I'm considering an RRS. There's no real reason other than me liking it after driving a friend's a for a few days a while ago, and the itch never really being scratched.

Whilst I had it, I found a field and drove in it lol. Sad I know but I wanted to actually take one off road just a bit. I had no idea what I was doing, it had 20" wheels with road tyres and I could most definitely have got stuck/set fire to the dry grass rubbing against the underside of the car!!

I wondered how often owners generally find off-roading options here in the UK? I'm not sure I'd want to get in to green lining etc but do you own your car for the specific purpose of off-roading, or is it just a bonus?

Thanks

There are loads of Land Rover clubs around the UK, they all will accept any LR made cars on a Green Road road, whether you would really want to take one on some of the competitive trials would be up to you! Best starter would be to book yourself on a full day Land Rover Experience Course as that will show what a car fresh out of the showroom can do with no fancy extra bits to aid off-roading, those courses are expensive but if you have a friendly LR dealer then often they can arrange a half day course for free which you then upgrade to a full day. If you fancy some gentle off-roading then also find out from GLASS what your local regulations are. eg if you come to Scotland any off-roading without authority in writing from the landowner is forbidden - 99% of our off-roading has to be done with a club (unless you want to risk being prosecuted!). NEVER venture off-road on your own. Do prepare yourself and your properly - invest in a decent recovery strop or rope and some very strong shackles. If your car still has OEM tyres on it (even 20's are OK) then straight out of the showroom you can go off-road if you are running ultra low profiles then you are asking for sidewall damage but i have taken my L494 on it's 22" wheels and low profile tyres offroad on Forest Fire roads no problem but i wouldn't dream of heading off into the wilds on them! Ideally a set of 19" wheels with AT tyres will get you most places you are likely to take an RRS but MT's are available too for really slippery mud in up to 19" sizes

It would also help if you could tell us which model and year your RRS is as there are some wheels that will not fit on S/C's and TDV8 L320's with Brembo brakes.

If you fancy a run up to the west coast of Scotland for a weekend at Inveraray then The Scottish Green Road Club (www.scotgrc.co.uk) has a run out on private (Electricirty company) tracks in Glen Shira IAN early January. SGRC runs are not technically challenging at all and any LR product can drive most of the runs (sometimes there are sections that a Freelander/Disco Sport/Evoque hasn't enough ground clearance to get along some rougher routes) and we know that for the vast majority of the members their car is their going to work vehicle and they don't want to be too adventurous with it! We have another part of the club for those who don't mind some excitement............... 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Apart from the obvious risk of low profile tyres and rims being damaged, are smaller diameter wheels inherently better for off-roading? If so, why? The car I've ordered has 22" wheels as standard - is it a mistake sticking to them? (I don't intend doing serious off-roading, but I need a car that can get out of trouble on exceptionally muddy farm lanes, driving up farm verges to get by other vehicles, and on ice, and snow).

The sidewalls are higher to get the same rolling diameter so they are beefier sidewall construction and there is a bigger selection of tyres available in the smaller sizes - you can have ATR and MTR up to 19" but anything bigger is very hard to find.

You will also find that running smaller rims on the road gives a noticbly more comfortable ride but the car can roll more in corners.

I'm sure that one of the others who regularly off-road their RRS will be along to explain it better!

Donny, I have 22's on mine and I haven't yet got stuck, but then I haven't deliberately gone anywhere where I knew I would have a problem (I took my Defender instead!). While it isn't good to rely 100% on the clever electronics you car should handle the conditions you describe no problems so long as you select the right settings in the TR - the tyres are the weakest part of the RRS2's armoury as they are so road biased. I also have a set of SVR 21" wheels and tyres for my HSE Dynamic - I haven't yet felt the need to fit them they are fitted with M+S rated tyres whereas the 22" I have are Summer rated........ If you have ordered an HSE Dynamic or Autobiograpghy RRS2 then you will also get the eDiff which I have found really makes a big difference if the going gets slippery. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Thanks for the explanation and the comfort with regard to 22". It had never struck me before that the wheels would still have the same overall diameter!

