You won't mistake the Velar for being anything but a Range Rover. The front is imposing with a massive grille. narrow headlights, and sculpted hood. The side profile is classic Range Rover, albeit with a more sporting attitude - the roofline has been lowered and raked. One design touch that will draw attention are the door handles being integrated into the doors. Not only does this give the Velar the look of being a concept vehicle, it also makes it the most the aerodynamic model in the Range Rover family at 0.32 coefficient of drag.
The Velar will slot in between the small gap of the Range Rover Evoque and Sport. We're not kidding about this gap. The Velar is 17-inches longer than the Evoque and two inches shorter than the Sport.
Move inside and the Velar is very minimalistic in its design with minimal buttons and controls that light up when touched. Land Rover's new Touch Pro Duo makes its debut on the Velar. The system is comprised two 10-inch high-definition touchscreens - top handles infotainment duties while the bottom is for climate control and Land Rover's Terrain Control system.
The Mechancial Bits
Land Rover will be offering the Velar with three different engines for North America.
- 2.0L Ingenium Turbodiesel-four - 180 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque
- 2.0L Ingenium Turbo-four - 247 horsepower
- 3.0L Supercharged V6 - 380 horsepower
All of the engines come paired with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Four-cylinder models come with a coil spring setup while the V6 gets an air suspension. The Velar will feature most of Land Rover's off-road technologies such as Terrain Response 2, Low-Traction Launch, hill-descent control, and All Terrain Progress Control. Don't expect to take the Velar on a journey to Amazon as it doesn't feature low-range transfer case.
If you're interested in the Velar, then you'll be happy to hear that Land Rover will begin sales this summer with a base price of $50,895 (includes a $995.00 destination charge).
Pic Credit: Land Rover