to Dynamicmodeand clickthe eight-speed auto
’box into Sportand there’s a subtleshiftin tone as
everythingbecomes a little faster, weightierand
more urgent, allowingyou to fling the Velar down a
windingroad at a giddylick, harnessing thatlovely,
instant V8 shove. All 542bhpand 501lbft of it.
Where a normalVelar has a bit of slackin its
steering away from the straight ahead, this one
is accurate withoutbeingtwitchy so thatit goes
where you ask. Likewise, the roll and slop in the
suspensionof lesser modelsis vastly reduced, so
you can confidentlyblast throughbendswithout
fear of scraping the paint off the doormirrors. It
can’t quite hit the mad,high-ridinghot hatch feel
of a Porsche Macan Turbo, but it’s still an easy car
to trot at pace across the landscape (0-62mphis
over in 4.5sec and top speed reached at 170mph)
and it’s a delightto find the better handlinghasn’t
been achieved at the expense of the ride, whichis
firm but well damped, and notably better thanthe
you could have a full-size Range Rover SDV8, which
brings an even more soothingsense of occasion,if
not suchcontrolled handling.Alternatively, if you
really want the supercharged V8 and a side order
of corneringability, you could have the F-Pace SVR
and save yourself over ten grand in the process.
As such,the Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic
findsitself in a strange position.It’s a perfectly nice
car, but the same company makes otherthings
thatbetter cover the extremes of its personality.
But if you want a Velar, this is the nicest they make.
Richard Porter(@sniffpetrol)
bobblysensationof slower Velars on big wheels.
Of course, the ride is at its nicest in Comfort
rather thanDynamicmode,and actuallythatgoes
for the wholecar, rightdown to the switchable
exhaust, whichgets a bit harsh at higherrevs in its
noisiersetting but is muted and fruity if you back it
off. The SVA is perfectly capable of hustlingalong
on the ragged edge withall the systemsset to their
fightiest, but it’s whenyou stop tryingto pushit so
hard and knockeverythinginto the softer settings
thatit feels at its best.
Given Land Rover’s ambitionsto make this a
high-riding,long-stridingGT, that’s not necessarily
a problemas long as you rememberthatfor not
muchmore thanthe £86,685 the SVA will cost you
EngineV8, 49 99 cc, superchargedPower 54 2bhp@6000 ‑6 50 0rpmTorque 50 1lb ft@ 2500 ‑5 50 0rpmWeight 2085 kg(2 64 bhp/ton)0-62mph4.5secTop speed170mphBasic price£86,68 5+Quick,luxurious,thepick oftheVelar bunch
- AnF‑PaceSVR isten grand cheaper
evorating
;;;42Above:Velar SVA utilises air suspension to help
combine cornering ability with ride quality, whilst aiding
its off-road capability too, although how many will
venture away from tarmac is another matter
Driven
‘It’s a delight to find the better handling hasn’t
been achieved at the expense of the ride’