Range Rover GT arrives as a revolution for the brand

It turns out it wasn’t the new Velar after all. It is simply called Range Rover GT, and it arrives as a genuine shake-up. After Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Velar and Evoque, nothing like this has appeared in more than 50 years of the brand.

Range Rover describes it as a grand tourer, engineered to cover long motorway miles with comfort, hush and performance. In the company’s own words, it will be the closest Range Rover has ever come to a passenger car. Put another way, it is the most road-focused Range Rover ever.

Razão Automóvel has already had the chance to see the new GT in person in Gaydon, where all Range Rover models are developed. We still can’t share every detail, but we can confirm the shift runs far deeper than the prototype camouflage suggests.

Closer to a car than ever

The Range Rover GT is not being created to replace the Velar, as the early rumours claimed, nor is it intended to take the place of any current model. Instead, it becomes the fifth member of the line-up, opening a new space within the brand-one that sits nearer to a true grand tourer than a traditional SUV.

The proportions make that clear immediately. The body sits lower, the windscreen is noticeably more raked, and the roofline drops sharply towards the rear. The camouflage may disguise surface details, but it cannot conceal the overall outline: there has never been a Range Rover shaped like this.

That matters, because even though the Velar was already the most road-oriented Range Rover, it still followed the established template-an elevated driving position, SUV bodywork and above-average off-road ability.

With the GT, Range Rover pushes further. It moves much closer to the classic grand touring idea, while not completely abandoning the everyday versatility people associate with the Range Rover name.

This is more than a Range Rover that has been lowered or made more aerodynamic. It is an effort to take the brand’s identity into territory it has never properly occupied.

Underpinning the change is the new EMA platform (Electrified Modular Architecture), which makes its debut in this model. Designed to support different forms of electrification, it will allow an initial 100% electric GT, followed later by a conventional hybrid (HEV) version.

Production of the Range Rover GT will take place in Halewood, in the United Kingdom, alongside combustion-engined and hybrid models. Technical specifications have not yet been announced, but the brand says it will share more information before the end of the year.

Interior signals a new direction

While the exterior remains hidden beneath camouflage patterned after Gaydon’s topographic contours, Range Rover has already shown the cabin without any disguise.

Inside, it’s clear the new philosophy goes beyond the bodywork. The layout is minimalist, with clean surfaces and very few visual elements. A new central display sits alongside a dedicated driver screen, replacing the traditional instrument cluster.

The air vent is concealed and runs across the full width of the cabin. The dashboard is finished in a woven fabric that also helps hide the sound-system speakers, reducing what the brand refers to as visual and acoustic noise.

Range Rover also promises class-leading second-row legroom and deeper integration of voice control, enabling more functions to be managed without relying on the screens.

In the gallery below, you can see more interior details of the Range Rover GT:

A risky move?

Range Rover is stepping into unfamiliar ground. For decades, even its fastest and most luxurious models retained off-road capability well above the norm. With the GT, that ability will still exist, but it will no longer be the central focus.

The priority shifts to reworking the grand tourer formula-combining long-distance comfort, electric performance and a cabin designed to feel like a quiet retreat. All of this comes in a lower, more aerodynamic shape that sits far closer to a conventional car.

For a brand built around 4x4s and SUVs, it is a major change. And it is precisely this break with tradition that makes the Range Rover GT one of the most intriguing models in its recent history.

---