2024 Range Rover Velar Review: Quiet Luxury Fights Loud Concern

Much like other luxury brands, Land Rover has gained enough of a reputation over the decades to where the name means something outside of the car itself. The tiny green "Land Rover" badge can–by intention–denote one of three things. It can be associated with the ostentatious luxury Range Rover SUVs that won't be caught dead anywhere but the swankiest clubs and shopping districts. Then there's the Defender, which would look at equally home parked on the side of a mountain, in a Costco parking lot, or with a machine gun mounted on the roof. 

Lastly, there's the Discovery, which can easily vacillate between an African Safari, and a driveway in New England. I was given a taste of Land Rover's more luxury-oriented line when I was handed the key fob to a 2024 Range Rover Velar for the week to evaluate. It inspired more comments than most other vehicles I've reviewed so far.

The Velar is part of Land Rover's Range Rover series, and fits between the compact Evoque and the Range Rover Sport. From its $61,500 base price and general size, the Velar is poised to compete with the likes of the BMW X5, Lexus TX, and Mercedes GLE. Land Rover is incapable of being modest, but it's not as ridiculous as the full-size six-figure Range Rover, and it's also not as off-road/socio-econonomic collapse ready as the Defender. It does a remarkable job at skirting the very fine line between quietly luxurious and pretentious.

Mechanically, the Velar Dynamic is a mild hybrid. The bulk of the power is generated by a 3-liter turbocharged six-cylinder. The "mild hybrid" part is the electric starter generator motor powered by a 48-volt electrical system. When the whole lot is working together, that translates to 395 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. Land Rover calls it the P400; the base Velar only gets a 247 horsepower four-banger, the P250. 

That brings me to an odd-factor of the Velar. It's deceptively quick. Land Rover says it will accomplish the 0-60 sprint in 5.2 seconds. That's remarkably quick for a big SUV. In a big fast Range Rover, it was hard to not feel like I was Jason Statham in some UK-centric action movie. It's worth noting that the mild-hybrid drivetrain doesn't help in the slightest with fuel economy. You're getting a combined 21 miles per gallon pretty much regardless of how you drive.

While the Velar was fast in a straight line, it didn't enjoy curvy roads in the slightest. It never felt dangerous, but I believe the body roll the Velar experianced on highway off-ramps and turns was the car's way of telling me that it didn't want to be there. It's hardly a canyon carver, nor does it try to be. The Range Rover Velar's suspension can be as fancy and high-tech as it wants, but physics will always prevail when a huge and tall SUV tries to hit a corner like it was trying out for Formula 1.

Inside the Velar was like being in a sarcophagus of luxury, only instead of being swathed in linen to await the afterlife, you are nestled in leather and wood veneer panels. It's not like the outside world doesn't exist when you're at the helm of the Velar, more that it just doesn't necessarily matter. It's almost disconcerting how quiet the big SUV is when driving. The sound of your own thoughts can, of course, be drowned out by the Velar's sound system., and the 400-watt Meridian audio system that adorns the Velar is genuinely one of the best sound systems I've experienced. I do not claim to be an audiophile of any sort, but it was noticeably refined My dad, a musician with around 50 years of experience making sure things sound good, gave positive comments on the Velar's speakers.

The interior of the Velar is sparse, but not in a bad way. The BMW X6 that I reviewed a number of months ago had a degree of "crystalline opulence" that would make the word "subtle" burst into flames. The Velar wasn't like that at all. It was restrained and didn't try to wow you with goofy art pieces or gimmicks. It's just nice, and that's all it needs to be.

Unfortunately for my review, I didn't do anything particularly "luxurious" when driving the Velar. I didn't go boating, play badminton, or visit any prized horses. I drove the Velar to a computer store and ate sushi in its general vicinity. I wasn't particularly exciting when in command, but I believe that speaks to the Velar's luxury credentials. I didn't need to be doing anything exciting for the Velar to feel good to drive: It was good enough on its own self-existent merits as a Range Rover to be a delight to drive.

I loved the Velar, and everyone else who took at peek at the interior or went on a ride generally shared my opinion. However, Land Rovers and Range Rovers have a huge stigma, at least in my geographic area. I heard, no less than a dozen times, from a number of people from all backgrounds "isn't Land Rover unreliable?" According to data collected by publications like Consumer Reports, that query isn't that misguided. Typically Land Rovers score towards the bottom of the scale when it comes to reliability.

However, if you are leasing a vehicle from Land Rover, the vehicles themselves are covered for four-years or 50,000 miles with the automaker's warranty. A used Ranger Rover might be a bad idea, especially if the odometer is doing its best impression of a phone number, but for the average soccer mom or Jason Statham movie protagonist, the lease will be long over and they'll be in another vehicle far before problems arise. Still, Land Rover's reputation was inescapable.

Now the 2024 Range Rover Velar Dynamic SE (its full Christian name) must weigh in. As said earlier, the Velar already has a steep starting price at $61,500. The "Dynamic" trim that allows for the beefier engine throws on more cash to the pile. Adding in its "Cold Climate Pack"–that includes a heated windshield (not particularly helpful in early June) and heated/cooled seats–will set you back $1,175. The 21-inch wheels clock in at $2,600. The heads-up display is $1,000. The "Zadar Grey" paint is $1,550. 

Throw in the $800 black roof, the $750 black exterior trim pack, the $500 "Cloud/Ebony" leather seats and the aforementioned wood veneer, and a litany of other tiny extras and a destination charge, and you arrive at this 2024 Velar's final price $81,033. Luxury cars are supremely expensive, and the Velar is doing exactly nothing to upend the status quo.

The Velar is quiet, refined, almost startlingly quick, stigmatized, and most importantly, really expensive. It's also a lovely car to be in for long periods of time. I don't have $81,000 to spend on an SUV, but if you did and you were willing to deal with potential mechanical headaches down the road and/or everyone telling you that you bought an unreliable car, the Velar might be for you. It's just that comfortable.