Range Rover Velar is a Perfect Ride for a West Palm Beach Safari

West Palm Beach has long been synonymous with style, be it fashionable weekenders sauntering along Clematis Street or well-heeled explorers heading off to check out the design-forward Kips Bay Showcase. And don’t forget the coastline drives that go “hand in club,” revealing the city’s 160 golf courses. Should you look beyond your playing partner, you’ll find plenty of other pairings in West Palm Beach, such as dining at La Sirena, the recent recipient of Wine Spectator’s Grand Award. When you head into town, consider another pairing: touring West Palm in the new Velar by Land Rover.

Though some of us still associate Land Rovers with safaris and Britain’s royal family, the Range Rover Velar sets out to change our minds. The Land Rover remains the chosen ride of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, but the Range Rover Velar is designed with the American driver in mind—more West Palm Beach than Westminster, if you will.

The Velar’s sleek profile merges a forward-thinking design with the highest functionality available in the mid-size SUV class. This automotive design alchemy is mirrored architecturally by the Kips Bay Decorator Show House, Palm Beach’s debut of the renowned New York City series that invites several of America’s most prestigious, forward-thinking designers to apply their skills to the Mediterranean-style mansion. The 40-year-old series, a fundraiser for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club of New York, is often credited with establishing new trends in interior design.

The Range Rover Velar is also setting avant-garde trends around town with its sophisticated design and technological advances. The Touch Pro Duo introduces a standard dual touchscreen system so that the user can engage multiple features simultaneously. No more switching back and forth between media and navigation. The enhanced “smart” steering wheel adds to convenience and safety, enabling the driver to control media, phone, and other functions in combination with the Interactive Driver Display, a 12.3-inch high-definition screen.

This mid-size SUV will fit effortlessly into parking spaces near Clematis Street during your weekly visit to the West Palm Beach Green Market, where locals go to collect fresh produce and other provender for their evening barbecues with friends. The Velar’s Rear Parking Aid makes parallel parking a snap! Speaking of snap, snap peas and snapdragons will also fit effortlessly into the spacious 34.4-cubic-foot cargo compartment. The Surround Camera System, which uses four digital cameras to provide a 360-degree overhead view, will help you maneuver into the tighter parking spots in this historic district.

Complementing Clematis Street is CityPlace, another urban center and evening destination filled with trendy restaurants and, on weekend nights, free entertainment. If you stop by during daylight hours, be sure to check out the choreographed water show. The performance runs every half-hour. Park for the afternoon to shop, enjoy dinner, and then surprise your date with tickets to a show at the Harriet Himmel Theater or the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Comedic actor John Cleese, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and musical theater such as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I all light up the boards inside the Kravis Center.

We’ve come to expect theater-quality fidelity from our headphones and even our cars. Land Rover’s audio system sets the standard for luxury. The Range Rover Velar’s audio system includes 11 door-mounted speakers. The optional Meridian Surround Sound features 17 front, side, and rear speakers, including a dual-channel subwoofer. And it isn’t just the driver who enjoys orchestra seating. The Meridian Sound System incorporates Trifield technology that blends center and surround channels with left and right channels so that every passenger can hear every note front and center.

The backseat visual entertainment is similarly stunning, two 8-inch screens embedded in the headrests with independent controls, two USB ports, and one HDMI connection for a Mobile High-Definition Link that supports most handheld devices, such as smartphones and tablets. The InControl feature provides Connect Pro services including an InControl Remote and Wi-Fi Hotspot, among other features.

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The Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society also provides visitors with close animal encounters via interactive exhibits featuring koalas, sloths, and the zoo’s resident tigers. Lion Country Safari conveys wildlife lovers through an open savannah inhabited by zebras, lions, and rare white rhinos. Visitors can also feed giraffes, birds, and other feathered, furry, and finned creatures in the Safari World section.

One can easily envision gliding past rhinos and lions in a Range Rover Velar, given the standard world-renowned driving capacity. Seventy years after its 1947 founding, Land Rover continues to add standard features such as All-Wheel Drive, Intelligent Driveline Dynamics, Adaptive Dynamics, and Electronic Air Suspension.

The innovative Terrain Response system allows the Velar to optimally match six different landscape driving conditions: with comfort, grass/gravel/snow, mud and ruts, sand, eco, and dynamic modes. Terrain Response 2 automatically monitors driving conditions, or the driver can escape the stampede by pressing the Touch Pro Duo Control Panel.

On pavement or off-road, exploring West Palm Beach has never been easier, whether you choose to study the flowers at Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach County or cruise the famous Route A1A beside the Atlantic Ocean. Wherever you go, one constant remains: You’ll never get lost with the Velar’s Navigation Pro system.

The Navigation Pro, available on two 10-inch high-definition screens, includes real-time traffic information, online search, door-to-door routing, satellite views, and street-level imagery. You can even compare fuel prices at area gas stations. The Commute Mode reroutes you during frequent travels in case of an accident or another delay impeding your preferred route.

Ranked among the most opulent lifestyle communities in America, West Palm Beach is also a thriving coastal city that offers diverse activities and amenities to match anyone’s tastes. Beachcombers enjoy miles of sand, and foodies select from wood-fired pizza, Ethiopian cuisine, and plenty of fine dining. Whatever you choose to do, arrive in a Range Rover Velar, and you’re guaranteed to get noticed as much as the players on the Kravis Center stage.

Visit Land Rover of Palm Beach to test drive one today!