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This 2018 Range Rover Velar instantly makes every other SUV look dated

“Whoa” is the first thing that comes to mind when looking at Range Rover’s newest model, the 2018 Velar.

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“Whoa” is the first thing that comes to mind when looking at Range Rover’s newest model, the 2018 Velar.

It’s as if you drove a Range Rover through a pool of lava and somehow emerged with this silken SUV, a window into the future.

The Velar is all-new, and will feature three engines for America, including a top-of-the-range supercharged 3.0-liter, 380-horsepower V-6, mated to an eight-speed ZF transmission.

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Velar was the name given to the original 1969 Range Rover prototypes, in part because ‘Velaris’ in Latin means to disguise or hide.

While they may have worked in hiding Range Rover’s name and purpose back then, for this new model, Velar comes off as somewhat ironic as there’s no way this steed’s going to blend or be disguised on the street.

By intention it’s meant to be the avant-garde Range Rover, design director Gerry McGovern tells Men's Health at an intimate preview in the Land Rover design studio.

The visually reductive aesthetic is “futured, pushing the Range Rover DNA ahead.”

The boxy lines are removed, the full-LED headlights are the thinnest yet on a production Land Rover, 22-inch wheels are available, the door handles are flush, and the Minority Report-like interior will make stepping into most any other new SUV feel like you’re piloting a classic.

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Part of the smooth interior rests in two high-def 10-inch touchscreens which will feature a new infotainment system, the Land Rover InControl Touch Pro.

Both screens will have dual-functionality, meaning you can switch things like the navigation screen from one to the next, so it’s not interrupted while you’re using other functions on another screen.

Noticeably absent are the usual knobs and buttons, in this case those functions have been made part of the touch screen menus. If they’re anything like the ones we’ve played with in the Jaguar F-Pace—Jag is Land Rover’s sister brand — they’ll be intuitive.

The aluminum-intensive SUV is meant to slot between the Evoque and Range Rover Sport, and when physically positioned between the two, you can see visual cues from both.

Range Rover’s newest looker will come with an air-suspension on the supercharged V-6 models, and all Velars will be all-wheel drive.

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While this model will likely see little off-road time, it still has plenty of capability to live up to its badge, and tackle various terrain we’re told.

It will still be able to ford more than two feet of water, and that air suspension can lift and lower 10 cm for added versatility.

The Range Rover Velar will be available in Standard, S, SE, and HSE trims, and technically starts at $50,895 after delivery, though the models you’re likely to see in showrooms will be more in the $65,000 range.

Kicking things off will be a fully-kitted First Edition, priced at $90,295, that boasts a full extended leather interior, a copper weave carbon fiber trim finisher, Windsor leather seats finished in two-tone Oyster/Ebony, a 1,600W Meridian Signature Sound System, and special 22-inch split-spoke wheels with a diamond-turned finish.

First Editions are available in three unique colors, Corris Grey, Silicon Silver, or Flux Silver—a special satin finish that will be hand-sprayed at the Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations facility.

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With its sleek looks and modern interior, Range Rover’s new Porsche Macan-fighter will have product planners around the industry scrambling to keep up.

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