Stricter emissions standards see a welcome return to a 3.0-litre 6cyl at the heart of the Range Rover Velar P400 S. We’re not complaining…
The Land Rover brand – and by extension, its evergreen, posh off-shoot Range Rover (the range, not the model) – is one of the great archetypes of the automotive world.
In the grand scheme of things, Land Rover copies nothing and doesn’t feel the need to virtue-signal, much less reinvent itself to pander to fickle fashion.
Its fans certainly accept that the iconic brand’s pace of evolution is more measured than makeover, which goes a long way towards accounting for its evergreen appeal.
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With more than 75 years of storied history, it is fortunate that Land Rover has never really suffered from a major existential crisis, with the brand standing unapologetically loud and proud in all its rugged, anti-fashion glory.
To many purists, there is just one definitive lush-and-plush Range Rover, with maybe some concession made for the Range Rover Sport.
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Like’em or not, the Evoque and Velar are trickle-down models intended to bring a little bit of Range Rover’s unmistakable flavour to a wider audience.
Compared to its chunky-hunky Range Rover Sport and indomitable Range Rover big brothers, the urbane Velar is a decidedly more elegant proposition, especially if one spends a lot of time zipping around the confines of the CBD.
If you recall, we last drove the Velar in early 2024 in 2.0-litre P250 guise, which already saw this facelift in effect with its “reductive new design”, complete with new grille, floating roofline and minimalist cabin.
However, we were not big fans of the politically-correct smaller engine, so this latest P400 with its characterful 3.0-litre six-cylinder is far more appealing to us and to our minds, better suited to the Velar’s personality.
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Happily enough, we’re told that the smaller displacement 4cyl is currently not available in Singapore due to emissions regulations, which means Velar buyers get to enjoy the smooth six.
Besides, the $16+k price gap between the outgoing 4cyl Velar (P250 S) to the current 6cyl (P400 S) variant before COE isn’t as big as you would imagine.
The 6 doesn’t just come with more stirring performance, it also offers a higher level of standard equipment such as air-suspension, a 3D surround camera and smart 22-inch alloy rims.
Like the P250 we tried, the P400 has a cleanly-styled cabin that is dominated by a central touchscreen tablet (much like the current crop of EVs). Personally, this writer prefers the previous model’s dual-screen set-up, but it is not hard to see the appeal of the current layout.
After all, such a sterile and sanitised, ‘sans’ everything flavour is something that so many are enamoured with these days.
Thankfully, the core climate control and volume functions are grouped along the ‘sidebars’ border of the floating 11.4-inch touchscreen and remain ‘fixed’ so one can access them quickly.
With 400hp and 550Nm on tap, the 3.0-litre is not just smooth, it is reasonably swift too, even considering the Velar’s two-tonne kerbweight. It is more than capable of asserting itself in the vicious cut-thrust of peak-travel traffic.
When you push pedal to metal, the 6cyl is able to deliver a rousing turn of pace that should bring some of the life back into one’s daily-drive.
While it may not be blisteringly fast, there’s a soulful vibe to its meaty delivery that far surpasses any commuter appliance.
It pulls with the depth and vigour that comes with a big displacement engine, yet manages to engage you without giving the impression you’ve flicked an on/off switch.
On the highways, the Velar demonstrates a cossetting cruising composure that leaves the engine largely unstressed. Even on the arch-filling 22-inch rims, the ride quality proves to be well-judged and sublimely damped.
The 3.0-litre inline6 at the heart of the Velar P400 is a welcome return to form for the mid-sized Rangie, and is pleasantly uncommon in a market of downsized engines and electric commuter cars.
Range Rover Velar 3.0L P400 S MHEV
Engine 2995cc, inline6, turbocharged
Power 400hp at 5500-6500rpm
Torque 550Nm at 2000-5000rpm
Transmission 8spd auto
0-100km/h 5.5secs
Top Speed 250km/h
