2023 Velar S P250 R-Dynamic Review | The Everyday Range Rover

Over the years, Range Rover has become a symbol of wealth in the United States, displacing BMW, Audi and Mercedes as the go to vehicle for many upper middle class families. But what makes them so desirable today? We're going to find out.

A couple years ago when my daughter was born and we were shopping for an SUV is when we first stumbled across the Range Rover Velar. And if you remember those episodes, you'll remember that we ended up going with a 2020 BMW X6 M50. But what came in really close second was the Range Rover Velar svr. While we happily owned the Beamer for about two years or so, there were certainly some lingering regrets of not going with the range. But on this episode today, we're not going to be taking a look at the 5 million horsepower supercharged V8 version of this thing. This is the entry level SR Dynamic P250. Now, Range Rovers are somewhat common around me. Velars evokes sport defenders, discoveries, big bodies. We see them every day. But even though the Velar itself is on the more compact entry level spectrum of things, I still find it to be the most physically attractive of them all. That's even considering that they have the completely updated, brand new sport and big bodies running around right now too. I think that's because it's got the perfect combination of a sporty roofline and futuristic design elements and actual usable SUV space. Couple that with the classy interior, relatively low curb weight and diverse engine options and you've got yourself a pretty well rounded luxury SUV for not a lot of money. But cost is subjective. The Valar starts out at a much higher MSRP than its prospective competition from BMW, Mercedes or Audi. I mean, we're talking about 10 grand more. That's a lot of money. For the amount of money that you pay for this thing, you could probably buy a bare bones x 3m. And I don't have to drive the V to tell you that the X3M would probably be a much more fun ride. So after missing out on my chance to properly experience the V three years ago, I'm going to find out why this thing is supposedly leagues above its German peers. But before we do, I want to talk about today's sponsor, Motor Envy.

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At 188 inches long, the Velar competes in a very crowded but popular compact SUV segment. It's about 2 inches longer than everybody else, but we're Talking about the X3 GLC Macan Q5 Lexus RX. The list goes on. Like I said earlier, I'm a fan of the exterior. I think it's a sleek looking vehicle that combines the sportiness of a sloped roof coupe with the usability of a normal suv. The front end looks well integrated, smooth and futuristic. The headlights blend well with the grille and all the blacked out bits that come with the R dynamic package make it look a lot faster than it might be. It borrows a lot of design cues from the big body range but but streamlines it to make it more aggressive. In my opinion, the side profile of the car is just as good. Again, the blacked out quasi sloping roof and hood line make it look very muscular and sporty. The metallic red on black is also a cool touch since you don't see many Range Rovers that aren't the usual white, black or gray. The built in fender vents and hood vents blend well with the silhouette. On top of that, the roof spoiler is also a nice touch that completes the look. The only thing I would change out is the 20 inch wheels because I think that the 21 inch split spoke style 5047s are the perfect rims to represent the Velar. Even the rear end looks great. I particularly like the black bar with the badging that runs across to bridge the taillights which are also well integrated and if you look carefully you'll even see a little baby diffuser down there. Whether or not it does anything is another matter. The only thing that gives away that this is a more entry level model is the lack of any visible exhaust tips. Apart from that, even though this car is towards the end of its life cycle, it still looks ahead of its time. The powerplant on the Velar SP250, as you've probably already guessed, makes around 250 horsepower, 247 to be exact from a 2 liter turbocharged inline four. It's not a lot, but then again the car also isn't that heavy so it should toot along just fine. If you want to put it down. Well, at least it'll get you from point A to point B. The inside is equally as interesting as the outside. We've got a lot of borrowed design elements from the bigger models. The dash, the climate controls, the infotainment and the shifter. It's all very familiar. So if this is your first time in a Range Rover, just know that you're not being sold short in this department. The build quality and materials used in overall design language are all fantastic. There's acoustic glass, heated seats, a banging Meridian sound system, and a cool British accent coming from your navigation. Some things I would have liked to see are cooling seats, heads up display, a full digital cluster, and soft closed doors, but I'm sure those are all problems that can be fixed with enough money. I also like the rubberized material that they used on the dash and throughout the car, but one thing that really bugs me is the piano black trim that is on everything that you use your hands to touch because that just ends up being a dust and fingerprint magnet. Front cockpit is pretty spacious for this segment, no complaints at all. Rear seats are good for carrying children or baby seats. There's good headroom, but leg space could be a little tight, so I'd recommend teenagers or small adults be the only ones back there. I do like how big the trunk is though. It's been a while since our X6, but the trunk space is definitely comparable if not better because it doesn't have that sloped coupe roof. And remember the X6 is considered a mid sized SUV. The seats on the other hand could use a little bit more spice. Range Rover seats never really entice me at all. They're always boring and just a little bit on the rigid side in terms of comfort. And even though I don't care that much, there's also no ambient lighting package which is starting to become a standard thing in entry level luxury SUVs. The infotainment is highly responsive though and it feels pretty crispy for a dated platform. Wireless Android Auto and CarPlay is always a plus and wireless charging is located inconspicuously behind the climb and screen. Something I found quite interesting is all the different off road screens and drive modes that you can access on the Velar. The steering wheel is a hair on the large side, but the paddles are the absolute best paddles that I've seen in a compact suv. Overall, it's a very pleasant cabin experience that aged surprisingly well. Anyway, it's time we do some driving. The car drives surprisingly smooth. Smooth acceleration, imperceivable shifts, balanced cornering. It absorbs road bumps really well too. It's all very compliant and comfortable, but it's also very one dimensional. There's nothing exciting here. It's not fast or sporty. Even in dynamic mode it sounds pedestrian. And the shifts from the eight speed gearbox are slushy, which is rather disappointing to me because the paddles are so magnificent. I also found the braking feel to be a little mushy and somewhat uninspiring. I had this expectation of a slightly better tuned package that would give us a sportier feel. However, this car is the complete opposite of that. It feels like an overpriced economy car with a fancy interior. I'm starting to get this impression that all the R S and P badging was just nonsense and the aggressive black bits were just a way to fool people to pay more. For sure, it's an overall nice experience if you're just going to use the car to commute. The steering is light, the sound system is great, you don't hear much outside noise and you'll chug along quite comfortably with good fuel economy. But if you're anything like me, you'll also be bored out of your mind. It doesn't feel like you're driving anything special. It honestly feels a little better than driving a base BMW X3. But I find the Mercedes GLC and Porsche Macan to be a better automotive experience. To me, if you just want a car to be comfy into commuting, there are so many other options that can match this. There's really nothing to write home about here. For my first real Range Rover experience, I'm not impressed at all. But hey, on the bright side, at least you still have a pretty good looking car. Let's just take a moment to go over the technical and performance specs of the vehicle. The Velar P250 has the most entry level engine option that you can spec from the factory. 2.0 liter turbocharged inline four, 247 brake horsepower, 269 pounds of torque. It weighs around 4,300 pounds which puts our power to weight ratio at a depressing 17.41. All wheel drive gives it good traction in most conditions, but 060 is still a miserable 7.4 seconds. Plus a 15.7 quarter mile time is something that I would expect to see from a Toyota, not a Range Rover. Yet here we are. But this obviously isn't a performance car, so there's not much else to talk about. So let's move on.

