Overlanding Legend Demolishes New Land Rovers, Issues Challenge to Be Proven Wrong

There are few people in the world who are more experienced when it comes to overlanding than Andrew St Pierre White, which is why whenever he speaks, we tend to listen. The man has traveled all around the globe and probably done more miles off-road than most of us have on it. He's the very opposite of an armchair expert, which is what you'll find populating the online comments section more often than not.

His gripe with the modern Land Rover products is nothing new, but you could say it had been lying dormant until the Indian-owned British company released the new Defender. Perhaps due to the nameplate's weight within the off-roading community, the SUV has been under very heavy scrutiny ever since its launch with various results.

Most people tend to agree it's a stylistic success (Mr. St Pierre White, not so much, but that's not a key factor for this type of vehicle), and it's actually the mechanical bits that make up its drawbacks. On paper, the Defender is the best you can get out of the box with class-leading angles, max wading depth, and that famous Land Rover traction control system.

However, these specs ignore one of the most important facts about off-roading, which is tire selection. To give the car better on-road handling, improved stopping power (a necessity following the weight hike compared to the simpler older models), and, perhaps most importantly given the vehicle's true destination, a more elegant and imposing presence, the manufacturer was forced to limit the smallest wheel size to 18 inches.

What that translates to in the field is a lower tire profile as well as a limited range of true off-road tires in the first place. It also limits the amount of air you can let out to increase traction over mud or sand without endangering the wheel itself.

Another counter-off-roading trait brought in by the modernization of the Land Rover range is the switch from a solid axle to an independent suspension setup. Granted, this happened a long time ago, and it's become the norm for contemporary SUVs (with very few exceptions) due to the undeniable benefits this configuration offers to on-road handling.

You might be wondering why is Andrew St Pierre White talking about the new Defender all of a sudden. Well, he's not - not exactly, at least. He's actually comparing the first-gen Range Rover to the new model, then drawing a parallel with the new Defender based on the fact the two modern vehicles share more or less the same architecture when it comes to their all-wheel-drive system and overall drivetrain.

In his view, all the factors mentioned above (independent suspension, low tire profile) combine with the overly-engineered nature of the SUVs and their heavy reliance on electronics to create a deadly cocktail that can only lead to failure when driven extensively over rough terrain (which is basically the definition of overlanding).

To support his claim, he uses an example from one of his more recent expeditions. He took a pretty basic old Range Rover across the Canning Stock Route, and while he does admit the new Defender (and Range Rover alike) could theoretically do the same, he questions whether the massive risks involved would make it feasible.

Again, he draws from his own experience when on a seemingly benign route, the ABS cable plug on his Land Cruiser got snapped. With repairing the thing on the spot not an option, it was crucial for the Trooper to be able to continue its journey. Thanks to the vehicle's uncomplicated nature, it managed to carry on virtually unaffected, but Mr. White is convinced a modern Range Rover or Land Rover Defender wouldn't have been able to do the same.

With so many of the SUVs' vital systems relying on its wheel-speed sensors, including traction control (no lockable axle diffs for the Land Rover), the vehicle would basically lose its AWD capability. Not only that, he says, but it would probably also lower its suspension, drastically reducing its ground clearance. Normally, you'd call road assistance and have the vehicle lifted on a flatbed, but there's no flatbed that can reach those parts of the outback. So, you either tow it - or at least attempt to, given the lowered suspension would make it nigh-on impossible - or you're forced to abandon your $100,000+ ride for good.

Of course, this entire scenario is based on the fact that a Range Rover or Defender would suffer a breakdown during the trip. While that's in no way a guarantee, clock enough miles off-road with any vehicle and it's bound to have some sort of problem eventually. And given their huge complexity and over-reliance on electronics, modern Land Rovers' malfunctions do tend to cripple the car severely.

"If I am wrong about this, I invite Jaguar Land Rover to prove it and I will post a retraction, including a video proving that a new Range Rover or Defender can operate reasonably normally with a wheel-speed sensor missing or broken."

Mr. St Pierre White has a point, no question about it. However, his rant does make him sound like a bit of a hater. And that's kind of what he is. He hates the new Land Rover products, and he probably even hates the people currently in charge of the brand. He hates them for leading the once-legendary manufacturer down a different path than the one overlapping with his interests, thus preventing him from enjoying a brand he once loved.

The truth is Land Rover isn't making off-roaders anymore, it just sells vehicles that happen to be pretty capable off the beaten track, if their owner would be inclined to use them in such a way. And it won't likely ever make them because it's managed to find a much more lucrative niche (if I can even call it that given how generous the size of this market is).

The Range Rover has gone from competing in the mud with the likes of Toyota's Land Cruiser to battling the Bentley Bentayga for the poshest interior (if we're talking SVO models). The off-roading abilities of this vehicle, even if substantial, will never be tested. Like an MMA champion who never needs to prove his skill in the street because everyone knows what they're capable of, so does the Range Rover stroll among the luxury SUVs.

All I know is I now want a classic Range Rover badly, and that's probably a pretty bad idea.