Braving the icy cold weather with a bunch of Range Rovers
14 Dec 2021|7,655 views
I stepped out of the hotel for merely three minutes and my face is numb. I can't feel my fingers, too. I think to myself, well, this is a mistake. I should have stayed home. The temperature is -2 Degrees Celsius and the flowers facing me have turned to ice.
I'm in Seoul, South Korea, for the sneak preview of the all new fifth generation Range Rover. The king of all SUVs, but I'm not driving that car. Not today. Instead, it'll be three of the seven cars that are available at the VIP parking lots outside our hotel.
The machismo off-roader - Land Rover Defender 110
Of course, the egoistic man in me says that nothing will get me down, not even the constant icy cold howling winds that can potentially bring the toughest man to his knees. I hop onto my first car - the Land Rover Defender 110 - to seek some warmth.
Thankfully, heated seats and steering wheel come standard with the Defender. I can't even be bothered about pairing my phone with the Bluetooth function, which is usually what I'd do with any car I'm driving, but not this time. I have more important things to do, such as getting my fingers and butt all warm and toasty.
Once I am comfortable and settled, I follow the convoy of cars out of the hotel and into Seoul's morning traffic. Despite the car's length of over five metres and width of over two metres, there is simply no sense of nervousness or uncertainty, even if this is my first time driving in Seoul in two years.
The roads are nicely paved, drivers are nice enough to give way and the lanes are wide enough for you to make small errors. Couple all of these with the fact that the Defender is that sort of car that can make you feel manly and look respectable behind the wheel, I was fearless on the unfamiliar roads of Seoul. Overtaking in tight space? No problem. Last minute lane changes? No worries.
The king of kings - Range Rover Vogue
This is, unfortunately, short-lived for me because we swopped cars just about 30 minutes into the drive. Now I have to go for the Range Rover Vogue. It's the biggest car of the lot, but the egoistic man in me says that nothing will get me down, not even a huge SUV that I can potentially damage with my half-pissed driving skills. I hop onto the car, then, to seek some warmth, again.
This time round, instead of the driver's seat, I hopped into the passenger's side and took a break. Was I scared? No, not really, I was arguably more cold than frightened. And the first thing I did? Yes, activated the seat warmer on full blast.
It's the sort of car to be chauffeured in, the Rangie Vogue. You can drive it and enjoy the full-on prowess, but I enjoy every bit being a passenger. The tastefully finished wood trimmings, high-quality leather seats, arm rest... I am suddenly thrown back into the business class seats of our prestigious national airline.
The high level of luxury makes this passenger a lot more comfortable even as his co-driver is speeding through bend after bend in such a huge SUV. The Rangie here seems to be taking it all in its stride. Yes, there is roll, but it's controlled and never to the point of being careless. There are cars I've been in that make me want to puke, especially as a passenger and around twisties, but not this Rangie.
About 30 minutes later, we make yet another stop. This time, I find myself in a quaint cafe. I need some photos of the cars, but I give up. The constant icy wind hitting my body makes me feel suicidal. I force myself to snap a few pictures, but I eventually find myself sitting in a table by the window, staring into space as I enjoy my cup of latte.
The fashion icon - Range Rover Velar
As soon as we start packing up and heading to cars, I am told to drive the Range Rover Velar - one of my favourite modern Rangies. It's a designer's car, this one, or at least it makes me feel like a designer, a fashionista of sorts, someone who could pull in a pair of purple pants and white shoes and still look like a million bucks.
I first drove this car back in 2017 in Molde, Norway, and another time six months later. I like it and I've always had a good experience with it. This time, in Seoul, I am certain it's going to be an optimistic affair. After all, it's not a big car and the egoistic man in me says that nothing will get me down, since this isn't the first time I'm driving this car on the wrong side of the road. I hop onto the Velar to seek some warmth, with the usual ritual of turning on the steering wheel as well as seat warmer.
Everything in here comes as second nature to me. It's a car that's far too modern for my taste, but I suspect that's only because my car is a 14 and a half year old manual-transmission sports sedan. I can get used to this, definitely, where the infotainment unit is a 10-inch high-definition touchscreen unit and the size of the car is just right for any roads, anywhere in the world.
The Velar is the fourth member within the Rangie lineup that closes the gap between the baby Range Rover Evoque and the Range Rover Sport and is based on the Jaguar F-PACE, so that should give you an idea of how dynamically sound this Rangie is.
I spend a good amount of time with this car around short switchbacks and long straight freeways. It brings back good memories, and that's what matters. It's like catching up with an old good friend, only this time in another different country and another different situation.
I wish I could have more time with these cars, but as you know by now, the egoistic man in me says that nothing will get me down, since this isn't the first time I'm parting ways with cars that I've loved and cars that I've missed. I grab my Filson briefcase, brave the icy cold winds, and walked back to the hotel lobby from the carpark to seek some warmth and comfort.
