This weekend, Jaguar Land Rover has finally welcomed another member of the Range Rover family, the all-new, mid-size luxury SUV, Range Rover Velar. When you hear the word 'Velar', you can already tell that an SUV with this name has to be sexy, glamorous, and style in every way. The Velar comes in three trim levels; the base Velar P250, the fully-kitted Velar R-Dynamic P250, and the Velar P380 R-Dynamic. Pricing for the first two variants with the 2 litre engine (with GST excluding road tax) are RM 529,800 and RM 588,800 respectively. However, the price of high-end P380 hasn't announced yet, but in my guessing, it could have the price range below RM 730,000.
Before we get to know the car, I wanna tell you how Range Rover got the 'Velar' name for this mid-size luxury SUV. Back in the late 60s, Rover Group used the 'Velar' name in all 26 Range Rover prototypes before its launch in the 70s. The term 'Velar' in Latin is translated as to veil, or to cover. Now that's a clever name from Rover back in the day, which is now used in this sexy SUV, with the sexy name on it.
The Velar is currently slotted above the Range Rover Evoque, and then followed by the Range Rover Sport and the OG Range Rover. In terms of size, the Velar is really spot on because some people think that the Evoque is too small while the Range Rover Sport and the OG Range Rover are too big for them. Besides that, the Velar is built on the new Jaguar Land Rover iQ platform which is also used in the Jaguar F-Pace. Although they are both having the same chassis, the Velar is longer than its Jaguar counterpart and its appearance is really stunning to look at. All the fresh bits from the exterior and the interior bring a whole new look for future Range Rovers, and thus, it provides a sharp, simple, and Spartan image throughout this SUV. Furthermore, the whole architecture of the Velar is fully aluminium to provide a lighter weight and strength, with the help of high-strength alloy at the sides and dampening panels with a rear dynamic stiffening.
The Velar's exterior is one of the most crucial part to attract everyone's eyes. Like I mentioned before, the design is elegant and straight-forward, thanks to the clean and handsome front fascia, the Matrix LED head lamps, 3D style LED tail lamps, an integrated spoiler and an aggressive bumper especially in the R-Dynamic form. And not to forget is the retractable door handles, which is a first of its kind in a Land Rover lineup. Why retractable door handles? It's because Land Rover wants the Velar to have a better air resistance and feature a smoother line across the car. But what if the car key battery went out of juice? You won't have to worry about it because you can use the emergency key from the key fob to unlock it, and you can find the door lock by pushing the corner of the handle to see it. Speaking of wheels, the Velar comes with 20'' seven-spoke Style 7014 wheels, while the top-range R-Dynamic gets larger 21" ten-spoke Style 1033 wheels. The 22'' nine-spoke Style 9077 wheels are optional for the Velar as what you see here in a Corris Gray-colored Velar. Apart from that, the Velar also comes with a Gesture Tailgate. All you have to do is perform a kick motion under the rear bumper to pop the tailgate, with the key fob in your pocket, or the optional Activity Key on your wrist.
I also have some shots of the base model Velar as well which was used as a test drive vehicle. The base Velar does look special as the R-Dynamic, but it left some of the features in the R-Dynamic line.
The next part to know about the Velar is the most futuristic interior in any SUVs. The interior design is one of the biggest strength of the Velar apart from the exterior. The whole cockpit is simply digital from the top to the bottom, which includes the 12.3" Interactive Driver Display digital instrument cluster and two 10" touchscreens which is a foundation for the InControl Touch Pro Duo (also a first of its kind in Land Rover). These touchscreens are seamlessly flushed in a glass-like surface to provide a clean look whenever the car is off. The instrument cluster can be configured to be a Dual Dial, Single Dial, or Extended with a help of the hidden-until-lit steering wheel controls. The first touchscreen will tilt forward when you turn on the electronics, and its angle can be fully adjusted in the Settings menu. Other than that, the interface is somewhat similar, but the touch response is slightly better. The second screen is made to adjust the dual-zone climate control and the Terrain Response System via the mechanical dials on the screen. The screen also displays other stuffs like your phone or media. All I can say about it is that this system provides a better multitasking for drivers where you can arrange any functions whenever you want. Besides having this digital gizmos,
the Velar's center console is fully-arranged and clean with the signature retractable rotary gear selector and a hidden way to open the cup holder with a push of the Land Rover button. The rear seats can be reclined too with the electronic controls at the side of the seats. Another cool feature of the Velar is that you will spot a medallion of the Velar's side profile on both sides of the B-pillar when you open both front and rear doors.
