2024 Range Rover Velar & 2024 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Bison

Hi, I'm John Davis and this is MotorWeek !

Join us as we check out stellar updates for the Land Rover Velar... We'll go for an expert walkaround on wheel and tire fitment... followed by a euro celebration of Porsche's greatest hits... Then we'll ride high in two over the top pickups from the General.

So come drive with us, next!

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First, there was the wheel.

Then, the tire.

"We'll call it TireRack."

Forty years later, we're not slowing down.

JOHN: Land Rover started building SUVs long before they became rolling fashion accessories.

But in 2018 when they were looking to expand their Range Rover lineup, they actually turned to Jaguar for a little help, basing their new Velar on Jag's F-Pace.

Well, it's not time for an all-new Velar just yet, but they're making sure this one stays fresh with a host of updates for '24!

♪♪ Reverse engineering is not something that usually happens over at Land Rover, but using this approach for their 2018 Range Rover Velar allowed them to quickly get an additional model into the blooming luxury SUV segment, as well as provide a more gradual middle-step between the Evoque and Range Rover Sport.

Well, for 2024, the Velar gets a comprehensive makeover which adds a little more polish and refinement, plus a lot more tech.

Range Rover calls the redesign "reductive", and we can certainly see less busyness up front where the new face features more subtle air intakes, smoother bumper, and better integrated jewel-like LED headlights.

Proportions remain long, low, and sleek, not tall and boxy like the range topping Range Rover, and it certainly stands out among the current crop of smaller 5-passenger luxury SUVs.

A new rear bumper and diffuser setup gets rid of any visible exhaust tips down below; while above, LED taillights are modernized.

The Velar was an early adopter of both the deploying door handle and floating roof trends which remain part of the aesthetics.

Big updates for tech, adopting the large 11.4-inch curved glass screen from other Range Rovers, with an updated Pivi Pro infotainment.

It certainly is cleaner than the dual screen setup it replaces, and despite the lack of any physical controls it still performed well.

They have added some additional leather-free fabric options, and the available Meridian sound system not only cranks out some proper jams, but uses active noise cancellation.

Throw in optional Air Purification Plus filtration for its roomy 2-row cabin and you can really isolate yourself from the outside world.

And that feeling does carry over to the driving too.

On road, things are so serene we found it a little too easy to feel disconnected from the actual driving experience.

Off-road, it performs smoothly too with a soft suspension that easily soaks up all but the worst ruts.

Every Velar we've tested brushed off whatever we threw at it.

No additional power for '24, but this 3.0-liter inline-6 turbo with mild-hybrid assistance has been overdelivering since it replaced the original Velar's supercharged V6 in 2021.

Output; 395-horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque.

With a very sensitive throttle, it delivered great power right off the line at our Mason Dixon test track.

With standard all-wheel drive, there was plenty of grip for simple stress-free launches, quickly rocketing us to 60 in 5.6-seconds.

A 247-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo-4 is the Velar's standard engine and works with the same 8-speed automatic transmission as this 6-cylinder; shifts into 2nd and 3rd felt quick and forceful, and they smoothed out as shifts climbed.

The I6 pulled consistently hard throughout the 14.2-second quarter-mile, which we finished at 98 miles-per-hour; feeling solid, stable, and most comfortable.

We expected some body roll and understeer in our handling course, but there was good weight to the steering wheel, and quick response too.

The transmission was in a real hurry to upshift at the slightest lift of the throttle, so we used the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters to keep it in a single gear throughout the exercise, which helped greatly.

Our first few panic braking runs were spot on with the calipers biting down hard after taking orders from the nice firm pedal.

But after a few runs, some fade did set in.

That soft suspension also allowed a fair amount of nosedive.

Regardless overall results were very solid with short, straight stops of 111-feet from 60.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 19-City, 25-Highway, and 21-Combined; we saw 22.5 miles-per-gallon of Premium.

Velar has a just slightly below average Energy Impact Score, using 14.2-barrels of oil yearly while emitting 6.9-tons of CO2 emissions.

Pricing starts with a base 4-cylinder Velar P250 S at $62,775; 6-cylinder pricing starts at $71,875 for a P400 Dynamic SE.

Land Rover has often struggled to attract buyers to their lower level Range Rover offerings.

After all, if you want a Range Rover, you're generally drawn to the flagship Range Rover.

What you think of when you hear the brand's name.

We're not sure even the nicely updated 2024 Range Rover Velar will be able to change that trend, but by all rights it should at least slow it!

Indeed, the Velar is a gorgeous SUV packed full of tech, power, and Land Rover's legendary capabilities.

It's just too fine an effort to be overlooked!

♪♪ Porsche builds incredibly fun-to-drive automobiles!

And for 43 seasons we've spent as much time driving them as possible.

