Off-Road Driving With Land Rover

“As slow as possible, as fast as necessary.” That is the mantra of the Land Rover Driving Experience, and most of the day, I was inching so slowly over rocks and through mud that the odometer didn’t even register a flicker on the off-road course.

The hardest thing to learn, though, is the leap of faith to trust the technology by keeping my foot off both throttle gas and brake at the crest of a hill and letting the computer control the downhill crawl.

After a few tries, I was confident enough in Land Rover’s patented Terrain Response System, which includes something called Hill Descent Control, to actually close my eyes. It wasn’t fear, because I was smiling at my new-found ability to feel everything happening under the hood, axles and wheels.

The off-road course is on a corner of the 8,000 acre Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Much of the estate is taken up by George Vanderbilt’s fabulously ornate 250-room mansion, gardens, conservatory, vineyard, stables, dairy, restaurants, a four-star hotel, and a hundred-plus miles of hiking, biking and riding trails, but there is enough rugged and forested terrain these Blue Ridge Mountains for a day of alternately worrisome and enlightening driving.

Sessions begin with questions about the kind of vehicle you drive at home – 80% of drivers own some type of SUV – and how much off-road experience you have had, to determine the difficulty level of the 20-plus acres of trails to take me on. Programs are adapted to the driver’s needs – lead instructor Greg Nikolas tells me he’s done an entire session just on the art of winching.

I drove, with the instructor riding shotgun, there’s a quick overview of the features of the three Land Rover models marketed in the US: the hunky 400hp flagship Range Rover, the Range Rover Sport, with a slightly shorter wheelbase and a supercharged V8; and the LR3, which replaced the Discovery. I learn about the Jaguar-derived engines (Land Rover and Jaguar are both owned by the Ford Motor Company), permanent four-wheel drive, locking differentials, traction control, the air suspension system which gives an additional two inches of road clearance.

Much explanation is for the all important Terrain Response System. This is more than just a dial on the center console. It automatically configures throttle, braking and traction for different conditions. One setting is for slippery grass, gravel and snow, another is for mud and ruts, sand, and the rock crawling setting is for just that. In my day-long driving experience, I used every setting except sand.

We approached gravel-strewn hills in drive, for momentum to the crest without wheel spin, stopping at the top put it into first gear for the downhill side. Then, I took a deep breath and took my feet off the pedals. I felt Hill Descent Control, which is essentially below first gear, kick in instantly. I felt traction control grinding and disengaging, a half second here, a full second there, as I listened to the car and the ground beneath it.

I learn the delicate balance between driving slow enough that wheels make full contact, and fast enough not to get stuck. My instructor says never go so fast that you bounce and compress the shock absorbers, which can damage the undercarriage. He says to visualize a pillow-soft airplane landing.

I learn to tilt side mirrors slightly downward for off-roading, for a better view of the terrain. A sensible tip, because there’s nobody behind me to worry about.

I learn quickly that what I do on this turn affects how – and whether – I get through the next turn, such as the tree on the driver’s side at the bottom of a downhill curve.

He tells me to stay straight as long as possible. That allows the rear of the vehicle to get through the turn. The back always has a shorter turn radius than the front, he reminds me gently. I squeak past the tree by the proverbial whisker.

Another time, he coaches me to stay a whisker above center on a steeply banked curve, because taking the curve high puts too much weight on the downhill side of the vehicle. And he reminds me to keep a slow and even pace through the turn.

For the stretch of muddy, rock-filled ruts, I am instructed to hold the steering wheel tight and resist the temptation to turn into the ruts. The Terrain Response System is driving the car now. It is determining gears, throttle and braking, and I marvel at how much smarter the computer is than I am.

Later, there’s a choice of going around, or over, a pile of rocks. At first, I decide to go around, then notice these aren’t ordinary rocks. Uneven slabs have been placed carefully, wheel distance apart. Yes! I am ready for this challenge. I put the car in super-control rock crawling mode, and my pro gets out to direct me through it.

He is looking at my front wheels, I am watching his hand signals. Steer a whisker to the left. Slower than slow. Stop. Straighten. Forward slow. Then, two thumbs up, followed by a high five when he returns to the passenger seat.

There are two other Land Rover Experience programs in North America. The program in Sonoma, California, includes more sand tracks, and the location north of Montreal includes snow and ice driving in winter.

Land Rover Experience, www.landroverusa.com/drivingschools

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