2024 Range Rover Velar revealed with tweaked styling, no-button minimalist interior

2024 Range Rover Velar revealed with tweaked styling, no-button minimalist interior

The 2024 Land Rover Range Rover Velar is getting a thorough refresh, and while it may not look totally different on the outside, that’s not the whole story.

Starting with the mechanicals, the revised Velar pairs a new eight-speed automatic transmission with its base 2.0-liter turbocharged four cylinder engine that Land Rover says is smoother shifting than the outgoing eight-speed. This P250 model produces 247 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. The 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six mild-hybrid powertrain introduced a couple of years ago carries forward with the same 395 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque. The lower-power version (335 horses) of this same powertrain is dropped from the lineup.

Where the real change occurs is on the Velar’s interior. Everything, for better or worse, revolves around the new 11.4-inch curved glass infotainment system that sits proudly in the waterfall center stack. Look around, and you won’t find any buttons, knobs or dials — Land Rover even did away with its funky push/pull climate controls. All of the vehicle’s controls are now found within the infotainment screen, which runs a new version of Land Rover’s Pivi Pro software — it supports wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, over-the-air software updates and Amazon Alexa-based voice command intelligence. New sidebars in the screen keep quick controls for often-used settings like climate, heated seats and audio volume within permanent reach. Land Rover says there’s a start-up screen that will prompt you to turn on the defrosters or heated seats every time you hop in the car, too. We’ll need to spend time testing this new system to see if it works well, but in general, we’ve found an over-reliance on touchscreen controls to be a big step backwards for ease of use.

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As for the rest of the cabin, the whole center stack and dash was redesigned to house this new tech-forward experience. It’s a clean, minimalist look that should appeal to those who favor simplicity in design. The steering wheel gets fancy light-up controls, and the cluster in front of the driver is fully digital. A leather-free interior option is available, and it uses a combination of wool and polyurethane textile inserts with a new perforation pattern. If you’d rather have leather, though, Land Rover adds three new colors with Cloud, Raven Blue and Deep Garnet. The last big update found inside the Velar is a new, optional air purification system that can monitor for and clean the air in the cabin better than a traditional cabin air filter.

On the outside, the Velar picks up new headlights with a tweaked daytime running light design in addition to a new grille that brings it in line with the new Range Rover for that family look. Out back, the new LED taillights and a redesigned lower rear bumper round out the changes. The Velar’s always been a sharp-looking car, and while we may have expected a little more than these minimal updates, there’s no denying that the Velar still looks quite dashing.

Land Rover says the 2024 Velar is available to order today. We’ve listed starting prices for each of the available models below, including the $1,275 destination charge.

P250 S: $62,775
P250 Dynamic SE: $64,875
P400 Dynamic SE: $71,875
P400 Dynamic HSE: $79,675

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