Robert
Browning and Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe must be required study at Land
Rover these days as the design department's “less-is-more” ethic takes a
vice-like grip. These two historic exemplars of simplicity in words and
furniture respectively (Browning is credited with first using the
phrase) are nowhere more explicit in modern car design than the new
Range Rover Velar.
This,
the fourth Range Rover model, fits between the Evoque and Range Rover
Sport in size and price. It's also the acme of the stripped-down style
evinced by Land Rover's design department under Gerry McGovern. Even the
door handles sink back into the doors and the headlamps are
super-narrow LED slits.
"We
wanted to elevate Range Rover's design DNA to a new level," says
Massimo Frascella, Land Rover's exterior creative director. "We were
looking for a new level of simplicity, with the flush door handles and
slim LED lights. This will do so much for Range Rover."
The
Velar is a striking mid-sized, five-seat crossover vehicle, designed as
family transport for the well heeled. The name, which is derived from
the Latin for sail or veiled, was used on the 26 first prototypes of the
original Range Rover designed by Spen King and Gordon Bashford,
launched in 1970 and arguably the world's first SUV.
While McGovern and his team say there are no outside influences for the car, they tip their hat at King and Bashford's work.
 |
| The Velar is parked neatly in a space in the Range Rover range |
"We
wanted an emphasis on the classic Range Rover proportions," says
Frascella. "The short front overhangs and long tail give an incredible
elegance, moving the emphasis rearward like luxury yachts... There's
nothing quite like it."
Based
on the aluminium-intensive body frame also shared by Jaguar's F-Pace,
the Velar will be on sale this summer priced at between £44,830 and
£85,450 with a typical transaction price of £61,000.
- How did the Range Rover Velar get its name?
- Look inside the new Range Rover Velar
- The Velar – in pictures
You
might think that this seems like a mightily expensive embellished
F-Pace, which sells for between £35,000 and £52,000, but Land Rover's
marketing wonks claim the Velar parks in a £39,000-wide price gap
between the £30,000-£48,000 Evoque and the £59,000-£97,000 Range Rover
Sport.
This
is a lower, longer vehicle than its bigger and smaller Range Rover
sisters, with a lower roof height and longer wheelbase relative to
length. It's 4,803mm long, on a 2,874mm wheelbase, 1,903mm wide and
1,665mm high, which is 245mm lower than the Range Rover. And while the
marque has traditionally based its appeal on all-terrain authenticity,
practically the Velar is a crossover and will compete against other
conventional 4x4 estates and soft-roader/crossovers, so think BMW X5,
Audi Q7 and A6 Allroad, Mercedes-Benz GLE-class Coupe and Volvo XC90/V90
4x4 Country.
The
Velar has permanent four-wheel drive and a wading depth of 650mm, but
there's no transfer box giving a set of crawler gears, while the maximum
towing weight of 2.5 tonnes means it's going to be hard pressed tugging
a double horsebox.
That,
however, is where the market is headed, according to McGovern, as he
expounds "our journey from jungle to urban jungle". There will be those
using the current Discovery or old Land Rover Defenders of various
stripe who will choke over their marmalade at this, but Land Rover has
been remorselessly moving upmarket and abandoning the utility end of the
market to the Japanese and the South Koreans, whether they like it or
not.
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