Range Rover Evoque Off-Road Experience
The Evoque showed off its off-road capabilities at The Above and Beyond Tour
Land Rover is one automaker that has been making brilliant SUVs that are known for their off-roading capabilities. The company started offering off-road experiences to customers decades back and these experiences show the true abilities of these SUVs on treacherous terrain. The Land Rover Experience has now been renamed to “The Above and Beyond Tour” and we attended the latest Tour that took place at 19-Degree North in Aamby Valley, located a few kms ahead of Lonavala.
I had gone for the Land Rover Experience in 2016 too but back then I drove the Discovery Sport diesel. I really liked the off-road experience because the obstacles were quite challenging and the best part was that the entire trail was natural, unlike the artificial obstacles which we see these days at events. This time around, the trail was different from earlier but again, it was very thrilling.
After a safety briefing by Mr. Ashish Gupta who heads Cougar Motorsport, I was allotted my Evoque. I quickly sat in the car and adjusted the driver’s seat and ORVMs to suit my liking. I positioned the ORVMs a bit low, in a way that I could view the rear tyres which would help me while taking tight turns. My instructor Mr. Abel got me familiar with all the driving modes, Hill Descent Control and All Terrain Progress Control and once all the cars were lined up, we started off.
The trail began with a descent and here we activated the Hill Descent Control and set the speed to minimum. The Evoque started descending gradually at the set speed and there wasn’t any need for me to use the brakes. The Hill Descent Control can be over-ridden by applying throttle inputs and the set speed can also be increased using the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel.
The off-road modes change the way the SUV behaves on different surfaces
Once we got off this descent, it was time to tackle the different types of obstacles the track had on offer. It wasn’t raining that day but many parts of the terrain had a slippery surface. My instructor told me maintaining the right throttle input was very necessary. Also, we had to avoid braking on slippery surfaces, especially on climbs and descends.
During the course of the experience, I got to experience the Mud & Ruts, Grass & Gravel and Sand modes on the Evoque. It is amazing to see how the throttle response gets altered in each mode. For example, in Grass & Gravel mode, if you press the throttle, the vehicle builds up pace very slowly while in Sand mode, response is sharp and it starts picking up pace quickly.
There was a section where we had to cross a water stream which was quite deep because the wheels of the car were entirely in water. We entered the stream very slowly, maintained pace till the end and again got out slowly, with the approach and departure angles of the Evoque coming in to be useful here. Post the water stream, there was a bed of rocks that had to be crossed and while it looked easy initially, that wasn’t really the case because there were large curved pebbles and the car’s tyres had poor traction on them because they were wet.
The infotainment system shows the position of the front wheels
Crossing this entire bed of rocks was tricky because the Evoque would start sliding if you applied more throttle than necessary or applied brakes harder than required. Thankfully, I found just the right balance and cleared the path. There was also a large incline that we encountered after this which also included some hair pin turns. Here, I activated the All-Terrain Progress Control which maintained the required momentum and all I had to do was manoeuvre the SUV while throttle and braking were done automatically.
Over the years, vehicles have evolved and how! There is so much technology loaded in cars these days which makes them extremely capable. The Evoque and Discovery Sport can do a lot of hard-core off-roading and it was a thrilling experience. Most luxury car buyers don’t take their SUVs off the road, but those who do, they know how capable these cars are. The Above and Beyond Tour is one such experience that stands out and offers a dimension to witness Land Rover vehicles in a way never seen before.
Further Reading
2016 Land Rover Experience – Discovery Sport
Range Rover Evoque Convertible Review
Range Rover Evoque Review