Motoring: Range Rover Velar
Jaguar Land Rover has finally revealed the long-awaited addition to its luxury 4×4 Range Rover family.
And the company has high hopes for the vehicle it has dubbed Velar.
Pitched in the white space between the Evoque and Sport, the Velar is intended to sway buyers who might be looking at rivals such as the Porsche Macan or the BMW X6.
No mean targets.
So what does the new vehicle have in its armoury?
JLR says the Velar “brings a new dimension of glamour, modernity and elegance” with “levels of luxury, refinement and all-terrain capability never before seen in the mid-size SUV segment”.
“This is a new type of Range Rover for a new type of customer,” states the company’s press release supporting the launch.
Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover’s UK managing director, was unstinting in his praise for the new model.
Setting the benchmark high, he said: “The new Range Rover Velar is a stunning addition to the Range Rover family, it enhances a model line-up that originally defined the luxury SUV segment and continues to do so. Velar brings increased choice to new and existing customers in a growing SUV market. It leads the way in terms of design, usable technology, new materials and of course Land Rover’s legendary go anywhere, do anything capability.
“The whole team is enormously excited about bringing the new Range Rover Velar to customers across the UK.”
The Velar is slightly more rounded in appearance compared to the Evoque but still contains enough of the Range Rover DNA to be an unmistakeable Lode Lane product.
The design has been developed to create a distinctive vehicle with a generous wheelbase and spacious interior.
The large alloy wheels – in particular the range of 22-inch designs – is intended to optimise the vehicle’s silhouette to give it a commanding presence on – or off – the road.
But it is perhaps what is under its skin that will appeal to the new target market.
The car is brimming with technology, evidenced by the new Touch Pro Duo infotainment system which is the centrepiece of the Velar’s interior. Touch Pro Duo features two 10-inch high-definition touchscreens integrated behind secret-until-lit surfaces.
But the manufacturer is also keen to stress the vehicle’s practicality, with a 632-litre luggage compartment including a reduced-section spare wheel as standard in the UK.
Unique in the segment, the Velar also offers a sustainable, premium textile seat material as an alternative to leather. The Dapple Grey material was developed together with Kvadrat, Europe’s leading manufacturer of high-quality design textiles, and is complemented with Suedecloth inserts in Ebony or Light Oyster.
The exterior of the vehicle is characterised by JLR’s now trademark all-aluminium body, plus double-wishbone front and Integral Link rear suspension for the right combination of agile handling, ride comfort and refinement.
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On the safety front, JLR says the Velar has been developed to meet the most demanding crash test regulations worldwide. This is combined with a comprehensive restraints system that includes six airbags, and a suite of advanced driver assistance systems including Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist (standard on the HSE model) and an Adaptive Speed Limiter, Velar integrates the latest safety technology.
Not forgetting the brand’s heritage, the Velar also features a sophisticated all-wheel drive system, four-corner air suspension, (available on 300PS Diesel and 380PS Petrol engines) class-leading ground clearance of up to 251mm (213mm with coil springs), class-leading wading depth of up to 650mm (600mm with coil springs) and Land Rover’s suite of traction technologies including Terrain Response 2 (optional) and All Terrain Progress Control (optional).
Performance and efficiency is delivered by the Wolverhampton-built range of six petrol and diesel powertrains, all matched with an eight-speed automatic transmissions and all-wheel drive with Intelligent Driveline Dynamics.
The four-cylinder Ingenium diesels come in 180PS and 240PS variants and the power plants are characterised by low (142g/km) CO2 emissions and high (500Nm) torque output. These engines are joined by the new four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine which delivers 250PS and enables acceleration from 0-60mph in 6.4 seconds. An even more powerful, 300PS version of this engine will join the Velar range later in the year.
The V6 diesel combines 700Nm of torque with CO2 emissions of 167g/km. The 380PS supercharged V6 petrol engine propels the vehicles from 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds and then on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph.
The Velar and Velar R-Dynamic core range comprises: Standard, S, SE or HSE specifications. Customers can also specify Black and Luxury Exterior Packs.
Of all Velar models, the most exclusive will be the First Edition, which will be available worldwide but strictly for one model year only. Even more luxurious than the HSE specification, this model is powered solely by the 3.0-litre V6 petrol and diesel engines and features a wealth of extra features as standard, including full extended leather interior trim to complement the perforated Windsor leather seats in Nimbus or Ebony, 1,600W Meridian Signature Sound System, Matrix-Laser LED headlights and 22-inch Split-Spoke wheels with diamond-turned finish.
Exterior paint colours for the First Edition are Corris Grey, Silicon Silver, and Flux Silver – a unique satin finish exclusive to the First Edition for the first model year only – which will be meticulously hand-sprayed at Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations’ Oxford Road Technical Centre in the UK.
Designed and engineered at JLR’s development centres in the UK, Velar will be produced at the company’s Solihull plant. It goes on sale in mid-July in the UK and Europe and in over 170 markets worldwide.
