The promise held by the extreme off-roading capabilities of the Land Rover Range Rover is quite impressive. However, not everyone who wants to tap into their SUV’s potential possesses the location or skills required to fully explore what their Range Rover is able to do in its natural environment.
Land Rover has created the Land Rover Experience Driving School program to let owners and enthusiasts really sink their teeth into what these vehicles are all about. The Land Rover Experience Driving School offers five unique “campuses” in North America where prospective students can set forth in their Range Rovers or indeed, any vehicle produced by the brand. The primary location for the school is at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. George Vanderbilt completed this 250-room chateau in 1895, and it has been recognized as one of the most important architectural accomplishments in America. Situated on 8,000 acres of land, the Biltmore’s gardens, winery and four-star inn provide the perfect headquarters for a day or weekend of rugged vehicular exploration.
There are three other driving schools spread across the continent. In Montebello, Quebec, 65,000 acres surround the world’s largest log hotel and provide incredible mountain vistas and challenging woodland driving in both summer and snowy winter conditions. Carmel, California’s school combines golf, a spa and a resort atmosphere with expert instruction behind the wheel from Land Rover’s experienced staff. Finally, Manchester Village offers an outdoor Vermont landscape and all of the luxurious amenities Land Rover owners have come to expect from the company, thanks to the presence of the Equinox Resort as the school’s focal point.
Driving school options for the Range Rover can be ordered a la carte as hour-long slices or single trail excursions, or they can be spread out over full-day lessons or special lengthy scenic drives. These schools are meant to offer a wide choice of different activities that cater to both the seasoned off-road pro and the beginner alike. There is no need to be concerned about the level of experience you have in terms of negotiating rugged terrain. Land Rover’s schools are meant to help improve your skill level, not overwhelm you with difficult driving situations. Each participant faces a series of challenges and has the opportunity to face them step-by-step during their course at the school, so that a steady and comfortable learning pace is maintained.
What types of driving skills are taught at the Land Rover Experience Driving Schools? The first step for most drivers is a firm grounding in the basics of off-road navigation. This includes learning how to negotiate elevation changes in the form of going both up and down steep hills, as well as driving along tilted ridges with the vehicle out of its normally level and stable position. Different surfaces will also be explored such as crossing small creeks and rivers, moving across expanses of rocks and even hopping from one boulder to another – a situation where only one or two wheels at a time may actually be in contact with something solid. Crossing logs, another unstable and exhilarating experience, is also incorporated into these preliminary lessons. Lessons often work best in conjunction with a run down one or more trails that are specifically designed to test skills learned one-on-one with the Land Rover instructors.
For some Land Rover owners, the skills learned during individual lessons are exactly enough to keep them content with their driving school experience. For those interested in pushing things a bit farther, there are special full day and scenic drive packages that function as extended trail rides. A series of graduated off-road routes leads a contingent of Land Rovers through ever-increasing challenges that are meant to both thrill and educate by providing hands-on practical experience to complement the more restricted courses used in the individual lessons. A picnic lunch is provided with each excursion, and there is even the option of an advanced class for those who feel they are ready to tackle such topics as winching, recovery and expedition planning.
The high-quality individual instruction provided by the Land Rover Experience Driving Schools is without parallel in terms of the comprehensive skill set it teaches, and the sheer fun associated with handling some of the best off-road vehicles ever built.
