2018 Range Rover Velar vs. 2018 Range Rover Sport: Which is for you?

2018 Range Rover Velar vs Range Rover Sport ・ Photo by Jaguar Land Rover

At a glance, the 2018 Range Rover Velar and the 2018 Range Rover Sport are very closely related. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find that these two Land Rover models harbor some significant differences that you’d be wise to consider before buying one or the other.

The Velar is a brand-new vehicle making its debut as a 2018 model, the fourth Range Rover in the Land Rover lineup. It squeezes in between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport in size and price. The Range Rover Sport is in its second generation of production; the first generation debuted in the U.S. in 2004, while today's iteration arrived in 2015. Over 732,000 Range Rover Sports have been sold since the start of production. We’ve burrowed in to help you to decide which of these luxury SUVs is for you. 

Design

Land Rover Design Director Gerry McGovern has been remaking the brand’s lineup ever since he took his post in 2006. Under McGovern’s leadership, the Land Rover family of SUVs has been clearly bifurcated into the Land Rover vehicles (Discovery, Discovery Sport, and future Defender) and the Range Rover lineup (Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Velar, Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover).

McGovern, who is a fan of Modernist architecture, favors a design ethos that he calls “reductionism.” Applied to Range Rover designs, reductionism reveals itself by stripping away complexity. Both the Velar (pictured here) and the Sport have strong silhouettes with a continuous waistline and floating roof. The Velar takes reductionism a step beyond the Sport with flush-fitting door handles and slim LED lighting features. The Velar was recognized with the World Car Design of the Year title at the 2018 World car awards.

Photo by Land Rover

Engine

The Velar is available with three engine choices: a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine with 247 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque; a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 gasoline engine (296 hp/332 lb-ft of torque); and a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel (180 hp/317 lb-ft of torque).

The Sport (shown here) can be ordered with a choice of five powerplants: a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 diesel engine (254 hp/443 lb-ft of torque); a 3.0-liter supercharged gasoline V6 (340 hp/332 lb-ft of torque); a high-performance 3.0-liter supercharged gasoline V6 (380 hp/332 lb-ft of torque); a 5.0-liter supercharged gasoline V8 (518 hp/461 lb-ft of torque); and an SVR-tuned 5.0-liter supercharged gasoline V8 (575 hp/516 lb-ft of torque). The Range Rover Sport’s larger and more powerful engines deliver superior acceleration, while the Velar is rated to achieve better overall fuel economy numbers — the eternal tradeoff.

Photo by Jaguar Land Rover

Transmission/Drivetrain

Both the Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar use ZF eight-speed automatic transmissions matched with each of their engine choices. ZF makes transmissions for many auto manufacturers and builds multiple variants of its eight-speed to suit power-handling requirements.

Every Range Rover model comes standard with all-wheel drive, and the Sport and Velar are no different. Both vehicles come with Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 system (standard on the Sport; available on the Velar). Both vehicles have the latest All Terrain Progress Control (which functions like a low-speed cruise control for off-roading), Low Traction Launch, and Hill Descent Control. Both the Range Rover Sport and the Velar are engineered for superb all-terrain performance, and owners will be missing out if they fail to explore the great capability built into these luxury suvs.

Photo by Land Rover

Comfort/Amenities

The Range Rover Sport has received a redesign of its cabin for 2018, including slimmer front seats with new foams, trims, and interlayers. Upholstery options include grained leather, perforated Windsor leather, and, for the first time, Semi-Aniline leather is standard on the Sport's HSE Dynamic and Autobiography Dynamic trims. An optional cooler compartment or refrigerator is available for the front center console. The powered roof sunblind can be controlled by no-touch gestures, and the cabin air is ionized by a system called Nanoe.

The Velar hardly neglects its occupants, either. Its front seats are available with up to 20-way adjustment, with heating, cooling, and massage functions. The seats are sculpted to make getting in and out of the Velar easier. The second row, a split 40/20/40 bench, is available with heating and electric recline. Cabin ionization is also standard on the Velar. The Velar seats a maximum of five passengers, while the Sport has an optional small third-row seat that pushes capacity to seven. 

Photo by Jaguar Land Rover

Cargo/Towing

The Velar is particularly well proportioned for cargo. Behind the front seats, there’s 70.1 cubic feet of cargo space and a load floor that’s 70.7 inches long. Behind the second row, the very healthy 34.4 cubic feet of luggage space is 40.7 inches long. If the stuff won’t fit in the cabin, you can tow a trailer with a maximum weight between 5,291 and 5,512 lbs, depending on powertrain.

