Land Rover Range Rover Velar review

Prices for the 2021 Velar start at £46,110, but the Velar you get for your £46k is apologetically specced on sofa castor wheels with all the kerbside presence of a recently discarded household appliance. You’re going to need to throw some money at it to get the trim, colour and rims that do this shape justice. About £60k ought to do it.

R-Dynamic and Edition trims sit above the regular Velar, which is fitted as standard with LED headlights, rain-sensing wipers, 19-inch rims, 8-way electric heated front seats, the 10-inch touchscreen with (haphazard in our experience) Apple and Android mirroring, and a 3D-surround camera. The 6cyl diesel is only available once you’ve stepped up to R-Dynamic trim, and remains our spec choice, at £60,225 with the wonderful D300 powertrain on board.

If you can stomach a lowly diesel and Dacia-spec wheels, we found Velars on PCP for £580 online, with a top-end P400 asking around £870 a month.

That compares favourably with similar-spec BMW X4s (yuck) and the likes of the vastly less stylish Mercedes GLC Coupe, thanks to Land Rover’s strong residuals. Mind you, Top Gear’s Velar long-termer was infamous for irritating connectivity issues and a propensity for its touchscreen to shut down or boot smartphones off the connection whenever the mood took it. If your Velar is similarly afflicted, demand your dealer sort a software upgrade, because this is too good a car, and too likeable an SUV to be spoiled by JLR screen-itus.

Note that many of the off-road features are optional, so think carefully about what you’ll be using your Velar for.