British luxury SUV-maker Land Rover has unveiled a new luxury SUV christened Velar. The Velar sits between the Evoque and Sport in the Range Rover family that has an inclination to luxury when compared to the off-road DNA of the Land Rover brand.
Also read: Jaguar Land Rover shelves plan to make small SUV in India
The Valer looks very beautiful. Usually, a coupe-inspired SUV features a well sculpted front half but the rear looks awkward and the sloping windshield adds onto it. But for Velar, it has a cohesive rear that looks radical.
The Velar has an unmistakable Range Rover family front end, but the Land Rover designers have given it a contemporary touch. The signature grille and front windshield with a rearward lean and black roof provide a sporty appearance. Angular vented bumper, thin shoulder line that runs from the front fender to the rear lamps, flush doors pulls and narrow and wraparound lights give the Velar a sleek stance.
The cabin is one of the most inviting cabins of any SUV in the market. The highlight is the 10-inch stacked displays at the centre of dashboard. The display on top acts like the media interface, reversing camera displays and helps in navigation, while the display at the bottom features controls for the climate, seat heating and cooling as well as controls for terrain response.
In the Velar, the steering wheel control buttons have been replaced by a set of capacitor-based touch sensitive buttons with backlight. The instrument cluster has two options -- analogue dials with a 5-inch TFT screen in the centre or a large 12.5-inch full digital instrument cluster. The seats are electronically adjustable in 20 ways and features both heating and cooling. The presence of Terrain Response 2 system that is offered on all modern Land Rover cars means, Velar not only looks good but also can go off-road.
The Velar will be available in two diesel engine option in three states of tune. The 2.0-litre diesel mill develops 178bhp and 430Nm, while its higher tune will be 237bhp and 500Nm. The 3.0-litre motor will develop 296bhp and 700Nm.
The petrol option is the 2.0-litre Ingenium engine available in 247bhp and 365Nm tune and 296bhp and 400Nm tune. The range topping 3.0-litre petrol supercharged V6 mill, on the other hand, will belt out 375 bhp and 450Nm of torque. All the engines will be mated to the ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox.
The arrival of Range Rover Velar in India is expected in the beginning of 2018. Jaguar Land Rover may debut Velar at Auto Expo 2018.