The Range Rover Sport has a cargo compartment that’s 73.5 inches long and can hold 59.5 cubic feet of cargo; behind the second row, there’s room for 27.5 cubic feet of luggage in a space that’s 41.3 inches long. The Sport can tow from 6,613 to 7,716 lbs max, depending on powertrain. It also gets Advanced Tow Assist this year, which uses the rotary controller for Terrain Response 2 to guide the trailer. 

Photo by Land Rover

Infotainment/Technology

In a Land Rover, design and technology go hand-in-hand. Gerry McGovern’s reductionism is applied to the look and operation of the infotainment system on both the Range Rover Sport and Velar. A new dual-touchscreen interface called InControl Touch Pro Duo eliminates the majority of the physical knobs and buttons on the center console in favor of capacitive response and two multi-function rotary controllers. The system integrates audio, HVAC, navigation, Terrain Response, and other functions into one interface.

Additionally, an available 12.3-inch Interactive TFT Driver Display replaces the twin analog dials with a 5-inch display between them. The big screen can be customized to act as a virtual instrument cluster, as a full-screen navigation map, or in many other configurations. A full-color head-up display is also available, further enhancing the driving experience.

Photo by Jaguar Land Rover

Safety

The Range Rover Sport comes with a standard core of driver assistance features and several optional packages. Standard features include a lane-departure warning, automatic emergency braking, cruise control, and a speed limiter. Opt for the Drive Pack and you get blind-spot monitoring, an adaptive speed limiter, a driver condition monitor, and traffic sign recognition. Not enough? Drive Pro Pack adds lane-keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control with Queue Assis. The Park Pack helps make parking safer, with 360-degree parking camera, rear traffic monitoring, and a Clear Exit Monitor, and the Park Pack Pro adds Park Assist, which can help with parallel and perpendicular parking.

Meanwhile, the Range Rover Velar comes equipped with a nearly identical package of advanced driver assistance features and options.

Photo by Land Rover

Driving Experience

Driving a Range Rover Sport may spoil you for other SUVs. It is so quick and nimble (especially in SVR trim) that you’ll forget you’re driving a two-and-a-half-ton vehicle. Not only that, you’re surrounded by luxury, encased in a cocoon of serenity, insulated from the hustle and bustle around you. And if you decide that you want to explore the terrain beyond the paved road, you get to take your luxury environment with you.

The Velar comes close to the Range Rover Sport experience, but it can’t match the confidence the Sport gives to a driver. The differences are right there on the spec sheet, where the Sport bests the Velar in just about every category. While the Velar's cabin is quiet and luxurious, it’s not quite at the level of its big brother — which is understandable and expected.

Photo by Jaguar Land Rover

Pricing

You get what you pay for, and that holds true in the Range Rover lineup. Range Rover Velar prices start at $49,900 for the base vehicle with a 2.0-liter gas engine. The S starts at $54,700 with that same gas 2.0, $56,200 with the diesel 2.0, and $64,200 with the gas 3.0-liter V6. Prices step up to $77,100 through SE, R-Dynamic SE, and R-Dynamic HSE trim levels. There’s also a Velar First Edition (limited to 500 units in the U.S.) that pumps up the luxury to 11, starting at $89,300.

Range Rover Sport prices start at $66,750 for the SE with the 3.0-liter gas engine and $68,750 for SE Td6 with the 3.0-liter diesel. The Supercharged model starts at $82,050; Supercharged Dynamic starts at $85,550; and Autobiography Dynamic starts at $96,650. The top-of-the-line SVR starts at $113,600.

Photo by Jaguar Land Rover

Overall

When you look at these two Range Rovers' prices, the Velar jumps out as the better deal. On the other hand, part of the Range Rover Sport's joy is its capability. You may never explore the limits of performance, on- or off-road, in your Range Rover Sport. But you will be driving the fastest, most capable Land Rover vehicle ever built if you choose one.

The Velar is a beautiful example of automotive design, there’s no doubt about it. And it’s no slouch in the areas of performance, capability, and luxury. However, if you're willing to spend more, the Range Rover Sport is more powerful, more capable, and more luxurious. 

Photo by Jaguar Land Rover