POLOKWANE – The Land Rover Polokwane dealership was a hub of activity on Friday and Saturday during the launch of the all New Range Rover Velar.
Waiting in the wings for the Review impression drive was the Velar SE 3.0 petrol 280kW (P380) and joining us on the drive session was established jeweller and businesswoman, Debbie Mouton.
Before taking to the road, Jaguar Land Rover Polokwane Sales Executive, Louis Koekemoer, gave Mouton a swift oversight of the variety of settings available for the Velar.
Unlike other vehicles, the Velar does not come with a host of buttons to tweak the preferred settings but instead comes with a double split screen where anything from the air conditioning to the vehicle’s drive mode can be selected.
The medium brown metallic paint (Kaikoura Stone) was perfectly complemented by a vintage tan and ebony colour scheme interior.
“I love how well the exterior and interior colours blend with this specific model. I especially love the interior colour scheme,” Mouton said at her first sight of the impressive Velar.
The drive took us out on the Modjadjiskloof road and at the Rita gravel road Mouton took this magnificent beast for a bit of off-road driving.
“The added features such as the large sunroof are highly impressive and the display functions on the touch screens are user-friendly,” Mouton added.
The gravel road we drove on was quite well maintained with a few rough patches here and there, but nothing which hindered the new Velar. Koekemoer assisted Mouton to set the Velar’s sophisticated suspension to a higher setting suitable for more off-road conditions before taking on the gravel road.
Here the Velar impressed with its solidness and capable road holding characteristics. “Even on rough roads the Velar was stable to drive at even higher speeds you would normally do on gravel. The steering input and throttle response are very soft and makes the Velar a pleasure to drive,” Mouton praised.
She added that the back and head massage option in the front seats was another unbelievable feature which surely makes the Velar a pleasure to drive.
On the final stint back to the Jaguar Land Rover dealership, Mouton gave the Velar a slight push to see what the three-litre V6 supercharged petrol unit was capable off. With 700Nm of torque and 280kW, the Velar can reach an electronically-limited top speed of 250km/h.
“The Velar is a pleasure to drive on and off-road.
“On the open road you can easily misjudge the speed you are supposed to drive as it is such a smooth ride and accelerates effortlessly. The lane departure warning function is also a nice safety feature,” Mouton added.
The new Range Rover Velar is now available to test drive at Land Rover Polokwane and customers can also use the Land Rover Configurator to customise their New Range Rover Velar, available from the polokwane.landrover.co.za website. The fourth model in the Range Rover family brings a new dimension of glamour, modernity and elegance, and is the most customisable to date. Pricing for the Range Rover Velar starts at R947 700.
All derivatives and trim levels are available with a choice of the new Ingenium four cylinder and Land Rover’s six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, offering efficiency, power and refinement.
The Velar and Velar R-Dynamic core range comprises the Standard, S, SE and HSE specifications. Customers can also specify Black and Luxury Exterior Packs for an even more distinguished appearance.
Visit Land Rover Polokwane at 1 Buffalo Thorn Street at Baobab Gardens or contact any of their friendly and knowledgeable sales executives at (015) 590 2900.
