2021 Range Rover Velar 2.0L R-Dynamic launched in Malaysia

Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia has quietly updated the Velar for the local market. The 2021 Range Rover Velar 2.0L R-Dynamic is now on sale here, sporting a host of improvements ranging from infotainment features and driver aids to interior design. 

The biggest difference in the cabin is the departure of the rotary knob, which has become a distinctive signature of Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles in the past decade. The new shifter is joined by a new steering wheel design with integrated 'Smart buttons' and hands-on wheel detection feature. The rest of the cabin is expectedly digital, with a 12.3-inch interactive display and coloured head-up display for the driver, and a pair of 10-inch touchscreens making up the central infotainment. 

Jaguar Land Rover's new 'Pivi Pro' infotainment allows two devices to pair to it simultaneously so the driver and a passenger can enjoy hands-free connectivity at the same time without having to interrupt any existing connections. The Meridian Sound System it's hooked up to doubles up as an NVH improvement tool as it features an Active Road Noise Cancellation (ARNC) system. 

New driver aids for 2021 include a 3D surround camera capable of producing a three-dimensional view of the vehicle, which complements Land Rover's ingenious ClearSight Ground View feature. Electronic air suspension with automatic access height is now standard on the Velar. It automatically drops the ride height by 10mm when cruising above 105kph to reduce aerodynamic drag while drivers can increase or decrease the ground clearance by up to 50mm each way using the touchscreen, keyfob or buttons located in the boot. Previously available exclusively in Land Rover models, the Wade Sensing feature has also been introduced to the Velar to alert drivers if they're approaching the vehicles wading depth limit. 

Things remain unchanged under the hood, with Land Rover's P250 powertrain soldiering on in the 2021 Velar. It sends 249PS and 365Nm of torque to all four wheels via a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. 

Fully-imported from JLR's Solihull production facility in the UK, the 2021 Range Rover Velar 2.0L R-Dynamic retails for RM612,208. This starting price includes the 50 percent sales tax exemption for CBU vehicles, but does not include road tax, registration and insurance costs. Would you consider one over a substantially cheaper and more powerful locally-assembled Merc GLE?