Land Rover Owner July 2021

‘Ah, yes – I remember doing that’ Viz comic used to have letters pages where a letter earlier on the page was referred to by another – and that’s almost how I’ve felt when reading this issue. I’ve driven across France and had issues with my transfer box losing oil (p98), suffered ignition problems (p120) and even driven a Royal Review Land Rover – though not with any Royals onboard (p76). That’s the thing with Land Rovers – they create memories. Some may be mild inconveniences that you only remember when someone else mentions something similar, while others may be from almost money-can’t-buy experiences. I’ve been making the most of the loosening of restrictions to get out in my Land Rovers, and have probably driven more miles in the past couple of months…

FORTUNATELY, MANY OF THE RIGHT BOXES WERE TICKED TO EQUIP THESE TWO FOR OFF-ROADING Defender or Discovery? It’s a decision that buyers have agonised over for more than 30 years of the two iconic Land Rover models. With a similar line-up of engines and drivetrains under different bodystyles, and both offering off-road capability that rivals could only dream of, it’s historically been down to the choice between the Defender’s utilitarian ruggedness or the Discovery’s family-friendly versatility. Moving forward to 2021, these current Defender and Discovery incarnations are vastly different to their predecessors. They’re much plusher, and price-tagged accordingly. But we know from previous tests of both that the Land Rover DNA is still very predominant – they’re spectacularly capable all-rounders, and immensely reassuring when the going gets rough. So buyers now are…

We did our Defender v Disco off-road testing at Colin Bell’s North Yorkshire Off Road Centre. This not only offers 15 acres of some of the toughest terrain you’ll find – but has what is unquestionably the finest backdrop of any off-road site in the world. It’s perched on the cliffs overlooking the North sea near Robin Hood’s Bay. Colin is approaching 20 years of running driver training and off-road experiences, and tells us that the site was originally opened in 1973 by Owen Welford, whom he worked with and eventually took over from. These days he offers drivers the choice of using brand-new or original Defenders, or a Disco 4. Colin’s website is nyoffroad.co.uk, email: info@ukLANDROVERevents.com…

1st prize STEVE HOLMES WINS A SEALEY SPANNER SET ► ‘Plenty to look at on either side of the screen! Steve and wife Amanda’s 300Tdi Defender is at Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire.’ NEIL WATTERSON, EDITOR Unmistakably Iceland! And there’s no better vehicle in which to explore it than a Land Rover. Here, DAVID ROBERTS’ 2.2 TDCi Defender has Sólheimajökull as a powerful backdrop. JEREMY SEARLE’S Td4 Freelander 1 demonstrates its agility even on standard road tyres during a fun day out. NICK CHAPMAN’S idea of a fun afternoon is to take his lads, Ben and Josh, out for a splash through Warwickshire’s Coughton ford in the 1976 2.25 diesel Series III that he’s owned for a couple of years. Working, not playing: JOHN WARRE and his well-equipped 2003 Td5 Defender 110 volunteer with the National Trust in Fingle…

Despite the easing of Covid restrictions, with some countries now appearing on the government’s ‘green’ list of safe travel destinations, business has not returned to normal for UKbased overland tour operators. LRO’s Adventure Club (operated by Pro-Trax) and Atlas Overland are not expecting to travel overseas before September. Atlas Overland, which specialises in Moroccan tours, has adapted by introducing two tours in Northumbria (3-10 July and 7–14 August). Its European trips scheduled for summer are now on hold until 2022. ‘We did have a full programme of tours lined up, but when the second wave hit we realised we couldn’t go ahead,’ says Atlas owner Peter Girling. ‘We’re hopeful our tours to Morocco in the autumn can go ahead, but I wouldn’t say we’re confident. I think we’re 12 months too early…

Apprentices wanted Farnell Jaguar Land Rover is recruiting 27 new apprentices to train as technicians, service advisors and parts advisors. The placements are based at six of the group’s dealerships in England: Bradford, Leeds, Guiseley, Bolton, Nelson and Chesterfield. Applicants must be aged 16+ with four GCSEs graded A-C. farnelljlr.com Big little fun A fleet of miniature Land Rovers awaits visitors aged 3–12 at Glen’s Adventure Park in Perthshire. The £10 fee includes a safety briefing and 20 minutes’ play around a track in the battery-powered 90 lookalikes. crieffhydro.com Red Cross videos A new series of videos celebrates Land Rover’s partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The first shows vehicles on aid missions. bit.ly/RedCrossLR Sensible money A What Car? survey placed the Evoque P250 R-Dynamic S and Defender…