[Joachim]

As a motorcycle overlander wanting to take my family on a 4x4 expedition in my daily driver, I'm now slightly depressed, and I am in serious need of a pick me up...

I really want my 2004 Vogue to have the potential to become a beast of an overlanding expedition Vehicle, as well as an awesome utility at home... and a classy and luxurious one at that. After having acquired my car I am now slowly learning about all its limitations in this department... almost regretting that I didn't go for an ugly soulless Japanese Landcruiser with a solid frame rather than a unibody construction full of limits. I want to drive my Vogue off a cliff and end its life!

Whenever I see a true 4x4 with diff locks and low gear range, equipped with; a winch, a snorkel, a bull bar, roll bar, an expedition roof rack, auxilary lighting, jerry cans, pick and shovel, spare wheel, bash plate, sand ladders, large offroad tires, etc, etc.... I get extremely exited. Now I just feel like a poser.

Please, give me a pick me up. Maybe some soothing pictures, links to videos, or some great stories with the L322 showing grunt?

 

[texige]

The RR is very capable with proper tires but it has become a compromise. For serious offroad, check out the G or even a Rubicon. They will not be as comfortable though.

 

[nevill]

These vehicles are actually pretty good off-road without any modifications. I have a stock 2003. I've posted a couple of videos for you. When I took this trip, I had normal road tires - They weren't even All Terrain, and the tread was low.

You can't really experience it from the Video, but it was very steep -

And of course she likes to take a bath -

This is also my daily driver. 163,000 miles and counting. One of my favorite things about this vehicle is the combination of off-road ability an on-road good manners. Drive it up a mountain in the morning and downtown to the Opera in the evening.

My message to Joachim - Appreciate what you have, and if you do decide to drive if off a cliff, understand that you'll probably land just fine, with a big smile on your face.

 

[rfdiii]

London to Cape Town. Hard to find much info about it now, the trip was a couple of years ago, but here's a link to one brief article:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CGAQFjAC&url=http://s3images.coroflot.com/user_files/individual_files/373105_Js70Wm4Yl4XOkpK_3iYzTbavn.pdf&ei=R1MmUZndNM3oigLzt4DIBw&usg=AFQjCNEa4LBQtICAEoq67kQhzU645NW5cg&sig2=z_F-BM5TeW42pwz1Ne0vyA&bvm=bv.42661473,d.cGE


And another link:

http://blog.roversnorth.com/2010/10/london-to-capetown-by-range-rover

 

[Cliff]

The biggest limitation to offroading a Range Rover will be the driver and it sounds like you are just starting on your way to being a traction guru. As an example Range Rover doesn't need a snorkel because it has opposite side intakes and can wade up to 27.5" 06 up. Just remeber range rovers were made to get important people anywhere (not neccessarily on-road). I would take the monocoque of a Range over any not fully boxed frame and most fully boxed ones (do you know what subframes are --check it out the RR has 3 of them). Just look under the car if you need evidence it was designed for offroading. It sounds like there is more good info for you to learn about your truck (like it has low range and you could buy all the stuff your talking about).

I'm not really sure of other limits, what are you talking about? I think of the range as having relatively few limits. According to this forum the truck can raise itself to 14" of ground clearence if it gets high centered. It can run 35 to 45 degree (100%) inclines.

A Land Cruiser- maybe something made in the 1980s will be equivalent to a Range Rover offroad the other ones are just more reliable but not better offroad. Even then take a sick old school offroader stock and a range rover stock and the range will be better. The only trucks currently onsale that are close to or better than a Range Rover offroad are the Rubicon (no other jeep is in the discussion except a similar upgraded wrangler), Dodge Powerwagon (their other vehicles aren't close), H1 (do they still sell these? H3 wasn't bad either but those are gone), G500 (and unimog), Toyota FJ (maybe a truck with a locker would keep up) maybe just maybe the toureg. Upgrading the tires to mud 32-33s and having a rear diff lock and I'm not sure there's a truck I would want better except something specifically built for the trail. Mk3 might be the best stock offroader Land Rover has ever made.

Basically just use momentum and if your stuck don't take your foot off the gas, keep it on it will lock up and get you moving if you have 1 tire with traction and can go over obstacles and hills with two tires down. Make sure you don't apply too much torque for the situation or you'll lose traction (don't go up a hill in Low 1).

Don't worry, anything can get stuck but the thing that will hold this vehicle back is "you".

 

[Mrmerlin]

I bought my 05 used and after doing some fluid swaps and tossing on a used set of 19 inch wheels with Michelin Syncrone tires, (they were worn).

I took it to Moab, went up Elephant hill with a FJ60 diesel behind me,
he was filming me and I had a few passengers.

So with the AC cooling and the
XM radio playing, the truck simply walked up the hill with aplomb.

So what if a tire comes off the ground the rest of them keep turning.

Meanwhile in the rearview mirror the FJ60 with the windows down was bucking and snorting to get up that hill,
and he had to take a few areas two times to pass them.

Meanwhile while my passengers were remarking how comfortable the ride was and how little effort was really required to negotiate the hill.

To me it was sort of cheating I just put the tires on the highest rocks and the Rover walked on up and down the hill.

The guy behind me said , wow I saw that front tire come off the ground and I thought for sure you would get stuck and have to take another line,
then the tire stopped spinning and the Rover continued on as if nothing was in its way.

So I said I didnt do much just add some gas and steer, all this with the AC on,
man that was a comfortable way to see the outlands.

So what did I find out about this new machine, simply put its the best 4X4 I have ever driven,
the most comfortable and the smoothest driving machine, I have had a chance to wheel.

