Range Rover Velar unveiled, Australian pricing announced

The onslaught of new luxury SUV models continues with the debut of Range Rover's new Velar, the fourth model to appear in the Range Rover lineup.

Slotting in nicely between the Evoque compact SUV and the larger Range Rover Sport, the new Velar should prove to be a hit with occasional-adventurers and soccer mums alike, thanks to its handsome looks and all-rounder capabilities.

Revealed at London’s Design Museum, the new Range Rover Velar has been created from a ‘clean sheet’ using Land Rover’s Lightweight Aluminium Architecture.

While the Velar may be pretty on the outside, Land Rover hasn’t ignored what lies under the skin either – in total, there are six powertrains on offer, ranging from a 132kW 2.0-litre diesel all the way up to the range-topping 280kW supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol.

And while you’re more likely to encounter the Velar on the school-run rather than a dirt road, it does feature air-suspension, all-wheel-drive and a range of traction control technologies that assist you on the off-chance that you want to go off-roading.

On the other hand, if you’re planning on sticking to more well-traversed roads, the new Velar also features a mostly aluminium body structure, making it both lighter and stiffer than your typical SUV with more car-like handling.   

Inside the Velar, there’s also a few interesting features – the infotainment system, dubbed as ‘Touch Pro Duo’, features two 10-inch high-definition touchscreens, one within the dashboard and another directly below where the center console is.

There’s also a new sustainable, premium textile seat material offered up as an alternative to leather, developed by Kvadrat (the same Danish textile company that is the supplier of choice for many high-end furnishings brands).

Expected to arrive later this year, the Velar will sell from $70,300 to $135,400. There is also a Unique First Edition launch model priced from $167,600, which will only be sold for one model year.