To the top and beyond: Land Rover
TABT Aamby Valley 2018
Paranjay Dutt | October 10, 2018
THE RIDDLER: 2018 BMW M5 REVIEW
It’s not an easy task for any carmaker to convince new buyers about features
without it sounding like marketing malarkey. There has to be a way around this.
Something that lets prospective customers understand it all without brochures
being read to them endlessly. Something that qualifies as an experience. Or if
the new nomenclature is to be believed, a tour. This one’s called Land Rover
The Above & Beyond Tour. And it aims at letting fans and customers
experience the innate abilities of Land Rovers. I got to attend the recent
Aamby Valley edition, and came back with truckloads of thoughts. Here’s the
memoir:
Okay,
sorry for breaking the flow of things here. But allow me to first introduce the
hugely capable Land Rover Discovery Sport that I drove through the pre-decided
(not by me, of course) trail. It’s the successor to the Freelander 2, and now
sits as a prominent member of the Discovery family. With the Land Rover range
divided into three sub categories — Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover — the
Discovery offers a mix of both luxury and a utilitarian approach. Also, apart
from the hugely useable Terrain Response System, Land Rover also takes pride in
features like Hill Descent Control and All Terrain Progress Control. Both add a
layer of autonomy — for brakes and acceleration — allowing for a more precise
approach off the road. Since the Freelander was the first vehicle to be
bestowed with Hill Descent Control, choosing the Discovery Sport made all the
sense.
Anyway,
back to my account of what was earlier called the Land Rover Experience. The
total drive time at the Aamby Valley trail is close to an hour. And I’m told
that it’s one of the best routes to test the limits of you and… — well,
actually just yours. As always it starts with a briefing by Cougar Motorsport,
which has impeccably run the tour with Land Rover India for half a decade. The
safety talk is further continued as one gets into the vehicle of choice along
with an instructor from Cougar. Takeaways include figuring out the correct
driving position, keeping thumbs always on the wheel rim and not folded inside,
and letting the steering slip while turning. So instead of holding on to it,
one needs to make small steering movements but while maintaining the ‘10 and 2’
position of the hands.
The
rough stuff begins as soon as you take the first stride, but it’s all a taster
of things to come. First things first, the correct mode is selected on the
Terrain Response System, the minimum speed is selected on the Hill Descent
Control, and off you go. With an active driver aid working your brakes for you,
it becomes a tad easier to manoeuvre the Discovery Sport around obstacles small
and large. And if you aren’t new to the idea of the car braking itself without
any human intervention, it soon becomes your second nature. And while the foot
twitches a little to break free from the muscular shackles and hit the brakes,
I can confirm that it’s better to take the proverbial leap of faith — and let
the system do its job.
·
·
·
MORE FROM MOTORING
SPIED: UPCOMING JAWA BY MAHINDRA-BACKED
CLASSIC LEGENDS
But
that doesn’t mean it’s a cakewalk, either. There are times when you have to
slow down further than the system’s capacity. This is where you tread the fine
line between losing momentum and going all guns blazing. It’s also where you’re
reminded of the off-road philosophy: as slow as possible, as fast as necessary.
As you move to the next set of challenges, it’s imperative that the correct
programme is selected on the Terrain Response System. We used Mud and Ruts, and
Grass/Gravel/Snow. Also worth keeping in mind is that the onboard Wheel
Direction Indicator has to be switched on always. It gives you a clear
indication of where the front wheels are pointing, and that can potentially
save you while tackling ruts and rocks.
Apart
from showing how the Land Rover handles bad terrain easily, experiences like
this one also help in pointing out how much a difference pressing buttons on
the Terrain Response System creates. Most notable was when switched to
Grass/Gravel/Snow, the throttle response would become a bit lethargic in order
to reduce slippage. The Hill Descent Control also made the brakes a touch less
aggressive as well.
And
what happens when you take control instead, you must wonder. It’s a great
feeling, to start with. Regaining controls — and getting it right, more
importantly — is a reward that goes beyond words and social media posts. One of
the sections on this trail was about water crossing. It wasn’t like anything
that the Camel Trophy guys had to endure, but putting a vehicle that costs more
than half a crore in water sounds a bit daft at first. (Okay, I was scared.)
