Designed and engineered at JLR’s development centres in the UK, the Range Rover Velar plugs a gap between the Evoque and Sport.  Continuing QUBE/just-auto’s review of interior design and technology trends, we take a closer look inside this mid-size SUV to see what differentiates it from its siblings.

The Velar is the third model launched at the JLR’s Solihull manufacturing plant in just three years. It follows an injection of GBP1.5bn in new facilities and technologies at the plant which began with the Jaguar XE and F-PACE. The Velar is closely related to the similarly sized Jaguar F-PACE. ‘Velar’ was the codename for what became the original 1970 Range Rover. Its rivals include the Audi Q7, BMW X4 and Porsche Macan.

Screens galore

Once seated, with the three-litre V6 twin turbo engine purring, you feel immediately engaged. The cockpit glitters with crisp detail and high-tech glossy features.  The eye is drawn to the cream leather-covered beam stretching the entire width of the cabin, raking back towards the windscreen.

Also noticeable is the number of switches dotted across the dash kept to an absolute minimum. Positioned centre stage of the horizontal beam, forming a ‘T’ shape are two ten-inch capacitive polycarbonate touchscreens. The upper touchscreen’s menu is itself divided into three panels for navigation, media and phone, allowing you to swipe between menus, pinch to zoom in and out just as you would on a tablet. Each section allows you to bring up yet more detailed information and user options, depending on how much time you have to play around. True, it does take a little time to work your way through the menu and fathom things out. But no more so than a new smartphone.

A neat trick with the upper screen is that it can tilt through 30 degrees. The screen returns to flush position when the ignition is switched off and automatically adjusts to your previously selected angle when the ignition is switched on again.

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The lower, curved touchscreen is integrated within the centre console and manages climate control and terrain response functions. Here, you can set the seat temperature (hot or cold) and various massage functions.

Both touchscreens, developed and supplied by Panasonic, use optical bonding to allow a curved surface while maintaining image quality; suspending the flat TFT display in an optical resin eliminates the air gaps that can otherwise cause reflections and parallax images.

The infotainment system features two multi-function rotary controllers and are distinguished by their tactile, rubberised outer surface. A rotary transmission controller emerges from the centre console on start-up.

The instrument cluster also springs to life as you enter the Velar, displaying all the usual and critical driver information. For its part, Visteon is supplying the cockpit electronics and rear entertainment system components for the Velar. The model has Visteon’s 12.3-inch reconfigurable HD virtual cluster with retina-class resolution. This allows the driver to personalise information in different configurations using a combination of dials, information display zones and a full-view map when in sat-nav mode. Similar displays are used on JLR’s Jaguar models and many from the VW group brands.  Visteon also supplies Velar’s dual eight-inch rear displays for the entertainment system. Additional cockpit cluster functionality includes video and ethernet network links to the infotainment, multimedia interface, language support and a connection to the steering switch touchpad. Operating independently, the rear displays incorporate HDMI and HD link connections that support most smartphones, tablets and other portable devices, while front seat occupants are able to select, monitor and control the content shown. Visteon also supplies the instrument cluster for Jaguar’s F-PACE.

Eco-friendly seating

The driver and front passenger seats incorporate a 20-way power adjustment, heating, cooling and even massage functions. The steering wheel is also infinitely adjustable, enabling the driver to get totally comfy. The seats are covered with perforated grained leather and suede cloth bolsters. The suede cloth fibres are created from recycled plastic bottles. The perforations of the seat material and Meridian door speaker grilles display a Union Jack flag pattern.

Further examples of JLR’s attention to detail is found in the carbon fibre copper weave trim. While the upper section of the cabin features soft-touch materials, the lower half has some scratchy plastic areas.

During night-time driving, ambient LED lighting casts a soft glow over the cabin. And if you really want to push the boat out, there is an optional configurable ambient lighting technology that offers a choice of ten colours to suit your driving mood.

Spacious cabin

The Velar plugs the gap between the Range Rover Evoque and Sport. Its 2,874mm wheelbase (Evoque: 2,660mm; Range Rover Sport: 2,923mm) provides a cavernous cabin. For tall rear passengers, this means plenty of space to spread out.

There are a number of places to store stuff with generous door bins. The split, sliding front centre armrest allows front seat occupants to individually adjust each half, and concealed underneath is a cubby with a cupholder and 4-litres of storage space. Another cup holder is located under a flush-fitting glossy plastic cover (the mechanism is an art-form in itself, activated by pressing the Land Rover badge button) next to the rotary transmission controller. The glovebox, available with optional cooling if you so desire provides 7.5-litres of storage. The centre console provides additional storage behind the lower touchscreen. The airy sense of space is accentuated by the panoramic roof and yet head space in the back is not compromised.

The boot is cavernous, too. With the 40/20/40 rear seats folded flat, Velar provides bags of room for family clutter (1,731-litres, to be precise). The power reclining rear seat features a flap to enable long items – like a ladder or some such acquired from a DIY shop – to be slipped through either side of seated rear seat passengers.  Remote release levers are located in the boot to make lowering the rear seats that little bit more convenient.

