Grace Under Pressure

The Range Rover Velar may be sharper and sportier than before, but it hasn't lost an ounce of its poise.

- Weixian Low

NO ONE BUYS a Range Rover Velar expecting anything less than elegance on four wheels. But when you plant a 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine under the bonnet, dial up the dynamic tuning, and sharpen its silhouette with slimmer headlights and a bolder grille, you get something altogether different—a graceful brute that can hustle when asked to.

Beneath its polished shell lies a new powertrain that delivers a proper punch: 394hp and 550Nm of torque, channelled through an eight-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels. It pulls hard when summoned and you'll feel all 2,085kg of it surge forward with surprising urgency—albeit never without poise. The century sprint is dispatched in just 5.5 seconds; while it'll never feel like a hot hatch off the lights, the Velar has no trouble making its presence known.