As for the base model, the car comes with an upholstered seats with perforated leather and a pattern that is inspired by the Union Jack flag (same goes to the speakers). R-Dynamic has additional suede-mix. Buyers can also opt for the wool-blend from recycled plastic bottles made by Kvadrat, if they don't want to have a cow leather interior. Every Velar also comes with a standard 825-watt, 17-speaker Meridian sound system, a 10-way power driver seat with memory function, Morzine headliner and Intelligent High Beam Assist. Unique to the R-Design is the fixed panoramic sunroof and a heads-up display.
Next, let's talk about the drivetrain as well as other driving dynamics system found on the Velar. For starters, the base Velar P250 and P250 R-Dynamic comes with the turbocharged 4-cylinder in-house Jaguar Land Rover Ingenium engine which produces 250 hp at 5,500 rpm and 365 Nm of torque. The high-end P380 has a supercharged V6 with 380 hp at 6,500 rpm and 450 Nm of torque at 3,500 rpm. Both engines are paired via a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel drive system. As for the suspension system, the 4-banger Velar comes with passive suspension while the P380 has air suspension. Moreover, there are other standard options in this car such as Torque Vectoring, Adaptive Dynamics, and Roll Stability Control which reduces understeer and minimizes body roll when it comes to hard cornering. Terrain Response System is always a main feature for most Range Rovers such as the Velar in order to optimise driving dynamics in any terrains.
In terms of safety, all Velar comes with 6 airbags, DSC, ABS, backup camera and rear ISOFIX mounts. A surround camera is only available in the R-Dynamics and Autonomous Emergency Braking is standard in the P380.
Now you know about the whole glimpse of the Range Rover Velar. And now, it's time to take it for a drive.
The Drive
Driving a luxury SUV is usually about comfort and technology, and it can be a little boring especially owning it in a long term. But the Velar is not one of them, because it is not a usual luxury SUV. The 4-banger engine provides sufficient power to the Velar and it accelerates smoothly in a straight road, compared to the old Ford EcoBoost engine in other Jaguar Land Rover models. Switching the car from Auto to Dynamic mode, with Sport mode on the gearbox, the Velar behaves aggressively in terms of gear changes and hi-rev response. Handling is pretty superb in any such corners thanks to the Torque Vectoring and Adaptive Dynamics. Speaking of road bumps, I can just randomly cross on it without having any horrible vibrations in the cabin although it uses conventional suspension. Steering feedback is absolutely precise and impeccable from what I already expected. It's not too soft, nor too hard, but it is really balanced to the steering wheel, and therefore it's not a boring SUV to handle.
Final Verdict
The all-new Range Rover Velar is one of a kind luxury SUV that is always in my test drive wishlist since the global unveil last year. The Velar doesn't disappoint me due to the fact that this SUV has more function over form. It's still a legit Range Rover because it can handle any such terrains and pavements, and it's got tons of useful technologies inside. Overall, the Velar should be in the buying list for people who wants to consider their first luxury SUV.
Once again, the base Velar costs RM 529,800 and the R-Dynamic version costs RM 588,800 with GST excluding roadtax, registration and insurance. Price of the P380 will be announced soon. Each purchase will come with a 5-year warranty, a 5-year free service, and a 3-year roadsite assistance.
*Special thanks to Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia for offering such great hospitality and thanks to Jaguar Land Rover of Sime Darby Auto Connexion for inviting me for the unveil of the Range Rover Velar.
Comments
Post a Comment