Getting a grip on the Land Rover family

Land Rovers have earned the reputation of being the quintessential go-anywhere, do-anything car. From the hardcore Defender to the latest Discovery, Land Rovers have conquered deserts and ice, crossed the Arctic Circle and even traversed Saudi Arabia's Empty Quarter (the largest sand desert in the world) in record time. So if you are the sort of person that has to do the school run on a weekday and explore the countryside on the weekend, then yes, a Land Rover makes perfect sense.

But in Singapore, the closest you get to any kind of 'natural habitat' is the Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay. Not exactly Land Rover country, this place. So why do Singaporean families buy Land Rovers? If it's space you're after, you can get a soft-roader that's cheaper to buy and run, especially if you forgo the four-wheel drive option. If it's power you're hungry for, you can only enjoy the drag race from one taffic light to the next. 

Prestige, it must be. Land Rovers still have a certain air of exclusivity about it, and that's worth something.

As I join a group of Land Rover owners on a drive up to Malacca, I make it my mission to figure out why you would buy a Land Rover in Singapore.

Get a grip, man!

The two-day getaway was an opportunity for customers to take their cars off-road. We headed up to Kulai where the cars, including models like the Land Rover Discovery 4, Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport, took a turn off the tarmac and headed into a plantation. There, the sophisticated off-road systems of the various Land Rover models really had their day in the sun.

It's on the sandy, gravelly tracks that the off-road prowess of these cars really shine, with the vehicles able to constantly find grip even when you think there is none. And with the Hill Descent Control (HDC) system, you can feel the car braking for you to maintain a consistent descent speed. Yes, the initial crunching sounds of the HDC at work can be slightly alarming, but once you get over that you can really appreciate how easy it is to navigate off-road downhill terrain without having to get on the brakes.

Admittedly, the terrain we tackled wasn't exactly the most challenging, but in some ways that's beside the point. For several of the customers, this was the first time taking their vehicles off tarmac roads and getting mud on their fenders. I even overheard one customer remarking that he didn't know the car had different driving modes. It was a novel experience, and certainly an exciting and eye-opening one.
Finding the common ground

As we settled down after making our way into Malacca, I realise that just as Land Rover offers a spectrum of models, there are also a spectrum of Land Rover buyers. On one end, buyers are looking for a value proposition seven-seater Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) that will adequately and comprehensively cover a family’s needs.

Models like the Discovery Sport and Freelander offer seven-seats in a compact package, and sits, price-wise, somewhere between the Japanese and Korean seven-seaters and the more expensive German full-size SUVs. So from a financial perspective, these models make sense. Several owners I spoke to made the upgrade to a Land Rover when they decided that they needed the extra space to accommodate the family.

On the other end of the spectrum sits the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. These cars significantly up the prestige and luxury factor, and it's perhaps no surprise that most of these drivers own more than just this one car. Range Rovers grant entry into a 'cool club', setting you apart from the more common cars like the BMW X5 and the Audi Q7.

Having spent time with the Land Rover family, and the families that own these cars, it dawned on me that owning a Land Rover is more than just owning a family SUV. There are several characteristics that run through the entire model range.

The cars are comfortable over long distances, both for the driver and passengers. Cruising along the North-South Highway, it strikes me that for a car with serious off-roading capabilities, it's equally at home on the highway, with a pliant ride and enough mechanical grunt such that you never really feel bogged down by the vehicle's weight.

Land Rovers also offer a sense of security, anywhere that a Singaporean driver may go. Whether it's within Singapore, up to Malacca or even further north, the Land Rover will do it all for you. Yes, you may never wade into a small river or tackle massive sand dunes, but that's almost besides the point. After all, you could argue that few Land Rover owners actually do. It's the knowledge of the vehicles' prowess that's comforting and empowering. You also get the sense of vault-like security. From the outside, the vehicle is imposing and has a commanding road presence. Inside, it's quiet, refined and exudes a sense of solidity, which must be a boon for the young kids on the trip.

But owning a Land Rover is also about a community. It's a membership into a smaller, quieter crowd of discerning folks. And ultimately, you are buying into an experience, and I get it. Logic and rationality can only justify so much - just like owning a Ferrari or Lamborghini in Singapore, the car is but one element of the whole experience. Owning a Land Rover offers you opportunities to embark on experiences you couldn't otherwise do, by joining up with fellow enthusiasts to head off the beaten track and challenge the car's true capabilities. The fun is not just what you can do on a day-to-day basis, but knowing that the car has the potential for so much more.