The Monday Minute: 2014 Range Rover Part Deux

"Andrew T. Maness" (theroadlessdriven) 07/28/2014 at 13:46 • Filed to: the monday minute, land rover, range rover, offroading, summer, vermont, new england

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Within in the 80 acres of the Land Rover Driving Experience at The Equinox, there are all sorts of challenges you'll face. They're the kind of challenges that will have you grinning ear to ear and concocting elaborate schemes that would allow you to own a supercharged 2014 Range Rover Sport. For all the pomp and circumstance the Land Rover brand commands, at the end of the day they are a formidable off road machine that just happens to be very, very comfortable.

In my opinion there's nothing that even comes close to the capability of these machines because as great as they look polished and hauling royals to polo matches, they look even better with mud on the tires hauling adventure seekers through the roughest places on earth.

Andrew T. Maness

@thisnicelife

Submissions- theroadlessdriven@gmail.com

Andrew P. Collins > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 14:21

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Who'd you wheel with from Land Rover? I met a few of the Equinox Land Rover guides last week... they seemed like cool dudes.

Andrew T. Maness > Andrew P. Collins 07/28/2014 at 14:39

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David Nunn, great guy, owns an '89 RR Country.

DiscoTReK > Andrew P. Collins 07/28/2014 at 14:39

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Great vid, AC! Got to check out some of the trails there at the Equinox before. That whole area is awesome

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 14:51

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What colour is his RR? I feel like I've heard his name before at Rovers On the Rocks or Vermont Overland.

satalac > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 14:55

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While I'm always impressed with the offroadability of the Range Rover (seriously, on those tires), I just can't pony up the money to do this. I checked out the Land Rover Experience while I was at the Biltmore in Asheville , NC and laughed when I saw the price for it. For $20, I can go all day in thousands of acres in whatever I want (usually a Yamaha Rhino). I mean I know driving offroad in luxury would be a nice experience, but not that nice.

djmt1 > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 15:03

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You know in England you get an OBE for driving your Land Rover off road.

Kate's Dirty Sister > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 15:03

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I once went the the Land Rover "experience" driving school in Montebello, Canada.

That was pretty sweet. A friend of mine had bought an LR2 and invited me.

The food was great.

Stevie Welles > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 15:06

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"In my opinion there's nothing that even comes close to the capability of these machines"

My Land Cruiser would like a word with you.

HammerheadFistpunch > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 15:06

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That was shot nicely and edited well, but watching land rovers go through the land rover course is:

a. Super boring

b. almost 90% of all video of land rovers going off road.

Don't get me wrong, it looks like a fun day out and I would have loved to have been there not having my wheels lift off the ground in my land cruiser (awkward wink emoji...thing) but this kind of off road is the snores for the spectator.

HammerheadFistpunch > Stevie Welles 07/28/2014 at 15:21

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Its just an incomplete quote is all, it should say

"...there's nothing that even comes close to the capability of these machines to ruin you financially."

PumpedSump > HammerheadFistpunch 07/28/2014 at 15:28

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Exactly. Most off roading that can be done in Michelin Latitude's (or whatever they are) isn't usually all that exciting... at least until the vehicle starts to get damaged.

Yeah it's a fairly demanding course, but from the looks I bet a stock Land Cruiser, Grand Cherokee, or Touareg could make it through this. If you are willing to forgo the "class", then that opens you up to a Wrangler, Xterra and 4Runner.

AndTheyCalledHimGearhead > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 15:31

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Hey guys, Chris here responding on behalf of David at the Land Rover Experience in Manchester, VT.

Happy to answer any questions you might have about LRE, the type of instruction provided to attendees and to personally weigh in on how utterly knee-weakening the noise from the Range Rover Sports' 5.0l supercharged v8 is.

Huge thanks to Andrew at theroadlessdriven for beautifully documenting his experience at LRE and sharing it on the interwebs!

AndTheyCalledHimGearhead > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 07/28/2014 at 15:34

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David's RR is a green County edition. He's actually the Location Manager at the Land Rover Experience in VT. He's asked if you drove you own LR to Rover on the Rocks or VT Overland?

Big Block I-4 > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 15:36

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at 1:02, "why you no locking rear diff land rover?"

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 15:39

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Friend of mine is married to one of the instructors there.

Carwood > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 15:44

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I wanna do this with my overland.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > AndTheyCalledHimGearhead 07/28/2014 at 15:51

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I remember seeing Dave's truck, was comparing it to the POS rusted out Green Range Rover Ed brought with him ha.

I was at Rovers on the Rocks (will also be attending this year) last year with this Disco, part of the NELRC group.

Stupidru > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 16:49

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My mountain bike would be going 4x the speed and I would be having 10x the fun

LeadfootYT > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 17:08

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Nice to see a Manchester, VT-related post on Jalopnik that's not by me. Did the course myself earlier this year - very fun experience, although mine was on fresh snow in winter. I should probably get back in touch with the guys there about doing video work...

