Range Rover Velar PHEV (2023) Review

WITH all the effort that goes into designing, making and marketing a car you’d think that all new vehicles would be given a proper name rather than just a number.

Thankfully Range Rover think so too and has Christened one of the family Velar. I love the word but can’t speak it without actually pronouncing it V-laaaaar.

Don’t ask me why because I don’t actually know but that’s the reality – V-laaaaar, with at least five As.

It evokes – oh hanging isn’t that’s another Range Rover model – depth, warmth, velvety velour, shiny, warm, melting chocolate. It’s something that envelopes, cossets, comforts and covers you in an affectionate embrace. All that in a name, who knew?

Let’s have a look at the dictionary and see what it means. Apparently Velar is derived from the Latin ‘velum’, which is a curtain or veil, so that’s not far off. It has also been adopted into the English language as a word for the soft palate, the fold at the back of the hard palate, the roof of the mouth that partially separates the mouth from the pharynx, which is harder to swallow and kind of puts me off my tea.

The former definition is much more appropriate because the Velar wraps you in a sense of wellbeing from the second you climb behind the wheel.

The SUV sits between Evoque and Ranger Rover and is the perfect compromise. It is much bigger than the former and narrower and more manageable than the latter.

It looks long and impressive, a proper Range Rover from any angle, but on the narrow roads and in towns and cities is much more wieldy. You can squeeze through the gaps, park it in the street and plonk it safely in the school car park and get the doors open wide enough to alight. But it still has sufficient bulk to have the road presence Range Rover customers have come to expect.

As I said, the sense of wellbeing is evident the moment you slip inside. Range Rover designers really do manage to produce a peerless interior and the Velar is no exception. The materials are smart, modern and tactile, the switchgear familiar and well-placed, the touchscreen tech easy to manage. So that is a big green tick for looks and interior; what about the drive?

The driving dynamics are chocolatey smooth and luxurious thanks to an incredible combination of plug-in electric motor and lusty 2.0 turbocharged petrol engine. So Velar sets off serenely on electric before the petrol engine eases in seamlessly. It is uber refined befitting the prestigious badge.

But when power is required there is wallop aplenty as both motors work together to produce a whopping 404HP and 640Nm of torque.

That’s enough to catapult a 2.2 tonne vehicle to 60mph in just 5.1 seconds – quite a feat for such a behemoth. But nobody really drives like that on the road, do they?

And where Velar is so impressive is in its drivability. It feels perfectly at home in the urban jungle because it is highly manoeuvrable, with quick, light steering and a high set driving position that offers a commanding, all-round view.

Cross-country it excels because the mid-range is massive for safe and rapid overtakes and the suspension is excellent through the bends. It just doesn’t feel that big or cumbersome down the lanes.

On the highways it reigns supreme as it cruises in such a relaxed fashion that the driver and passengers never tire of being on the road. A 252 mile round trip is dispensed with consummate ease – it could have been a quick run to the shops – which is the sign of an accomplished motor.

Velar is my favourite type of Range Rover which is odd because it is far from the most expensive. Perhaps it’s something in the name.

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