaries, as Land Rover’s pricing moves the segment into previously unchartered territory, comfortably eclipsing even Porsche’s top-spec midsize SUV, the Macan Turbo, at $133,800.

But wait, as they say in the infomercials: there’s more. Not content with the five engines so far announced (see below), Land Rover has now revealed that a sixth engine option will join the line-up in early 2018.

It’s the 221kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol Ingenium four that will also be made available in the updated Jaguar F-Type (set for Australian launch in the final quarter of this year starting from $107K) and will effectively add another add eight variants due the Velar’s eight equipment/trim levels on offer for each engine.

So to recap the engine choices:

D180 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel - 132kW/430Nm

D240 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel - 177kW/500Nm

D300 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel - 221kW/700Nm

P250 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol - 184kW/365Nm

P300 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol - 221kW/400Nm

P380: 3.0-litre supercharged petrol V6 - 280kW/450Nm

Quickest of these, at least in terms of the 0-100km/h sprint, will be the supercharged V6, capable of a claimed 5.7 seconds. Top speed is an electronically limited 250km/h; fuel consumption a combined figure of 9.4l/100km.

However the high-output 2.0-litre petrol will not be not far off, with 0-100km/h in a claimed 6.0 seconds, which, along with the 7.7litre/100km combined fuel figure, means it’s expected to find a strong following in Australia.

All engines are teamed with an eight-speed ZF torque convertor auto with paddle shifters. The six-cylinder engines get a heavier duty version of the transmission to handle the higher torque outputs, but Land Rover tells us all engines benefit from bespoke transmission calibrations in an effort to maximise fuel efficiency and provide the most intuitive shift characteristics.

The Range Rover Velar is built on the same platform as the Jaguar F-Pace and rides on an identical 2874mm wheelbase. It also features a similarly aluminium-intensive structure as its Jaguar stablemate, with the body in white claimed to be made up of 81 percent aluminium, with the remainder made up of high-strength steels for selected rear body sections, magnesium alloys for the front subframe and rear cross member, and composites for the tailgate.

Naturally, as a Land Rover, the Velar is designed to be unafraid of getting its boots dirty. It comes with the company’s Terrain Response 2 system with switchable modes for different low-traction surfaces, and weaves in All Terrain Progress Control, Low Traction Launch, Hill Descent Control and a Grounding Detection function which is intended to alert the driver to submerged obstacles they may have been unable to see.

Models fitted with the standard coil-sprung suspension feature a class-leading 213mm of ground clearance, increasing to 251mm with air suspension (standard on V6 models, optional on higher-output four-cylinder models), along with a class-leading wading depth of 600mm (650mm with air suspension). All models get Adaptive Dynamics, which is LR’s name for adaptive damper control.

Headline features for the Velar include the debut of the new Touch Pro Duo infotainment system with two high-definition 10-inch touchscreens, along with Matrix Laser-LED headlights, a 1600-watt Meridian Signature sound system, wheels up to 22-inches in diameter (all this and more is fitted to the fully loaded First Edition models, as you’d expect) plus flush, pop-out door handles (which we’re previously seen on Jaguar and Aston Martin) and a beautifully clean, minimalistic design approach both inside and out.

Model grades start with the eponymous Velar, then step to S, SE, and HSE. This is repeated with the addition of the R-Dynamic styling package (which adds different front and rear bumper designs, exterior trim changes, extra flashes of aluminium inside, a different steering wheel, metal pedals, and few other trim tweaks) so; R-Dynamic, R-Dynamic S, R-Dynamic SE and R-Dynamic HSE.

Would it not have been much more simple to keep the R-Dynamic exterior styling package as a $6000 addition to the four fundamental spec levels? Well, yes, we think so, but clearly LR’s local product planners don’t, and they get paid the big bucks, so here’s the range as it stands ready for launch, prior to the addition of the P300 high-output petrol four.

2018 Range Rover Velar pricing (before on-road costs)

P250 petrol four

Velar – $70,950
Velar S – $82,050
Velar SE – $90,950
Velar HSE – $107,250
Velar R-Dynamic – $76,950
Velar R-Dynamic S – $88,050
Velar R-Dynamic SE – $96,950
Velar R-Dynamic HSE – $113,250

P380 supercharged petrol V6

Velar – $93,750
Velar S – $104,850
Velar SE – $113,750
Velar HSE – $130,050
Velar R-Dynamic – $99,750
Velar R-Dynamic S – $110,850
Velar R-Dynamic SE – $119,750
Velar R-Dynamic HSE – $136,050
First Edition – $169,150

D180 diesel four

Velar $71,550
Velar S – $82,650
Velar SE – $91,550
Velar HSE – $107,850
Velar R-Dynamic – $77,550
Velar R-Dynamic S – $88,650
Velar R-Dynamic SE – $97,550
Velar R-Dynamic HSE – $113,850

D240 diesel four

Velar – $80,950
Velar S – $92,050
Velar SE – $100,950
Velar HSE – $117,250
Velar R-Dynamic – $86,950
Velar R-Dynamic S – $98,050
Velar R-Dynamic SE – $106,950
Velar R-Dynamic HSE – $123,250

D300 diesel V6

Velar – $92,850
Velar S – $103,950
Velar SE – $112,850
Velar HSE – $129,150
Velar R-Dynamic – $98,850
Velar R-Dynamic S – $109,950
Velar R-Dynamic SE – $118,850
Velar R-Dynamic HSE – $135,150
Velar First Edition – $168,250