What the new Range Rover Velar and Evoque cost in South Africa

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) South Africa announced on Monday the new Range Rover Velar and Evoque models are available to order.

Sitting between the Range Rover Evoque and Sport in terms of model hierarchy, the latest Velar introduces exterior, interior and under-the-bonnet changes designed to boost the SUV's appeal in an increasingly competitive market segment.

Park the new Velar next to the outgoing model and you'll spot a redesigned front radiator grille flanked by a pair of pixel LED headlamps incorporating “jewel-like' effect signature daytime running lights. The units also feature “dynamic bend lighting technology”.

At the rear of the vehicle the designers bolted in new LED taillights with a 3D appearance and super-red illumination. A lower rear bumper has been added and features hidden tailpipes for what Range Rover calls “a clean and elegant appearance”. Two new colours join the exterior palette: Metallic Varesine Blue and Premium Metallic Zadar Grey.

So far so subtle. Swing open a door, however, and you will immediately notice most of the Velar's upgrades have been spent inside the cabin, chief of which is the gorgeous new 11.4-inch floating curved glass touchscreen mounted on the centre console. Replacing the somewhat clunky dual-screen interface of the outgoing model and running the firm's latest Pivi Pro infotainment software, it allows intuitive access to 80% of the vehicle's functionality within two taps of the home screen. Beneath this screen is an all-new centre console with an ultra-minimalist design incorporating only the gear selector.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is standard across the range as is inductive charging, over-the-air software update capability and the What3Words global navigation App. Other technological highlights include interior ambient lighting with 30 colours and a Meridian signature sound system offering active noise cancellation for a quieter cabin when travelling across rougher roads. Cabin Air Purification Plus is standard on the Autobiography and available on other Velar models as part of the optional Comfort Pack. 

Personalisation levels are high and customers can customise their Velar with a choice of four new leather colourways: Cloud, Caraway, Raven Blue and Deep Garnet. These are complemented by a curated choice of details, including new Moonlight Chrome on the steering wheel, centre console surrounds and air vents. Technical Light Anodised or Dark Anodised Aluminium or tactile Shadow Grey Ash wood veneer trim finishers underline its elegance. A leather-free cabin option remains available with upholstery that combines wool from Danish textile experts Kvadrat with Ultrafabrics polyurethane textile inserts. 

On the powertrain front the face-lifted Velar continues with the same engine line-up as before. The P340 has a 3.0l six-cylinder petrol engine making 250kW and 480Nm. Then there's a choice of two diesels: the D200 gets a 2.0l four-cylinder good for 146kW/430Nm while the brawnier D300 sports a 3.0l six-cylinder twisting out 221kW and 650Nm.

There's also the flagship P400e plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that marries a 2.0l four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine to a 105kW electric motor juiced by a new 19.2kW lithium-ion battery pack. Range Rover claims a total system output of 297kW and 640Nm — good enough for 0-100km/h in 5.4 seconds and a VO2 Max of 207km/h. Using electric power alone, the P400e can drive for up to 64km on a single charge, while overall CO2 emissions are 38g/km on the WLTP cycle, with fuel consumption of 1.6l/100km. Pretty impressive.

All models are fitted with an eight-speed automatic transmission that sends power to an intelligent torque on-demand all-wheel drive system. It provides the optimum torque distribution to suit conditions, whether driving dynamically on the road or pulling away from a standstill on slippery surfaces. Land Rover's famed Terrain Response 2 allows the driver to adjust vehicle settings to suit the driving environment, with a choice of Eco, Comfort, Grass-Gravel-Snow, Mud-Ruts, Sand, Dynamic and Automatic mode.

Chassis wise, the Adaptive Dynamics suspension system is standard on all six-cylinder and PHEV models as well as all Dynamic HSE-specification four-cylinder models. It ensures suspension stiffness is optimised for the driving conditions, improving ride comfort and handling. There’s even a specific calibration for off-road driving. Advanced chassis and suspensions, including Electronic Air Suspension, Adaptive Dynamics and Configurable Dynamics, are available as an option deliver exceptional performance and agility on-road.

