In 1989 Land Rover embarked on an ambitious adventure to traverse the most demanding portion of the Continental Divide in Colorado, USA.
With the Rocky Mountains as the backdrop, a caravan of expedition-prepared Range Rovers navigated their way along a punishing route on a drive Land Rover christened the Great Divide Expedition. Now 25 years later, Land Rover has again completed the adventure of a lifetime.
To commemorate the legendary journey, a fleet of Range Rover vehicles travelled nearly 1,000 miles along a portion of the original Great Divide route. The convoy was made up of nine 2014 Range Rovers with no special modifications, alongside a Range Rover classic, a veteran of the original expedition, undertaking this epic journey for a second time.
The iconic Great Divide route is made up of some of the most challenging unpaved roads and 4×4 trails in North America, following a line of high peaks along the main range of the Rocky Mountains. Throughout the expedition, drivers and passengers had to navigate narrow rocky trails with steep drop-offs and mountain passes at altitudes of over 4,000 metres “Land Rover has over 67 years’ experience of engineering vehicles to contend with some of the most challenging terrains and climates on the planet. And for more than 40 years, Range Rover has proved the ultimate vehicle for conquering the toughest conditions, using leading-edge technologies, says Phil Popham, Group Marketing Director, Jaguar Land Rover.
“The vehicles which completed the 2014 Great Divide Expedition demonstrated the capability and composure our customers expect from a Range Rover on- and off-road, combined with refinement and exceptional luxury.”
The Range Rover’s unmatched breadth of capability is reflected in its tremendously strong structure with enhanced body geometry for all-terrain conditions. The vehicle’s chassis architecture combines with its four-corner air suspension to achieve luxurious ride comfort and refinement, and provide confident and agile on-road handling.
Range Rover’s ground-breaking technology, Terrain Response® 2, analyses driving conditions and surfaces, then automatically selects the most suitable vehicle settings. Meanwhile the state of the art lightweight suspension architecture delivers class-leading wheel travel, providing exceptional wheel articulation of 593mm and the composure to deal with the toughest conditions.
The Range Rover’s full-time intelligent 4WD system, with a two-speed transfer box working in parallel with the sophisticated electronic traction control systems, provides outstanding traction and dynamic stability control. Further capability is demonstrated by a best-in-class wading depth of 900mm and a 3,500kg towing capacity.
Enhanced by the brand’s unique Command Driving Position, placing the driver in an elevated, upright seating position – typically over 90mm higher than other premium SUVs – driving a Range Rover provides a supreme sense of confidence and control.
With its highly acclaimed line-up of torque-rich engines, the Range Rover delivers swift and effortless performance. Customers have a choice of two petrol engines, (510PS LR-V8 Supercharged, or the 375PS LR-V8*), two diesel* (3.0-litre 258PS TDV6 and 4.4-litre 339PS SDV8) or the 3.0-litre V6 diesel hybrid engine* delivering 340PS, all of which are paired with a smooth and responsive eight-speed automatic transmission.
Engineered to be the most refined, most capable Range Rover ever, the vehicle is available in standard wheelbase or a long wheelbase body style which offers an additional 186mm rear legroom.
