We spent a few days acquainting ourselves with the Range Rover Velar P400e Dynamic HSE, our first experience of the nameplate, to bring you this review.

Land Rover has done a good job of diversifying its, once, limited portfolio. The Land Rover range has options across the board and so too does the Range Rover family. There is the top-dog Range Rover, for those with big budgets. Below that sits the Range Rover Sport which is the, err… sportier option. The entry point to Range Rover ownership is the Evoque. And slotting in between the Sport and Evoque is the Velar. This model can often be overlooked for its smaller (price friendly) sibling and the larger, more overt options.

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A (slightly) New Look

The Range Rover Velar was introduced, as an all-new nameplate, about seven years ago. And that is the same basic design that you see here. The model has garnered plenty of praise and many awards for its bold and sleek appearance. It’s no wonder then that a mid-life refresh did not mess with a design that was already so right from the start. The smooth lines remain, devoid of any fussiness, as does the rising beltline that creates a sense of motion even at standstill. A recent revision has been contained to a slightly restyled grille and zhoozhed up headlamps. Years after it broke cover, the Velar still causes swiveling heads and appreciative glances.

Minimalist Interior

Potential owners will be more interested in the changes that have taken place inside. Land Rover’s new interior treatment has been adopted in the revised Velar. The most significant change is the removal of the lower screen on the facia, which handled heating controls. The upper screen is now replaced by a larger format item. This new touchscreen runs on Land Rover’s Pivi software. The system is generally easy to use and quick to respond. It now handles all cabin controls, including HVAC. As a result there are no buttons to be found anywhere on the facia. This makes the Velar’s interior feel and look like the chic interior of a house in an architectural magazine. The aesthetic is so uncluttered that one hides away charge cables and house keys so as not upset the clean appearance.

The rest of the interior is quite sumptuous. The Velar feels high off the ground, providing a commanding view of the road ahead. The front seats are completely electrically adjustable and have a massage as well as heating function. A full-length panoramic roof bathes the light-tone cabin in natural light. There is plenty of leg- and headroom for five adults in the Velar’s cabin, though two rear-seat occupants is probably ideal. There’s also plenty of space for all passenger luggage. This would be an ideal vehicle for a cross-country trip or game park.

Hybrid Power

The Range Rover Velar P400e, as you may have guessed from ‘e’ in its name, has an electrified component to its drivetrain. The 2,0-litre turbopetrol engine is mated with an electric motor that can power the car on its own. The Range Rover Velar P400e is a PHEV, or plug-in electric vehicle. This means that the battery can be charged from a fast charger or wall socket. Range Rover claims 64 km of range from the battery pack, but expect closer to 55 in the real world. Once the battery is out of charge the turbopetrol kicks in seamlessly to keep you motoring along. If you have a charger at home you can drive with zero tailpipe emissions almost daily.

The combination of the petrol and electric motors is a handy 297 kW (400 hp as the name indicates) and a whopping 640 N.m of torque. As a result the over two ton SUV can sprint from rest to 100 km/h in just under 5,5 seconds. The petrol engine alone produces 221 kW, which is what will be propelling you once the 19,2 kWh battery pack is out of juice. There are various drive modes, including one which helps preserve battery power for when you want to use just the electric motor, say when coming home late at night or leaving very early in the morning. In the standardised tests the Velar P400e returns a fuel consumption figure of 2,2L/100 km. Expect closer to 8 or 9 mark in the real world.

Swanning Along

The Range Rover Velar P400e looks fast standing still, and it feels fast on the open road. Mash the throttle at most speeds and it zips forward at a rate that can catch one off-guard. The cabin has exceptional NVH suppression, a Range Rover trait. The company is now making use of active noise cancellation (like those fancy headphones) to damp out unwanted sounds. Speaking of damping… The suspension set-up is near perfect for this type of vehicle. One is nearly oblivious to road imperfections, large or small. That soft ride quality also means that the Velar doesn’t like to be hustled along, as it shouldn’t. This is a car that is meant for cruising along at a sedate pace in the urban sprawl, but also has a decent turn of speed on the open road.

Summary

Weirdly, this is the very first time we have ever drive an Velar and we walk away quite impressed. This mid-level Range Rover has so many of the hallmarks of its larger siblings, but doesn’t feel quite a small as the Evoque. It is luxurious, fast, looks good and isolates its occupants from the world outside. This PHEV version also has the benefit of (some) eco credentials. The battery-only part of its operation could make it quite attractive to those who work close to their homes, providing pure electric motoring for their daily commute. The PHEV space was once pretty under undersubscribed here in SA. That is fast changing, with products from the Land Rover family making up a large part of the local offerings. The Range Rover Velar P400e is not the most affordable, but it makes you feel as though its the most expensive.

Model: Range Rover Velar P400e Dynamic HSE
Price: R2 202 700
Engine: 2,0-litre, four-cylinder turbopetrol +105 kW electric motor
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, AWD
Max power: 297 kW
Max torque: 640 N.m
0-100 km/h:  5,4 sec
Top speed: 209 km/h
Consumption: 2,2L/100 km (claimed)