The award-winning Range Rover Velar

Pedigree means everything at the top end of the sport-utility market, and no luxury SUV has more pedigree than the Range Rover. Well there is the Mercedes Benz G-Class but these two are deep rooted camps and there is no being on the fence with this one. Moving on though, I have never considered a Range Rover for my “lottery car” dream, but with the Velar, that judgement might just change.

Just recently been judged the most beautifully designed car on the planet, winning the World Car Design of the Year title at the 2018 World Car Awards, the Velar brings glamour, modernity and elegance to the Range Rover family fitting right between the entry Range Rover the Evoque and the full sized Range Rover Sport. It is a very different kind of Range Rover that underscores style.

Izak Louw, the public relations manager Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and sub-Sahara Africa, says the Velar offers a unique combination of design excellence and engineering integrity. “This SUV is a perfect example of the perfect combination of performance, comfort, practicality, reliability, durability and old-school build quality standards all wrapped into one beautiful sculpture that shall spend most of its life indoors as a prized possession and most definably almost never off-road,” he says.

Interior
The interior on this car is very pretty, however, there is a lot going on. The entire centre area is a screen. There are also two 10-inch touch screens as part of the infotainment system which inevitably means fingerprints will reign hell. However, this brings into question the durability of these screens years later, specifically for the very many future used car owners. In true Range Rover tradition, the interior is fitted with metres of leather finely stitched to the millimetre. The gear shifter is a dial that raises from a flush panel when you start the car, a trend in all newer Land Rovers and Jaguar.

Exterior
Manufacturers such as Audi have unapologetically gone all out with chamfered edges, the Velar picks design cues from its bigger brother the Range Rover Sport in a progressive manner. In true Range Rover speak, from the “floating” roof to the character waistline I am quite sure that the Velar will have a longevity with this design. Just from looking at it, it is a car you will want to own if you want to look like a superstar, literally.

Ownership
As with any Range Rover regular service and maintenance are crucial, and given this, the Velar should have a long life. All engine options in the Velar are capable of surviving huge mileages in typical Land Rover fashion.

The bad stuff
There is no Land Rover dealership in Uganda. The closest one is in Nairobi so you are stuck to independent garages and mechanics in Kampala. Also, a car of this calibre requires your full and undivided attention in terms of care and maintenance, and because of the first fact, you out to find a very good independent mechanic for service and possibly craft a relationship with the Kenya Land Rover dealer.

Value
So what’s the deal when you buy it today? Does it have German car presence? Yes. Quite frankly it shall be a head turner for a very long time. If you want to get into the Range Rover club, the price of admission with the Velar might be high but the bragging rights that come with that are worth it. This is a very new car that shall come with new stuff that is bound to perhaps work better than the car you own today, in that respect alone, it is good value.