If you have to ask us, in the portfolio of Range Rovers, Velar stands out as the most dynamic and if we can take the liberty to say, the sexiest SUV amongst all. Atleast, we haven’t seen anyone who hasn’t turned around and looked at the SUV once again.

It was summer of 2017 that the Velar was first unveiled in London, and it was stunning then and almost 5 years later, it is stunning still. However, from a product lifecycle change perspective, the Velar was due for a refresh and here it is all new refreshed 2023 Range Rover Velar, available for sale now in UK for £54,045 (OTR).

While the overall silhouette of the SUV pretty much remains the same but look closer and then there are finer details to appreciate. The front grille is now noticeably slimmer and what has become much slimmer are the new Pixel LED headlights. At the rear the powerful overhang provides the right length to the imposing design of the Velar. Apart from the superlative overhang, the new Velar also gets slimmer LED taillights which now get a 3D design.

At launch, Prof Gerry McGovern OBE, Chief Creative Officer, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “New Range Rover Velar is a flawless example of our modernist design philosophy – clean, reductive, and compellingly desirable. Defined by perfectly optimised proportions, Range Rover Velar embodies effortless sophistication with a bold elegance and dramatic presence that is truly unique.”

On the inside too, the Velar has been updated in line with other RR products. What you get is the new 11.4-inch floating screen with Range Rover’s latest Pivi Pro 7 infotainment system, a leather free cabin option with wool from Danish textile inserts featuring a new Diamond Herringbone perforation pattern. Pivi Pro 7 also supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for ease of connectivity along with wireless phone charger. That’s not all, the Pivi Pro 7 now comes with Alexa support with a dedicated button on the steering wheel for Alexa.

Meridian has always been a choice of audio system for LR & Jaguar, however, what you get in the new Velar now is the updated 3D Surround System which delivers punchy 750w of audio using 17 speakers inside the otherwise quite cabin. The team at Range Rover tells us that, they have used Active Road Noise Cancelling technology in the Velar that senses external noise frequencies and automatically processes an anti-noise through the vehicles audio system. Overall then we would say Range Rover has gone ahead and made a Velar which already looked fantastic in its earlier avatar, more stunning to look at.

With 2023, model update, the Velar now comes with a P400e plug-in electric hybrid. In electric only mode, the Velar can cover a range of roughly 51 kms and combined real world range on one full tank is approximately 685 kms. The 2 litre four cylinder Ingenium petrol engine, churns out combined power of 404 PS and 640 NM of torque which is capable of pushing this mammoth SUV from 0 to 100 just under 6 seconds.

The Overall Range Rover Velar engine range is as below:

Electric Hybrid

• P400e – 404PS, 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol PHEV, 640Nm of torque at 1,500-4,400rpm, eight-speed automatic, AWD

Petrol

• P250 – 250PS 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol, 365Nm of torque at 1,300-4,500rpm, eight-speed automatic, AWD

• P340 – 340PS, 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol MHEV, 480Nm of torque at 1,500-4,500rpm, eight-speed automatic, AWD

• P400 – 400PS, 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol MHEV, 550Nm of torque at 2,000-5,000rpm, eight-speed automatic, AWD

Diesel

• D200 – 204PS, 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel MHEV, 430Nm of torque at 1,750-2,500rpm, eight-speed automatic, AWD

• D300 – 300PS, 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel MHEV, 650Nm of torque at 1,500-2,500rpm, eight-speed automatic, AWD

Adaptive Dampers are standard across all the variants and considering this is a Range Rover, supreme all-terrain performance is guaranteed. We had reviewed the LandRover Defender and had come out mighty impressed with its off roading capabilities and impeccable road mannerisms.

Terrain Response 2 is what makes the Landover’s different than any other off roading SUV’s. The Terrain Response 2 adjust vehicle settings to suit the driving environment, with a choice of Eco, Comfort, Grass-Gravel-Snow, Mud-Ruts, Sand, Dynamic and Automatic mode. Each alters the calibration of the engine, transmission, all-wheel drive system, suspension, and stability control systems for optimum traction and composure.

LandRover in India has been launching slew of products in India and we expect that this Velar should follow the suit soon.

Are you a LandRover fan, let us know in comments below.