If you’re going to spend upwards of $50,000 on an SUV and you want nothing but the best when it comes to style and technology, it would seem obvious that the Range Rover Velar should be on your shortlist.
It’s one of those rare premium products that’s fancy not just for the sake of it. In fact, the Velar is just as practical in its approach to comfort as it is with technology, and Doug DeMuro just happens to think that it’s the coolest Range Rover ever.
Of course, the R-Dynamic model he drove during this review was extremely well spec’d, costing roughly $85,000, which is all-new Porsche Cayenne S territory, but that’s a whole different discussion.
The first thing that one might find striking regarding the Velar is its appearance. The door handles sit flush with the body when the car is locked, as if to give you a hint of what’s to come once you climb inside and feast your eyes on the dual screen center console setup.
It’s there that the Velar really looks to impress, as there aren’t many physical buttons to operate – it’s all touchscreen and rotary dials. In total, the Velar has three digital displays, if you include the massively configurable gauge cluster, which you obviously should.
Finally, driving the Velar can be a surprisingly rewarding experience. DeMuro went as far as to say that it’s more engaging than a Jaguar F-Pace, giving it a 6/10 rating in the handling department, which he says is very high for an SUV, based on his Dougscore system.