California by Range Rover
An hour from LA, Hungry Valley state park is the place to test your 4x4 mettle
A bit of background on Hungry Valley first. Originally home to the Tataviam tribe of Native Americans, it was later used as a homestead location to encourage migration to the west coast. But the valley is a barren place, not really suited to developing settlements. Hence what was Honey Valley became known as Hungry Valley. The homesteads were wiped out by drought in the 30s and in the following decades the valley was known for lawlessness of every kind; the vast, ungoverned, unmanaged space was infamous for drugs, guns, gangs and nearly everything else imaginable. California State Parks began buying up the land in 1978 and Hungry Valley was classified as a State Vehicular Recreation Area (we'll use SVRA from now on) in 1980.
Tackling Hungry Valley solo would be rather daunting as a first off-road experience. Yes, the trails are marked out and graded, plus there are park wardens and a central Tarmac road. Still, the size and complexity of the park is overwhelming at first. Even with a Hungry Valley expert alongside we still managed to lose ourselves on occasion.
Said expert is Daphne Greene, a fountain of knowledge on both the park and off-roading. She's the woman you see in the lead image navigating me up what appeared an insurmountable ridge. As guides for learning the off-road craft I couldn't have asked for anyone better. Not only was she the first woman to compete in the Camel Trophy back in the 90s, she's also a coach on Land Rover USA's off-road experiences. Oh, and she was Deputy Director of the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division under Schwarzenegger for seven years. She knows Hungry Valley like no one else. She's an exceptionally talented off-roadist. You also get the impression she doesn't take any, er, rubbish from anyone.
First mistake? Keeping hands fixed on the wheel. D'oh. In contrast to circuit driving where crossing arms is OK, Daphne says it's a no-no when off-road. Firstly, you don't want to go through a pothole or similar with arms overextended and often the tiniest steering inputs are required to keep you on course; this is obviously far easier to do with your hands always at 10 and two. So there is much wheel shuffling as we go through the first trail.
Left-foot braking is also really beneficial in the dirt. Not only do you get on the brakes quicker it allows to keep the revs up but the car stable if you're climbing. Without a conventional handbrake the middle pedal is being pressed a lot when perched somewhere on a trail. Usually quite hard actually.
We were using a Range Rover Sport for the day in Hungry Valley. The Sport has become known recently of course for its on-road (and track) exploits but is still superbly capable off the highway. Interestingly we were in the V6 petrol car not sold in the UK; it's the same 340hp 3.0-litre supercharged engine used in the F-Type so the sound is initially surprising when you expect a rumbly V8 diesel. Of course its peak torque of 332lb ft is considerably down on the 461lb ft of the 5.0 V8 and the 516lb ft of the V8 diesel also but never did the SCV6 feel overawed by Hungry Valley's myriad challenges.
With California suffering from a severe drought currently the trails are even dustier than usual. The Sport's Terrain Response does a terrific job of adapting the 4x4 tech to the conditions as we go from sandy paths to rockier climbs. The separate rock climb mode makes you feel like a real pro, locking the Range Rover into low range and raising the air suspension to its highest. Of course the Sport has its reputation as an urban princess but there's certainly no doubting its off-road ability. What it managed to achieve on road Michelins was incredible, especially given the oaf driving it.
We can't have covered much more than about 20 per cent of Hungry Valley's routes during the day but it was an absolute blast. I'd previously been a little dismissive of off-roading actually; it's going to sound hackneyed to those of you who regularly do it but I was sceptical as to how exciting or challenging driving around in dirt so slowly could be. Of course I was wrong. Hugely wrong. The same thing we love about driving on track, racing or driving quickly on road are there in abundance. It requires real precision and accuracy, awareness, feel for the car's behaviour, conservation of tyres and a bit of bravery sometimes too. That same feeling of elation when you achieve something you thought impossible is certainly still there too. It's simply brilliant fun.
Finally, for anyone convinced that the Range Rover Sport is just a footballer's plaything, you really must try one. On the road, in town and lost somewhere in an SVRA it was tremendous. Huge thanks to Daphne for showing how it really should be done as well. She reckons Oceana Dunes is even better. Return trip in a V8?
I would really like to try one with a decent set of tyres (non road biased ones as most I've seen have fitted) at the local pay and play site to see how good they really are in the mud etc.
I do wonder how they will age with all the electronics and if see them at above pay and play sites in say 10 years time
We try to head out with a mate from Burbank at least every two years.
Wouldn't bother with an urban 4x4 though, it's all about the buggies and trail bikes if you want maximum fun!
Matt
You should consider popping along to a local off-road club and having a look at their competitions like Road-Taxed Vehicle (RTV) trials - there are usually different classs catering from standard 4x4's to more modified stuff and then open classes for buggies and dedicated triallers.
Fantastic fun! - usually non-damaging and one of the cheapest forms of motorsport that you can participate in, certainly with a standard vehicle. And as you found out, the driver's skills (or lack of) can be the biggest factor.
It was on road tyres too, and didn't seem to care too much about the muddy forest tracks, precipitous drops and muddy water (love the wading sensors).
They are pricey, but very hard to beat at the price too. Great on road, great off road, luxurious, practical. Makes my M3 look terrible value for money as a car, frankly. My "old" one will be replaced with a "new" one asap, though I can't really fault the old one.
One of my most enjoyable drives in the last couple of years was thundering cross (wet, dark, Welsh) country one night on the way to a weekend away - a journey that would be been pretty miserable in my other car despite it's performance credentials. More fun than a near 3 tonne truck ought to be frankly.
Matt
The whole going slowly up and down steep and rough inclines could be a bit dull when there's the other stuff on offer.
As for the RRS: They are extremely capable off road...especially when you swap the drug dealer wheels for smaller ones and fit a higher-profile AT or MT tyre. The biggest problem, as other PH'ers have already realised, is the risk of doing expensive damage. The limit is often how much plastic you're prepared to tear off them.
Unfortunately, not enough of the people who buy Range Rovers take them off-road and so the market for things like HD bumpers is non-existent.
Presumably the current family of LR products should age equally disgracefully, the only issue I guess being the longevity of all the electronic trickery and the impact of its failure, as you've alluded to.
The D3/4 platform however has a lot of front and rear bumpers, roof racks, rear ladders, snorkels, rock and tree sliders, "hidden" and non hidden winch mounts, under body protection armour, 2nd fuel tanks and suspension lifts available for it.
There is a decent market now for parts, they can be expensive though. Sliders are £350+ depending on maker for example.
The biggest issue's with them is size, weight and tyre availability.
They are heavy and can't fit down some places that a D90 can get down.
Plus the weight is a bit of a issue in deeper mud.
Due to the brakes on them, the smallest OEM wheel for a D4 is a 19.
The D3 can get 17s, but your own standard tdv6 brakes which i found to be ok, but not great.
You can get 18s on a D4 and Brembo equipped RRS, but they are expensive at £254 each.
You can get 17s on the D3 with V8 discs, ( they are an inch larger than tdv6 discs) but again at a cost.
The D3/4 platform is very popular in the states, Africa and Aus for travel for it's mix of comfort, off road ability (13 inches of articulation from the showroom with Air suspension models ) size for storage and general reliability.
Yes, you can get issues but most can be avoided by addressing them when they arise instead of ignoring them till it fails. That approach has worked for me for the last 33k and my D3 is no stranger to getting used off road.
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