Well, this year Porsche is celebrating its own 75 years of motoring excellence, and we were invited to a round-up of many of their most amazing efforts... How could we possibly say no?

♪ ♪ (car door closes) ALEX KELLUM: I used to think introducing a brand like Porsche was, hard.

After all, what can I say that hasn't already been said?

But then I realized, for the very same reason, it's easy to introduce them.

One mention of the name "Porsche" and their legacy sorta speaks for itself.

And that legacy is what led me across the "Big Drink" to Stuttgart, Germany, to help celebrate an important birthday and milestone for Porsche.

Seventy-five years, as a matter of fact.

So, I got the invite, you're the plus-one.

Let's go back in time to drive some of Porsche's greatest hits... And what better way to start the day than with two 911's?

I left the grounds of Porsche's secret storage facility in this not-so-stealthy rear-engine prototype: a 1992 911 Carrera 2 Coupe Clubsport.

It was made to slot in between the Carrera 2 and Carrera RS.

That means motorsports-oriented, yet, completely street legal.

So, while it added front bucket seats and ditched the rears, it still kept some creature comforts like air conditioning.

Even for a hand-built prototype, the Carrera 2 Clubsport was solid.

This thing is just...a treat to drive.

If this is how I'm starting the day...I...I can't wait to see what's next.

Unfortunately, it never saw production.

So, I followed it up with one that did, albeit just 189 units: The Carrera 3.2 Coupe Clubsport.

This one does forgo amenities like AC, and power windows, and even the passenger sun visor for maximum weight-savings.

Lighter engine components too, for a 6,840 RPM redline that, along with lower suspension and a limited-slip diff, crafted a truly tethered driving experience.

The sounds of shifting the gears... all the bumps in the road.

You can feel every little bit.

Um, but it's not... it's not unbearable.

I mean, that's what you want in a car like this anyway.

You want to feel, and hear, and smell and... well, probably not taste; but, you wanna feel all the feels.

As fun and historically significant as these Carrera's were, the 911 is just the most obvious layer of Porsche's history.

Digging deeper meant a late morning cruise in this 356 Super 90.

This thing was old-school cool, sporting an air-cooled 4-cylinder boxer making a carbureted 90 horsepower, give or take.

My hour behind the wheel gave credence to the 911's origins.

The Super 90 gracefully blended driver's engagement with a surprising sense of comfort, putting me at ease while strolling between pockets of civilization.

And then, it was time to kick things up a notch... this 1988 Porsche 959.

The 959 became Porsche's technological benchmark when it first launched, thanks in part to its 444 horsepower biturbo boxer-6 powering an electronically-controlled all-wheel-drive system.

Combined with the iconic aerodynamic styling and the 80's sci-fi-esque cabin...

I was starstruck.

You know, we come all the way out here and we talk about legacy, right?

You know, we're talking about the history of this brand and the evolution of it and what it means to have the Porsche crest proudly stamped on the hood or anywhere else on the car.

And, while there are a lot of great examples of that here, the 959 is certainly up there.

After the 959, there was one more I just had to check out, this 944 Turbo Cabriolet.

The front-engine 944 has always had a special place in my heart, if not for most Porsche-files.

A boxy exterior that screams 80's performance accented by the coolest thing ever made-- pop-up headlights.

Jokes aside, to me, the 944 is the still-attainable classic Porsche, so experiencing one for myself was a dream come true.

As was the case with just about everything else I drove that day.

Icons, bucket-listers, mold-breakers.

Each one, undeniably, a true Porsche... And after a day spent with all of them, all I can really say is... if this is what Porsche has accomplished after 75 years...

I can't wait to see what they do at 100.

JOHN: Thinking about a new set of wheels and tires for that garaged love of your life, its an expensive decision, so you better get it right the first time, fortunately our Dan Maffet knows just the tire experts that can eliminate all the guesswork and their ready to give you the "deets" on MotorWeek's "Your Drive."

♪ ♪ DAN MAFFET: Buying a wheel and tire package can be a stressful situation, if you're not sure of the right wheel/tire combo and the dimension you need.

If you buy the wrong one, it can be very costly.

I'm here with my friend TJ, and we're going to talk about some technology you can use to make sure you get the right one.

TJ, thanks for having me.

TJ CAMPBELL: Thanks for being here.

DAN: Tell me what this is.

TJ: This is called a faro arm, and we use this to create a digital rendering of the wheelwell of the vehicle.

We measure brake caliper, brake rotor, the fender lip... All the hard parts that a tire and wheel package may come into contact with, and it creates a cad drawing that we can use to help make sure, like you said, customers get the right package the first time.

DAN: Right.

So this is generally, using the camera system to create a digital map of what will and will not fit.

