Range Rover Velar updated for South Africa – Everything new

The Range Rover Velar has been given a slight update in South Africa with the luxury SUV now retailing from R1,660,600.

The enhanced Velar gains redesigned seats and active road noise cancellation as standard, as well as a range of new optional extras and accessory packs that afford more buyer customisation.

Everything new

The bulk of the Range Rover’s updates took place inside the cabin, with the most noticeable change comprising new, more supportive multi-adjustable seat designs.

As standard, the base Velar Dynamic SE is equipped with 14-way electric front seats with driver seat memory, while the mid-range Dynamic HSE gets 20-way front seats, plus a power-reclining function for the rear seats.

Buyers who opt for the range-topping Autobiography, on the other hand, will be spoiled with heated and cooled 20-way front seats with massaging, finished in Windsor Leather as standard with optional perforated Ultrafabrics and Kvadrat textile seats in a Diamond Herringbone pattern.

Continuing the upgrades are new Active Road Noise Cancellation technologies that “works like a pair of high-end noise cancelling headphones” by constantly monitoring vibrations from the road surface and calculating the opposite sound wave needed to mask the noise inside the cabin, up to a maximum of four decibels.

This system ensures the Velar offers the “quietest cabin in its class” – measured against the Audi Q5, BMW X4, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and Porsche Macan, according to Range Rover.

In addition, the latest Cabin Air Purification Plus system with Cabin Air Ionisation is now installed across the range, which reduces CO2 levels inside the cabin with an advanced PM2.5 Enhanced Filtration set-up upon request by the driver.

Under the metal, the Velar’s electronic air suspension has also been revised with several new abilities now on offer.

If selected, the system offers Elegant Arrival which automatically reduces ride height by 40mm for easier entry and exit, Auto Access which lowers the roofline by 45mm to assist when driving in height-restricted areas, and Active Speed Lowering which aims to improve fuel efficiency at speeds above 105km/h by dropping the body to reduce aerodynamic drag.

The programme is also self-levelling, thus maintaining the optimum ride height when towing or carrying heavy loads, and it assists when hitching a trailer, or when loading or unloading from the boot, with controls inside the luggage compartment able to raise or lower the suspension by 50mm.

Finally, the Velar is now available with several Option Packs that combine key features frequently selected together.

These include:

Comfort Pack – Features Cabin Air Purification Plus, four-zone climate control, configurable cabin lighting, a solar attenuating windscreen, and a lockable cooled glovebox.
Technology Pack – Features a heads-up display, 3D surround camera system, park assist, and wade sensing.
Driver Assist Pack – Features blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control with steering assist, a rear-collision monitor, and a rear-traffic monitor.
Dynamic Handling Pack -Features configurable dynamics, electronic air suspension, adaptive dynamics, and red brake calipers.
Cold Climate Pack – Features a heated windscreen, heated or heated/cooled front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, and headlight power wash.
Extreme Cold Climate Pack – Features cabin pre-conditioning in addition to all contents of the Cold Climate Pack.
Towing Pack -Features advanced tow assist, an electrically deployable tow bar, the 3D surround camera system, and wade sensing.

Each purchase of a Velar is accompanied by a 5-year/100,000km warranty and maintenance plan.