2018 Range Rover Velar Overseas Preview Drive | Former Off-Road Icon Forges A New Path As A Fashionista
There’s a change of focus at iconic off-road brand Land Rover and nowhere is it more obvious than with the upmarket Range Rover Velar.
Although Range Rover is doggedly hanging onto the SUV title, the Velar is a true crossover, not only in reference to its road-biased dynamics, but also with regard to its concept car-like styling that looks more like a sleek estate than a rough-and-tumble off-roader.
Under the dramatic exterior Land Rover has used sister-brand Jaguar’s chassis technology - shared with the F-Pace and related to sedans like the XE and XF - to deliver a new dynamic champion for the brand, and at the Velar’s launch in Norway we got to discover just how different this new Range Rover really is.
Vehicle Style: Prestige medium SUV
Price: $70,662 - $168,862 plus on-road costs
Engine/trans: 221kW/700Nm 3.0-litre 6cyl turbo diesel, 280kW/450Nm 3.0-litre 6cyl supercharged petrol | 8sp automatic
Fuel Economy Claimed: 6.4 l/100km diesel, 9.4 l/100km petrol
OVERVIEW
Somewhat unusually for a prestige brand, the Range Rover Velar will function as a flagship, despite not being the largest, most powerful, or most expensive model in the Range Rover line-up - but those looks, the dramatic low roof and big wheeled stance, demand attention.
Land Rover will also have a massive range of variants for buyers to pick from, with six engines arriving locally, including two petrol four-cylinder, two diesel four-cylinder, and two V6 engines, one each fuelled by petrol or diesel at the top of the range.