TJ: Yes, that's right, and then we overlay a similar drawing of the tire and wheel package and we find any places that there may be a potential pitfall, where something may come into contact.

DAN: And that's really important, because we have things like these.

These are the exact same dimensional wheels, but one fits and one doesn't.

TJ: Yes, that's right.

If you were just looking at the published dimensions, they're both 18 by 8, with the right bolt pattern, uh, the same offset.

You know, dimensionally, everything is identical, but because this wheel has a different barrel profile than this one does...

This fits on the vehicle, whereas this comes into contact with the caliper.

It would physically go on the vehicle, but as soon as you try to spin it, it's going to damage the wheel and the caliper, and like you said, be a very costly mistake.

DAN: An expensive mistake for sure.

Now, I'm sure you have some kind of a systems in place, so that when people order wheels and tires from a place, that would throw a red flag if it was dimensionally not a fit.

TJ: Correct.

We try to get every order by year, make, and model to make sure that it's something that we recommend.

But, of course, sometimes people try to go their own way and find something, and so to prevent any, like you said, costly mistakes, we have real live human beings that review every order that's placed online, and if they see something that's a red flag, they'll reach out to the customer and say, "Hey, this might ruin your day."

Sometimes, the customer says, "I know exactly what I ordered, just let it go."

And that's great.

But other times, the customer is very, very appreciative because they're not sure how they got to where they were, and it wasn't something that was going to work.

Absolutely, so sometimes we save the day.

DAN: That's fantastic, well, thanks for having us, I appreciate it very much.

TJ: Thank you so much for being here, it's been great.

DAN: As always, if you have any questions, hit us up, right here at MotorWeek .

JOHN: It's hard to say 'no' to a new set of keys, so let's roll right into this week's Quick Spin!

♪♪ JESSICA RAY: It's hip...

It's urban... And it's more fun than meets the eyes.

If you weren't looking at the screen, you might think we were talking about the latest Honda Civic.

Obviously not the case here, but it is another Honda product: the Motocompacto.

This electric scooter isn't made to be a commuter car replacement.

Instead, it's designed to be a first and final mile solution.

Say you need to catch the train to work, but the nearest stop is a mile or so away.

Bust out the 'compacto, and off you go.

Another example Honda gave us is for traversing college campuses.

There, it should fit in nicely, as folded up it's disguised as your average beer pong table.

But fully deployed, you see the sober reality.

The whole package weighs around 40 pounds.

A kickstand and foot pegs are situated down low.

The rear wheel slides out from the body, and the seat stand folds upwards along with the handle bars.

This is where the thumb-throttle, brake handle and all-important bell are located.

Once expanded, a small storage space is accessible, perfect for small electronics like tablets.

Tech is respectably limited.

Aside from the front-facing charge port and appropriate head and brake lights, the most you'll find here is the small handle bar-mounted display showing speed, power and drive mode settings.

The Honda Motocompacto has 2 drives modes.

The first one keeps things under 10 miles per hour, but the second one can go up to 15 miles per hour... and you can really have some fun.

The Motocompacto can travel 12 miles on a full charge, capable of carrying up to 265 pounds.

And truth be told, it really is fun.

15 miles-per-hour feels just about right, though we wonder if Honda might consider a "Type R" variant capable of a little bit more.

Jokes aside, the Honda Motocompacto is a compelling choice for those in search of an e-scooter, retailing for $995.

They can be purchased online, delivered to Honda and Acura dealerships starting now.

And we'll have more Quick Spins, soon!

♪♪ JOHN: If the names COPO, Yenko, or ZL-1 mean anything to you, chances are, you're a fan of the Chevrolet Camaro.

And since it looks like The General is once again stopping production of their iconic muscle car, what better time than now to take a look back at some of the most memorable Camaros to ever hit the streets in Matt Avery's Camaro Special Editions.

Whether they came directly from GM, or were created by dealers or specialty performance shops, this Must Read takes a look at what made these Camaros so special then, and even more desirable now.

It's a high-speed page-turner, packed full of information and great photography, sure to be a hit with any Camaro fan.

JOHN: In the ever-popular game of pickup truck one-upsmanship, Chevrolet has unleashed a fantastic beast that takes the Silverado to new levels of off-road confidence.

Now, we can already can see this ZR2 Bison is one cool looking truck, but let's find out what else it has to offer.

♪ ♪ If you're going to buy a pickup truck, you might as well get one that looks as tough as possible; and if it's a little more capable too, well that's even better.

That partially explains why you see so many jacked up pickup trucks going down the road, and off-road packages being applied to commuter cars masquerading as SUVs at an alarming rate.

But what we've got here is a real deal pickup, the full-size 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2 Bison.

