The New Range Rover Velar Wants A Fight With The Porsche Macan

Land Rover is about to raise a Great British vee towards the likes of Porsche and BMW, with a new hot Range Rover SUV called the Velar.

Initially reported by Autocar, whose renders we’ve been allowed to share, the Velar will gun for the Macan, X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupé. The magazine’s sources say the Velar, which takes its name from secret Range Rover prototypes back in the 1960s, is actually most closely related to the Jaguar F-Pace.

It’s a five-seat, five-door machine sized to sit between the Evoque and the Sport, using longitudinally-mounted engines from four to six cylinders. A V8 version is looking likely, too, with Jaguar Land Rover insiders apparently suggesting a top-end retail price of around £90,000. Entry-level versions will sit closer to £60,000.

An aluminium body and chassis will cut weight to around 1800kg, says Autocar, potentially making it a lot lighter than key rivals.

It should have good off-road capability, but won’t have a low-range gearbox, with more effort spent instead on sorting the chassis dynamics. The Velar will be aimed squarely at the lifestyle market, where at present there’s much more money being spent.

Dynamically it will have to be good to beat the impressive Macan, but later in the year, after the Velar’s official reveal at the Geneva Motor Show in March, we’ll find out how it compares.