Land Rover Owner

Come on, Stuart – close the ornithology app and tell us what ATF we need! SUMITRO CHAKRAVARTY, GREENLANER Wow, just look at these shelves of gold – or at least red – oils of gearbox life extension. NEIL WATTERSON, EDITOR Winter’s not over, but summer beckons As I write this just after the New Year, the US has endured some brutal winter weather, sadly with numerous lives being lost. While there’s nothing on the immediate forecast to suggest the UK may be hit with anything near as extreme, winter is not over yet. And as I found when greenlaning in Kent (p36), you do need to be prepared for all eventualities – even on relatively ‘safe’ local trips with friends. I’m starting to experience the standard winter itch of wanting…

Blink and you’ll miss it. The only clue that this ordinary-looking Defender is anything but ordinary comes from its discreet ‘Alive GTB650’ bonnet graphics. What exactly does that mean? Piggin’ fast, that’s what. And monstrously powerful too. Zero to 60mph in six seconds from a Td5 Defender is barking mad, but the wall of torque that the prototype GTB650 turbo enables the 170,000-mile engine to release leaves me speechless. It’s why I’ve made the trip to Louth in Lincolnshire to meet Gary Wood and his team at Alive Tuning, to find out more about this remarkable Land Rover. ► BASE MODEL You can see from a glance at the extensive spec panel (page 11) that much has changed beneath the skin of this 2006 90 hard top, but it’s been…

WIN! Great gear in each issue of LRO This month’s prizes: 1st PRIZE BioLite Headlamp £49.99 (bioliteenergy.com) 2nd PRIZE Stanley Trigger Action Travel Mug 0.35-litre £28.99 (stanley1913.co.uk) Send pics to wolr@LRO.com. Include a description of the vehicle and where the photo was taken, along with the names of anyone in it. Please send the biggest image file sizes you have – the bigger the better! This issue, it’s congratulations to first-placed Merlin Golledge and runner-up Robert McGowran. Your goodies (see above) are on their way, fellas.…

Members of 4x4 Response Groups nationwide were called to action in December as snow and ice caused havoc across much of the UK. South East 4x4 Response, which has around 80 volunteer members in Kent, was particularly busy given the unusual amount of snowfall for their area of the country. Around 30 members lent their support to help keep vehicles moving, delivering crucial aid, providing traction assistance and helping key workers stuck without transport. Alan Moles, the group’s press officer, captured one dramatic episode on camera, involving a pair of lorries blocking a slip-road on to a dual carriageway at Bluebell Hill (pictured). ‘Our main role was to keep the traffic moving,’ says Alan. ‘We spent two or three hours on that junction. A lot of traffic had backed up…

The future of fixing In the US, Jaguar Land Rover has joined the Sustaining Partner Program operated by I-CAR. The objective is to provide the collision repair industry with vital skills and knowledge. An I-CAR spokesman told LRO: ‘The industry faces a technical tsunami, talent shortage and growing repair complexity.’ Design gong The latest Range Rover has won the top accolade of Production Car of the Year in the ninth annual Car Design Review book. The Defender and Range Rover SV also shared the award for Best Colour, Materials and Finish. Explore India Jaguar Land Rover India has given the go-ahead for a series of self-drive, multi-day adventures, called Defender Journeys. Arranged by Cougar Motorsport (which also operates the Rainforest Challenge in India), they’ll involve driving ‘ephemeral dunes’ and ‘whitewashed…

Eighty Land Rovers and 230 people gathered in the small Portuguese town of Albergaria-a-Velha in December for a Christmas-themed version of the Passeio de Natal do LCP event, organised by Landmaníacos de Albergaria. Vehicles of all ages were challenged to overcome obstacles along a magnificent trek encompassing mountain routes and tracks around the country, with plenty of additional mud and water due to the time of year. This was the ninth iteration of the event; the next will be in June. Search Facebook for ‘Landmaniacos Albergaria’.…