Enter the Evoque

Building on the looks of the outgoing model, the overhauled Range Rover Evoque sports updated exterior styling with a new radiator grille and super-slim pixel LED headlamps with signature daytime running lights. Standard on Dynamic HSE and Autobiography derivatives, these units use four pixel modules containing 67 precisely controlled LEDs.

They also feature the firm's Dynamic Bend Lighting technology, which uses speed and steering data to respond to the road ahead and illuminate dark corners and verges. The high beam range can focus light almost 500m ahead for optimum visibility.

Customers can also look forward to the addition of three fresh new exterior paint colours (Arroios Grey, Tribeca Blue and Corinthian Bronze) as well as the option of a contrast roof in Narvik Black or Corinthian Bronze. Further upping the personalisation ante is a total of eight alloy wheel designs up to 21 inches in size. Five new finishes are available, including diamond-turned on the flagship Range Rover Evoque Autobiography and Dynamic HSE.

Inside the cabin you'll find a similar interface to that of the Velar with physical buttons incorporated into the gigantic 11.4-inch curved glass touchscreen. Love it or hate it, everything from the climate to the volume control is digital. The latest Pivi Pro2 infotainment interface is fitted as standard and offers wireless smartphone mirroring for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Other tasty tech nuggets include inductive charging, Amazon Alexa support, over-the-air software updates, as well as the latest twin embedded eSIM technology offering fuss-free access to online Apps such and Spotify and Deezer.

There's also a handy smartphone App, which Range Rover said customers can use to check the status of their vehicle, remotely lock or unlock the doors, precondition the cabin's climate settings and schedule the charging of plug-in hybrid model derivatives. 

While a sliding panoramic roof creates an airy feeling inside the cabin, the option of new vegan-friendly upholstery alongside traditional leather makes the updated Evoque a more sustainable place in which to spend time. Range Rover has applied new Moonlight Chrome detailing to the SUV's steering wheel, centre console trim and air vents. This is offset by trim finishers available in Technical Light Anodised or Dark Anodised Aluminium, with the flagship Autobiography getting a Shadow Grey Ash veneer. 

Specify the optional Comfort Pack (standard on the Autobiography) and you'll benefit from Cabin Air Purification Plus, an advanced climate control filtration system designed to siphon out harmful particulates and pathogens measuring 2.5 micrometres and smaller. 

In terms of powertrain, the Evoque continues as before with customers able to choose tried and tested turbodiesel power in the D200 or more modern petrol plug-in hybrid electric propulsion in the P300e. The latter offers updated battery chemistry Range Rover said is good for a real world electric only driving range of up to 48km. Rapid DC charging architecture is also fitted as standard, enabling the 14.9kWh battery to go from 0-100% charge in about two hours when using a 7kW home charger. 

Impressive all-terrain performance is ensured thanks to the British marque's intelligent torque on demand all-wheel drive system. This is bolstered by Terrain Response 2, which allows the driver to adjust vehicle settings to suit the driving environment. These include Eco, Comfort, Grass-Gravel-Snow, Mud-Ruts, Sand, Dynamic and Automatic. Each setting alters the calibration of the engine, gearbox, all-wheel drive system, suspension and stability control systems for optimum traction and composure.

Pricing for the new Range Rover Velar and Evoque models is as follows:

Velar D200 Dynamic SE: R1,670,900

Velar D200 Dynamic HSE: R1,814,300

Velar D300 Dynamic SE: R1,857,100

Velar D300 Dynamic HSE: R1,984,100

Velar D300 Autobiography: R2,089,700

Velar P340 Dynamic HSE: R1,961,100

Velar P400e Dynamic SE: R2,093,300

Velar P400e Dynamic HSE: R2,202,700

Evoque D200 Dynamic SE: R1,258,100

Evoque D200 Dynamic HSE: R1,310,900

Evoque D200 Autobiography: R1,422,200

Evoque P300e Dynamic SE: R1,647,900

Evoque P300e Dynamic HSE: R1,702,000

Pricing on all models includes a five-year/100,000km warranty and maintenance plan.