We're all aware of the off-road goodness that ZR2 trim brings to Silverado; standard 4-wheel-drive, 2.0 inches of lift, Multimatic DSSV dampers, locking differentials, and unique programming for drive modes.

Well, the Bison adds extra beef to that with the help of American Expedition Vehicles; steel bumpers with integrated recovery points, 18 inch wheels shod with 33 inch Good Year Wrangler Territory Mud Terrains, multiple skid plates, and rocker guards.

No additional ground clearance over the ZR2, but the bumpers enable much improved approach and departure angles, and the five steel skid plates provide protection for the differentials, fuel tank, transfer case, and spare tire.

All ZR2s come with GM's 6.2 liter V8 rated at 420 horsepower and a diesel-like 460 pound-feet of torque, mated to a 10-speed automatic.

At our Mason Dixon test track, that translated to 0-60 runs of just 6.4 seconds.

That V8 has more than enough torque to spin the grippy Wranglers up and get this big rig moving in a hurry.

Power delivery stays strong throughout, but shifts in the 10-speed are a bit lazy, keeping our Bison more plodding than charging to the end of the quarter-mile.

Our best run coming in at 14.8 seconds at 96 miles per hour.

When pushed through our handling course, the Bison did some pushing of its own, understeering early and often, with plenty of sidewall flex thrown in for good measure.

But, we could keep a surprisingly good pace through here, considering how far off of the pavement you're sitting.

Brakes were great for a few runs, stopping us from 60 in just 120 feet, but then they began to fade a lot, and we even got warnings to take it easy on the brakes.

In addition to a commanding view of the track ahead, ZR2 Bison's get unique floor liners to protect the interior during all of your epic adventures, as well as a Multi-Flex tailgate to make accessing all of your adventure gear as easy as possible.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 14-City, 17-Highway, and 15-Combined.

Our average 14.8 miles per gallon of Regular.

The ZR2 Bison package adds $7,895 onto the ZR2's already lofty price of $73,345, bringing the total to $81,240.

That seems like a lot of money, even for a full-size pickup.

But, unfortunately not out of line these days.

If that's just too steep for you, over at GMC, they're selling an also new, slightly smaller alternative; with many of the same upgrades, the 2023 Canyon AT4X, their most off-road capable truck...yet.

The AT4X is a macho notch above the Canyon AT4 which we tested earlier.

But, as a refresher, the AT4 features standard 4-wheel-drive, off-road tuned suspension, 2-speed transfer case, and all-terrain tires on 18 inch wheels.

Boosting it by the power of X means smaller 17 inch wheels with more aggressive mud-terrain tires, additional skid plates and rocker protection, similar Multimatic DSSV dampers as the Silverado ZR2 adding an inch of lift, and locking front and rear differentials.

It makes for one tough looking truck, and with tidier dimensions than the Silverado, more adapt at navigating tighter trails.

No additional power, but the AT4 already boasted the high-output version of GM's 2.7 liter turbo-4 with 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque.

Working with an 8-speed automatic transmission, it was a little sluggish off the line, hitting 60 miles per hour at our test track in 8.0 seconds flat.

Lots of noise going down the track, both from the engine and the tires; but it sounds more robust than annoying.

Like the Silverado, automatic gear changes are slow and power robbing, making the quarter-mile trip feel longer than the 16.1 seconds at 89 miles per hour that we recorded.

Pricing for the AT4X comes in at $56,995, that's $11,600 more than the already capable AT4.

We love the rough and rugged look just as much as the next guy or gal, but we much prefer it when there's a significant amount of capability to back it up, and this pair of potent pickups from the General will indeed get the job done.

And while they're still not quite to the Ford Raptor or Ram TRX level, it is the closest that GM has gotten yet, making the 2023 Silverado 1500 ZR2 Bison and 2023 GMC Canyon AT4X very worthy contenders.

Well, that's our show, I hope you enjoyed it.

Now, for more MotorWeek , including daily news updates, podcasts, and even complete episodes, cruise on over to PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

And I hope you'll join us next time...

When we take turns in the all-new Hyundai Kona, then go all-out overlanding in the Land Rover Defender Outbound.

Until then, I'm John Davis.

We'll see you right here on MotorWeek !

ANNOUNCER: To learn more about MotorWeek , Television's Original Automotive Magazine, visit To order a DVD of this program... MotorWeek is proudly sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper, a nationwide network of stores and shops providing major brand auto and truck parts, and service from coast to coast, and in your local community.

Learn more at AutoValue.Com and BumperToBumper.Com.

TireRack.Com is proud to support MotorWeek !

First, there was the wheel.

Then, the tire.

"We'll call it TireRack."

Forty years later, we're not slowing down.

♪ ♪ This program was produced by Maryland Public Television, which is solely responsible for its content.

(engine revving) ♪ ♪ You're watching PBS.