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Judging by a bottle of Land Rover Biltmore Estates sparkling wine (old from December 2017), I’m left with my “Pile of Stuff from the Past”, my first interaction with the Range Rover Velar a long, long time ago.
I was lucky, back then, to be invited to a small program at the Land Rover Driving School in Asheville, N.C., long before last year’s hurricane devastation, where we got to drive the then-new Velar in hills, mud and circumstances befitting its full capabilities.
Fast forward to a few months ago and a very updated Velar reappeared at my door. There’s no sparkling wine this time around, as Land Rover/Range Rover are in the midst of a new era and sister company Jaguar isn’t around yet, but it’s reinventing itself with a wildly ambitious electric vehicle.
So I settled for a series of comfortable, non-destructive outings in a 2025 Range Rover Velar Dynamic SE model, a mid-level model with a base value of $63,000 that went up to $76,000 with features and shipping, on an oversized wheel of 21 inches. . A variety of 2026 models are also now available, starting at $61,500.
Life changes very, very quickly, as we have noticed in recent months, and it might be somewhat ironic that the existing Velar models have not been shown to journalists at an event yet on Tik-Tok, in February 2023.
Perhaps this speaks to the Velar’s position in the Range Rover’s food chain. It’s a larger, more family-friendly vehicle than the $50,000 Evoque, a very different car from the flashier $84,000 Range Rover Sport and almost a fraction of the Range Rover’s value apart. in full, with a maximum fundamental rate of $108,000. While it offers a variety of sumptuous details, they now all look vaguely similar, stylist-wise, with very similar faces and different grades and sizes of pitched roof bodies.
These new 2023 to 2026 Velar models come with two possible turbocharged powertrain options: the 247-horsepower 2. 0-liter four-cylinder engine from my SE model and an optional and much more energetic 3. 0-liter six-cylinder engine from 394 horsepower. The Array Velar includes an S model, this Dynamic SE and the higher-performance Dynamic HSE model, which debuted in 2023.
The smaller engine sometimes feels a tad underwhelming given the considerably speedier results of that 3.0-liter, but the tradeoff is a 26 highway mpg rating, provided you are not trying to overcompensate with a flattened pedal, all of the time. The 2.0-liter will do 0-60 in 7.1 seconds and is limited to a reasonable 135 mph, while the 3.0 hits 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and can also top out at 155 mph. You can guess my feeling on that discrepancy.
Aside from the overall frame tweaks, new grille and LED lights, all of which help create a unified styling identity for all Range Rover products (not the now-separate Land Rover sub-brands Discovery and Defender), perhaps The biggest adjustments are found on the interior.
True to the peak Tik-Tok era in which it was relaunched, Velar is perhaps the biggest non-EV example of the No Buttons movement, which I think itself has already turned on its head.
There are literally no console controls of any kind on a Velar. Nothing at all, for a curious gear lever knob, located in the middle of a wide and absolutely flat console. Compare that to the ridiculously busy console of the 2025 Nissan Armada, review coming soon.
The 2023 thinking seemed to indicate that Range Rover drivers, not unlike Mustang owners, preferred to have virtually all of their vehicle controls summarized in a single, not-gigantic 11.4-inch, slightly curved touchscreen, and an infotainment system they call Pivi Pro. That comes in contrast to the awkward multi-level screens found in in-between Velar models.
Fortunately, unlike other all-inclusive formulas (for example, the first-generation Volkswagen id. 4 touchscreens), the Velar formula is functional, easy to learn and delightfully complete. It is also available with Amazon Alexa features, for those who prioritize technological convergence while traveling.
It is divided into 3 sections and offers many features, adding valid off-road features such as wading depth, hill assist and speed controls. These also come with ride height adjustments, a low-traction release formula, and a wide variety of trail modes. Perhaps most useful on the nearly 400-horsepower variant is that you also get a dynamic mode display with lap times and a G-force meter.
These newer Velar models get improved seats with leather-free upholstery available, an aggressive air purification system that might help in modern-day Los Angeles, as well as an active road noise cancellation system.
Compared to the moon buggy styled design overload of its Land Rover cousins, Velar is as laid back as possible. That main screen is surrounded by a padded dash, and … well, that’s about it. Even the starter button is sort of hidden to the left of that control screen.
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