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INTERIOR AND COMFORT The team behind the Range Rover looked to continue that ‘visually reductive’ design inside the car and its even more effective than on the exterior. The central
console houses two screens, the upper being a 10-inch touchscreen Touch Pro Duo infotainment system. When the two touchscreen screens are off they blend seamlessly into the cars panels and
there are only four visible dials and buttons on the dashboard (excluding driver controls.) Land Rover’s attention to detail and focus on comfort and luxury is certainly hard to beat. The
Porsche Macan also has premium interior with high quality leather and a range of customisable tech and features to make the experience inside the car more luxury. The seats in particular are
a real highlight offering plush soft materials. However, in comparison to the Velar’s forward-thinking and newly designed interior, it looks a little bit underwhelming. It has a charmless
quality to it and when putting the two side by side, looks suitably cluttered with the grand array of buttons littering the dashboard and control panel. WINNER - RANGE ROVER
—————————————————— TECH, PRACTICALITY AND OFF-ROADING Velar has the off-road characteristics, Range Rover are known for, including a class-leading ground clearance and wading depth.
Additionally Land Rover’s Terrain Response system features on the new car offering seven different drive modes based on the terrain. This is paired with a premium audio system, Wi-Fi
hotspot, SOS emergency call and Secure tracker technology. Inside is also spacious as well as luxury, with a 632-litre boot expandable to 1,731 when lowered with the 40:20:40 split seats
up. A range of driver assistance systems come as standard including: Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist and an Adaptive Speed
Limiter, Lane Departure Warning (LDW) Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) and a 360° Parking Aid cameras across body. Although the Porsche technically has five seats, it would realistically be
used as a four seater as rear room is not the best. However, the Porsche’s boot space partially makes up for it. With the seats up there is 501.2 litres, which is not one of the best in
the class but it has 1,500 litres with the 40:20:40 folded seats down. The day to day running costs of the Macan are much pricier than the Velar’s. The Porsche will achieve between 17 and
23mpg and produces CO2 emissions of 161g/km. In comparison the Range Rover Velar will average closer to 52.5 mpg and produces 142g/km of CO2 emissions, beating the Porsche. The Macan is
also equipped to go off-road but you’re more likely to see it perusing around South Kensington than tearing up the countryside. It is however packed full of helpful driver assistance system
including: Lane Change Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Speed limit indicator, ParkAssist, Reversing camera, Surround View and Anti-theft protection. The Velar takes
this one. There is more room inside, off-roading is in its blood and its luxury tech will make it a comfortable ride. WINNER: RANGE ROVER VELAR VERDICT For us the Velar clinches the
victory here. It’s better looking, more practical, comfortable but is still a solid off-roader. The Macan is faster, cheaper and more sporty option but less it is also less practical and
versitile.