Land Rover is a name synonymous with rugged off-roading royalty. The Land Rover Defender is a car as utilitarian as it gets, a true workhorse of the British countryside. And for a long time that was the brand's only appeal.
That was until they branched out with something called the Range Rover. An SUV that does what it says on the tin. Just as the Land Rover is made for going over rough terrain, the Range Rover's sole intent was to cover as many miles as possible with the least amount of effort.
And that is no exception with their newest SUV offering, the Range Rover Velar. Sitting just above the Evoque and under the Range Rover Sport in the line-up, the Velar offers a unique mix of luxury and practicality, and thanks to a new update now customers are offered a host of new tech and comfort features when specifying their Velar.
The Range Rover Velar
The Range Rover Velar was the first-ever production car from the brand that came with a plug-in hybrid option from the factory. To begin with, the Velar was as avant-garde as a range rover got. The sleek design moved away from the boxiness that Range Rover had become famous for and instead they opted for a smooth and silky look to the new Velar.
Compared to its smaller sibling the Evoque, it had smaller wing mirrors and a different look of the front grille, as well as door handles that were flush with the door. The whole package looked more and more like a spaceship and the inside was no exception. Leather everywhere, a supersmart infotainment system, and all the driver comforts you would expect from a luxury SUV.
Despite the aesthetic changes and new futuristic appearance the Velar carries over a distinct Range Rover design language. It is still a wonderful place to be and a perfect SUV to eat up highway miles or take for a weekend away. The Velar came packed with new features that hadn't been seen before.
With this new era of design and eco-friendly powertrain options, the Range Rover Velar then is the Range Rover of the future. So when Land Rover announced that they had released a whole new bunch of new spec options for the Velar, we thought how much more can you do? the short answer is a lot.
"Elegance And Wellbeing"
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That's what this new chapter of the Velar lifespan comes down to. Land Rover's main focus is on just that. Their aim with these new spec options is to elevate the level of bespoke personalization as well as making the overall driver experience one of absolute comfort and luxury.
To start with, Range Rover Velar customers will now also have access to choosing exterior body paint colors available from the Land Rover SV Bespoke selection, which includes the "Premium Palette" selection and Match To Sample service, similar to the Porsche Paint To Sample (PTS) system. To take personalization even further, this service allows customers to mix and create their own one of one color.
Also available in this new chapter of the Velar is a limited edition car; the Velar Auric Edition. It comes with unique exterior trim finishes feature on the grille, badges, hood, and more. As well as this, there is a new exterior color; Charente Grey, which is reserved exclusively for the Auric Edition. There are plenty of luxurious trims to choose from and a configurable heads-up display.
Following on from that, a new cabin air purification system makes its debut in the new Range Rover Velar, it offers overall improved air quality throughout the car. Building on their existing cabin air system the new one optimizes air quality by pumping fresh air when its sensors detect unacceptable CO2 levels. The reasoning is that high concentrations of CO2 can cause drowsiness so the feature is intended to increase wellbeing and safety benefits.
Following on in the fresh air theme is the purify cycle feature. This allows users to program and schedule an air cleaning cycle inside the vehicle. All this is done using the climate control system’s fans and air filters. The beauty of this is that the driver can set a departure time using the Land Rover app or the touchscreen infotainment system, and schedule an air-purifying cycle, meaning that the cabin air is cleaned and fresh before any journey.
The last of the Velar updates is a fresh digital touchscreen fitted with Land Rover’s latest and greatest infotainment systems called Pivi and Pivi Pro which is said to transform the digital experience inside. The systems are designed around ease of usability, with most of the features available from the home screen, meaning less time looking off the road a feature which in turn enhances safety.
The new Infotainment provides Crisp iPad-like graphics with super-fast touch response. This is made possible by a brand new electrical wiring loom that is connected to its own power source, meaning that the screens and nav system are ready to go almost instantly. You can also download and install software updates from home without the need to visit a dealer.
Priced from £45,000 or $62,000 USD, the new Velar is likely to compete with the most luxurious SUV of them all. It's not as showy or "look at me!" as a Bentley Bentayga, it's more subdued and sleeker than a Rolls Royce Cullinan, and all the while it's less than half the price of them. This new chapter for the Range Rover Velar ensures that the brand will continue to be at the forefront of luxury SUVs for the foreseeable future.