WHICH ARE THE BEST LAND ROVERS FOR OFF-ROADING?

Land Rover has been synonymous with the best in off-roading for decades. So, it is hard to pinpoint exactly which model performs best after the pavement runs out and you find yourself driving over much more challenging terrain. That’s a little like having to name your favorite child.

Every Land Rover model is capable of exceptional off-road performance. That’s a given. Moreover, each represents the epitome of style and sophistication in its class of luxury SUVs. That’s also given. Still, the Land Rover model that works best for your off-roading needs may not be the one best suited for mine, and vice versa.

The type of off-roading we do in Florida varies considerably from what they do in California’s high country or across the red rock mesas of Moab, Utah. Thus, deciding which Land Rover model offers the best off-road experience requires each individual driver to assess how and where they expect to use it most.

On a typical off-road outing, are you more likely to be climbing rocks, crawling through mud, cutting through sand, or crossing streams?

If you plan to go charging through water, sand, or mud—as we so often do in Florida—you might want to consider one of the three Land Rover models with the greatest wading depth and off-road ground clearance. These include:

Land Rover Range Rover

• Starting price: $104,500
• Maximum wading depth: 35.4 inches
• Off-road ground clearance: 11.6 (highest of all luxury SUVs)

Range Rover Sport

• Starting price: $83,000
• Maximum wading depth: 35.4 inches
• Off-road ground clearance: 11.1 inches

Land Rover Defender 130 (4-door/8 seat)

Starting price: $68,000
• Maximum wading depth: 35.4 inches
• Off-road ground clearance: 11.5 inches (second only to the Range Rover)

Of course, the beauty of owning a Land Rover is that it adapts to whatever type of terrain it is being driven over. Its Terrain Response System—first introduced more than 15 years ago—is designed to adjust to any set of driving condition, based on specific information provided by the driver. And with the more recent introduction of Terrain Response 2, drivers now have the option of letting their vehicles automatically adjust to the terrain it is driving over. If you wish, you can manually override the system to lock into a specific mode.

Certain Land Rover models—like the Evoque and Velar—are better-suited for drivers who spend the majority of their time cruising along city and suburban streets and who rely on their vehicle’s 4-wheel drive capability mainly during inclement weather or the occasional off-road excursion.

Indeed, you would be completely forgiven if you joined the many Land Rover owners who are more taken by their Land Rover’s looks than its legendary off-road performance.

To learn which Land Rover model is right for you is worthy of a visit to you nearest authorized Land Rover dealer. There you can see and experience each model, learn the differences, and build your own Land Rover, based on the options and performance specifications that work best for your lifestyle and set of driving conditions.