Here are some essential thoughts about what was good and what was not so good about the car.
Performance: The good
High-end Land Rovers are often very imposing vehicles with large V8 engines and simplistic construction. This was NOT the case with the Range Rover Velar.
Under the hood was an ultra-modern, highly efficient, and fairly powerful 2-litre turbo petrol engine.
An 8-speed ZF gearbox was present as well. This, combined with Land Rover’s Terrain Response technology, lent the car great performance characteristics.
This is essentially what is expected of any modern SUV, plus Land Rover added some proper off-roading capabilities to the mix. What’s more, it had all the amenities and equipment one would expect from a modern premium SUV.
Performance: The not so good
Despite sharing many common specifications and outputs of its German rivals, the Velar’s suspension characteristics and throttle response was a little more refined than its competitors.
It’s probably down to the fact that the Velar is still expected to be a serious off-roading machine. However, since most buyers are going to spend time using this car on the tarmac doing regular driving, you can’t ignore its performance as a soft-roader.
Design: The good
The Velar is an extremely striking vehicle. Land Rover’s current design language is pushed to new levels here. Intricate detail is everywhere you look. Even the lighting helps create new levels of drama.
There are also many parts that extend and retract into the car (door handles, step, gear selector, infotainment display), which further enhance the spectacle that is the Velar.
Use of textures and material is good, above par when compared to a few of its competitors.
Design: The not so good
There are many ways to make a car feel and look special. And while the objective was achieved, Land Rover definitely tried very risky things. The dramatic rear end, for instance, is somewhat ruined by a misaligned boot lid.
Motorising the door handles and gear selector, two very essential parts, may look good now, but may not be the best idea for longevity.
Value: The good
These days, luxury is about exclusivity. With so many premium brands selling thousands of cars in Malaysia annually, true exclusivity is a rare commodity.
The Land Rover is one of the few brands that has managed to properly package cars in a way that makes all competitors look like reasonable business expenses.
The Range Rover Velar is a symbol of opulence. It’s not a car for the elite accountants of the world, it’s a car for the people paying those accountants.
Value: The not so good
Unfortunately, to know where a product stands, one must look at its closest rivals.
Doing this reveals the Velar’s biggest flaw – it’s too expensive for most Malaysians. Of course, this would be totally fine if it was a full-blown Range Rover or even Range Rover Sport.
However, the Range Rover Velar leans closer towards its smaller sibling, the Range Rover Evoque. This means it still comes across as a watered down version of the real thing.
Had it been truly competitive against its German, Swedish and Japanese rivals, it would have got a pass.
But there are just too many things Range Rover Velar does wrong for it to get away with a price tag of half a million ringgit.
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