Off-Road Idol

The luxury SUV market is a strange animal. The very best of these unwieldy, inefficient vehicles are imbued with incredible technological features that can take you pretty much anywhere on the planet in complete comfort. Case in point, the Land Rover line of sport-utility vehicles.
Pilot any Land Rover off the beaten path and you’ll soon discover that a reputation for superior traction and control in tricky conditions is well deserved. Even the tarmac-ready Range Rover Sport — on low-profile, speed-rated tires — is able to climb fallen trees and slog through muddy waters with little effort and impressive grace.

Land Rover’s new LR2, a premium compact SUV model has arrived in the Middle East. Coinciding with this year’s first quarter sales, an increase of 39 per cent, the new LR2 is expected to help the company captivate an even bigger share of the luxury SUV market.

The LR2 is new from the ground up and sets a new benchmark for premium compact SUVs. The vehicle has a dynamic design, purposeful stance, smart and spacious interior and an abundance of advanced technologies that help it fit comfortably next to Land Rover’s other premium SUV models: The Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and LR3.

The Britpart Cellular Dynamic Shock Absorber represents a significant advance in Land Rover suspension systems. It features a cellular foam insert instead of a normal nitrogen gas or air, this is to stop the oil from boiling. The foam takes up less room which means more room for oil, 50% more, which offers maximum heat dispersion. Â

This heat dispersion translates to a very subtle but controlled ride that will not fade no matter how hard you push them. They are ideal for a driver who needs more control to compliment performance improvements or to enhance a standard vehicle. The unique design ensures ride comfort and cornering ability is maximised and of course they are superb off-road.

Land Rover could be sold off as parent company Ford bids to offset falling sales and profits.

Ford which lost £6.4bn last year is expected to make an official announcement in the next few days after appointing bankers Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and HSBC to investigate selling Land Rover.

Car industry pundits are already predicting a range of options for the 4X4 marque.

One is to bundle it up with Jaguar and sell the two together while Ford maintained a minority share. Another option is for Ford to keep hold of Jaguar and sell Land Rover to the highest bidder.

My postcard to the editor–which I never actually got to mail–reads:

“Weather sucks, nearly drowned, almost caught malaria, wrestled with reptiles in our beds, and being stalked by Guatemalan banditos. Wish you were here. Oh yeah, and these Land Rovers rock.”

Fine, I’ll admit that when I opened the invitation, all I read was `Belize’ and `drive a fleet of new Range Rovers.’ I already had the bathing suit and snorkeling gear out of the closet before reading the fine print warning me this event involved off-roading through remote jungle areas.