SPORTY, TOO
RANGE ROVER’S VELAR R- DYNAMIC PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES IN EVERY DIRECTION.
When minds that seldom agree clash, you end up with Driving. ca contributors David Booth and Graeme Fletcher bantering about the merits of Range Rover’s all-new Velar. Is it a case of clinging to the past too much for its own good, or a shift in direction that gives the owner the ability to get away from it all in style?
David Booth: Deep in the bowels of the Range Rover Velar’s myriad of computer displays — and there truly are many — are some readouts that tell you exactly how far Land Rover has come from its origins of muddy Series I and Defenders chasing errant sheep. Oh, you have to probe deep into the Vehicle Settings department — and even then only if you have the system in “Dynamic” mode — but one of the novelties is a lap timer. Indeed, there’s even a “g- force” monitor to illuminate how many lateral gs you’re pulling when you slam around yet another hairpin turn.
Both are features that would not be out of place in a Porsche or Ferrari. But, referencing the aforementioned Land Rover origins, I’m not sure there’s enough decimal points in the Velar’s lap timer to record a Defender’s leisurely amble around the back 40. And the only time a circa 1950s or 1960s Defender could have triggered anything like the gs the Velar’s monitor records is if some shepherd drove it off a cliff.
All of which is to say that, despite all the specifications quoting ground clearance, wading depths and angles of departure, this latest Range Rover is a greater departure from Land Rover’s past as the company has ever conceived.
Graeme Fletcher: I share many of your sentiments. I do not remember being so intimidated by an infotainment interface since BMW’s original iDrive. I was overwhelmed that every facet of the Velar is accessed through one of two touch screens, plus a touch- sensitive pad on the left side of the steering wheel or a pair of rotary knobs. The latter change function according to the menu selected, which seemed to compound the complexity.
By the end of the test, I had learned to use the touch screens with ease, although the steering wheel touch pad continued to confound me. Again, what it did changed with the menu selected.
Of all of the functions, the one that’s a must to master is vehicle settings. It allows the Velar to be customized more than anything I remember driving. Picking the vehicle menu gives access to Eco, Normal and Dynamic modes, along with some off-road settings. Once in Dynamic, it allows the steering, suspension, engine and transmission to be selected for comfort (Normal) or Sport.
The preferred settings can be saved or changed on the fly. Pick Sport, and it gives the big crossover some real dynamism to the way it feels; it drives like a much smaller vehicle with an athletic response, which inspired confidence when out strafing a back road.
Then there are those off- road settings. There’s one for just about every eventuality, i ncluding chasing errant sheep t hrough waist- deep mud. Here, the confusion arose again. Is a Velar owner about to tackle the lower slopes of Everest in the builtfor- Batman vehicle? Not a chance.
DB: No, I don’t think so either. The Velar really is a two- box F-Type: all growly motor and stiff suspension. The engine is virtually the same as the F-Type S, which is to say it pumps out 380 horsepower from its 3.0-litre supercharged V6, and it accelerates the Velar with — using teddy English vernacular — alacrity. It even growls a bit.
GF: I agree with both the noise and pick- up comments. In Dynamic, I clocked from rest to 100 km/ h at 5.8 seconds; for a 2,098kg ride, that’s pretty quick. That, however, is not where the engine, eight- speed automatic and all- wheel drive shine as a combination; the setup delivers a stunning 80- to-120 km/ h passing move of 3.6 seconds. Credit the healthy 332 pound- feet of torque and the fact it hangs in from 3,500 to 5,000 rpm. That, in my teddy English, is alacrity personified. I did venture slightly off- road and the Velar proved to be equally at home pounding a muddy, potholed logging road.
The other aspect that surprised me was the flexibility and available space. The 673L with the seats up is enough for a full quotient of golf bags. Dropping the middle row opens up 1,985L, respectable for something that’s more about the sports side of its personality than it is about utility.
DB: What you’re saying, Graeme, is that the Velar, despite all those pretensions to Jaguar-ism is still very much a Range Rover, i.e. wading in and out of streams, with or without screaming kids in the back and Buster the Labrador in the trunk. (Surely you mean boot — Ed.) Indeed, I’d have to say that has been Range Rover’s greatest strength as of late: expanding the envelope while still retaining Land Rover’s core qualities. And why, of course, people are willing to pay $ 91,410 for the privilege.
GF: I agree with the move away from its origins and toward a thoroughly modern vehicle. Unlike Jeep, which has all but abandoned its origins, with the exception of the Wrangler, no other company has stuck to the corporate guns as fervently as Land Rover. Is this a smart move or just pigheaded thinking? I tend to think it’s a little of both. I would ditch some of the off-road paraphernalia, which would shave the mass. This would amp up the sports side of the Velar’s personality, which I get the sense is what this rig is all about.
DB: Could not disagree with you more. I think they’re doing what they need to, pandering to those who still have the grand illusion of getting away from it all — “Let’s quit our jobs, sell the house, send the kids to popo’s and take the Range Rover down to Tierra del Fuego!” — while still driving something more than adequately sporty. I think that’s the magic of Land Rover.