I've ordered an Autobiography Dynamic which I think has an automatic traction control facility so hopefully that will always have me on the right setting. The cars I've had in the past have always coped with the conditions I describe (except my 'Sunday best' cars like my SL500!) but none has had as low a profile tyre as the RRS will have. Amazingly one of the biggest problems I face on farm lanes round here is ground clearance, due to a combination of poor road surfaces with huge potholes, piles of muck dropped off tractors, and an assortment of random rocks! If yours copes in Scotland, however, I'm sure mine will cope in Yorkshire!

All L494 from 2015MY have Auto TR, and it is the default settling. To get into the various programmes manually you press the selector down so it rises and then you twist it to select the programme you want, including Dynamic mode (basically the same as the Evoques Dynamic mode but more noticeable when it is on) - like the gear selector on the automatic Evoques, Discoveries, FFRR's. The TR2 can be a little disconcerting in auto mode as every so often it it does a re-assessment of the conditions and you get a warning on the dash that it is thinking which mode it should be in! You may also have the All Terrain Progress Control on yours, it's the next stage on from TR2, bit like an off-road cruise control............... 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

I can see me getting confused between the gear lever and the TR knob, given that this does a different duty in the RRS! (I am adept at trying to change gear with the window winder when in left hand drive!).

Yes, it has the All Terrain Progress Control, but I think I'd be frightened of taking the car anywhere that such a function would be useful. In someone else's car, however.........

How can you confuse them?



Just leave the TR in Auto, then you cannot turn it! 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

donny dog wrote:

I've ordered an Autobiography Dynamic which I think has an automatic traction control facility so hopefully that will always have me on the right setting.

True, but what if I get "disconcerted" in auto mode.....?

Leave everything alone and let the ECU's do their job, simples

I agree with Jock BTW, LRE upgraded to full day is a great way to learn about your new car without getting one bit of mud in your car's wheelarches. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

JOCK55 wrote:

donny dog wrote:

I've ordered an Autobiography Dynamic which I think has an automatic traction control facility so hopefully that will always have me on the right setting.

Donny, shortly after collecting your shiny new vehicle from the dealer, you should be contacted by LR and offered a FREE half day LR Experience course. This will give you the opportunity of trying out a brand new RRS (not yours - theirs!) and really seeing what the vehicle is capable of. I would strongly recommend upgrading from the free half day course to their Full Day course, it is a complex machine and there is a lot to explore and take in, plus it's great fun! My avatar photo is of me driving a LR Experience RRS with only 2 wheels in contact with the ground!

This course will allow you to experience the vehicle's capabilities first hand, with a knowledgeable individual beside you to help and answer all your questions. It is invaluable for a first time LR owner.

Ask your dealer about this on collection.

Regards,

Old Jock

Tim in Scotland wrote:

Leave everything alone and let the ECU's do their job, simples

I was just joking, picking up on you saying it could be disconcerting!

It's just like your Evoque except you have the choice of the low ratio gears as well! Some of the TR functions will only work if you have low ratio selected and you have a couple of additional functions over the Evoque because Evoque didn't have air suspension or the low range transfer box. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

RRS on road tyres will go plenty far enough to impress/scare you. Put ATs or MTs on and it will go far enough that you can get yourself in a sticky situation requiring proper recovery.

The systems are very well judged and work well together to give proper off road ability - ignore people who tell you they're rubbish off road. They've never driven one if they say that.

LR Experience is an excellent option to learn about the vehicle. Bear in mind that the LRE obstacles are designed to show off aspects of the systems without really risking getting stuck.

Bear in mind that you can easily make yourself look silly - wet muddy grass can pose problems for knobbly tyres, let alone road tyres.

Above all, however, enjoy the experience of driving one of the best vehicles on (and off) the road. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed