by Michael Satterfield - 11/21/2021
Recently I shot a video series of epic road trips in the USA one of which included a day trip to the Biltmore Estate in Ashville, North Carolina. While most people go to the Biltmore for the lavish estate, wineries, and fine dining, I was spending the day at the Land Rover Experience which is located on the grounds of George Vanderbilt's historic estate. As the owner of a new Land Rover vehicle, you are entitled to book a complimentary two-hour lesson at one of the three Land Rover Experience Driving Schools to help familiarize you with your new Land Rover and learn what your Rover can really do.
Non-owners, like me, can book an experience in one of Land Rover's SUVs, from the latest luxury Range Rover to a classic Defender 90 from the heritage fleet. I of course opted for the classic Defender 90, an iconic SUV that inspired the new Defender, by far my favorite new SUV on the market. The Heritage Half-Day and Full-Day programs are offered at all three locations and put drivers behind the wheel of an original Land Rover Defender.
Land Rover Experience Center are hosted at some of the most exclusive resorts in the country, the Quail Lodge in California, Equinox in Vermont, and the Biltmore in North Carolina. Most owners incorporate their experience into a vacation but according to Aaron, our instructor at the Biltmore, booking should be done a few months in advance so you can plan the rest of your trip and make sure to get the experience you want.
All three US locations offer the same menu of experiences:
- One Hour Experience
- Two Hour Experience (included with the purchase of a new Land Rover)
- Half-Day Experience
- Half-Day Experience (in your own vehicle)
- Full-Day Experience
- Half-Day Heritage Experience
- Full-Day Heritage Experience
- Teen Drive Experience
- Family Experience
- Advanced Programs (i.e. Winching and Recovery)
- Owners Days (Check Calendar for Next Owners Day)
My experience would be a special version of the Heritage Half-Day Experience. Aaron our professional Land Rover Experience Instructor would be taking me out for one-on-one coaching in the classic Defender 90, but first, he shared a brief history of Land Rover, the Defender, and other models like the Discovery and Range Rover. After showing me around the Defender we loaded up and headed about a half-mile down the road to the trail which is in the Antler Hill Village section of the estate.
Normally the instructor would be seated in the passenger seat, but due to the ongoing pandemic, Aaron would be walking alongside the vehicle as we made our way down the trail. At first, the trail seems like just a dirt road in the woods, but as the topography changes it gets challenging, add in ruts, clay, water, and other obstacles, and all of a sudden you find yourself on three wheels or looking out your driver side window at the dirt.
Finishing up an afternoon of offroading in a classic Land Rover just makes me want one even more and made clear why Land Rover has such a cult following in the world of off-roading. If you are a current owner of any Land Rover and never took advantage of the program all current owners receive 10% off any experience packages, so you can still get out and learn how to get the most out of your Land Rover, even if it is a 20-year-old Discovery.
Check out our short video below and see more from the trip on YouTube.
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