Range Rover Velar plug-in hybrid: test, reviews, price

Tra na suvvoni, for me, Range Rover Velar it is the most beautiful of all: even more than the Bentley Bentayga and the Rolls Royce Cullinan, compared to which it is certainly more modest and elegant. But while some of the features really impressed me, there were some aspects that left me a little worried. Comments after an experiment on the street version P400e PHEV HSEtop of the range with engine plugging combination 400 horsepower.

Range Rover Velar P400e plug-in hybrid, la prova su strada

There is something special about the design of Range Rovers and the Velar in particular. It is clean andthe importance of lines, which makes them very elegant. And for a long time. It’s a design he feels that the years have passed very little, theirs, and in the case of the Velar, the extended tail proportions provide speed that makes the extra large SUV lighter on the eye. In height we are 4.80 m from bumper to bumper and inside height at 2.04 m with folded side mirrors. Perhaps by American standards we are still in the middle range, but by European standards Velar is a real giant. A giant that, however, immediately on boardhe left me wondering.

Range Rover Velar P400e plug-in hybrid, center console

BIG OUT, SMALL IN Like other large rooms, but very furnished, the Velar ends up being a little more spacious than you’d expect. The dashboard is invasive for those sitting in front, but it is above all the fifth passenger who is put in great difficulty by the very high central tunnel, which stores the transmission, and for cabinet, who approaches the sofa. And even the other passengers don’t have all the centimeters for their legs that you might expect from an SUV of this size. The trunk It has a usable look, but the 625-litre capacity is counted on the roof and not on the parcel shelf. In fact, the bottom room runs out earlier than I’d expect from a car of this size.

Range Rover Velar P400e plug-in hybrid, boot

CONTROL AND FINISH Having said that, the Velar’s cabin is a great place to be, because of the comfort of the seats and the beauty of the upholstery: especially in this HSE trim, which is interchangeable. leather and fabric giving an elegant and youthful sound. It’s a shame that some of the plastic is a little rough that you can reach with your finger, for example the one used to make the rear-view mirror and the levers to open the storage compartment between the seats. The same cover that covers the instruments is hard to the touch and contrasts with the smoothness of the rest of the dashboard. The controls are almost all touch and pass for infotainment, which The menu is more elegant than intuitive. Most of the images on the screen, then, are small and I have to look at them carefully to center them with my moving finger: with all the constraints of the case. It occurred to me, for example, that I had to postpone climate control because I was busy on the Serravalle bends, when a traditional knot would have allowed me to solve the problem immediately.

Range Rover Velar P400e plug-in hybrid, lo schermo dell’infotainment

COMFORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE A little higher to reach the elderly, sessions However, they are super comfortable. The front ones have the advantage of electrically adjustable depth and headrests with side reclining devices, like some airplanes. The front passenger says thank you as he falls asleep. The rear seats can be adjusted in the direction of the backrest: always through a electrical control, which in this case is on the side of the seat. To avoid overheating of the passenger compartment sun blind The panel roof closes itself when I park the car: a useful feature and thought about it shows moderate maintenance. Another important feature concerns the cover of the electric boot, which protrudes slightly during movement: in this way it remains more usable when the car is standing next to a wall.

Range Rover Velar P400e plug-in hybrid, il volante

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Behind the wheel of the Velar the first thing I notice is silent: I close the door and the world remains outside. The engine always whispers with great grace, even when I ask it to respond quickly, and the automatic gearbox stands up to its fluidity. The transition from electric drive to hybrid is also very smooth: the two motors work together perfectly aligned and, thanks toperfect soundproofing, it is very difficult to recognize when the four cylinder kicks in. Comfort is certain the best gift ever of this Range Rover, which on long journeys has a calming effect on all passengers. Watch out for speed, though, because crossing the line without realizing it takes a while.

Il test della Range Rover Velar P400e plug-in hybrid

THE POWER OF NATURE After all, the engine is terrible. Well, from a car of this stature I would expect a large displacement of many parts, but pedigree aside, I dare you to complain about the generosity of this 4 cylinder with electric. I have already said that it is quiet, but how powerful it is when picking up is difficult to explain: in the figures we are talking about 404 HP and 640 Nm, which pushes the Velar up to 209 km / h after 0-100 km. /h in just 5.4 seconds. It is the time of a true sportsman, one of those whose silhouette remains very low on the horizon, so to speak, and who during the sun draws a shadow cast further down. The feeling of power that is released during recovery, moreover, is terrifying even when the battery is at its lowest and only allows the vehicle to be used in hybrid mode. Not forgetting that ECO driving mode, which I used for many tests in an attempt to save fuel, does not make the Velar sleep too much and does not prevent it from quickly crossing the road, if necessary. It’s so frustrating that I have to manually turn it back on every time I get into the car.

APPLICATIONS IN THE REAL WORLD Speaking of usage,electrical freedom the announced 64 km seemed a little promising: apart from the excellent traffic and road conditions, it is not easy to cover more than fifty kilometers with the (warm) engine off. But if my concern was that, once the battery died, I’d have to buy a truck from Emirates to make the Velar drink, well, I’m happy to report that the Velar didn’t overdo it. When the battery is lowin city we’re around 13.5 l/100 km (7.4 km/l), says the on-board computer. In highway at code speed, the Velar is satisfied with about 8 l/100 km (12.5 km/l) and my weekend in Liguria and picking up and returning the car to the editorial office, in the center of Milan, ended with average 10 l/100 km (in km/l it does the same).

Range Rover Velar P400e plug-in hybrid, la srumentazione

BRAKE… BRAKE. EVEN VERY Among the curves, the Velar takes its 23 parts for a dignified ride. Driving on expressways is more sensitive and direct than you would expect from an SUV like this, and it has unexpected accuracy: which allows you to draw efficient and regular lines even on the most tortuous areas of the Milan-Genoa route. Especially if I take advantage of the various settings of the driving mode, which has an influence on the setting and, therefore, also on the speed of the vehicle seeking assistance when entering the bend. On hairpin bends, the smaller steering wheel diameter makes my life easier. The gearbox, however, while it works very well automatically, lacks a bit of urgency when I try to control it with the paddles behind the steering wheel. Among the things that I liked the most, I would like to mention rear camera, which is of little use in the dark; the brightness of the instrument panel, which takes a very long time to return to the top after the tunnels and one automatic emergency stop who, in the cycle, did an extra job without being asked: to hit nails in front of a cyclist who I was already avoiding by a good margin.

Alla guida della Range Rover Velar P400e plug-in hybrid

The Range Rover Velar plug-in combination starts at 84,200 euros for the S trim, rising to 92,300 euros in the SE trim and reaching 99,100 euros for the top of the range HSE: like the one tested, where less equipment. to bring final price for 106,000 euros. In total there are an additional thousand euros for the color Varesine Blue, 1,128 euros for the 21-inch alloy wheels and the same amount for the different black roof, 553 euros for the tinted rear windows, 409 euros for the panoramic roof, 487 euros. premium non-leather steering wheel. And again 880 euros for the Black Design Pack for the bodywork, 455 euros for the wood finishes of the passenger compartment and 953 euros for the Performance Package. At these levels It is superfluous to go through the shopping list: aim directly at the top that will help make the car more attractive in the prospect of selling it later.