Words that you can safely bet will never be heard in a Land Rover showroom when the company’s new midsize Range Rover Velar lands in October: “Gee honey, if only there was more choice…”

This pivotal new model for the Indian-owned British brand will launch with no fewer than 48 variants, including a fully-loaded First Edition model, powered by either the 221kW/700Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 for $168,250, or the 280kW/450Nm supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine for $168,862.

Add the optional ‘Flux Silver’ satin paint (read, no gloss coat) for $12,860 and you’re looking at $181,722, or around the price of an entry-level model of the flagship Range Rover.

But wait, as they say in the infomercials: there’s more. Not content with the five engines so far announced (see below), Land Rover has now revealed that a sixth engine option will join the line-up in early 2018.

It’s the 221kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol Ingenium four that will also be made available in the updated Jaguar F-Type (set for Australian launch in the final quarter of this year starting from $107K) and will effectively add another add eight variants due the Velar’s eight equipment/trim levels on offer for each engine.

D180 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel – 132kW/430Nm

D240 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel – 177kW/500Nm

D300 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel – 221kW/700Nm

P250 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol – 184kW/365Nm

P300 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol – 221kW/400Nm

P380: 3.0-litre supercharged petrol V6 – 280kW/450Nm

Quickest of these, at least in terms of the 0-100km/h sprint, will be the supercharged V6, capable of a claimed 5.7 seconds. Top speed is an electronically limited 250km/h; fuel consumption a combined figure of 9.4l/100km.

However the high-output 2.0-litre petrol will not be not far off, with 0-100km/h in a claimed 6.0 seconds, which, along with the 7.7litre/100km combined fuel figure, means it’s expected to find a strong following in Australia.

All engines are teamed with an eight-speed ZF torque convertor auto with paddle shifters. The six-cylinder engines get a heavier duty version of the transmission to handle the higher torque outputs, but Land Rover tells us all engines benefit from bespoke transmission calibrations in an effort to maximise fuel efficiency and provide the most intuitive shift characteristics.

Naturally, as a Land Rover, the Velar is designed to be unafraid of getting its boots dirty. It comes with the company’s Terrain Response 2 system with switchable modes for different low-traction surfaces, and weaves in All Terrain Progress Control, Low Traction Launch, Hill Descent Control and a Grounding Detection function which is intended to alert the driver to submerged obstacles they may have been unable to see.

Models fitted with the standard coil-sprung suspension feature a class-leading 213mm of ground clearance, increasing to 251mm with air suspension (standard on V6 models, optional on higher-output four-cylinder models), along with a class-leading wading depth of 600mm (650mm with air suspension). All models get Adaptive Dynamics, which is LR’s name for adaptive damper control.

Model grades start with the eponymous Velar, then step to S, SE, and HSE. This is repeated with the addition of the R-Dynamic styling package (which adds different front and rear bumper designs, exterior trim changes, extra flashes of aluminium inside, a different steering wheel, metal pedals, and few other trim tweaks) so; R-Dynamic, R-Dynamic S, R-Dynamic SE and R-Dynamic HSE.

Would it not have been much more simple to keep the R-Dynamic exterior styling package as a $6000 addition to the four fundamental spec levels? Well, yes, we think so, but clearly LR’s local product planners don’t, and they get paid the big bucks, so here’s the range as it stands ready for launch, prior to the addition of the P300 high-output petrol four.

2018 Range Rover Velar pricing (before on-road costs)

P250 petrol four

Velar – $70,950 Velar S – $82,050 Velar SE – $90,950 Velar HSE – $107,250 Velar R-Dynamic – $76,950 Velar R-Dynamic S – $88,050 Velar R-Dynamic SE – $96,950 Velar R-Dynamic HSE – $113,250

P380 supercharged petrol V6

Velar – $93,750 Velar S – $104,850 Velar SE – $113,750 Velar HSE – $130,050 Velar R-Dynamic – $99,750 Velar R-Dynamic S – $110,850 Velar R-Dynamic SE – $119,750 Velar R-Dynamic HSE – $136,050 First Edition – $169,150

D180 diesel four

Velar $71,550 Velar S – $82,650 Velar SE – $91,550 Velar HSE – $107,850 Velar R-Dynamic – $77,550 Velar R-Dynamic S – $88,650 Velar R-Dynamic SE – $97,550 Velar R-Dynamic HSE – $113,850

D240 diesel four

Velar – $80,950 Velar S – $92,050 Velar SE – $100,950 Velar HSE – $117,250 Velar R-Dynamic – $86,950 Velar R-Dynamic S – $98,050 Velar R-Dynamic SE – $106,950 Velar R-Dynamic HSE – $123,250

D300 diesel V6

Velar – $92,850 Velar S – $103,950 Velar SE – $112,850 Velar HSE – $129,150 Velar R-Dynamic – $98,850 Velar R-Dynamic S – $109,950 Velar R-Dynamic SE – $118,850 Velar R-Dynamic HSE – $135,150 Velar First Edition – $168,250