The reinvention of the Land Rover line-up continues, with the Range Rover Velar receiving a significant mid-life facelift aimed at boosting its appeal for the final few years on sale.
- Velar rivals Porsche Macan, Jaguar F-Pace
- Second update gets more cosmetic changes
- Gets new 11.4-inch touchscreen with JLR's Pivi Pro system
The Velar has been on sale in India since 2018 and received a mechanical update (most significantly gaining a plug-in hybrid option) three years later. This round of updates, however, is much more visible and wide-reaching – and could help to make the Porsche Macan rival from Solihull, UK a more integral part of the line-up.
2023 Range Rover Velar: powertrains
The headline for 2023 is an upgrade to the Velar P400e plug-in hybrid, which, thanks to a boost in battery capacity from 13.6kWh to 19.2kWh, now has an EV-only range of 64km, a 11km improvement.
The P400e continues to pair a 300hp, 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a 143hp electric motor in the gearbox for a combined output of 404hp and 640Nm. This gets it from 0-100kph in just 5.4sec and on to a top speed of 209kph.
The 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is available without electric assistance in the 250hp Velar P250, but the other three engine options come with mild-hybrid assistance: a 2.0-litre four-pot diesel with 204hp and a pair of 3.0-litre straight-sixes, one petrol and one diesel, with 400hp and 300hp, respectively. The limited-run, 5.0-litre V8-powered SV Autobiography has not returned for another outing.
2023 Range Rover Velar: exterior and interior design
Externally, the new Velar is marked out from the pre-facelift car by new LED light designs, a new front grille design and a reshaped rear bumper.
The most obvious visible change, however, comes in the form of a new cockpit arrangement, which brings the Velar in line with its larger Range Rover and Range Rover Sport siblings. The highlight of this being a new 11.4-inch ‘floating’ touchscreen that runs the latest generation of JLR’s Pivi Pro infotainment system.
Land Rover claims that around 80 percent of all tasks can be carried out with just two taps on the screen. The new 2023 iteration of Pivi Pro brings permanently visible climate and audio controls, a new ‘pre-drive’ panel for commonly used features, and Amazon Alexa voice control functionality.
Underneath the new touchscreen is a minimalistic new centre console – free of physical controls and no longer featuring a separate climate control touchscreen – with a hidden storage cubby and wireless phone charger beneath.
What community is saying on the Range Rover Velar?
2023 Range Rover Velar: expected price and rivals
Prices for the updated Velar begin at GBP 54,045 (roughly Rs 54.47 lakh) for the entry-level D200 S and top out at GBP 79,825 (roughly Rs 80.50 lakh) for the top-spec P400 Autobiography, while the Velar P400e is available from £64,745 (roughly Rs 65.26 lakh).
However, expect the final prices of the India-spec Velar to be higher owing to import duties. In India, the Velar rivals the Porsche Macan, Jaguar F-Pace, Mercedes-Benz GLE coupe and BMW X6.
Future Land Rover EVs
Land Rover will have six pure-EVs in its line-up by 2026, and it is expected that these will be electric versions of the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Discovery, Discovery Sport, Evoque and Defender.
Questions still hang over what will become of the midsized Velar after this generation as its siblings shift on to one of two new EV-compatible architectures: the EMA for the smaller Discovery Sport and Evoque, and the MLA for the larger 4x4s.
Dipan Sur
Dhruv Dhaka
Viraaj Bhatnagar
