RR Velar 18MY 445 GLHD PR 010317
Range Rover Velar 18MY 351
Range Rover Velar 18MY 033
Range Rover Velar 18MY 278
Mike Sinclair2 Mar 2017
NEWS

Range Rover Velar officially unveiled

All-new 'white space' Range Rover debuts in London and will be on sale Down Under by Christmas

Meet the new Range Rover Velar – the model that not only squeezes the UK brand into yet another niche, but also sets key design trends for its next generation of SUVs.

Set to sit below the Range Rover Sport and above Evoque in price if not size, the new Velar will arrive in Australia before year's end in five-door form only. It will be priced from $70,300 (plus on-road costs).

The Velar was unveiled overnight at the London Design Museum with considerable fanfare. The new vehicle's design centres on "reduction", says Land Rover. Simpler lines and a uncluttered interior are key calling cards via its new driver interface — along with what are set to be a future RR trademark, the "flush, deployable" door handles.

RR Velar 18MY 382 GLHD PR 010317

The new Range Rover — leaked images of which surfaced yesterday — leverages the platform of its Jaguar F-PACE cousin. The aluminium-intensive structure carries over its design including a double-wishbone front suspension and rear Integral Link multi-link independent suspension design.

The powertrains are also shared, although the Velar will debut the new nomenclature to arrive for the Jaguar Land Rover engine-rooms.

In future, JLR engines will be designated as P or D (petrol or diesel) and with numerals corresponding with the output in metric horsepower (ps). The Velar’s range of engines will span from D180 to P380.

“We call the Velar the avantgarde Range Rover. It brings a new dimension of glamour, modernity and elegance to the brand,” stated Gerry McGovern, Land Rover’s at-times-controversial chief design officer.

“The Range Rover Velar changes everything,” he gushed.

The Velar may change everything but it remains recognisable as a Range Rover. While the new car features a mix of styling, connectivity and mechanicals that moves on the brand, it does so without significantly altering the face, pace and place of the world’s luxury SUV icon.

The Velar was developed in almost complete secrecy and very few spy shots were captured in the lead up to the London reveal.

It will have its first show unveiling at Geneva show next week, but production of the car is just weeks away from commencing. In fact, the first Velars are expected to be delivered to Australian customers before the end of 2017.

Rumours of even sportier ‘coupe’ version are just that, Land Rover Creative Director Exterior, Massimo Frascella, told motoring.com.au. Indeed, the company has "not even considered" such a variant.

Range Rover Velar 18MY 009

Land Rover Australia is planning big things for the new Discovery and Velar. The local arm is expected to follow the lead of other Range Rover models by offering standard, S, SE and HSE variants. Velar will kick off a significant expansion in the grade and powertrain variants it offers in Australia.

Pricing will kick off at $70,300 for the entry-level four-cylinder petrol variant. Unlike its  Jaguar F-PACE cousin, which is expected to add four-cylinder and rear-drive only variants soon, potentially undercutting the AWD Jag range's current $75,860 starting price, the Velar will be an all-wheel-drive only proposition Down Under.

So how big is it?
Officially, Velar “fills the ‘white space’ between Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport” – a vision McGovern revealed exclusively to motoring.com.au back in April 2015. At last week's global Discovery launch, he also hinted the Range Rover brand's expansion could even extend to an uber luxury car.

In real-world terms, the Velar is Range Rover’s opportunity to leverage JLR's new aluminium-intensive platform that sits under the Jaguar XE, XF and F-PACE.

Velar’s wheelbase matches F-PACE at 2874mm but the new Range Rover is 72mm longer overall and is slightly taller (1665 v 1652mm), yet narrower (2145 v 2175 with mirrors).

Range Rover Velar 18MY 278

As you’d expect, it sits between its Evoque and Sport stablemates, but is much closer to the latter in outright size. It’s substantially larger than Audi’s Q5, for example, but would fit inside a BMW X5-sized 'box'.

Although the official dimensions of Audi’s new Q6 are yet to be confirmed, Land Rover is already nominating the sporty Ingolstadt luxury SUV as a key competitor.

Exterior design boss Frascella stated Velar was the brand's "most road-orientated" vehicle yet. He suggested Velar is likely to attract newcomers to the brand and said categorising the vehicle by it size is too simplistic.

RR Velar 18MY 387 GLHD PR 010317

How will Velar move Range Rover to the next stage?
Velar will not only target a new SUV size segment for the British luxury SUV brand, but will debut a number of new premium materials and details – inside and out.

The new model debuts the brand’s state-of-the-art Touch Pro Duo infotainment system. This features two high-definition 10-inch touch-screens that pioneer “hidden-until-lit controls” for “unrivalled functionality and intuitive operation”.

The Touch Pro Duo horizontal screen’s interface is similar to a tablet or smartphone. Swiping across the screen changes menus and you’re able to pinch to zoom in and out.

Along with the main view, there are side panels for up to five frequently used functions: navigation, media, phone, news and weather. The lower portion of the screen provides a menu including auto parking functionality, vehicle settings, etc.

Range Rover Velar 18MY 082

The second screen is integrated into the centre-stack and provides direct access to climate, terrain systems and the like. Systems can be reconfigured across the two screens.

Rotary wheels control each screen. There’s a high level of connectivity including onboard hot spots and integrated concierge-style features – even stolen vehicle tracking and (like F-PACE) a waterproof activity-style wearable key.

Along with those flush door-handles, look to the Velar's matrix-LED and laser headlights to become a defining feature of future Range Rover models.

RR Velar 18MY 367 GLHD PR 010317

Is it still a Land Rover?
The Velar might sporty racecar-style low-profile tyres and up to 22-inch wheels (although entry-level models will get 18-inch wheels), but Land Rover is still championing the vehicle’s breadth of capabilities.

