It is going well, at Land Rover, The ongoing trend towards SUVs and SUVs gives the British full order books and plenty of work for the product strategist. After all, the sales figures are set to go higher, and so that every customer finds the right model, one or the other gap in the offer must be closed. Latest trick: the Land Rover Velar. He is only slightly smaller than the Ranger Rover Sport, but aims at the Porsche Macan League priced. Premiere celebrates the newcomer at the Geneva Motor Show, he rolls to dealer in late July for just 57.000 Euro.
The 4,80 meter measures less than five centimeters long Velar less than the Range Rover Sport, but is for more than ten inches lower - which helps him to a cW value of 0,32, making him the aerodynamic champion of the brand. Also, it is a good hand width narrower, which provides, together with the again sharper headlamps (with Matrix LED technology and 550 Meter laser high beam), the extremely narrow taillights, a cheeky roof spoiler and the inclined C-pillar for a clear more compact and dynamic appearance. A nice detail: the door handles disappear flush in the body.
In order for the Velar to meet the high expectations that the sporty tin dress evokes, a V6 petrol engine delivers 278 kW / 380 horsepower and boosts the SUV in 5,7 seconds to Tempo 100. But even the weaker engines can be seen: None of the six engines waiting with less than 132 kW / 180 horsepower (four-cylinder diesel) on and longer than nine seconds on speed 100 needs no one. Premiere in the Velar also celebrates a new, 220 kW / 300 PS strong petrol engine - thus makes the four-cylinder as much as the six-cylinder diesel, but should in view of the 700 Newton meter torque, however, have the disadvantage in this discipline.
While the designers have refined the typical range rover look even further and pushed it to the extreme, the offroad experts remembered their core competences. Say: Even the Velar is absolutely off-road. In addition to the current four-wheel drive generation, this is ensured by 25 centimeters of ground clearance (with optional air suspension) and a maximum fording depth of 65 centimeters. However, and as Land Rover knows, fewer and fewer customers are driving off the road. That's why the Velar, like the previous Discovery, focused on on-road use - and on the Velar especially on the interior.
The British have been offering a contemporary system for some time now with their wide, variably configurable infotainment touch screen. Above all, the instrument cluster still sounded like one or two generations ago. The Velar now concludes: Behind the large Volant there are modern, digital instruments and a revised steering wheel control with touch buttons. In addition, the developers donated the Velar a third, touch-sensitive display, which extends below the infotainment screen and makes almost all classic buttons superfluous. The trick here: The two so-called Magic Rotary Switches, so rotary control, which can take over various functions as needed. Even the terrain-response system governing four-wheel drive and allowing the Velar to prepare for rides in rough terrain has moved into the digital menu, perhaps another tribute to the many roads and just a few off-road kilometers Back up Land Rover driver.
The new operating concept is rounded off by the almost obligatory internet access with 4G speed and the possibility to connect up to eight devices to the WLAN hotspot. This should also be taken care of on longer holiday trips (the 673 liters of boot volume are absolutely fit for travel) for rest in the rear, provided that the offspring is not too big. Because despite its stately dimensions and the 2,90 meters but large enough wheelbase, it's pretty tight in the back seat, as our first seat sample has shown in an early prototype. On the other hand, the new fabric interior that Land Rover developed together with the Danish manufacturer Kvadrat feels really comfortable. This is not the cheap basic version, but a "vegetarian" variant that dispenses with animal skins and works with velor inserts made of recycled plastic bottles, and which is priced on the level of expensive leather interior. As usual, but probably hardly any Velar leave the factory for the entry-level rate of 56.400 Euro. Already the standard price list goes up to 90.850 Euro and for the first edition special model for market launch Land Rover demands proud 108.750 Euro. (Michael Gebhardt / SP-X)