LeadfootYT > HammerheadFistpunch 07/28/2014 at 17:11

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I was talking with the guys from the Equinox Land Rover School a few years ago about doing video work. Offroad videos need to be more cinematic in order to be appreciated (much like ski films, which are all identical other than how they're shot), and take a bit more structuring and planning than just the spectator course.

HammerheadFistpunch > LeadfootYT 07/28/2014 at 17:13

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I hear you. Expedition overland does a fair job, though their narration script leaves a lot to be desired. I've been toying with it a little myself , but its too large a production for one person. I have a huge rift in me when it comes to production:

to do

or to shoot

Usually to do wins out and the production suffers.

AndTheyCalledHimGearhead > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 07/28/2014 at 17:38

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Yes! David is humbly proud of his low-rust RR. It was actually a California car for decades before coming to VT with the previous owner recently.

Well you've got one of the cleanest Discovery's we've seen in the north east... or it could just be the lighting. We rarely see any Discos in white in the Green Mountains , that's for sure. David will be sure to keep an eye out for you at Rovers on the Rocks!

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > AndTheyCalledHimGearhead 07/28/2014 at 17:49

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Thanks! It's mostly the lighting, there are a few dings and a ton of pin stripes from the Pine Barrens. I do try not to use my body panels as sliders like some of the guys although every once and a while I get too close to a tree.

AndTheyCalledHimGearhead > LeadfootYT 07/28/2014 at 18:08

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Hey there, Chris here writing on behalf of David. If you'd like, I'm sure we could work out a way for you to come down and have a chance to film on the course (and beyond) and get some time behind the wheel of one of our 2014 vehicles. Send me your contact info and we'll be in touch!

AndTheyCalledHimGearhead > LeadfootYT 07/28/2014 at 18:11

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Indeed you should! See my response to your previous comment.

LeadfootYT > AndTheyCalledHimGearhead 07/28/2014 at 18:30

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My contact info can be found here . Josh and I had spoken a bit about putting something together, but we hadn't been able to put something together logistically, and I hear he now has another position with Land Rover and is no longer at Equinox. Feel free to get in touch through the email at that link. Look forward to hearing from you!

AndTheyCalledHimGearhead > Carwood 07/28/2014 at 18:36

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Hi there, Chris here responding on behalf of David from the Land Rover Experience. LRE VT actually has regular Owner Days where you can bring your vehicle and navigate not only our purpose-built course but class 4 roads surrounding Manchester, VT while receiving coaching from Land Rover certified instructors. Also because the day is lengthy, the cost of breakfast and lunch are included in your admission. The next Owner's Day is coming up soon on August 3rd. The following one will be on November 9th. For more information or to purchase admission, you can call LRE at (802) 362-0687.

AndTheyCalledHimGearhead > LeadfootYT 07/28/2014 at 18:37

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Thank you! David or myself will be sure to contact you within the week.

Carwood > AndTheyCalledHimGearhead 07/28/2014 at 18:50

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Very. Cool. Thanks for the response. I'll definitely have to look into that in the future!

r3bman > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 18:55

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I have no doubts that the RR is one of, if not THE, best factory off-road capable vehicles. Maybe 1 of 100 will see any terrain like this. The real question may be, is it an equally capable mall attack wagon? (my term I've coined on here)

brooklynYUPPY > HammerheadFistpunch 07/28/2014 at 19:13

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Agree with everything you said accept or "looks like fun." That looks boring as shit. Rather sit in church and look for girls to eye fuck on a Sunday morning. Dead serious.

Andrew T. Maness > Carwood 07/28/2014 at 19:47

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The best part is that you can as they have owner appreciation days.

Andrew T. Maness > Stevie Welles 07/28/2014 at 19:49

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I'm sorry, I have edited to clarify.

"in my opinion there's nothing that I've driven that even comes close to the capability of these machines".

Andrew T. Maness > Stupidru 07/28/2014 at 19:51

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Yes and a dirt bike would be going 5x the speed, 20x the fun as your mountain bike.

Andrew T. Maness > AndTheyCalledHimGearhead 07/28/2014 at 19:51

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Thanks Chris!

Andrew T. Maness > r3bman 07/28/2014 at 19:54

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I'm working on persuading the folks at LR corporate that they should loan me some to find out. I will seek out the hardest to reach mall in the contiguous US and see if I can conquer it's speed bumps.

Andrew T. Maness > HammerheadFistpunch 07/28/2014 at 19:57

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That's why I keep these videos short and try to use unique, fun music. They're not for everyone but hey, my grandma likes em.

