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Posh 2018 Range Rover Velar Goes Off-Roading to Prove It's Worthy of Its Name

The Land Rover brand has a very close relationship with rough terrain, and even though its models have become more and more luxurious over the years, it still needs to stay true to its values to remain relevant in a segment where identity is everything.
2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar off-road 7 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
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So far it has managed to do that. The only possible slip is the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque small SUV, but with the right gear (some skid plates and proper tires), even the tiniest member of the family can get over some pretty rugged patches of ground.

This year, though, Land Rover launched the Range Rover Velar - an SUV that fills the gap between the Evoque and the Sport models while all the while looking ten times posher than any of them. It is so sleek and so elegant that it almost fails to pass as an SUV.

And that's before we even get to see the interior. The latest Range Rover does away with the hard buttons, replacing almost all of them - even those on the steering wheel - with touch controls. Are they practical? No, not really, but they sure make the cabin look as if it is the lovechild of a Range Rover and an iPhone.

That means the Range Rover Velar is first and foremost a gadget, but is it one that's capable of climbing a rocky path? While it might not have the locking differentials of a Mercedes-Benz G-Class or the ground clearance of a Jeep Wrangler, this video proves it can definitely hold its own off-road when called upon.

With the air suspension in its highest position, it actually gets 9.9 inches (25 cm) of ground clearance. Sure, the travel on the shock absorbers will be limited at this point, and you'll feel every bump. But, hey, suck it up: at least you won't be scraping the belly of a $90,000 vehicle.

The Velar starts off much lower than that - $49,900 for the base 2.0-liter four-cylinder model - but it's the 3.0-liter V6 you want. Plus, we already said it's a gadget, so you'll also want to go crazy on that options list. After all, it's not like you're speccing an off-road vehicle or anything.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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