RANGE ROVER VELAR
With the Velar, Range Rover has chucked Sport out of the SUV and replaced it with Sexy
Range Rover’s latest is the epitome of cool sophistication
BEING SEXY IS ALL ABOUT attitude and not body type. Think that’s posh sounding fluff? Take a good look at the Range Rover Velar. It isn’t a road hugging sportscar or a grand touring coupé with their lithe grace. No, this is a brawny SUV, and boy does it ooze sex appeal. Slotted to fill the gap between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport, the Velar is an all-new offering even though its underpinnings are shared with the the brilliant Jaguar F-Pace and the Jag XE. But we’ll get to all of those details in a bit because there’s no way you can ignore this SUV’s looks.
In fact, the styling is so spectacular that the vehicle was first showcased at London’s Design Museum no less. With its smooth lines and low slung, for a Range Rover, stance, the Velar is the epitome of cool sophistication. And yet, somehow, Gerry McGovern, Land Rover’s design chief and the chief architect of this stunning SUV, managed to put some of his own feistiness into its design. That front end, in spite of its sophistication, is as aggressive as it is imposing. The hooded eyes of the impossibly slim LED headlamps with that massive grille and bumper communicate a don’t-mess-with-me attitude even when it’s parked. Its silhouette, long, low and lithe.
Strangely enough, this aggression has less to do with its bulk and more to do with its demeanour. More like that of a martial artist as opposed to a wrestler. Most un-SUV-like, which isn’t surprising considering McGovern’s own belief that the only thing automotive on its way out is conventional design. While others create contemporary design, he has created a piece of modernist art. On wheels. The use of simple forms, of paring down to a form where
anything unnecessary is chucked out of the biggest window in the studio has ensured a curious blend of authoritative presence and subtlety at the same time. You just can’t ignore it. The only things that stand out as slightly odd are the five-spoke 19-inch wheels that the P250 SE version gets. They seem a little small and do not fill the wheel arches that are designed for much larger wheels.
Getting into the Velar is a ceremony. You can’t help but gape at the beauty of the flush fitted door handles popping out. And once you pass through the portal, a different world awaits you. For the Velar, I kid you not, has the best interiors I have seen on any SUV. Ever. McGovern and his team took the trademark butcher’s block dash of the Range Rover and then added sex appeal. Wherever they could replace a button, a fob or a knob with a touchscreen with fantastic graphics, they have done so.
Including integrating touchscreen like consoles on the steering wheel instead of the conventional buttons and rotary knobs that other manufacturers use. Instead JLR has used Panasonic’s Magic Dial technology that was first showcased at the Las Vegas
While others create contemporary design, McGovern has created a piece of modernist art with the Velar