Range Rover Velar: Luxury and class wrapped in beauty

I'll be honest. When the Range Rover Velar first came onto the scene, I didn't like it. 

I thought it looked like a boat. But it's grown on me. And the MY2024 Velar, especially with the Narvik Black Exterior packaged optioned, has stolen a piece of my heart. 

Let's not pussyfoot around it — this is not an affordable vehicle. But for those shopping in this price range, there are a few non-negotiables that  buyers would expect, and the Velar ticks all the boxes.

In its base guise, the Range Rover Velar DYNAMIC HSE Ingenium 2.0 litre 4-cylinder 404PS Turbocharged PHEV Petrol (Automatic) All Wheel Drive (what a mouthful) will set you back R2,202,700.

As tested, our Velar came with the Narvik Black exterior pack, Cloud/Ebony interior with Windsor Leather pack, Shadow Grey Ash Veneer trim, Technology Pack (which includes Heads-Up Display, Wade Sensing, Park Assist, and 3D Surround Camera), Black roof rails, Optional fog lights, and a R41,800 Meridian surround sound system with no fewer than 22 speakers creating a 3D sound experience... That's R105,807 worth of extras for a total cost (including preparation fee) of R2,315,507.

Not cheap.

But as I said, it's loaded with features and technology that more than justifies the price. 

And the engineering that went into propelling this over 2,000kg juggernaut to 100km/h in a touch over 5 seconds is a marvel.

The four-cylinder 2.0l petrol motor, combined with the electric motor, pushes out 297kW and 640 of Newton's finest metres, with a pleasant engine and exhaust note to boot. How much of this growl is audio fakery through some of the many, many speakers positioned strategically around the cabin is hard to say, but the 1,997 cc petrol motor never sounds or feels like it's grasping for more.

The Velar also feels exceptionally planted and well-balanced, whether you're cruising at highway speeds or cornering enthusiastically around a twisty mountain pass. It's a Range Rover, after all.

This is largely due to the air suspension which monitors the millions of inputs feeding in from the road surface every second, making the necessary adjustments, which also underpins the phenomenal terrain response system — although, I doubt many people would take this exceptionally capable vehicle off road. Gravel, maybe, but that's about it. I wouldn't dream of damaging my jet black beauty or the 21" satin dark grey wheels by going bundu-bashing.

If you do, however, you'll be pleased to know that you'll be comfortably cosseted from the outside world in the lap of absolute luxury. As expected in this class, the materials used in the interior are of the highest quality, soft to the touch, and solidly put together. 

The interior can best be described as "clean" — it's completely uncluttered, and while I'm not a big fan of all the controls being housed in the centre-console touchscreen, when it's as intuitive as this 11.1" unit in the Velar, it works. I never found myself digging through complicated menus trying to adjust the air-con, seat-cooling or heating functions, or audio controls. 

Touchscreens have a habit of being fussy, but with your Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connecting seamlessly and wirelessly, with easy to reach, touch and manipulate shortcuts on the screen for the most used functions (air-con and stereo), you're never stabbing around hopelessly while still trying to keep your eyes on the road.

The steering-mounted controls can be a little fussy, however, and I found the haptic feedback buttons needed to be pushed with some weight before responding.

While I'm not a big fan of a thin steering wheel (I prefer some girth), it's light and provides clear feedback from the front wheels, and the materials, again, are of the highest quality, from the supple leather on the outer steering wheel, to the forged aluminium shifting paddles. 

The seat fold in a 40:20:40 split and the boot's 503 litres of space is enough to swallow up whatever is needed. The boot is deep, with a completely flat load lip, and enough anchor points to secure things from sliding along the lush, carpeted floor. 

The Range Rover Velar cements itself as a luxury SUV that will cater to all your needs, providing enough sophisticated grunt to get where you need to be urgently, and in style. 

IOL Motoring