The LR4 — Crossing America Offroad with Tom Collins at the helm!

[1leglance]

LAND ROVER EXPEDITION AMERICA: UPDATE 1
The tiring, long and challenging days mean the crews have to pace themselves. Drivers rotate duties regularly; carry emergency supplies and satellite communications. Even in the most advanced country in the world, this is a real-world adventure.

Within a day, the expedition had climbed on precipitous tight switchbacks up into the 3000 ft Ozark Mountains. As with the Smoky Mountains, where the event started, the challenging mountain roads were the development grounds for some of America’s early racing drivers. Their skills were often honed while out-running the authorities during the Prohibition era.

Every day is an early start to keep the expedition on track for a 30-day crossing of America. The only other creatures awake so early are the local wildlife. Deer, coyotes and turtles have been spotted so far. Farmed Bison have also been seen along the trail.

The last few miles of Sam Correro’s time with the LREA team was spent negotiating treacherous washouts leading into Alma Arkansas. He balanced like a tightrope walker riding down the gullies. Behind, using the LR4 vehicle’s Terrain Response system, the four wheelers edged from hole to rock and under fallen trees.

“That was a taste of what is to come,” Correro said with a smile as he waved us goodbye. “Just wait and see…”

Rotate drivers???
Precipitous tight switchbacks....that people in RAV4's and AWD Elements also barely survived I imagine...
Turtles and farmed bison...how did the escape such terrors?
Treacherous washouts....ok they why are the only pics posted of flat, gravel roads my RC car could handle?

This is a great example of something that could be presented in a way that "everyman" can see themselves doing, something that inspires folks to do THIS in THEIR Rover....instead of another "we could all die" type outing that is far too much for the average person to attempt.

Silly.

 

[overlander]

your argument has it's merits!

 

[LR Max]

You better watch out for those turtles. I met a giant snapping turtle on a 2 lane road in Tennesee once. Thing was as big as the donut spare tire in my 1987 Honda Accord I was driving.

I poked it a few times with a stick, then it grabbed the stick and broke in half! I wouldn't want to run into said turtle with said Honda, probably would've knocked an entire corner of the suspension off. SOB was huge!

Some locals came and got it. Think he became soup later that day.

 

[scot zimmerman]

Rotate drivers???
Precipitous tight switchbacks....that people in RAV4's and AWD Elements also barely survived I imagine...
Turtles and farmed bison...how did the escape such terrors?
Treacherous washouts....ok they why are the only pics posted of flat, gravel roads my RC car could handle?

This is a great example of something that could be presented in a way that "everyman" can see themselves doing, something that inspires folks to do THIS in THEIR Rover....instead of another "we could all die" type outing that is far too much for the average person to attempt.

Silly.

My wife says they'll be facing their most serious challenge / danger today or tomorrow--Utah drivers!!!

 

[cruiseroutfit]

My wife says they'll be facing their most serious challenge / danger today or tomorrow--Utah drivers!!!

True. Lane speeds from left to right: 80mph, 65mph, 50mph, 80mph.

 

[Antichrist]

I may have to agree about the hype

The ‪#‎LRExpeditionAmerica‬ team drives effortlessly through deep mud on the Kansas border.

...the Land Rover Experience center at The Biltmore in Asheville North Carolina, the furthest east in the United States that a dirt road can be found.

Huh? :Wow1:

 

[LR Max]

Huh? :Wow1:

You can't make money unless you tell everyone that they have to come to your driving school to wheel.

 

[454]

Editorial flourishes aside, I am glad that they are making this run.

 

[PJPR01]

It's a nice photo opportunity to make some cool posters to hang in the dealerships and for most people who don't take their Land Rovers off the beaten path will generate a feeling of adventure they can aspire to, but if they are doing this on stock tires, the route is not that hard. Tom and Jim are cool guys, but this will be a nice publicity venture with some great backgrounds.

