Living with the Range Rover Velar Hybrid pt. III: Dartmoor

In the third instalment of this ongoing in-depth series on the Range Rover Velar Hybrid, writer Rory FH Smith heads south to the wilds of Dartmoor.

The car: Range Rover Velar P400e

Named after the clandestine codename for the original prototype Range Rover in the late 1960s, the Range Rover Velar – meaning to hide in Latin – found its way into the Range Rover line up in 2017 to sit between the Range Rover Evoque and the Range Rover Sport, as a more compact, form-focused yet functional model.

The most recent addition to the Velar line-up is the P400 plug in hybrid model, which is well-suited to city living with over 30 miles of pure electric range helping it creep around the streets, while it's potent petrol 2.0-litre engine (296bhp) and electric unit (139bhp) can propel it from 0-60 in just over five seconds and on to a top speed of 130mph. 

The trip: Dartmoor 

While the rugged moors, craggy outcrops and grassy meadows of Dartmoor have found their way into more than a few books and films over the years – they also provided a particularly beautiful backdrop to our next adventure behind the wheel of the hybrid Velar. 

With a few thousand miles covered since it first arrived, the Velar has proved to be a comfortable and extremely capable family carrier – be it on road, in the city or out in the wild. Throwing dogs, dirt and daily commutes at it over the winter, the Spring called for a trip down to Dartmoor to sample the early signs of summer. 

Leaving London with a fully charged battery and tank of unleaded, the hybrid Velar put its 30 miles of pure electric range to good use until we broke out of the M25. With Eco mode selected and the electric powertrain picking up early acceleration duties, we averaged well into the high 40s for miles per gallon (mpg) on the three and half-hour drive down to Newton Abbot. 

Taking the M3 down before joining the scenic A303 to Exeter, it was another short blast down the A380 before we headed off the beaten track and onto the wilds of Dartmoor. Wafting over the desolate moorland, the Range Rover makes short work of the switchback roads and narrow tracks that wind their way between the villages and towns – even as the driving rain obscures the road ahead. In between the chocolate box villages and hamlets, magnificent rocky relics of glaciation litter the roadside, while views open out to expose the miles of unspoilt moorland that lie ahead. 

Unlike so many British B-roads, the tracks that criss-cross Dartmoor don’t urge you to push the performance envelope. Instead, they encourage you to slow down, explore every twist and turn, absorbing the landscape in all its glory as you go. With the car comfortably swallowing all that’s needed for a weekend adventure, we use it to explore all of Dartmoor’s hidden treasures and trails around Dunstone, Postbridge and Princetown, with its ride height and off-road ability inspiring confidence despite the flurries of rain and gales. 

Packing up after a couple of days, we wind our way out of Dartmoor and back across country into London. Once again, the sight of a mud-splattered Range Rover is in stark contrast to London’s many crystal clean off-roaders.