Pressing an icon on the lower central touchscreen activates the air-spring that lowers the height of the boot, making it easier to load up. Air-sprung models also lower automatically when parked, making it easier to slip in and out rather than climb.

Other neat little tricks include pop-out door handles – a first for Range Rover, although we have seen them on a number of other vehicles – that contribute to the low drag coefficient.

Acoustically speaking

The Velar is equipped with an acoustic, heated windscreen, supplied by Pilkington. It is clear that a quieter interior is becoming more important to consumers as voice-activated devices such as hands-free mobile phones become more prevalent. The quieter the interior becomes, the easier it is to hear quieter squeaks or rattles that were previously blanketed by noise. In reality, there is a limit to increasing the mass or thickness of glass, and also for controlling stiffness due to the limit of glass design. To increase damping effectively and obtain good sound attenuation, laminated glass is used with a viscoelastic plastic interlayer that changes vibration energy into heat energy. Since the first vehicle appeared in Europe with PVB acoustic windscreen – the Renault Clio II – the number of vehicles being fitted with acoustic glazing is gradually increasing.

Power to the people

Velar occupants are not short of places to recharge their gadgets while on the move. Front seat occupants have access to two USB ports and there are three 12V power sockets dotted around the cabin for charging mobile devices. Another 12V socket can be specified in the front of the cabin, along with an additional two USB ports for rear seat passengers.

You’ll never drive alone

The Velar’s connectivity system enables a number of features, functions and location-based services. In addition to finding your destination, the online search system can tell you if you have enough fuel to complete the journey. If not, you will be alerted to the filling stations on the route. Fuel prices can also be shown and even the filling station brand.

Real-time traffic information helps to avoid congestion and plan alternative routes. But if you are delayed, the system can send your location and estimated time of arrival to chosen contacts via email or text message. If your journey time slips, it can automatically send further updates. Neat.

There’s an app for that

Velar offers a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to eight devices. Drivers can also connect with Velar via an app. This allows the owner to lock and unlock their vehicle, check how much fuel is in the tank or where the vehicle is parked. We understand that it’s even possible to start the engine and set the climate control system or park heater remotely although we didn’t try that trick. Tracker technology also allows the owner to track a stolen vehicle using an app.

Driving assistance if you need it

The driver assistance system takes the Velar a step further down the road to automated driving. It comes fitted with a suite of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) technologies, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with queue assist plus an adaptive speed limiter.

For example, the AEB operates using a forward-facing stereo camera inside the windscreen to monitor the road in front of the vehicle. If the AEB system determines that a collision with another vehicle or a pedestrian is imminent then full braking is triggered automatically, helping to avoid the collision altogether or to mitigate the effects. The stereo camera is also used for the lane departure warning and lane keep assist functions.

Material matters

On the lightweighting front, aluminium alloys account for 81 per cent of the Velar’s body-in-white.  For example, the use of 6000-series high-strength aluminium alloy bodysides enabled a reduction in panel thickness from 1.5mm to 1.1mm. The aluminium roof helps to lower the centre of gravity. High-pressure die castings are used to form highly complex parts such as the front suspension turrets.

High-strength steels are used for selected rear body sections. Magnesium alloys are used to make the front-end carrier and cross-car beam, while the tailgate is made from advanced composite materials. The Land Rover Discovery also incorporates a magnesium cross beam that supports the instrument panel.

On the road

There can be no denying that the rakish Velar looks the business while out and about. A test route that took us across town and country felt smooth, quiet and refined.  But there again, for just over seventy grand (including options) we would expect nothing less.

Left to its own devices, the eight-speed ZF automatic transmission performed well. We managed an average 38.8mpg in a 3.0-litre diesel engine compared to the carmaker’s 44.1mpg claim on a combined cycle. All things considered, however, that’s quite impressive. All V6 models have air suspension as standard, enabling the driver to select the ride that suits the road condition or terrain. While our drive insulated us from the outside world, it felt cossetted and poised at every turn providing a truly great driving experience.

Despite the bad press around diesel-powered cars, demand for such vehicles remains high amongst fleet drivers. The variant we took out for a spin last week was the R-Dynamic HSE D300 that weighed in at two-tonnes. It turned out to be incredibly quick off the mark and the perfect companion for some long and leisurely journeys. It transpires that BorgWarner supplies the all-wheel drive transfer case for the Velar. The AWD technology is already used for Jaguar XE, XF and F-PACE models.

There is a clear trend towards uncluttered, simple dashboards, where buttons are gradually disappearing in favour of multi-functional touchscreens. The Velar’s minimalist, futuristic cockpit is at the forefront of this movement, giving it appeal in spades. It ticks a lot of boxes with its multi-screen set-up and in-car connectivity. The net result of all this interior development and tactility makes it both practical and desirable with a rich blend of comfort and style.

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