This Is the Range Rover Velar
A few weeks back, we had the chance to go behind the scenes at Land Rover's sprawling design studio in idyllic Gaydon, about two hours outside London. Range Rover's show car for Geneva was waiting for us, and all hints and predictions led us to believe that it was going to be BMW X6-style derivative of the Range Rover Sport. Color us disenchanted.
We entered the gates of Gaydon, which is a massive facility, and headed for the design preview room with more than a hint of a blasé attitude. But then chief creative officer Gerry McGovern entered the room and dazzled us.
Meet the Range Rover Velar. Its name harkens back to the original Range Rover concept, which was tested openly, free of disguise, in the world's harshest conditions. That means it wore the "Velar" badge ironically, since the name was from the Latin for "to veil." This Range Rover, however, borrows little from the original 1970 model other than that name.
There is something of an existential question about this new Range Rover. Why build the Velar at all? According to McGovern, who presided over the design and execution of the Velar, there was a "white space" opportunity between the Range Rover Evoque and the Range Rover Sport in terms of size and price. Rather than go the lines-blurring SUV coupe route, McGovern's team led by Massimo Frascella decided to capitalize on the brand equity of the Evoque. Before you dismiss the Evoque as hardly a Land Rover, remember that the poky crossover has been very, very good to the company-selling in the hundreds of thousands over the last six years. By McGovern's reckoning, the Range Rover sub-brand was able to "expand as a consequence of our success."
The Velar started life using similar underpinnings to the Jaguar F-Pace, but don't think of it as Land Rover's F-Pace. Perceptive eyes will notice that the Velar's wheelbase is nearly identical to that of the Jaguar's, but that's about all the two SUVs share in terms of design. They'll use many of the same engines, including the 180-hp turbodiesel and 380-hp turbocharged V6, and all-wheel drive will be standard. A 247-hp four-cylinder Ingenium gas-powered engine will also be available at launch, with a 300-hp variant arriving later. No word on SVO/SVR variants, but time will tell.
Through and through, the Velar is the result of designers' dreams. In photos, it apes the shape of the Range Rover and marries the distinctive design elements of the Evoque with more than a hint of Range Rover Sport about its side profile. But that tells only part of the story. This is Land Rover's enormous jump into a design-led future. All of the exterior lights are LEDs. The flush-fitted door handles are a triumph of engineering, and less a gimmick. Its squat shape is enhanced by the contrast-colored glass roof. Oversized wheels give it a convoluted sense of balance. McGovern describes the exterior package as "glamour." We agree.
If the Velar's exterior showcases how Land Rover will advance the shapes of its now-iconic models, its interior is a preview of what's next. New choices beyond leather and wood line the interior. But center stage is the OLED touchscreen center stack, which is now a tiered set of screens to control traditional infotainment functions and those that are less frequently fiddled-with-like climate control and vehicle settings. Touching the panels and operating the functions, it's hard not to confuse the production model for a concept. The interior team injected style and design into each one of the Velar's show-stopping interior features, because McGovern-ever the contrarian-argued that he doesn't "think technology itself is emotionally desirable." Land Rover calls the screens "Touch Pro Duo;" get ready to see this setup in Land Rovers to come.
Speaking of technology, the Velar will be closer to the Range Rover Sport than the Evoque in its off-road capabilities. It will climb, crawl, and wade with the most competent of its competitors. Terrain Response and Active Progress Control will make the options list, as will a four-corner air suspension. Noting that many of its customers will never need to-or choose to-alter their driving experience, the customizable settings are smartly hidden in a lower-screen menu, rather than require a knob that occupies some of the gorgeous interior space.
Back to that "white space" the Velar fills. At $50,895, the least expensive Velar will slot in neatly between the Range Rovers Evoque and Sport, with plenty of distance from the kingpin Range Rover. It also commands a healthy premium over the related F-Pace. Step up through the range, and the most expensive Velar (save for the loaded First Edition) jumps to the top of the luxury SUV space, give or take at 80 grand.
As the day in Gaydon drew to a close, McGovern pointed in the direction behind the Velar drawing boards, just as he was heading upstairs, back to the area where the designers sit.
"You want to see the new Defender?" McGovern asked, hinting that the hotly anticipated SUV is already finished and just waiting to be released. He paused and briefly laughed, before noting, "It's right over that wall." Call it taunting, but if the next Defender advances the Land Rover brand like the Velar, it will be worth the wait.
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