Well yesterday My son and I had our combined christmas pressie. 1/2 day land rover experience at The Land Rover Experience - Chilterns
www.landroverdriving.co.uk/
The weather was absolutly superb and perfect for an event like this. The snow, water and slush and mud, and perfect blue skies made it so much better.
We were given a briefing and run down on how lazy diffs are, how to use diff locks to counteract this, hill descent, stability control, traction control etc.
Then we got outside to be given a brand new Disco3 TDV6 HSE. This came in hideous orange but was fully kitted out, as it was one of the team cars produced for the now cancelled 2009 landrover g4 challenge.
We were given 30 minutes of a tution drive by the instructor, then with him as passenger we were then let loose to drive this thing round the off road course, which we did for about 90 minutes each. Over the log piles, up the big hump, into the stream (now a river) everywhere. It was fabulous fun.
The car. Well what can one say. this is the car clarkson drove up the mountain in scotland. you can see how it did it. It has full automatic traction control (using abs to brake individual spinning wheels with no grip) fully automatic front, centre and rear diff locks, fully automatic hill descent, auto gearbox (locked in low range). This all comes with a vdu display of the drive train showing which wheels are driving, braking or free wheeling, which diffs are locking or unlocking, even which way the fron wheels are pointing. (this can be seen in the photos)
One slight sadness tho. With everything automatic, in your heated leather seat, with climate control its all a bit too simple, all too remote.
pictures here
s606.photobucket.com/albums/tt148/know_wun/
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Brings back memories of going RTV trialling in my old Land Rover 90.
When it jumped out of gear at the top of a long slippery descent was my scariest moment!
Luckily I was able to ram it back in gear.
Edited by Sofa Spud on 11/02/2009 at 17:51
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Great report Altea. Looks fantastic and such a lovely day too. I guess all the gizmos would rather insulate the driver from the experience of an old fashioned LR but I know which I'd prefer - even if it was orange; that computer screen would keep me happy!
Mmm, definitely on my "to do" list.
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I spent almost a year working on the same estate.
Made a lunchtiime stroll very enjoyable, glad you had fun.
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Glad you had such a blast it looks like a stunning day to have done it.
Done two LR Experience days - one in Skipton the other nr Bala. Both terrific fun and both notable for how much the instructors rated the Freelander as an off-roader.
I did the "hard" Driffield course in my Y Reg 2.25 diesel Series III alongside mate who was in his Defender.
We swapped over and whilst I enjoyed the Defender it was boring after the Series where there was no margin for error and every hazard was a challenge of revs, line and braking. My mate was pleading with me to let him have another circuit.
Edited by Nsar on 11/02/2009 at 18:37
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I've done the Coniston Cold one - report on here somewhere. If you show enough interest in a Landie they'll give you half a day on an offroad course.
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Truly awesome - I know what's on my next (significant) birthday list!
I'll echo that it's an excellent write up and what a fantastic day to do it on.
Nice one.
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I would so love to do that! i bet it was amazing, - great pictures!
Glad u had a good time and what a amazing experience i think its one of them "must do things" that im putting on my "to do list" too
Ste
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Like the hi-viz, AE. You kept it quiet about being Womble!
I did the Land-Rover factory off-road course years ago (in Disco 1s), and two things stood out to me then (and to you too, judging by the photos):
1. Just how capable these Discos are.
2. Just how much of that capability is wasted in the hands of 99.9% of owners!
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The Hi Viz jacket was that womble called my son.
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Got invited to a Range Rover experience but I asked if I could go out in a Defender.Excellent,a group of other people all went out in one Range Rover while I and an instructor had a Defender to ourselves.
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