The Range Rover Velar was unveiled last night at London's Museum of Design. A model that assumes the beginning of a new stylistic era in Range Rover.
After the recent glimpse of its huge panoramic roof, Velar was unveiled in its entirety yesterday at an event held at London's Museum of Design, also announcing the beginning of a partnership between the museum and JLR.
The stage for this presentation could not have been better chosen. Velar is the first evolution of the visual premises established by Evoque, it is the beginning of a new stylistic era for the brand.
And this evolution goes through a streamlined style. That is, a more fluid and clean style, optimized to overcome air resistance. The end result is remarkable, as it is a bulky and tall SUV – an added challenge for designers.
The proportions reveal a cabin with reduced height, and steeply angled front and rear pillars, which contribute a lot to this perception. Compared to other Range Rovers, the smoothing of contours and transitions between surfaces, as well as the reduction of creases and edges are the ingredients that contribute to this more minimalist, fluid and elegant aesthetic.
Reductionism: the philosophy behind Velar
This commitment to minimalism characterizes not only the style of Velar but also the approach to the interior design. Reductionism was the name given to this philosophy, which advocates a reduction of complexity to give way to true quality.
As Gerry McGovern, the brand's design director, puts it: the Velar look is “a thesis in design reduction”. Continuing, “It's a reduction in design and engineering. If something is in the car, and you take it out and it doesn't make any difference, then it shouldn't be there anyway.”
A philosophy that extends to the interior. Here, too, we are surprised by the care taken in the presentation, tending towards minimalism and the reduction of physical buttons. The highlight is the new Touch Pro Duo infotainment system. Characterized by the presence of two 10′-inch high definition screens, with two configurable rotary knobs, which can assume different functions.
The other novelty is the alternative to internal coatings. In a world obsessed with skin as the main expression of luxury, Range Rover brings, as an option, sustainable materials in the form of fabrics developed in conjunction with Kvadrat, a specialist in the area.
The brand promises that Velar's space and versatility should be at the top of the class. As an example, the luggage compartment capacity reaches a generous 673 liters, and the possibility to fold the rear seat in sections of 40/20/40.
the most estradista ever
According to McGovern, the Velar is a new type of Range Rover for a new type of customer. Why? Because the Velar is the Range Rover most suited to asphalt ever. The Porsche Macan is mentioned as one of its potential rivals, and as such the dynamic pitch will have to be high. However, Range Rover calms the mood, noting that the Velar will maintain excellent off-road capabilities.
Velar shares the Jaguar F-Pace architecture and extensive aluminum appeal, a good starting point for getting the performance you need on the road. The wheelbase is identical on both (2.87 m), but the Velar is longer. At 4.8 meters long and 1.66 m tall, the Velar is just 5 cm shorter than the Range Rover Sport, but crucially 11.5 cm shorter. According to those responsible for developing the model, the Velar will be much more agile than the brand's larger proposals.
Unlike the F-Pace, the Velar will be available exclusively with full traction, and will have a total of six engines, already known from the feline brand. The range of engines will start with Ingenium two liter diesel engines, with two levels of power: 180 and 240 horsepower. Also with the same capacity, but now gasoline, we find the new Ingenium propellant, which has 250 hp and will in the future add a variant with 300.
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Above the four cylinders, we find two V6s, one diesel and one gasoline. On the Diesel side, the 3.0 liters brings 300 hp, and on the gasoline side, also with 3.0 liters, without a turbo, but with a compressor, this engine brings 380 horsepower. The latter is capable of taking the Velar up to 100 km/h in just 5.3 seconds. At the other extreme, the Access Diesel engine will be the most efficient, with official emissions of just 142 g CO2/km.
All these engines will be exclusively associated with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Other technological highlights of the Velar include Matrix-laser LED front optics and detachable door handles. When not in use, they collapse, flat against the body, contributing to the clean styling of the new SUV.
The new Range Rover Velar will be present in Geneva, and can already be ordered in Portugal. Prices start at 68212 euros and the first units will be delivered in late summer.