2024 Range Rover Velar Unveiled With Minimal Exterior Changes And Substantial Interior Upgrades

The Velar's interior is more minimalist than ever before. Land Rover ditches the twin infotainment screen for an all-new floating single 11.4-inch floating curved glass interface with the latest Pivi Pro software. Our main concerns are the lack of separate HVAC controls and the haptic feedback buttons on the steering wheel. Still, the lower screen on the pre-facelift model was dimwitted, and we'll reserve comment on the steering wheel buttons until we've driven the car.

Land Rover says that essential functions like climate, seating, and audio volume are constantly visible on each side of the screen. The famous Terrain Response driving mode selector is also a permanent feature on the home page. To make life even easier, a Pre-Drive panel will give fast access to commonly used features a driver uses when setting off on a journey. Examples include the window defroster, seat heater, and navigation.

According to Land Rover, 80% of tasks can be performed hin two taps from the home screen. This should go a long way toward making Pivi Pro less distracting than most infotainment systems.

Naturally, it comes standard with all the obligatory wireless features, including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, Spotify, and Deezer. The wireless charger has been moved to a new storage area in the center console.

The car is Wi-Fi enabled with two embedded eSims. This will keep the family entertained on long trips, which means luxury cars like these no longer need rear-seat entertainment systems.

What we find particularly interesting in Land Rover's announcement that 80% of the ECUs in the vehicle (the ECUs that run infotainment, navigation mapping, and on-board diagnostics as well as chassis and powertrain systems) can now be updated via over-the-air updates.

To us, this means that Land Rover will be updating the car with new features to keep it fresh even as the years pile on.

But technology does not equal luxury, and you'll find various systems working in the background to provide a harmonious experience. These include a Cabin Air Purification system, a powerful standard sound system, available Meridian 3D sound systems, and Active Road Noise Cancellation technology that uses the onboard sound system to cancel out as much exterior noise as possible.

Each passenger can set their own temperature via a four-zone climate control system, while the ambient lighting system has 30 colors to choose from. You can go for a racy red or more calming tones like light purple.

The Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic and its supercharged V8 were dropped last year, which means only two engine options remain. Land Rover is dropping the P340 powertrain this year, likely due to a lack of interest.

Only the entry-level four-cylinder and top-spec inline-six remain, both mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission deploying power via a permanent 4WD system.

The P250 is a basic 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder producing 247 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque. The P400 is a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six, helped by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. It produces 395 horses and 405 lb-ft. Performance-wise, the P250 sprints to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, while the P400 gets there in 5.2 seconds.

The current Terrain Response system's driving modes for the Velar include Eco, Comfort, Grass-Gravel-Snow, Mud-Ruts, Sand, Dynamic, and Automatic.

Given the performance potential, Adaptive Dynamics is standard on the P400. It allows for more adjustment from the various suspension components, resulting in improved comfort and handling. This system also has a more advanced calibration for the off-road driving mode.

The updated Velar is available immediately at a roughly $2,000 premium over the pre-facelift variants.

The Velar P250 S is the entry-level, carrying an MSRP of $61,500, while a P250 Dynamic SE goes for $63,600. Upgrading to the P400 Dynamic SE comes with a hefty increase, with a starting price of $70,600. A top-spec Velar P 400 Dynamic HSE retails for $78,400. These prices do not include the destination fee of $1,275.

That means the Velar is perfectly aligned with the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE price-wise, and, to be blunt, it makes both Germans look exceedingly prosaic.