Last Friday I went on the Land Rover Experience half day course, it was enjoyable and informative. Although I would have liked to try a Disco 3 or a Range Rover Sport, it made sense to opt for the FL2 and see what my own car was capable of. I'm glad I chose to do this.

One of the most interesting pieces of information I received was that the engine has an anti stall mode, don't know about anyone else but I hadn't heard this before; the instructor went on to demonstrate it. Bottom line is that if left at tick over the engine has a tremendous appetite to want to keep going. So in first gear, feet off everything, it is (or rather I found it) quite surprising what it will do. I’d expect that any car would happily pull at idle on the flat but the FL2 will pull up a significant incline (in first gear) which I hadn’t expected. There was only one section on the course that defeated this approach. The point the instructor was trying to make was that low speed progress was better made this way than by use of higher revs but slipping the clutch; which he said was the way that most folks would try and achieve low speed (with out having a low-box). Of course there is no substitute for a low box but the car performed much better in this mode than I expected.

Over the past weekend I’ve experimented with this tick-over travel. On Saturday I had myself and 550kg’s of sand and stone in the car, the car was quite happy to climb a 1 in 5 cobbled road without any accelerator. Also tried a 1 in 4 gravel track with myself and 300kgs and again it was quite happy to climb without any accelerator.

Ground clearance was quite good, but a couple of the tracks I wanted to follow were off limits to us because we didn’t have enough clearance. I think we only ‘grounded’ once; I took a look underneath the car later in the day and it appeared that it was the supports for the fuel tank that were the point of contact.

All in all a very good experience.

All Land Rovers have had this technology for at least 12 years! Doesn't mean it will never stall though! Many models in the range can also be started with the engine in gear without the clutch depressed as well, as an offroading safety measure in case you DO stall on a steep hill

With regard to the ground clearance, in the F1 the audible warning of grounding was from the exhaust system which could flex on the mountings and banged on the underside, it made it sound like your were doing horrendous underside damage! How can carbon have a footprint, it has no feet?
Now driving - RRE Coupe Dynamic Lux Auto with Plus pack, Fuji White, Ebony, SD4 with tow pack
Gone - 2010MY FFRR TDv8 Stornoway and Ivory, Privacy - the pace of a TDv8 RRS, the incomparable grace of a Range Rover
Gone but will be missed- RRS Tdv8 HSE Stornoway Grey with Ebony Leather
Gone (only a little missed) RRS Tdv6 2.7SE Giverny Green/Aspen
Defender 90 County HT in Epsom Green

Tim in Scotland wrote:

All Land Rovers have had this technology for at least 12 years! Doesn't mean it will never stall though! Many models in the range can also be started with the engine in gear without the clutch depressed as well, as an offroading safety measure in case you DO stall on a steep hill

After an incident with a relay on the driving lights on my Defender this weekend I wish that LR would develope a battery that never goes flat........................................ in 6 years of owning it, that is the first time my Defender has not started 1st turn of the key All is fixed now after some help from a member of these forums who knows about auto electrics. How can carbon have a footprint, it has no feet?
Now driving - RRE Coupe Dynamic Lux Auto with Plus pack, Fuji White, Ebony, SD4 with tow pack
Gone - 2010MY FFRR TDv8 Stornoway and Ivory, Privacy - the pace of a TDv8 RRS, the incomparable grace of a Range Rover
Gone but will be missed- RRS Tdv8 HSE Stornoway Grey with Ebony Leather
Gone (only a little missed) RRS Tdv6 2.7SE Giverny Green/Aspen
Defender 90 County HT in Epsom Green