Range Rover Velar – Coolest 4×4 by Far?
A British luxury car that’s truly stylish inside and out, immensely practical, rugged, sporting and loaded with the latest in-car tech. What’s not to like about the new Range Rover Velar?
There’s quite a gap between the Range Rover and the six-year-old Evoque, whether it is in size, or price or image. The Porsche Macan, BMW X5, Audi Q5 and Mercedes GLC have been very successfully filling that gap up. And last year Land Rover’s sister company launched its own first SUV the Jaguar F-PACE. So, what can Range Rover offer to beat them all?
The Velar offers levels of luxury, refinement and all-terrain capability never seen in the mid-size SUV segment. It also brings a new glamour, modernity and elegance to the Range Rover family. It is visually minimalist inside and out, with its virtually buttonless cockpit instantly grabbing your attention.
The interior offers elegant simplicity, sophistication and refinement. The stand-out feature is the new Touch Pro Duo infotainment system with two 10-inch high-definition touchscreens integrated seamlessly behind secret-until-lit surfaces.
The Velar offers plenty of space and practicality for a mid-size SUV too, with a boot volume of impressive 673-litres, or 1,690 litres with rear seats down. It can safely tow 2,500kg and has a wading depth of 650mm with air suspension. Large alloy wheels, standard at 18 inches, but available up to 22-inches, further enhance the Velar’s dramatic presence.
Full-LED headlights are the slenderest ever to appear on a production Land Rover. The flush deployable door handles emphasise Velar’s, sculptured form, and contribute to the low drag coefficient of only 0.32 – making it the most aerodynamically-efficient Land Rover ever made too.
The Velar’s front seats balance performance-oriented design and support with opulent comfort, and offer up to 20-way adjustment and heating, cooling and massage functions. The 40:20:40 rear seats offer exceptional comfort too, and are available with heating and electric recline options. Unique in the segment, the Velar also offers a sustainable, premium textile Dapple Grey seat material developed with Kvadrat as an alternative to leather.
Front seat occupants have access to two USB ports and three 12V power sockets for charging mobile devices. A further 12V socket can be specified in the front, along with an additional two USB ports in the rear.
The Velar features a sophisticated all-wheel drive system, four-corner air suspension, class-leading ground clearance of 251mm and Land Rover’s suite of traction technologies including Terrain Response 2 and All Terrain Progress Control. Driver assistance systems includes Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist and an Adaptive Speed Limiter.
Promising performance and efficiency comes from a range of six petrol and diesel powertrains, all matched to eight-speed automatic transmissions and all-wheel drive with Intelligent Driveline Dynamics.
Clean, refined four-cylinder Ingenium diesels are offered in 180PS and 240PS variants, with low 142g/km CO2 emissions and high 500Nm torque output respectively. These engines are joined by the new, four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine which delivers 250PS and enables acceleration from 0 – 62mph in just 6.7 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 for swift acceleration and off-road capability with CO2 emissions of only 167g/km. The 380PS supercharged V6 petrol engine combines exhilarating performance with a unique soundtrack and enables the Velar to reach 62mph in just 5.7 seconds before reaching an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph.
The Velar and Velar R‑Dynamic core range comprises Standard, S, SE and HSE specifications. Of all Velar models, the most exclusive of all will be the First Edition, which will be available worldwide for one model year only. Powered by the 3.0‑litre V6 petrol and diesel engines. It features a wealth of extra features as standard, including full extended leather interior trim, 1,600W Meridian Signature Sound System, Matrix-Laser LED headlights and 22-inch split-spoke wheels.
Launched earlier this year at the Geneva motor show, the Range Rover Velar can be ordered now with first deliveries due later this summer. You should start seeing them on local roads soon. They will catch your eye.
Doug Bentall, Editor of audicarnews.co.uk
