2020 Land Rover Range Rover Velar

History/Overview

Introduced in 2018, the five-seater Land Rover Range Rover Velar is the newest member of the extensive Range Rover family of SUVs. Velar is the Latin word for veil or cover, and its use here is not as random as it seems: Land Rover applied the same name to concept vehicles in the 1960s.

What's New / Key Changes from Last Year

New for 2020 is a top-end SVAutobiography Dynamic (SVAutobiography is Land Rover's typography choice) trim that becomes the first Range Rover Velar with V8 power.

Land Rover has also dropped last year's four-cylinder turbodiesel engine option from the Velar lineup.

Available Trims

The Velar comes in base, R-Dynamic and SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition trims. Base trim uses a 2.0L turbo four-cylinder gas engine. R-Dynamic starts out with a more potent version of that engine, and can be optioned with two versions of a 3.0L supercharged V6. SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition trim gets a 5.0L supercharged V8.

All engines are matched with an eight-speed transmission and 4WD.

Standard Features

The base Range Rover Velar comes equipped with a power tailgate, rain-sensing wipers, flush exterior door handles, auto-dimming and power-folding side mirrors, tire pressure monitoring, forward collision detection with city-speed automatic emergency braking, hill descent control, terrain response, auto-leveling automatic on/off headlights, 14-way power-adjustable front seats, electric steering column adjustments, smartphone integration, garage door opener, navigation, blind spot assist, driver condition monitor and traffic sign recognition with adaptive speed limiter.

R-Dynamic trim gets different front and rear bumpers, black exterior trim, larger front brakes, front and rear parking sensors, satin chrome steering wheel-mounted shift paddles, and Land Rover's interactive driver display digital gauge cluster.

Finally, the AVAutobiography Dynamic package brings upgraded front and rear brakes with red calipers, front fog lights, adaptive cruise control, the Adaptive Dynamics drive mode system, sport suspension, high-speed emergency braking, an electronic active differential, chrome interior trim, lighted door sill plates, a 360-degree exterior camera system and reverse traffic detection.

Key Options

Options on the base model include niceties like a heated steering wheel and a Meridian sound system.

R-Dynamic and SVAutobiography trims can be optioned with packages that bundle items like high-speed automatic braking, park assist, surround view cameras, adaptive cruise, a hands-free tailgate and air suspension.

There's also Land Rover's optional activity key, which is a wearable, waterproof bracelet that activates the car's passive keyless entry system.

A Hot Climate package for the R-Dynamic model brings four-zone climate control.

Fuel Economy

Land Rover's fuel consumption estimates for the Range Rover Velar are 11.7/9.2 L/100 km (city/highway) with the four-cylinder engine, and 13.0/10.0 with the supercharged V6. At the time of this writing, Land Rover had not published ratings for the new SVAutobiography's V8, but its estimates should be similar to those for the same engine in the standard Range Rover model, at 17.9/12.7 L/100 km (city/highway).

Competition

Land Rover Range Rover Velar competitors include vehicles like the Lexus RX, BMW X3 and X5, Lincoln Nautilus, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class and GLE Coupe and the Porsche Macan and Cayenne.