I stepped out of the hotel for merely three minutes and my face is numb. I can't feel my fingers, too. I think to myself, well, this is a mistake. I should have stayed home. The temperature is -2 Degrees Celsius and the flowers facing me have turned to ice.
I'm in Seoul, South Korea, for the sneak preview of the all new fifth generation Range Rover. The king of all SUVs, but I'm not driving that car. Not today. Instead, it'll be three of the seven cars that are available at the VIP parking lots outside our hotel.
The machismo off-roader - Land Rover Defender 110
Of course, the egoistic man in me says that nothing will get me down, not even the constant icy cold howling winds that can potentially bring the toughest man to his knees. I hop onto my first car - the Land Rover Defender 110 - to seek some warmth.
Thankfully, heated seats and steering wheel come standard with the Defender. I can't even be bothered about pairing my phone with the Bluetooth function, which is usually what I'd do with any car I'm driving, but not this time. I have more important things to do, such as getting my fingers and butt all warm and toasty.
Once I am comfortable and settled, I follow the convoy of cars out of the hotel and into Seoul's morning traffic. Despite the car's length of over five metres and width of over two metres, there is simply no sense of nervousness or uncertainty, even if this is my first time driving in Seoul in two years.
The roads are nicely paved, drivers are nice enough to give way and the lanes are wide enough for you to make small errors. Couple all of these with the fact that the Defender is that sort of car that can make you feel manly and look respectable behind the wheel, I was fearless on the unfamiliar roads of Seoul. Overtaking in tight space? No problem. Last minute lane changes? No worries.
The king of kings - Range Rover Vogue
This is, unfortunately, short-lived for me because we swopped cars just about 30 minutes into the drive. Now I have to go for the Range Rover Vogue. It's the biggest car of the lot, but the egoistic man in me says that nothing will get me down, not even a huge SUV that I can potentially damage with my half-pissed driving skills. I hop onto the car, then, to seek some warmth, again.
This time round, instead of the driver's seat, I hopped into the passenger's side and took a break. Was I scared? No, not really, I was arguably more cold than frightened. And the first thing I did? Yes, activated the seat warmer on full blast.
It's the sort of car to be chauffeured in, the Rangie Vogue. You can drive it and enjoy the full-on prowess, but I enjoy every bit being a passenger. The tastefully finished wood trimmings, high-quality leather seats, arm rest... I am suddenly thrown back into the business class seats of our prestigious national airline.
The high level of luxury makes this passenger a lot more comfortable even as his co-driver is speeding through bend after bend in such a huge SUV. The Rangie here seems to be taking it all in its stride. Yes, there is roll, but it's controlled and never to the point of being careless. There are cars I've been in that make me want to puke, especially as a passenger and around twisties, but not this Rangie.
About 30 minutes later, we make yet another stop. This time, I find myself in a quaint cafe. I need some photos of the cars, but I give up. The constant icy wind hitting my body makes me feel suicidal. I force myself to snap a few pictures, but I eventually find myself sitting in a table by the window, staring into space as I enjoy my cup of latte.
The fashion icon - Range Rover Velar
As soon as we start packing up and heading to cars, I am told to drive the Range Rover Velar - one of my favourite modern Rangies. It's a designer's car, this one, or at least it makes me feel like a designer, a fashionista of sorts, someone who could pull in a pair of purple pants and white shoes and still look like a million bucks.
I first drove this car back in 2017 in Molde, Norway, and another time six months later. I like it and I've always had a good experience with it. This time, in Seoul, I am certain it's going to be an optimistic affair. After all, it's not a big car and the egoistic man in me says that nothing will get me down, since this isn't the first time I'm driving this car on the wrong side of the road. I hop onto the Velar to seek some warmth, with the usual ritual of turning on the steering wheel as well as seat warmer.
Everything in here comes as second nature to me. It's a car that's far too modern for my taste, but I suspect that's only because my car is a 14 and a half year old manual-transmission sports sedan. I can get used to this, definitely, where the infotainment unit is a 10-inch high-definition touchscreen unit and the size of the car is just right for any roads, anywhere in the world.
The Velar is the fourth member within the Rangie lineup that closes the gap between the baby Range Rover Evoque and the Range Rover Sport and is based on the Jaguar F-PACE, so that should give you an idea of how dynamically sound this Rangie is.
I spend a good amount of time with this car around short switchbacks and long straight freeways. It brings back good memories, and that's what matters. It's like catching up with an old good friend, only this time in another different country and another different situation.
I wish I could have more time with these cars, but as you know by now, the egoistic man in me says that nothing will get me down, since this isn't the first time I'm parting ways with cars that I've loved and cars that I've missed. I grab my Filson briefcase, brave the icy cold winds, and walked back to the hotel lobby from the carpark to seek some warmth and comfort.
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