The plug-in electric hybrid Range Rover Velar has been given a 21% boost in range, allowing for 64 km of pure electric motoring.

The Range Rover Velar combines a 105 kW electric motor with an Ingenium petrol engine and offers a combined 297 kW and 640 Nm of torque from its 221 kW 2,0-litre four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine and 105 kW electric motor. It is capable of accelerating from 0-100 km/h in 5,4 seconds and has a top speed of 209 km/h.

Drivers can select from three driving modes:

  • EV Mode – enables the vehicle to prioritise running solely on the electric power using the energy stored in the battery, for quiet, zero-tailpipe emissions journeys.
  • HYBRID Mode – blends EV and conventional driving, according to the road, journey and set destination. It makes optimum use of the battery, including automatically switching to EV mode when you enter a city centre low-emission zone. Predictive Energy Optimisation ensures a smooth and comfortable journey.
  • SAVE Mode – prioritises the combustion engine as its energy source, maintaining the battery’s state of charge at a chosen level, which can then be used at a specific point in the journey – for example when entering urban areas.

The P400e is capable of rapid DC charging, with a 0%-80% charge possible in as little as 30 minutes away from home using a 50kW charger. At home, it can charge from 0%-100% using a 7 kW AC charger in 2,5 hours, while three-pin charging is also possible when required.

The latest generation Ingenium petrol straight-six engines are available with 48-volt Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) technology that uses a Belt integrated Starter Generator (BiSG) to harvest energy usually lost under deceleration, which is then stored in a 48-volt lithium-ion battery located beneath the rear loadspace. It can redeploy the stored energy to assist the engine when accelerating, while also delivering a more refined and responsive start-stop system.

In South Africa, the 3,0-litre straight-six Ingenium petrol engine is available in P340 MHEV form delivering 250 kW and 480 Nm of torque, with acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 6,3 seconds.

Thhis engine has an electric supercharger, supported by a twin-scroll turb-ocharger that features an exhaust manifold split into two ‘scrolls’ that each feed the turbo from three cylinders.

Continuous Variable Valve Lift (CVVL) also allows the engine to produce power and torque as efficiently as possible by varying the extent to which inlet valves are opened, for enhanced responses.

The 3,0-litre straight-six D300 diesel engine produces 221 kW and 650 Nm of torque to deliver acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 6,5 seconds, while the 2,0-litre, four-cylinder D200 Ingenium diesel engine produces 14 6kW and 430 Nm.

Adaptive Dynamics is fitted as standard and ensures suspension stiffness is optimised for the driving conditions by monitoring wheel movements 500 times a second and body movements 100 times a second, continuously varying the damping forces at all four corners of the vehicle. There’s even a specific calibration for off-road driving.

An intelligent torque on-demand all-wheel drive (AWD) system provides the optimum torque distribution to suit the conditions, whether driving dynamically on the road or pulling away from a standstill on slippery surfaces.

This system changes the distribution of power and torque and, depending on the conditions, it can go from being 100% rear-wheel drive to fully locked all-wheel drive for all-terrain manoeuvres in only 165 milliseconds, while shifting torque delivery to the front axle can take as little as 100 milliseconds.

Colin Windell - proudly CHANGECARS