Compare the2022 Volvo XC60VS 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Velar

The XC60’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC60 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Volvo XC60 offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. Land Rover doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the Range Rover Velar. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; XC60 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

The Volvo XC60 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The XC60 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The XC60 has standard Automatic Braking After Collision, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Compared to metal, the XC60’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Land Rover Range Rover Velar has a metal gas tank.

Both the XC60 and the Range Rover Velar have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XC60 its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 76 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Range Rover Velar has not been tested, yet.

The XC60’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the Range Rover Velar’s (12 vs. 6 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC60 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Land Rover only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Range Rover Velar.

There are over 48 percent more Volvo dealers than there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the XC60’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the XC60’s reliability 36 points higher than the Range Rover Velar.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Volvo 25th in reliability. With 101 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 33rd.

As tested in Consumer Reports the XC60 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Range Rover Velar P250 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 running on electricity gets better mileage than the Range Rover Velar:

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Range Rover Velar:

The XC60 T8 can drive on battery power alone for up to 19 miles. The Range Rover Velar must run its internal combustion engine to move.

The XC60 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volvo XC60 higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Land Rover Range Rover Velar (3 to 7). This means the XC60 produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Range Rover Velar every 15,000 miles.

The XC60 stops much shorter than the Range Rover Velar:

The XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Range Rover Velar’s optional 40 series tires.

The XC60 B6 AWD R-Design handles at .88 G’s, while the Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XC60 B5 AWD Momentum executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2 seconds quicker than the Range Rover Velar (26.6 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the XC60’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Range Rover Velar’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

The XC60 is 4.3 inches shorter than the Range Rover Velar, making the XC60 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The XC60 is 5.1 inches narrower than the Range Rover Velar, making the XC60 easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The XC60 has 1 inch more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, .8 inches more rear legroom and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Range Rover Velar.

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the XC60 easier. The XC60’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Range Rover Velar’s liftover is 29.7 inches.

The XC60 has a standard locking fuel and charge port door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

Consumer Reports rated the XC60’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Range Rover Velar’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC60 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer cornering lights. The XC60 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo XC60 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The XC60 R-Design/Inscription’s optional Park Assist Pilot can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The XC60 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the XC60 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the XC60 will cost $225 to $8565 less than the Range Rover Velar over a five-year period.

The XC60 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the XC60 will retain 48.51% to 51.28% of its original price after five years, while the Range Rover Velar only retains 47.6% to 47.78%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Volvo XC60 will be $14716 to $18778 less than for the Land Rover Range Rover Velar.

The Volvo XC60 outsold the Land Rover Range Rover Velar by over three to one during the 2021 model year.