Less than 24 hours before the big press days open for NYIAS 2017, Range Rover made a big production out of its new Velar debut where big productions seem right at home. Jaguar Land Rover moved into Lincoln Center tonight to debut their latest SUV before a crowd of 200 media, enthusiasts and owners.
British singing star Ellie Goulding kicked off the festivities with a special live performance before Jerry McGovern, Chief Design Officer for Range Rover, pulled back the silk from the new Velar. Intended to sit in the middle of the Range Rover lineup between the Evoque and the Sport, the Velar boasts a sleek and tapering line that looks to blend the lines between car and SUV further.
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When the Velar arrives in autumn of this year, it’ll offer three powertrains: 180HP 2.0-liter Ingenium diesel 4-cylinder; 247HP 2.0-liter gas Ingenium 4-cylinder and 380HP supercharged 3.0 liter gas V6. Each option weds to an 8-speed ZF transmission with standard all-wheel drive.
Honoring that Land Rover and Range Rover tradition of combining luxury and strength, the Velar will possess a towing capacity of up to 5,500 lbs in six cylinder engine models. For towing functions, Range Rover will add the new Advanced Tow Assist function. The tech allows the driver to aim where they want the trailer to go using the Touch Pro Duo rotary controller. The vehicle then “determines what steering inputs are needed to park the trailer where directed.” A buyer can that to the full suite of driver assistance systems such as Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection and Reverse Traffic Detection.
Air suspension will be standard on six cylinder models, with Adaptive Dynamics damping technology assisting comfort and stability. The full collection of off-road driving assistants come pre-equipped, including Terrain Response, All Terrain Progress Control, Low Traction Launch, Hill Descent Control and Gradient Release Control. Finally, a new Land Rover InControl infotainment system will ship with Velar two high-definition 10-inch touch screens.