Andrew T. Maness > PumpedSump 07/28/2014 at 20:06

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Some of the features I agree those vehicles would be capable of tackling them with aftermarket suspension modifications.

Bad Idea Hat > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 20:13

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This is so British that it enslaved India.

Andrew T. Maness > HammerheadFistpunch 07/28/2014 at 20:19

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I feel you on that one. At this point it just has to be a mix of both until theres a budget.

Andrew T. Maness > HammerheadFistpunch 07/28/2014 at 20:22

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Also, if it's speed you're looking for, check out the 911 video from 3 weeks ago.

4x4AZ > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 20:57

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This is a lame excuse for an off-road course. The only way this is any kind of impressive is that they force the drivers to take the worst possible line so there is more suspension travel. I'd take a 2014 Forester with X-mode and some decent tires through this course, and I'm willing to bet it would make it through.

Obruni > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 20:59

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I have done this, in the snow though

Obruni > Obruni 07/28/2014 at 21:01

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and from the inside:

Andrew T. Maness > 4x4AZ 07/28/2014 at 21:20

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I actually tried part of the course back in high school in my 94 Legacy wagon with air suspension...

4x4AZ > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 21:28

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How'd that go? Sounds fun, surprised they open it to the public.

hoffmanbike > Andrew T. Maness 07/28/2014 at 23:23

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I've driven that, they do free smaller test drives during the annual Manchester car shaow, the first weekend every June. They micromanage your driving a lot, but i can't blame them they're just trying to keep the Rovers from coming out covered in dents.

ausSEA > HammerheadFistpunch 07/28/2014 at 23:55

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So essentially this is a course tailor made to make the car look more impressive than it actually is? Everything looks like a steep angle, but with hard packed dirt underneath.

Stormin-Norman > Andrew T. Maness 07/29/2014 at 09:43

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It's good to see these LR experiences getting exposure. Maybe, just maybe, LR owners will be inspired to take their Rovers out where no Jeep has gone before.

-Proud '04 Disco II owner

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Andrew T. Maness 07/29/2014 at 10:12

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I'm going to have to come up one and try out one of those owner appreciation days at some point. Although I have a growing list of upgrades and a couple of repairs that I'm going to have to tackle first. Which genius decided that the best place for the xyz switch was right under the A/C drain pipe?

Forester guy > Andrew T. Maness 07/29/2014 at 10:18

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I love this new RR Sport, but this offroad is kinda pussyish, ain't it?

Ultrakill > Andrew T. Maness 07/29/2014 at 11:26

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Offroading... Lol that was cute.

Andrew T. Maness > 4x4AZ 07/29/2014 at 13:13

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They didn't...

It was, interesting to say the least.

Andrew T. Maness > Forester guy 07/29/2014 at 13:23

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While it doesn't get my adrenaline going like hammering a sports car around some canyon roads, it is special in it's own way. The instruction I've received during the two times I've done this has been top notch and I feel far more knowledgeable about the technical aspects of offroad driving.

You can say this isn't real offroading and that it's "pussyish" but technically anything that ain't on pavement is offroading. That being said, I have conquered some pretty nasty unkempt trails in the woods of Vermont in old Subarus and pickups.

I would like to point out that I'm not advocating for going and paying for this experience. I wasn't compensated for making these videos and I'm by no means a LR fan boy declaring that they are the be all end all of offroad driving.

I just love making videos about the automotive experiences I'm lucky enough to have. If someone out there has a 86 Subaru GL hatchback with a lift kit that they want to let me hoon, please get in touch and I'll be there.

Forester guy > Andrew T. Maness 07/29/2014 at 17:54

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I've done stuff like that in a LR event and another time in a Mitsubishi event. It is fun, there is no denying that! its fun to sense all the electronics working and tweaking the car here and there to make it crawl the obstacles better.

But this kind of offroad driving (read, slow, careful and cautious) gets old quick. I have a '00 Jeep XJ that i used to take it offroading with care, now i just plow through everything and the hell with it, its way more fun.

About the last paragraph, if you ever find yourself in São Paulo, Brazil, i have the aforementioned XJ and a lifted '48 CJ2 with a roll cage and no roof. Both to hoon/ offroad. :D

Love My V8 Finder of Paths > Andrew T. Maness 08/01/2014 at 11:43

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Meanwhile in Moab:

gkwilly > 4x4AZ 08/01/2014 at 20:20

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There's a good number of commercially run off roading parks with trails much more challenging. Even though RRs are welcome as with any other brand and purpose built rigs, I don't think I've ever encountered any LR product other than a Defender.

4x4AZ > gkwilly 08/01/2014 at 23:45

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Most places I've wheeled in Oregon had spots tougher than this... And they weren't even 4x4 parks :P

Andrew T. Maness > Love My V8 Finder of Paths 08/02/2014 at 01:44

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that's a very, very different experience.