The approach to that section is a fairly tricky one, and you have to manually —
and carefully — apply throttle and brakes. With a slightly bent tree on one
side and a broken rock on the other, it can be a bit of a task. But soon do you
realise that despite being advanced and hugely capable regardless of the skills
and talents of the driver, the Discovery Sport has its basics in place. It
listens to your inputs almost intuitively, and does exactly what it’s asked to
do. Do you want me to enter water without making a mess on the bonnet? Quite
right, sir, there you go.
As you
climb out of water and tackle a sideways incline, the instructor goes on about
this four-letter acronym. It’s called ATPC. And no matter how hard the geek in
you tries to make you believe, it’s certainly not a type of a personal
computer. But a computer it is. Because it can handle both acceleration and
brakes, and effectively make you look like a hero who’s doing everything off
the road. Whereas in reality, it’s the All-Terrain Progress Control working
wonders. The system when put to use can not just drive up inclines, it can also
correctly modulate torque delivery. In a way that difficult situations like
sharp turns, change in ascends, and even loose surface, cue the music, one
CAN’T TOUCH THIS.
Towards
the latter part of the trail —almost like a warm-down lap — as I took full
control of the vehicle, I couldn’t help but gush about the intelligent traction
control. While Hill Descent Control and the wonderful ATPC are both amazing,
things like a good traction control can’t go amiss. And what gets overlooked
the most is the vehicle’s dimensions. A good approach angle, departure angle,
ramp angle, and water-wading capacity can never be credited enough, either.
The only
thing I took some time to learn was maintaining constant throttle. Because in
an off-road-orientated vehicle, you would feather the throttle — and at times
lift off. But when you have an active system like the Discovery Sport’s,
there’s no need to lift off. Maintaining constant throttle is necessary, the
rest can be done by the system. Once I realised that, the wide expanse of
abilities that my vehicle for the day had on offer became more enjoyable.
Does
any of it come as a surprise? No — a resounding no! That Land Rover makes some
of the best vehicles is one thing. But the way these SUVs utilise their
off-roading capabilities is possibly the standout feature. For someone who’s
been doing this day in and out for 70 years, it’s hardly a surprise.
Now
where’s my Camel Trophy?
Photos by
Land Rover
To the top and beyond: Land Rover TABT Aamby
Valley 2018
Paranjay Dutt | October 10, 2018
·
THE RIDDLER: 2018 BMW M5 REVIEW
It’s not an easy task for any carmaker to convince new buyers about features
without it sounding like marketing malarkey. There has to be a way around this.
Something that lets prospective customers understand it all without brochures
being read to them endlessly. Something that qualifies as an experience. Or if
the new nomenclature is to be believed, a tour. This one’s called Land Rover
The Above & Beyond Tour. And it aims at letting fans and customers
experience the innate abilities of Land Rovers. I got to attend the recent
Aamby Valley edition, and came back with truckloads of thoughts. Here’s the
memoir:
Okay, sorry for breaking the flow of
things here. But allow me to first introduce the hugely capable Land Rover
Discovery Sport that I drove through the pre-decided (not by me, of course)
trail. It’s the successor to the Freelander 2, and now sits as a prominent
member of the Discovery family. With the Land Rover range divided into three
sub categories — Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover — the Discovery offers a
mix of both luxury and a utilitarian approach. Also, apart from the hugely
useable Terrain Response System, Land Rover also takes pride in features like
Hill Descent Control and All Terrain Progress Control. Both add a layer of
autonomy — for brakes and acceleration — allowing for a more precise approach
off the road. Since the Freelander was the first vehicle to be bestowed with
Hill Descent Control, choosing the Discovery Sport made all the sense.
Anyway, back to my account of what was
earlier called the Land Rover Experience. The total drive time at the Aamby
Valley trail is close to an hour. And I’m told that it’s one of the best routes
to test the limits of you and… — well, actually just yours. As always it starts
with a briefing by Cougar Motorsport, which has impeccably run the tour with
Land Rover India for half a decade. The safety talk is further continued as one
gets into the vehicle of choice along with an instructor from Cougar. Takeaways
include figuring out the correct driving position, keeping thumbs always on the
wheel rim and not folded inside, and letting the steering slip while turning.
So instead of holding on to it, one needs to make small steering movements but
while maintaining the ‘10 and 2’ position of the hands.
