2024 Range Rover Velar P400 Review: Turns Out You Can Just be Whelmed

If anywhere the splintering of JLR makes sense, it’s with the burgeoning Range Rover lineup.

There’s the petite Evoque, a cute-ute with an added air of off-road ability. On the other end of the scale is the eponymous Rangie, a true automotive icon. The Sport has a purpose too, for those who want a British foil for the ubiquitous X5. That leaves the Velar: urbane like the Evoque, but larger and family-friendly.

As stylish as ever, the Velar is a big-money option in the compact luxury SUV scene. It looks it too, but there are functionality issues that mar its daily driver experience.

There’s been a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it facelift in Velarville for ’24. Squint and you’ll maybe make out the tweaked front light signature or revised grille mesh; out back, the red elements of the taillights now make one wide U-shape instead of two. We know, we know—it’s shocking, truly.

Inside, JLR’s latest Pivi Pro touchscreen subs in for the previous dual-screen approach, measuring 11.4 inches across. With the switch comes an almost complete removal of switchgear—more on that later.

There are no changes under the hood, and we’re happy with that. The base 2.0-liter still soldiers on, but this model has the sweet turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six mild hybrid setup, putting down 394 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque.

Those ultra-subtle design changes highlight the inherent rightness of the Velar’s styling. Debuting six years ago (!), it’s just as elegant and modern as ever, all clean lines and tailored volumes. The long roof suggests a big SUV, but the Velar is closer to X3 than X5—it’s just a whole lot more pleasing on the eyes. As far as grays go, this is a good one too.

The optional 22-inch alloy wheels give the Velar concept car proportions, especially when the adjustable suspension is at its lowest setting. It’s one of the most road-oriented models the brand has ever built, but that’s more an acknowledgement of the market’s demands than anything else.

Inline sixes are amongst the sweetest engines in the realm of ICE, and JLR’s is no exception. With a muted, cultured growl from under the hood, the Ingenium 3.0L shifts the Velar with authority. The eight-speed auto is the gold-standard ZF-sourced unit found all over the industry. As it does elsewhere, the ‘box handles shifts quickly and smoothly depending on the driver’s needs, never setting a foot wrong. Switching into a sportier drive mode, the paddle shifters are responsive. The one hiccup arrives in deep city congestion: the start-stop system can stumble at walking pace, where the mild-hybrid setup is right on the boundary for giving the engine some down-time.

Otherwise well-mannered, the Velar is reasonably efficient for the class, posting 19 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined. (Canadian figures are 12.6, 9.4, and 11.1 L/100 km, respectively.) That puts it around the Audi SQ5 and Mercedes-AMG GLC43, but still a bit off the class-leading X3 M40i.

Combining big rolling stock with the adaptive suspension, the Velar is a tidy if not entertaining handler. The Land Rover has a few extra inches and pounds over the Germans, and drives as such: not big, just bigger. The big steering wheel provides no real hint as to what the front wheels are experiencing, but it has consistent weighting as soon as it’s off-center. Responses are measured: it’s not that there’s a lag between input and response, more that the Velar is naturally languid. It doesn’t like to be rushed.

Which makes the more dynamic drive modes somewhat useless. Sure, there’s perkier throttle response tighter body control, but it feels wholly unnatural here, like a tailored suit finished with a pair of bright yellow Pumas.

Sticking to the aggressive drive mode obliterates the Velar’s ride quality as well. It’s downright unpleasant, transmitting every road imperfection to the cabin with an unrefined thud. Don’t do it.

The calmer drive modes do fix this, mostly. There’s only so much compliance available in those rubber-band 22s, the Velar forcing drivers to make comfort sacrifices for the style they provide. The adaptive suspension does give the SUV good body control however, cornering flat and quickly settling after undulations.

Seat comfort is top of the class, with well-contoured seats providing plenty of long-distance support and adjustability. The headrests are cushy, and the massage function is well-judged. Second-row accommodations aren’t quite as palatial as the Velar’s footprint suggests, but they’re still very adult-friendly, and can recline a bit for those longer drives. Cargo space is generous, and numerous hooks dot the hold for added functionality.

Land Rover’s design focus has lead to some of the prettiest cabins in SUV-dom, and the Velar’s doesn’t break from tradition. It eschews the techy busy-ness of BMW, the Berlin rave club of Mercedes, and the wait-what-am-I-in forgettable feel of Audi. A simple dashboard design and this tester’s two-tone Windsor leather gives an almost Scandinavian clean. Material quality is generally excellent, though the folding panels to keep the center console looking slick feel a little cheap. Everything else has an impressive solidity to it.

“Just 'cause you're beautiful, that doesn't mean that you can treat people like they don't matter.”

Cameron might’ve been talking to his crush, but it might as well have been about the Velar’s infotainment. There are just two physical buttons in the Velar’s center stack: one for start-stop, and one for park. Everything else has migrated to the central screen, and that’s a step back from the previous model.

It’s not to say the screen is bad itself, because it isn’t. JLR’s latest Pivi Pro is actually pretty good, with simple menus and quick responses. It’s the most-used controls that fall flat. Changing the climate settings requires multiple stabs at the screen, and should both driver and front passenger desire to do it, there goes all the screen real estate. You’ll just have to wait for it to disappear, too. Volume is also near-hidden off to the far side. Drive modes? More poking away and taking your eyes off the road.

Wireless Apple CarPlay is here, but it consistently glitched out for me. Clicking the main icon on the left never actually brought me to CarPlay, but to a connections screen that required another tap (or two!) to go to a specific app. The whole setup actively discourages the driver from using it, and that’s a major blemish on the Velar’s scorecard.

The digital instrument cluster and head-up display earn no ire, working as advertised. Same goes for most of the driver assist suite, especially the useful 360-degree camera. Land Rover’s lane-keep needs some work however; the Velar would regularly ping-pong between the lines.

Another weak spot: price. The Velar leverages the Range Rover badging and its slightly larger footprint to start well above the rest of the segment. Getting into a four-cylinder model already requires around $62,000 ($75,000 CAD), and opting for this high-power P400 means a higher trim, bumping the price basically five figures.

This Canadian-spec tester has nearly every box ticked. Slight market differences aside, the closest equivalent US build clocks in at $85,710 including destination. The Canadian as-tested price is an eye-wincing $102,545 CAD.

The 2024 Range Rover Velar is an oddity in the segment. It looks sensational inside and out, and drives well enough (so long as one avoids the most aggressive drive mode). A user-unfriendly infotainment experience and that sky-high price limit its appeal. One could save cash and go for the four-cylinder and/or smaller wheels, but that’d erase much of what makes the Velar feel premium. It turns out you can just be whelmed, courtesy of Europe.

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