Nestled deep within the most captivating valley in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, the former mining town of Telluride is today as idyllic as can be imagined.
Encircled by captivating peaks, Telluride consists of picture-perfect Victorian-style houses nestled in among lovingly restored brick commercial buildings. Not only is the town charming, but its population is ridiculously good looking; it’s a struggle to find someone less than average.
Money can certainly buy beauty.
Yet this haven for the world’s rich and famous – and a handful of skibum trustafarians – was once a rough and tumble mining town better known for its unscrupulous businessmen, grizzled miners and entrepreneurial brothel operators. A gentle vacation village it was not. Telluride fell into disuse shortly after the turn of the 20th century, barely hanging on until real estate developers in the 1970s realized its potential as a ski-oriented vacation land.
In a way, Telluride’s progression from Wild West to cosmopolitan chic mirrors Land Rover ’s journey from a producer of rugged farming implements to world-class luxury machines. Land Rover, like Telluride, has spent much of its recent history reinventing itself in an effort to survive.
That’s not to say that Land Rover has teetered on the edge quite like Telluride once did; despite more new parents over the last few years than Larry King’s kids, a sweeping anti-SUV buyer sentiment, escalating fuel costs and rapidly rising base prices, Land Rover has positively flourished.
We saw four Range Rovers lined up on one block alone in Telluride – and we’re pretty confident they weren’t intentionally placed there by Land Rover’s PR staff.
A preview of things to come
Land Rover is preparing to launch a grand, Telluride-based driving event open to the public next summer. The event will put owners and Land Rover fans willing to foot the bill behind the wheel of a highly capable SUV on some of the most challenging off road trails in North America.
Our two-day preview began in Telluride and took the long way – over Imogene Pass – to nearby Ouray (you-RAY). On the second day, we kicked things up a notch by traversing the challenging Black Bear Pass Trail – the toughest to have been thrown at these redesigned luxury ‘utes. Half a dozen of the newest 2011 Land Rover LR4 and Range Rover vehicles were to make their way over roads dug out by hard-working miners about 125 years ago.
Land Rover’s experienced driving instructors will coach anyone who chooses to sign up for a package trip at their local dealership over these challenging roads. Not all details are set in stone just yet, but look for a similar two day trip to commence next summer.
When the going gets tough, reach for a Land Rover?
No automotive brand continues to place such an emphasis on off road capability for nearly every model in its lineup. Land Rover recognizes that few, if any, buyers will intentionally leave the pavement and venture onto a high clearance-only trail, but it knows that buyers want the knowledge that the capability is there. That’s not to say that Land Rovers don’t get dirty; second and third owners of Land Rover vehicles are increasingly likely to put their transfer cases into low range and head for places unknown.
Unfortunately, Land Rover’s biggest asset is also its biggest enemy. New SUV buyers demand a smooth, quiet ride and responsive handling and regulators want efficient vehicles. Enter offerings like the LR2 and the upcoming Range Rover Evoque. They are not traditional Land Rovers, but they fulfill buyer and government comfort and efficiency demands to allow the company to keep focusing on off road ability for key products.
And the latest crop of off road-ready Land Rovers is perhaps its most capable lineup ever. Several years ago, Land Rover siphoned off heavy – but durable and predictable – solid axles for air pillows and optimized independent suspensions. To complement the fancy underpinnings, the company went high tech with its traction control system by creating a driver-selectable Terrain Response system that optimizes the vehicle for various obstacles an off roader might encounter.
Land Rover’s driving instructors, most of whom are veterans of grueling Camel Trophy competitions, claim that the latest LR4 and Range Rover are the company’s most capable vehicles ever.
But their luxury-lined interiors, jewel-like 19 and 20-inch alloy wheels (standard on LR4 and Range Rover, respectively) and hefty price tags suggest otherwise. We were skeptical, especially once we were told that these trails were among the most difficult the company had ever thrown at its latest-generation LR4s and Range Rovers. Heavily refreshed last year, our expedition vehicles were brand new 2011 models showing just a few hundred miles on their odometers. A heck of a break-in regimen.
40 miles over two full days
Our journey began just a few blocks off of Telluride’s main street, but we were selecting low range just minutes after setting off. The road becomes increasingly rocky as it approaches the ghost town of Tomboy a few miles up the mountain. Once a bustling gold mining town, the lights were turned out in Tomboy in 1927. Today, a handful of buildings remain from what was once a modern town larger than Telluride.
The trail continues to climb, becoming ever more difficult, before reaching Imogene Pass at just over 13,100 feet – well above timberline. With no trees in sight, the pass is harsh with its constant wind whipping through.
The trails gave us some opportunity to sample our LR4′s Terrain Response system. We spent most of the morning using the second setting – Grass/Gravel/Snow – which reduces the likelihood of wheel slip (an off roader’s worst friend) by adjusting throttle sensitivity, raising the air suspension for more wheel travel and making the center differential more likely to automatically lock. Although the LR4 doesn’t feature the solid axles loved by off roaders, its air suspension gives it a tremendous amount of droop and compression.
Over some of the more difficult sections of the trail – especially when intentionally selecting a more challenging line – we put the LR4 into Rock Crawl mode. This mode allows for more suspension articulation in an effort to keep all four wheels on the ground (thus maximizing traction), it readily locks up the center and (if so equipped) rear differential and it holds gears for longer if the transmission is left in drive.
Any initial skepticism about the LR4′s capability was pushed out the window; although Imogene Pass is not an especially difficult trail, it still offers plenty of challenges. Land Rover’s extremely well-tailored Terrain Response system takes the difficulty out of off roading for both novices and experienced drivers alike; it alone makes the LR4 among the most capable off road vehicles ever built. What it might give up to the iconic Defender in terms of ground clearance and simple solid axles it more than makes up for in sophisticated traction responses.
After the peak, we followed a generally gentle road down the other side of the mountain to Ouray, where we caught a quick nap before an early departure in a much more expensive Range Rover on a much more treacherous trail back to Telluride.
Check back soon for our second update from the 2010 Land Rover Colorado Experience.
Words by Andrew Ganz. Photos by Gunnar Conrad.
