Range Rover Velar

- Rohit Paradkar

A good two weeks have passed between the time I drove the Range Rover Velar and penned this review. In this time, it has grown on me. The vehicle we drove and what you see here, does not give the best impression of the Velar - the grey is quite dull and lacks some of the cosmetic sheen that you can otherwise specify on the options list. I was starting to feel that its platform cousin, the Jaguar F-Pace, feels more desirable.

But then I saw a Range Rover Velar late in the night, appearing slowly out of a dark alley, wearing red with gloss black on the roof and the wheels. What a sight! It looked sinister and how. If I were to buy one that is exactly how I would like it. The Velar also happens to be one of the few European SUVs I spotted in Fujairah, when I was in the Middle East recently, and in typical Range Rover fashion, its sophisticated form looked right at home even with sand dunes and rocky mountains in the backdrop.

Design

But is it a true-blooded Range Rover? At least in terms of its design, it is in line with the Range Rover lineage and slots right in between the Evoque and the Sport. The F-Pace connection gives it tighter lines than its stable mates and the pinched roofline looks quite unique to the lineage. The headlights and taillights are much sharper than anything you have seen in this stable and make the Velar look more athletic than its siblings. The Jaguar connection is visible again in the flush door-handles, which elevate the aesthetic appeal of this cosmopolitan SUV.

Cabin and Practicality