 

[umbertob]

Lots of armchair quarterbacking on this thread. If Toyota was doing this, everyone here would be bitching at how Land Rover has lost its appeal and doesn't do anything cool anymore. They are making this run in essentially bone stock vehicles, if that doesn't speak to the "everyman" that such an impressive feat of endurance is doable on a Land Rover, I don't know what does. Could a RAV4 or Element easily duplicate it? Who knows, nobody has had the balls to try it up to now. Of course Land Rover will blow their horn a little, they are entitled to. What else are they supposed to do, post photos of themselves wearing flip-flops?

Anyway, blog # 3 is now posted on Interactive Land Rover.

 

[Antichrist]

Could a RAV4 or Element easily duplicate it?

I don't know. What I do know is that, based on the photos I've seen so far, I took my dad's 1970 Toyota Corolla in far rougher places.

Saying there are no dirt roads east of Asheville... words fail me.

 

[David Harris]

I don't know. What I do know is that, based on the photos I've seen so far, I took my dad's 1970 Toyota Corolla in far rougher places.

Saying there are no dirt roads east of Asheville... words fail me.

Farmers probably drive down those roads in 2WD's daily, so this is pretty much a car trip. And statements like the Asheville one are pretty embarrassing as is the level of this trip overall, considering we're talking Land Rover here. There really aren't many long routes now that you couldn't do in 2WD. Camel Trophy aside, whatever happened to the days of expeditions like the Trans Americas, Great Divide, etc? Several stock Discovery II's drove around the world without issue in the Longitude expedition. What Land Rover really needs is a seriously tough challenge that tests the limits of the vehicles. How about a repeat of the Trans Americas with the LR4 crossing the Darien Gap in the footsteps of the Series and Range Rover Classic? Love to see that. . . On the other hand, what can you expect though when they are installing 20 inch+ rims with low profile tires on Rovers from the factory now with no other options available?

Come on Land Rover, let's see if the new trucks can keep up with their heritage. . .

 

[LR Max]

Their audience has changed. They don't make money off of us lot anymore. They make money off of the guy who's wife is complaining because she isn't picking the kids up in an LR4. Oh and you gotta have the HSE package and the little video player in the back so the kids can watch a Pixar movie for the hour drive back from wherever.

Or the rapper who just signed their first deal and needs 24" rims and enough stereo to drive everyone in a 30ft radius deaf.

When you consider those people, all of a sudden this little "trip" of theirs looks pretty hardcore.

I mean, I don't blame them. Look at the Evoque and the new RRS. Both don't have low range and are pretty much road cars. I'm just happy that they said, "Hey, lets not totally ruin the LR4 and make it off road capable".

 

[Antichrist]

Just to be clear, I think this would be a fun trip and at some point I'll do at least part of it. I also probably understand where L/R is coming from, from a marketing perspective. Pretty much the same as the CT, but there's been a major shift in the target. A really different audience. But I don't fault L/R too much for playing to that audience with this trip.
It's just the extreme hype that's dumfounding, even though I know that's what PR people do. I just think LRNA should be ashamed of things like the "deep mud" comment. Especially after the CT years.

 

[evilfij]

Farmers probably drive down those roads in 2WD's daily, so this is pretty much a car trip. And statements like the Asheville one are pretty embarrassing as is the level of this trip overall, considering we're talking Land Rover here. There really aren't many long routes now that you couldn't do in 2WD. Camel Trophy aside, whatever happened to the days of expeditions like the Trans Americas, Great Divide, etc? Several stock Discovery II's drove around the world without issue in the Longitude expedition. What Land Rover really needs is a seriously tough challenge that tests the limits of the vehicles. How about a repeat of the Trans Americas with the LR4 crossing the Darien Gap in the footsteps of the Series and Range Rover Classic? Love to see that. . . On the other hand, what can you expect though when they are installing 20 inch+ rims with low profile tires on Rovers from the factory now with no other options available?

Come on Land Rover, let's see if the new trucks can keep up with their heritage. . .

You mean the one where the range rovers repeatedly broke down, broke diffs, overheated etc. and they had to buy a previously rolled over SIIa "feeble" land rover to scout and help drag them through?