Jaguar Land Rover is rolling out its new mild-hybrid Ingenium engines and Pivi Pro infotainment at a steady clip, with the 2021 Range Rover Velar the next recipient.
The updated model is ready to order now, with local deliveries set to begin next March.
The Velar follows corporate cousins the Jaguar E-Pace and F-Pace in offering a dramatically pared-back range, with just five models – down from 13.
The cost of entry into the Velar range has increased to $87,000 before on-road costs – up by $5353 – with Land Rover culling all “regular” Velars and keeping only the R-Dynamic models.
The entry P250 R-Dynamic S, however, is $648 cheaper than the outgoing model. All models also now receive adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and wade sensing as standard.
Replacing the supercharged petrol V6 P380 is the new P400, which features a 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine with a 48V mild-hybrid system.
Featuring a belt-integrated starter generator, the mild-hybrid system captures energy usually lost under deceleration and stores it in a 48V lithium-ion battery located below the cargo area.
The new petrol six, also available in the Land Rover Defender, produces 294kW of power and 550Nm of torque. Like the rest of the Velar’s engines, it’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. All P400s also feature air suspension as standard.
JLR claims it’ll do the 0-100km/h sprint in a brisk 5.5 seconds.
The Velar’s other new engine for 2021 also features 48V mild-hybrid technology. Replacing the D180 and D240 is the new D200, powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine from JLR’s Ingenium engine family that produces 147kW of power and 430Nm of torque.
It sips a claimed 6.3L/100km, just 0.1L/100km higher than the outgoing, less powerful D180.
The only other powertrain in the simplified 2021 range is the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine in the P250, which produces 184kW of power and 365Nm of torque.
The updated Velar also receives JLR’s latest Pivi Pro infotainment system, as seen in the Defender. It supports over-the-air updates via an embedded data connection, ensuring you don’t need to visit a dealer to get vehicle software or navigation updates.
Other changes inside the cabin include a new gear selector and a new steering wheel. Land Rover has also introduced Active Road Noise Cancellation, featuring similar technology to that which you’d find in noise-cancelling headphones.
A new cabin air filtration system helps reduce particulates and odours in the cabin and features PM2.5 filtration to weed out ultra-fine particles. To activate it, you’ll just need to press the Purify button.
Finally, Velar buyers will receive the new second-generation wearable Activity Key. It’s waterproof and shock-proof and allows you to start, stop, lock and unlock the vehicle without having your key fob handy.
Pricing
- 2021 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic S P250: $87,000
- 2021 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic SE P250: $92,000
- 2021 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic SE D200: $96,000
- 2021 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic SE P400: $117,000
- 2021 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE P400: $127,000
All prices exclude on-road costs.
Full specifications for the 2021 Range Rover Velar have yet to be revealed. We will publish a full pricing and spec story when details are available.
