This picture was taken a couple of years ago during a Range Rover journalist first drive program held in Arizona. As you can tell, about the only things keeping the Land Rover LR4 from rolling down the hill is a roof strap and two Land Rover off-road experts. The LR4 was charting an off-road trail we were supposed to take in the new Range Rover, but it was too wet, too muddy, and too slippery for even the experts to negotiate. Instead, we ended up returning to the highway on the same trail we used to get to this spot. You can watch the video below to see some more highlights of this Range Rover off-road adventure.
What immediately struck me when I sat down behind the wheel of the new Range Rover was just how crazy it was to take a new $80K vehicle and put it in such obvious harms way. Do new high-end luxury SUV owners actually go off-road and risk trail damage? I recently asked a Range Rover expert this question. Keep in mind that these guys have been in the Range/Land Rover off-road business going back to the old Camel Trophy days. They’ve spent more time in the jungles and deserts of the world in Range Rovers than most of us have behind the wheel of our own cars.
The answer was an unsurprising “No!”
New Land and Range Rover owners do not go off-road. In fact, the expert said it isn’t until about 7 to 10 years into the life of the typical Range Rover that the third owner will take it off-road. This is not surprising as the optional 20 inch low profile tires are better suited for the local mall than for the local mud hole. Land Rover still takes journalist into the mud in brand spankin’ new vehicles because the company knows that while new Range Rover owners may not take their vehicles off-road, they are buying them because if the zombie apocalypse comes, they want the ability to escape into the great outdoors.
Do new Jeep owners go off-road? Yes, some do in my experience.
Do owners of other large new 4X4 or AWD SUVs and luxury Crossovers go off-road? Some do but I doubt it’s most. I think the days of taking a new Toyota Land Cruiser off-road are gone as well. Today’s new Land Cruiser is simply too expensive.
I believe what mostly determines whether or not a new vehicle is taken into the dirt is its cost. That’s why I suspect that a $25K new Jeep Wrangler will see dirt while a $75K Toyota Land Cruiser or even a $50K Toyota 4Runner won’t.
That’s also why I believe new pickup trucks have become the new off-road vehicle of choice for many off-road enthusiasts. Sure, you can easily spend $50K on a top-of-the-line off-road-ready Tundra TRD Pro or Ram Rebel or even more for the upcoming new Ford Raptor… but you can also get a basic 4X4 Nissan Frontier for around $25K. For the same amount of money you can also get a new workmen 4X2 half-ton pickup truck that will also taste dirt far sooner than any luxury crossover or SUV.
Sure, most people probably will first look to the used truck market for their off-roading adventures. But I’m betting that for those who must have a new vehicle to go off-road… their new dirt-ready ride will be a pickup truck and not a crossover or SUV.
What’s your take? Please let me know in the comments below.
