Range Rover Velar to Offer Wide Range of Engine, Tech Options

Jaguar Land Rover’s new Range Rover Velar, set for public debut at next week’s Geneva auto show, will fill a gap in the automaker’s lineup between the Evoque and Range Rover Sport.

Like those models, the new CUV will seek to marry luxury and serious off-road capability, employing the brand’s sophisticated all-wheel-drive system and on upper trim lines its 4-corner air suspension.

The Velar also will offer class-leading ground clearance of up to 9.9 ins. (251 mm) and wading depth of up to 24.8 ins. (650 mm), as well as JLR’s suite of traction technologies that include the optional Terrain Response 2 and All Terrain Progress Control systems.

Powertrain options include a choice of six gasoline and diesel engines, all matched to ZF 8-speed automatic transmissions and AWD with Intelligent Driveline Dynamics.

Four-cylinder Ingenium diesels are offered in 177-hp and 237-hp variants, with carbon-dioxide emissions as low as low as 142 g/km and torque as high as 369 lb.-ft. (500 Nm).

These are joined by the new 4-cyl. Ingenium gasoline engine providing 247 hp and allowing 0-60-mph (97-km/h) acceleration in 6.4 seconds. An even more powerful, 296-hp version of this engine will join the Velar range later in the year.

Farther up the scale a V-6 diesel combines 516 lb.-ft. (700 Nm) of torque with CO₂ emissions of only 167 g/km, while a 375-hp supercharged V-6 gasoline motor enables the Velar to reach 60 mph in only 5.3 seconds on the way to an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h).

The Velar and Velar R-Dynamic core range comprises Standard, S, SE or HSE specifications with Black and Luxury Exterior Packs as styling options.

Topping the range will be the First Edition, available worldwide but strictly for one model year. It is powered solely by the 3.0L gasoline and diesel engines and provides a wealth of standard features, including full extended leather interior trim to complement the perforated Windsor leather seats in Nimbus or Ebony, 1,600-watt Meridian Signature Sound System, Matrix-Laser LED headlights and 22-in. split-spoke wheels with diamond-turned finish.

Clean, crisp lines hallmark of Velar interior.

Luxury interior choices include – unique to the segment – optional sustainable, premium textile seat material as an alternative to leather. The Dapple Grey material was developed with Kvadrat, Europe’s leading manufacturer of high-quality design textiles, and is complemented with Suedecloth inserts in Ebony or Light Oyster.

Safety features include six airbags and a suite of advanced driver-assistance systems, such as autonomous braking and adaptive cruise.

Designed and engineered at JLR’s development centers in the U.K., the Velar will be produced at the Solihull plant and go on sale in mid-July in Europe and 170 other markets worldwide.