Range Rover Velar fills slot between Evoque and Sport

Range Rovers have grown sleeker with every year since the Evoque was launched. In Land Rover’s quest to fill every market niche, there is a new model between the sub-compact Evoque and the midsize Sport that will be called the Range Rover Velar.

The Velar, named after the first prototype Range Rover from the 1970s, is simply the Land Rover version of the Jaguar F-Pace, benefiting from the latter’s modern all-aluminium platform rather than extending the Evoque’s ancient LR2-era chassis.

While many are calling the Velar an “SUV-Coupe” to take on the ones from the Germans, this Range Rover is far more attractive than any of them, simply because it didn’t follow the “coupe-styling” routine. The Velar is just a regular-shaped SUV with deeply-raked front and rear windshields. The front flaunts a stylish version of Land Rover’s corporate grill and a set of wraparound lights.

Inside, the Velar sports an interior similar to the other Range Rover models, but packing in a pair of 10-inch displays is employed to read out data regarding navigation, media, phone, climate control and terrain response. There also seems to be a push for extensive touchscreen buttons, leaving only a few knobs on the centre-console. That didn’t go down so well for other carmakers who’ve tried this distracting control setup, so it is odd that Land Rover is bringing it in now.

If leather seats don’t float your boat, you can cover them with the optional Dapple Grey woolen upholstery.

The engine options are taken straight from the 2018 Jaguar catalogue, including a base 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with 247 hp, a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel with 180 hp and a range-topping 3.0-litre supercharged V6 with 380 hp. All the engines are hooked up to an 8-speed transmission. It is unclear what the offroad capabilities are at the moment, although the carmaker is already claiming it can manage fine.

The Range Rover Velar will take the limelight at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show this month. Expect a UAE and GCC debut by early next year.