The problem that I have with the Velar right now is that they shouldn't have even included this base P250 model. It's a pretty terrible powertrain for the price you pay. It's completely underwhelming because when I first got the memo that I was going to drive this thing, I thought to myself, wow, SRP250 must mean that they tuned it up to be a little hot or, you know, at least halfway interesting of a drive. But it feels just marginally better than my wife's old Mazda CX3. If I bought this car for her, she'd probably be pretty pissed off that I spent 70 grand on something like this. I'm sure the SVR, the P400 and even the P340 would be a much better driving experience, but they should have just left the P250 in the Evoque where it belongs. But that's really my only gripe about this car. Despite being underpowered, boring, and having a terribly slushy gearbox, it's actually a really smooth driving experience. It's also surprisingly comfortable over these New Jersey roads, which are really, really crappy, by the way. The interior design is fantastic as well, but again, at 65/70, a full digital cluster should be standard in a luxury truck like this. Everything else is nice, though. I particularly like this pseudo suede material they have on the shifter, the armrests and whatnot. It's really nice. The front seats are roomier than I expected, but the back seats are kind of standard for this segment. Gets the job done for young families, but full size adults might feel a little crappy back there. The trunk space is still really impressive though, but that's also thanks to the design of the fastback situation. Overall build quality is also pretty stout. But one thing I found interesting was that in the infotainment they have all these off roady drive modes and monitoring and tire monitoring. But let's be real, I don't think I'm ever going to see a Velar on an off road trail anyway. You already know how I feel about the exterior of the thing. They did a really good job with the overall design. It's hot. It's also aging quite well and it's probably the car's strongest suit. But after actually driving it for a while, it's not enough. To win me over. It's just a little bit too overpriced for what you pay for. Who do I think the Range Rover Velar is for? Well, people who want a Range Rover. Only a Range Rover, a conveniently sized Range Rover. And they only have X amount of dollars to spend because frankly, your money goes a lot further with the Germans and the Japanese. And to put it bluntly, if you must have a Velar and you're in a specific tax bracket, you buy the P250 for your daughter to drive in high school, the P340 or the 400 for the daily drive. And then when you want to have a real car, you get the SVR.

To properly experience the SVR version of the car because I know that it's going to be a completely different animal. But for those who are on the fence with this one and you want a luxury suv, but you want something.

A little bit more interesting than your.

Run of the mill Bimmer, Benz or Audi, I would say skip the Velar and maybe take a look at the Porsche Macan instead. Anyway, special thanks to Motor Envy for hooking me up with this car to review. If you're in the market for a Velar Range Rover or any luxury car for that matter, check out motorenvy.com because not only do they have a great selection on cars, their leasing and subscription program is a totally different buying experience that makes things just simple and easy. Anyway, let me know what you think about the valar in the comments below. That's gonna do for me on this episode and as always, I will catch.

You all on the next one.

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