Land Rover Owner Spring 2022

When they said ‘show us the ropes about towing’ I didn’t expect this. JOHN PEARSON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Was it easy to unravel these lashing straps? I think knot. MARTIN DOMONEY, WORKSHOP EDITOR ‘We must act, and we must act now’ We’ve majored on towing this issue, because, since the government changed the driving licence rules late last year, every owner can exploit their Land Rovers’ exceptional towing abilities. But it’s not just a case of hitching up a trailer and away you go -find out more on p42. That bit of government intervention was welcomed by most Land Rover owners, but the inclusion of questions in a consultation that suggest the government is being steered towards banning greenlaning is not. Despite not being mentioned in the Landscapes Review, the consultation based on it has a whole…

Imagine building a dream Land Rover that accelerates faster than the awesome Range Rover sport SVR, is a hugely capable off-roader, produces no tailpipe emissions – and takes coolness to the next level. Well, the dream is a reality – meet the EV Defender 90, built by electric vehicle conversion specialists Electric Classic Cars (electricclassiccars.co.uk). If you’ve seen the Quest TV channel’s Vintage Voltage series, you’ll already be aware of ECC director Richard ‘Moggy’ Morgan and his team of craftsmen in Newtown, Powys, who use a mix of traditional skills, engineering nous and future tech to convert classic cars and Land Rovers into electric vehicles. This example is Richard’s own Land Rover, which is used as a testbed for customers’ cars. It has a recycled 450bhp/497ft lb electric motor from a Tesla…

‘Loads of room for all the camping gear, and no need to worry if rain makes that muddy track more slippy – it’s a well-taken photograph that reaffirms why we love Land Rovers so much.’ NEIL WATTERSON, EDITOR Looking moody in the Nene Valley, Northampton, is PETER DERBY’S 2007 Defender 110. Retired from his landscaping business, it has a new lease of life in touring and adventures. ‘An eye-catching shot, pure and simple. And what a smart-looking Defender.’ NEIL WATTERSON, EDITOR WIN! Great gear in every issue of LRO Check out the full BioLite range at: uk.bioliteenergy.com 1st PRIZE BioLite HeadLamp 200 head torch worth £49.99 2nd PRIZE BioLite Charge 20 PD worth £34.99 Send pics to wolr@LRO.com. For each image, include a description of the vehicle or vehicles and where the photo was taken, along with the names of anyone in…

The entire future of driving greenlanes – unsealed roads – could be in jeopardy, if a government consultation is anything to go by. The public consultation by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) invites opinions on whether vehicles used for leisure purposes should be forbidden from driving unsealed roads – although its implications could be broader – which will impact not only greenlaners, but people engaged in motorsport and other activities. For anti-greenlaning campaigners this is an opportunity to mobilise, warns the Land Access & Recreation Association (LARA), which is urging all greenlane users to ensure their opinions are heard. Where’s this come from? The consultation forms part of the government’s response to the Landscapes Review of National Parks and Areas of National Beauty (AONBs), which was published in 2019. The Green…

Run with heart A new event on 16 April will raise money for the British Heart Foundation. Participants will drive 250 miles of Somerset and Devon tarmac, starting in Frome. Search ‘Land Rover Charity Road Run’ on Facebook. Alexa is listening Amazon Alexa is becoming available on all Land Rovers with Pivi Pro infotainment, including existing vehicles. For more on this, turn to p127. Challenge accepted As we went to press with this issue, 12 rally-equipped Defender L663s were preparing to participate in motorsport for the very first time. The inaugural round of the Bowler Defender Challenge kicked off on March 5-6 at the amazing Walters Arena complex in Neath, followed by another six rounds in England, Wales and Scotland. There’s life in the old diesel yet Prices of secondhand diesel 4x4s have…

The late Barrie Murdoch, stalwart of the Lincolnshire Land Rover Club (LLRC), is still much-missed eight years after his death – as evidenced by the big turnout of competitors and spectators for the event that bears his name. There were an impressive 29 entries for the CCV (crosscountry vehicle) trial at Wickenby Aerodrome near Lincoln, with Nathan Pearson and I sharing clerk of the course duties. There was a real sense of anticipation among the drivers, heightened by the fact that the weather was unseasonably calm and dry – a great day’s competition was surely on the cards. And so it came to pass. The drivers were split into two groups, each completing six sections before lunch and swapping sections in the afternoon. The group that included previous winner Dave Naylor (Peak…