At the heart of the driveline is a proper all-wheel-drive system, optional four-corner air suspension, what Land Rover says is class-leading ground clearance of 251mm (at least for the air-suspended version) and the company’s “unmatched suite of traction technologies including Terrain Response 2 and All Terrain Progress Control.”

A self-levelling air-suspension system is optional on the high-output fours and standard on all six-cylinder models (see engine details below).

The system’s off-road mode increases the ride height by 46mm at speeds below 50km/h. Velar then boasts a maximum wading depth of 650mm, an approach angle of up to 28.89 degrees, breakover angle of up to 23.5 degrees and a departure angle of up to 29.5 degrees.

Range Rover Velar 18MY 435

Package protected
A long wheelbase maximises interior space and Land Rover is claiming Velar has generous rear kneeroom and "surprising" headroom.

Land Rover is also championing the versatility of the Velar’s packaging. There are myriad storage options and door pockets that promise to swallow 750ml bottles. The rear seat is a 40:20:40-split design with ski-port functionality and powered recline (on high-spec models).

There’s a gesture-control powered tailgate and with the rear seats folded flat (remote rear-seat release levers are located in the luggage compartment), the Velar provides up to 1616 litres of luggage capacity, from a load space measuring 1795 x 1247mm.

RR Velar 18MY 509 GLHD DAPPLE OYSTER KVADRAT Interior 010317

Depending on the engine option, braked towing capacity is up to 2500kg.

The Velar also offers Land Rover’s innovative Advanced Tow Assist function via which you can reverse the vehicle with trailer attached using the infotainment system’s rotary controller. The system thereafter takes care of any counter-steering required.

Hurrah… No more [boat]ramp rage!

Fours and more
Velar capitalises on Jaguar Land Rover’s most up to date range of engines – all coupled to arguably one of the most refined autoboxes in the world today, ZF’s 8HP eight-speeder.

Four-cylinder Ingenium turbo-diesels will be available in D180 132kW/430Nm and twin-turbo D240 177kW/500Nm variants in the Velar. Petrol P250 and P300 fours of 184kW/365Nm and 221kW/400Nm will be offered also.

The D250 four accelerates Velar 0-100km/h in 6.7sec, Land Rover claims.

There are no eights (yet), with petrol and diesel sixes topping the Velar's under-bonnet line-ups. The D300 V6 turbo-diesel is rated at 221kW and 700Nm, while the P380 supercharged V6 petrol pumps out 280kW/450Nm and is an even second quicker to 100km/h than its four-cylinder counterpart at 5.7sec.

Range Rover Velar 18MY 361

Two faces have I
Velar will be offered in two distinct flavours. The most aggressively styled variants go under the R-Dynamic label. These models feature a deeper front bumper with “enlarged apertures to increase cooling and create greater visual presence”.

R-Dynamic models feature copper and silver detailing to items such as (respectively) the front bumper blades and fender vents, and front grille and all Range Rover lettering. Dark Grey Satin wheels are also R-Dynamic signatures.

Black and Luxury packs are also offered, the latter reserved only for the standard-spec Velar models.

Cabin fever
Land Rover is playing up the luxury of the new Velar. “A calm sanctuary” is the theme the off-road icon is championing.

There’s two rows only – but the five-seat five-door delivers decent space, front and rear.

There’s a wide range of external colours and the choice of contrasting roofs too. Inside, trim choices include timber, timber/metal combinations and of course the requisite carbon-fibre-and-then-some. In this case, the latter blends the black weavy stuff with copper filaments for a unique premium option. Sounds expensive – and we tip it will be!

Seat facings include a choice of leathers with stitched and perforated patterns and a new man-made technical wool-mix fabric developed in conjunction with leading Euro supplier, Kvadrat.

Range Rover Velar 18MY 008

The material is combined with a suede-like fabric that is created from “recycled plastic bottles and crafted into a textured non-woven material that’s soft to the touch”.

The cabin gets configurable ambient LED lighting and a new horizontally oriented cockpit and dash in which the twin high-definition 10-inch touch-screens of the new Touch Pro Duo infotainment system take pride of place.

Higher-spec Velars also feature a 12.3-inch Interactive Driver Display which bear some resemblance to Audi’s Virtual Cockpit.

RR Velar 18MY 281 GLHD Interior Details 010317

Safety and First
Velar will feature a suite of safety technologies including autonomous emergency braking and adaptive cruise control with stop/start Queue Assist. Six airbags will be standard and the Velar offers “exceptional levels of crash protection”, says JLR. Reverse traffic detection, 360-degree Parking Aid and auto parking are also featured.

Other ‘firsts’ include the Velar First Edition, which will introduce the new nameplate and be available worldwide for one model-year only.

Taking the highest standard trim grade HSE and available in the choice of turbo-diesel or supercharged petrol V6s, the First Addition adds extra goodies including full extended leather interior trim and perforated Windsor leather seats, high-output Meridian Signature Sound System, Matrix-Laser LED headlights and 22-inch Split-Spoke wheels with diamond-turned finish.

The First Edition also features the choice of Corris Grey, Silicon Silver or Flux Silver paintwork. Flux is an exclusive satin finish which is hand-sprayed at JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) centre.

Range Rover Velar 18MY 280

Where does the name Velar come from?
Strictly, Velar means relating to a veil or velum. But Velar is a historically significant badge for Land Rover. It was, in fact, the ‘badge’ the company used to disguise the test prototypes of the very first Range Rover prior to its launch in 1970.

The design of the very first Range Rover was finalised in 1969. It has been variously reported that between then and the start of production in 1970, between 26 and 40 Velar engineering development vehicles were built.

Range Rover development engineer Geoff Miller is credited with using the name as a decoy for registering the pre-production Range Rovers.

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