The rough stuff begins as soon as you take
the first stride, but it’s all a taster of things to come. First things first,
the correct mode is selected on the Terrain Response System, the minimum speed
is selected on the Hill Descent Control, and off you go. With an active driver
aid working your brakes for you, it becomes a tad easier to manoeuvre the
Discovery Sport around obstacles small and large. And if you aren’t new to the
idea of the car braking itself without any human intervention, it soon becomes
your second nature. And while the foot twitches a little to break free from the
muscular shackles and hit the brakes, I can confirm that it’s better to take
the proverbial leap of faith — and let the system do its job.
But that doesn’t mean it’s a cakewalk,
either. There are times when you have to slow down further than the system’s
capacity. This is where you tread the fine line between losing momentum and
going all guns blazing. It’s also where you’re reminded of the off-road
philosophy: as slow as possible, as fast as necessary. As you move to the next
set of challenges, it’s imperative that the correct programme is selected on
the Terrain Response System. We used Mud and Ruts, and Grass/Gravel/Snow. Also
worth keeping in mind is that the onboard Wheel Direction Indicator has to be
switched on always. It gives you a clear indication of where the front wheels
are pointing, and that can potentially save you while tackling ruts and rocks.
Apart from showing how the Land Rover
handles bad terrain easily, experiences like this one also help in pointing out
how much a difference pressing buttons on the Terrain Response System creates.
Most notable was when switched to Grass/Gravel/Snow, the throttle response
would become a bit lethargic in order to reduce slippage. The Hill Descent
Control also made the brakes a touch less aggressive as well.
And what happens when you take control
instead, you must wonder. It’s a great feeling, to start with. Regaining
controls — and getting it right, more importantly — is a reward that goes
beyond words and social media posts. One of the sections on this trail was
about water crossing. It wasn’t like anything that the Camel Trophy guys had to
endure, but putting a vehicle that costs more than half a crore in water sounds
a bit daft at first. (Okay, I was scared.) The approach to that section is a
fairly tricky one, and you have to manually — and carefully — apply throttle
and brakes. With a slightly bent tree on one side and a broken rock on the
other, it can be a bit of a task. But soon do you realise that despite being
advanced and hugely capable regardless of the skills and talents of the driver,
the Discovery Sport has its basics in place. It listens to your inputs almost
intuitively, and does exactly what it’s asked to do. Do you want me to enter
water without making a mess on the bonnet? Quite right, sir, there you go.
As you climb out of water and tackle a
sideways incline, the instructor goes on about this four-letter acronym. It’s
called ATPC. And no matter how hard the geek in you tries to make you believe,
it’s certainly not a type of a personal computer. But a computer it is. Because
it can handle both acceleration and brakes, and effectively make you look like
a hero who’s doing everything off the road. Whereas in reality, it’s the
All-Terrain Progress Control working wonders. The system when put to use can
not just drive up inclines, it can also correctly modulate torque delivery. In
a way that difficult situations like sharp turns, change in ascends, and even
loose surface, cue the music, one CAN’T TOUCH THIS.
Towards the latter part of the trail
—almost like a warm-down lap — as I took full control of the vehicle, I
couldn’t help but gush about the intelligent traction control. While Hill
Descent Control and the wonderful ATPC are both amazing, things like a good
traction control can’t go amiss. And what gets overlooked the most is the
vehicle’s dimensions. A good approach angle, departure angle, ramp angle, and
water-wading capacity can never be credited enough, either.
The only thing I took some time to learn
was maintaining constant throttle. Because in an off-road-orientated vehicle,
you would feather the throttle — and at times lift off. But when you have an
active system like the Discovery Sport’s, there’s no need to lift off.
Maintaining constant throttle is necessary, the rest can be done by the system.
Once I realised that, the wide expanse of abilities that my vehicle for the day
had on offer became more enjoyable.
Does any of it come as a surprise? No — a
resounding no! That Land Rover makes some of the best vehicles is one thing.
But the way these SUVs utilise their off-roading capabilities is possibly the
standout feature. For someone who’s been doing this day in and out for 70
years, it’s hardly a surprise.
Now where’s my Camel Trophy?
Photos
by Land Rover
SOURCE:MOTORING
WORLD
PAEDIA EXPRESS:HONOUR DONE TO JAMAL KHASSORGGI
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61024465/casssssss.0.jpg)
Arab News Channel