No cars have been delivered yet so what you saw was a prototype being tested by someone within JLR - there are loads about on the roads apparently the staff are also allowed to take them home! There are a few instagram pics with these on peoples driveways lol!

He was probably trying to get your reaction to the car by checking you out

You are probably right. I am currently in Coventry so close to JLR HQ.

I got a chance to the Range Rover Velar in flesh last Saturday at the What Car Reader Test Team Preview. The SO and I had a very interesting and enjoyable morning at Land Rover Solihull.

A big thank you to Kris from What Car and the Land Rover Team for hosting the event. It was good to get an opportunity to talk to Kris, Colin, the Range Rover UK Product Manager, and Kim, Land Rover Public Relationships Manager.

Following coffee in the Land Rover Experience Reception Centre we took a passenger ride in a 12 seater Land Rover Defender over to the static Range Rover Story exhibition. As ever the Land Rover Experience staff were entertaining, knowledgeable and informative hosts.

We were given a guided tour of the Range Rover Story exhibition. It was really interesting to see the early sketches. There was an engineering mule which had been refurbished for the exhibition. Also a full size Range Rover prototype clay replica - which had different treatments for lights on the nearside and offside.

Then the big unveil of the Range Rover Velar and a chance to have a look around the car. The car was a First Edition P380 in Flux Silver with a Black Contrast Roof. The satin paint finish looked stunning - as it should as a £5k+ option. Do you think someone has a sense of humour with the naming of the paint colour? I couldn't help thinking about the flux capacitor and the unpainted steel body belonging to the Back to the Future De Lorean

I thought the car looked beautiful in the videos and photos announcing its release. In the flesh I think the car looks even better - from all angles. The bronze highlights looked good on the Flux Silver paintwork. And the carbon fibre and copper trim finishers were very nice too.

It was a nice place to be sat inside too. I like the clean lines around the dash on the passenger side. The two display screens look well thought out in terms of ergonomics and user friendliness but I don't know how robust they will be for daily use. And the car seems built to have genuine off road capability like all its stable mates.

Hopefully the quality of the driving experience will match the good looking, well thought out design of the car inside and out.

Do I want one - yes as long as the drive matches the looks. Will I be able to afford one with the right petrol engine at some in the future - I don't know but I hope so.

It was good to chat to the other reader panel members too.

I think the Reader Panel review is going to be published in the August issue of What Car.

A few pictures I took with my camera phone - not great photography but hopefully they'll be of some interest.

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Great write up thanks! Saw the exhibition as a preview a day before it opened door to the public and thought it was great...did you do the factory walk through too?

Didn't get the factory tour. But I did go on factory tour last year for the line it's now joining. JLR are moving/have moved XE production to Castle Bromwich.

The factory tour was a real eye opener - F Pace and RRS were being built on the same lines!

Fully agree with Donny and Tim's critisism. Do not look under the bonnet either. It is messy , also in 3.0 TDV6 trim and in RRS and Pace
The new LR engine may be more powerfull, but they don't have a nice engine architecture. Everything looks much cheaper and less neat RRS 3.0 SDV6 HSE Lux
RRS 3.0 TDV6 gone
LR 3 HSE V8 gone
DiscoveryII V8 Gone
Discovery 1 V8 Gone
Mustang Shelby
Alfa Guilia (classic)

Hog that is a funny comment indeed - I can't see in which angle any of the Range Rover engines look pretty under the bonnet!

Hahaha. RRSman: I understand that you're not to much into engines? More the electronic gadgets I guess?
Not pulling the dipstick, but read it out at the car's pc?
Then the Velar is your car! RRS 3.0 SDV6 HSE Lux
RRS 3.0 TDV6 gone
LR 3 HSE V8 gone
DiscoveryII V8 Gone
Discovery 1 V8 Gone
Mustang Shelby
Alfa Guilia (classic)

I was in a Velar sandwich coming out of Gaydon today, will see if it's on my dash am.

It's not for me, just looks wrong from certain angles Just bought a RRS 06 MY HSE TDV6 136,000 miles, to be a second car to my bland, boring Mitsubishi Outlander 68 plate 2.0 petrol 4

The "copper" trim on the silvery one above looks like some of the truly awful Mercedes and Korean fake wood of the their cars of the 1980's....... I would love to hear what Jeremy Clarkson's views on it are after his rather outspoken views on the 2010MY FFRR's. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

The copper trim looks better in the flesh as an accent trim. My camera phone doesn't do it justice.

There's a lot packed under the bonnet. So certainly not a beautiful engine and engine bay like cars of old. But they didn't have to meet modern regulations.

a pride of them coming out of Gaydon (its OK, on public roads lol) Just bought a RRS 06 MY HSE TDV6 136,000 miles, to be a second car to my bland, boring Mitsubishi Outlander 68 plate 2.0 petrol 4

The video is marked "private" 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Not any more. Stupid YouTube (or stupid me) lol Just bought a RRS 06 MY HSE TDV6 136,000 miles, to be a second car to my bland, boring Mitsubishi Outlander 68 plate 2.0 petrol 4