Apparently there’s room in the lineup for one more piece of eye candy

Not that many years ago, Land Rover utility vehicles were heavy, expensive and hard on fuel. But changing times and attitudes toward utility vehicles are the reasons why the new Range Rover Velar even exists.

For Jaguar Land Rover, the die was cast a few years back when the Range Rover Evoque arrived. The sleek and sexy shape introduced a whole new group of younger buyers to the brand and eventually spawned a convertible model. And in the low-$40,000 range, it didn’t hurt that the Evoque was also the least expensive Range Rover you could buy.

The five-passenger Velar — which means “veiled” in Latin — is positioned a notch above the Evoque and is priced exactly the same as the Discovery at $50,900, including destination charges.

The Velar’s kinship with the Evoque vehicle is unmistakable. The low-slung roofline, in particular, is taken straight from the Evoque’s design playbook, which means that a fair bit of cabin and stowage space have been sacrificed to the design gods. In reality, the Velar is more fashion statement than practical transport.

Compared to the Evoque, the Velar is considerably larger, so it fits into the midsize-wagon bracket. It obviously boasts greater cargo capacity, whether the folding 40:20:40 rear seat is in place or folded down (it does not fold completely flat). Both vehicles are nearly equal in width and height, which isn’t surprising given the their design similarities.

The Velar’s equally fashionable interior is mostly clean and uncluttered since it’s dominated by touch-screens instead of dials and switches. The screen on the dash can be tilted up to 30 degrees and operates the communications and infotainment systems as well as the ambient lighting. A larger tablet-shaped screen in the center console controls heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Beneath the skin, the Velar’s aluminum architecture is based on that of the Jaguar F-Pace wagon, but beefed up for more rigorous duty. An available air suspension is claimed to provide greater ride comfort and at its tallest setting provides nearly 10 inches of ground clearance, which is 1.5 more than the standard coil-spring setup provides.

The base Velar gets a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 247 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. Optional is a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel rated at 180 horses and 317 pound-feet. It’s also the one to pick for best fuel economy: 19 mpg in the city and 28 on the

highway (the gasoline engine is rated at 17/25).

The top performer is a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 that makes 380 horsepower and 336 pound-feet. Land Rover claims a zero-to-60-mph time of 5.3 seconds, which is 1.1 seconds quicker than the gasoline 2.0. An eight-speed automatic transmission handles the shifting for all engines.

All-wheel-drive is standard across the line and includes torque vectoring, which lightly applies the inside rear brake in a turn to help the vehicle rotate.

Other standard content includes navigation, gesture-activated power liftgate, automatic-leveling headlights, rearparking assist and a head-up display that projects information onto the windshield.

The top trim is the loaded-to-thegills First Edition that will set you back about $90,000. Along with the supercharged V6, you get 20-way power-controlled front seats with perforated-leather coverings, as well as a panoramic sunroof and a 1,600watt Meridian-brand sound package. There’ s also a full suite of collisionmitigating dynamic safety systems.

Whatever model or equipment level you choose, the Velar will have you riding in style when heading to the mall or heading out on the town. And, if you dare to play dirty, heading well past where the pavement ends.