Living with the Range Rover Velar Hybrid pt. IV: East Anglia

In the fourth instalment of this ongoing in-depth series on the Range Rover Velar Hybrid, writer Rory FH Smith heads to the wide-open beaches and low-lying and marshes of Suffolk and Norfolk.

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 family car.

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: Suffolk 

Charged up, we head out of London and make for the coastal town of Aldeburgh in Suffolk for some sand, sea and sun. Packing up the Velar for a short holiday, there's more than enough space for adults, children and all the BBQs, buckets and spades that come with a family holiday on the English coast.

Finding a roomy three-bedroom cottage no more than a stone’s throw from Aldeburgh's pebble beach through Suffolk Hideaways, we steered the Velar through London and up the A12 to the historic Tudor town. Making short work of the three-hour drive, the Velar was returning close to 45mpg, despite a mix of stop-start driving and long motorway slogs.

Littered with landmarks that have sprung up over centuries, Aldeburgh has a charming mix of Tudor, Victorian and modern architecture. In the summer months, the town is packed with those looking to escape the heat and cool off on Aldebugh's breezy beach but outside of the summer season, the town still makes for a great getaway, even in the winter. 

Heading away from the coast, it's possible to find some great driving roads that crisscross their way over the county's low-lying marshlands. The backroads are a chance to engage the Velar's Dynamic mode and enjoy its spirited side, while also discovering the hidden gems of Suffolk's countryside.

Norfolk

After a few nights at our coastal cottage, we pack up the Velar and head back on the road to neighbouring Norfolk. Heading North from Aldeburgh, it’s over a two-hour cross-county dash to our second destination outside of Hunstanton.

Crossing into Norfolk, we straddle the meandering inland waterways and pass by quaint villages, made up of pretty flint houses. While the hedge-lined roads narrow in places, the Velar doesn't feel unwieldy, despite its size. Armed with many external cameras, the Velar can map the immediate area around the car and display it on the top info screen, which helps to avoid any unnecessary bumps and scrapes when squeezing past other cars. 

Once checked in and charged back up at our cottage, it's off again to the coast. Cruising along the empty backroads in near silence is one of the hybrid Velar's greatest tricks. Electric power has always been well-suited to big luxury cars like the Range Rover that pride themselves on creating a calm and comfortable space in which to travel, so having the ability to cover most local distances in electric mode in the Velar is a treat indeed. 

After blasting around Norfolk's back roads and doing some 'soft-roading' over the sandy dunes, it's soon time to make the journey back across country to the city. Waving goodbye to the windswept beaches, sleepy marshes and windmills of East Anglia, it's back to London for a stint until the next adventure in our electrified Velar. 

Suffolk and Norfolk Hideaways