Staff Reporter
The New Range Rover Velar, which became available in Southern Africa as of this month, arrives outfitted with a host of luxurious interior comfort and gadgets. Inside would be Windsor Leather and premium textile seats while the cockpit’s distinctive horizontal architecture is celebrated with a new, embossed Cut Diamond signature design, which flows from the instrument panel through to the door casings to emphasise the width of the spacious cabin. The Cut Diamond motif forms an integral part of the stainless-steel speaker frets’ structure on the Meridian 17- and 23-speaker audio systems.
The Velar would be the big brother model to the Ranger Rover Evoque, and the little brother to the Range Rover Sport and the Range Rover proper. Just so you are not confused the Range Rover proper is the original Range Rover model, that bulky SUV that comes as HSE, Vogue or Autobiography.
Now back to the Velar – the Velar (it is pronounced vel-ar, Range Rover public relations people insist the name is pronounced correctly) is Range Rover’s all new model in more than a decade. Only that the design, or concept, is really not that new, considering Range Rover went to its tool shed where it found the 1969 prototype. The Velar was one of those prototypes stored away when the original Range Rover was launched in 1970.
According to the company the origin of the Velar name dates back to the first Range Rover prototypes of the Sixties: the pioneers of the luxury SUV landscape.
When development engineers needed to hide the true identity of the 26 pre-production Range Rovers, they chose the name Velar, derived from the Latin “velare” meaning to veil or cover.
The car would retail from N$1 million and above. The technological centrepieces of Velar’s interior are complemented by authentic materials of the finest quality – contemporary finishes that underline Velar’s luxury status.
Unique to the luxury SUV segment, Velar offers an innovative premium textile seat material as an alternative to leather upholstery. Developed with Kvadrat, this sustainable material comes in Dapple Grey and features wool-blend textile contrasted with a Suedecloth insert available in Light Oyster or Ebony.
Kvadrat is Europe’s leading manufacturer of high-quality design textiles, and it worked closely with Land Rover to develop a unique and luxurious alternative to leather upholstery. The Suedecloth fibres are created from recycled plastic bottles and crafted into a textured non-woven material that’s soft to the touch.
This UK-made, sustainable material has been designed and created to meet Land Rover’s leading standards for premium appearance, comfort and durability. Exhibiting many natural characteristics, this rich wool yarn is extremely hard-wearing and appropriate for all climates, staying cool in the heat and warm in the cold. An advanced coating system ensures the Kvadrat textiles pass Land Rover’s most rigorous tests for durability and ease-of-cleaning.
Perfectly-crafted trim finishers celebrate the natural look and texture of authentic materials. Choices include Satin Blonde Linear veneer, which is pale-stained and has a satin feel open-pore finish to give a very modern, airy character, and the prestigious Argento Pin-stripe, which is distinguished by its high-gloss finish and silver streaks to emphasise the wood grain. Another highlight is Carbon Fibre Copper weave trim, created by weaving carbon fibre and copper filaments together under a high gloss finish to signify sporting luxury.
Velar’s calming interior ambience is enhanced through LED lighting, which casts a soft glow to subtly highlight the strong architectural lines and authentic materials. Configurable ambient lighting technology offers a choice of 10 different colour options.
All new Land Rover vehicles come with the Land Rover Five-year Care Plan: a five-year/100 000km service plan, a five-year/100 000km maintenance plan and a five-year/100 000km warranty, as standard.