OFF-ROAD DRIVING TRAINING AT THE LAND ROVER EXPERIENCE CENTER

"Release Brake, Steer, Smile!“ - Land Rover Experience Center in Wülfrath

Become a superhero! We visited the Land Rover Experience Center in Wülfrath to take an off-road driving course.

OFF-ROAD DRIVING TRAINING AT THE LAND ROVER EXPERIENCE CENTER

"Release Brake, Steer, Smile!“ - Land Rover Experience Center in Wülfrath

Become a superhero! We visited the Land Rover Experience Center in Wülfrath to take an off-road driving course.

A driver never stops learning

I stand in front of the slope with a 110 percent gradient and look down. The perspective can be deceiving. In the camera, it doesn’t look as steep as it really is. “When passages deviate from the norm, it’s best to stop in front of them, get out, check the situation and then decide,” my instructor Peter explains to me calmly. Today I’m allowed to let off steam on a total area of over 120,000 square meters in a disused quarry and complete a driving course at the Land Rover Experience Center in Wülfrath. Today I’m lucky – I’m all alone on the grounds with my instructor. Even arriving felt like I was in a Hollywood blockbuster – it could have been the gateway to Jurassic Park.

Actually, it really is another world, because here you’re made fit in your driving skills. “We want to make it so that at the end of the day you can judge for yourself how you’re going to take a hurdle.” The instructor contributes a lot. I learn what a gear reduction or fall line is. How do I sit ideally in a vehicle and how do I hold the steering wheel correctly, not just during an off-road trip? What does “Phenomenon Gaze Guidance” mean and how do I avoid accidents?

During the training, I not only learn how to operate my Land Rover Defender no matter what the surface conditions are – I also learn a lot about myself. Where are my limits and will I grow beyond them? What do I have the confidence to do?

"Trust is good, control is better"

I get into the car, check all my settings to make sure they are correct and step on the gas. Just before it goes down vertically, I step away from the gas and the brake. I feel my adrenaline levels shoot up. My palms sweat as I clutch the steering wheel. The car drives confidently over the uneven ground. When I reach the bottom, I take the wheel again. Excitement and joy are written all over my face! We drive a few laps over obstacles that seem impassable to me. Sometimes I face the same obstacles, but from the other side. Suddenly it goes up instead of down. A completely different feeling and challenge await me. “That’ s a realization, and that’s a good thing,” Peter explains the situation to me.

After about three hours, unfortunately, it’s over. My Defender is really dirty. No wonder – he was allowed to drive in the mud and through deep water. It’s fun to let yourself go. The car gave me the feeling of safety at every obstacle, it is designed to give no nasty surprises. Thanks in part to the multiple safety systems. Still, Peter gives me another piece of sage advice: “Trust is good, control is better. Systems can also fail due to weather conditions and dirt. So it’s important to feel the car and always drive according to your own sense of safety.”

For the last time, it’s “release brake, steer, smile” before I park the Defender. Its rudimentary clean lines are purposeful and its interior minimalist and easy to clean. Absolutely the ideal companion for my kind of travel. I am handed the keys to my black Defender, with which I may set off on my long-awaited off-road adventure. Pure nature in the outback in the heart of Europe. But these are other stories, which we will tell you about soon.

My mobile companion

Land Rover Defender 110 D240 SE in Santorini Black

Top speed in km/h: 188
max. power in kW/hp: 177 (240)
Fuel consumption (combined) in l/100 km: 8.9 (kombiniert) in l/100 km: 8,9
Acceleration 0-100 km/h in sec: 9.1
Base price: € 67,455.46
Total price, incl. 16% VAT € 83,806.31
Total price, incl. 16% VAT 72.246,82 €

Standard equipment

– 8-Gang-Automatikgetriebe, Allradantrieb (AWD)
– Adaptive Dynamics (Adaptives Fahrwerk)
– Elektronisch geregelte Luftfederung
– Terrain Response
– Torque Vectoring by Braking (TVBB) – Zweistufiges Verteilergetriebe (Straßen-/Geländeuntersetzung) – 20-Zoll-Leichtmetallfelge mit 5 Speichen, Gloss Sparkle Silver (Style 5094)