Land Rover for the day

The Land Rover company puts out stuff to make you want to buy one (as if Rico needed any encouragement; he just needs the money):

In The Vanishing Game, an innovative, multimedia novella published by William Boyd last month, the hero, Alec Dunbar, embarks on a treacherous journey through Scotland’s craggy highlands. He pilots a vintage Land Rover Defender (photo, above) up steep climbs and plummeting descents as he tries to evade a mysterious group of thugs. 

It turns out that when the road ends, a driver’s most important tool is an elite set of wheels, and Land Rover has a reputation for crafting elegant sport-utility vehicles with four-wheel-drive capabilities.
The car manufacturer maintains four driving schools across North America, in California, North Carolina, Quebec in Canada, and Vermont. The idea is to give aficionados a sense of the handling and an extensive look at the technology packed into the automaker’s fleet. We caught up with Greg Nikolas, the head instructor for the Land Rover Experience at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, to learn which features stand out for off-road driving. “We’re one of just a handful of factory-backed driving programs in the world, which is a direct stamp of approval on the quality of these vehicles,” he says, explaining that the program’s direct relationship with the maker allows drivers the opportunity to test the most current models in extreme conditions. “They are phenomenal vehicles that can handle a wide range of activities.”
And Nikolas would know. He got his first taste of expedition driving while completing seven years of active duty with the Army, five months of which was spent in Antarctica. “Your vehicle is your lifeline,” he says. “You need to be able to maintain and use it because walking out may not be an option.”
With the help of the school’s small fleet of Land Rover vehicles, which includes a Range Rover Sport, an LR4, and a Range Rover Evoque, Nikolas guides students through a smorgasbord of rugged driving environments. From inside the cockpits, which are designed for maximum visibility so drivers can choose the best lines, they pilot up and down slopes, rockslides, log crawls, and water crossings.
For Nikolas, the fact that Land Rover designs its models around permanent four-wheel drive makes them ideal for sketchy conditions. “That’s important, because it allowed engineers to design all the other systems— steering angles, suspension geometry, shock and spring rates— to capitalize on that four-wheel-drive system, no matter what the conditions,” he says. “The vehicle will do the work for the novice driver,” Nikolas adds. “Or the more experienced driver can use those same systems to isolate a gear and pull more from the car.” For those seeking premiere off-roading destinations, Nikolas recommends spots like Canyonlands or Arches National Parks, both in southern Utah. “Personally, I really enjoy the Southwest,” he says. "The terrain and remote access really make you think and plan ahead.”

Rico says his Land Rover was a long time ago (and a Model 88, like the one below), but he still likes them...