The sides had scratches from hitting bushes they were easily buffed out once I got home as the paint had a thick coat of clear,
wiped down the rest of the truck after a good wash , the insides were extremely clean, considering the dusty conditions that were encountered.
The 19 inch wheels had some damage from hitting rocks but it was all superficial,
I swapped on my 20 inch Lux wheels when i got home.

All in all you dont need a whole lot of extras to make your rig some rock bully, maybe a winch,
good tires will be an asset,
otherwise you wont understand any of this unless you go for a ride in your own truck

 

[Cliff]

I'm out in CO too, closer to Boulder. I just saw the OP is from Norway and I have no idea what cars they sell there but I do love your country. if you're trying to build an Icelandic style supertruck then there may be easier platforms to build from but not neccessarily better.

Edit: saw some of the videos posted above, if those are worn out all seasons thats crazy.

 

[linuxfreakus]

The L322 is very capable off road. I've been all over with mine, and although I do tend to avoid deep water and extreme rock crawling tails for fear of causing damage, I have seen others who are less concerned about dents and scratches do quite well with them. I have picked up a few scratches anyway, but nothing too serious. I just have cooper zeons and I run them year round, they are good all purpose tires.

I love my expedition rack and ladder, I make use of it several times per year. There are also winches, rock sliders, sump guards, custom bumpers and all manner of custom upgrades available out there although I have not gone that far with mine.

The biggest limitation I see is that there are so many electronics, this is the main reason you need to avoid really deep water that older rovers could take on. Driving in water that is up to the windshield is not gonna happen.

 

[DrRangelove]

No doubting the offroad ability of the range rover. It's a beast off tarmac and as previous posters have said the limiting factor is likely to be the size of the driver's cojones.

BUT realiability is poor. Very poor... Since I've owned my RR I'm now on first name terms with my local tow truck guy (he's thinking of setting up a loyalty rewards points scheme for me):

- Failed rear air bag
- Fuel line decided to disconnect itself from the rail
- Numerous flat batteries (until I fixed the FSR)

In addition, I've had severe oil leaks (breather hose disconnected itself), multiple misfires (all fixed now), torn CV boots from normal road driving, leaking transfer case from the last time I did some mild of roading (clipped a rock but you could attribute this to operator error!).

The sad reality is, I have zero confidence that my beloved RR won't let me down when I'm 250km in the boons with no tarmac in sight - she barely gets me to and from work without bbeing in the shop on a monthly basis. It's for this reason that I wouldn't invest any serious coin in roof racks, bull bars, light covers, skid plates, off road wheels/tires, jerry cans etc... Knowing my luck with this vehicle as soon as I spend a dime on anything non essential to keeping the truck on the road, the tranny will throw a failsafe warning or the timing chain will catastrophically disintegrate.

Don't get me wrong, I love my RR but I wish she would give me at least a couple of trouble free months motoring so I'd have the confidence to take her on the gravel tracks behind the local mall.

 

[brad s1]

If you want a no compromise off road land rover just buy a defender or a modded disco... The range handles off road better than any other lux car I've ever seen, but that isn't saying much.

Recently at an auction I saw a d2 completely loaded with every off road accessory and a lift kit go for $3000 USD, it almost makes sense to buy something like that for your exhibitions and not even bother modding your range.

 

[brad s1]

The L322 is very capable off road. I've been all over with mine, and although I do tend to avoid deep water and extreme rock crawling tails for fear of causing damage, I have seen others who are less concerned about dents and scratches do quite well with them. I have picked up a few scratches anyway, but nothing too serious. I just have cooper zeons and I run them year round, they are good all purpose tires.

I love my expedition rack and ladder, I make use of it several times per year. There are also winches, rock sliders, sump guards, custom bumpers and all manner of custom upgrades available out there although I have not gone that far with mine.

The biggest limitation I see is that there are so many electronics, this is the main reason you need to avoid really deep water that older rovers could take on. Driving in water that is up to the windshield is not gonna happen.

Several years ago I had my 2004 up to its windshield.

Out on rt9 in framingham, major spring rain storm and part of the road was totally flooded... A cop waved me on so I figured it couldn't be too deep... Out towards the middle of the puddle water started cresting over the hood and rolling up on the windscreen... I was freaking out! I had to replace a few exterior bulbs (headlights included) but it did make it. Was surprised water wasn't rushing inside the cabin.

 

[EvanK]

The L322 is capable, but I think it's pretty limited by the tires (if you have the factory tires) and the fact that it's nearly 7,000 lbs. We just got a lot of snow in Missouri and although I couldn't get my Rover stuck anywhere while trying, I was really missing my lifted Jeep Cherokee with 31" mud tires. I got around just fine in the Rover, but in the Jeep in heavy snow it was fun, just point the wheel where ever you want to go.

 

[linuxfreakus]

Several years ago I had my 2004 up to its windshield.

Out on rt9 in framingham, major spring rain storm and part of the road was totally flooded... A cop waved me on so I figured it couldn't be too deep... Out towards the middle of the puddle water started cresting over the hood and rolling up on the windscreen... I was freaking out! I had to replace a few exterior bulbs (headlights included) but it did make it. Was surprised water wasn't rushing inside the cabin.

Hehe, I know that spot well, I did the same thing in probably the same spot last year (must be a drainage problem there), but it wasn't quite as deep and were multiple stalled out vehicles literally floating around it in and bumping into each other. I did walked out to check on it since traffic was stopped in both directions and I didn't want to join the other stalled vehicles. Got a little wet but felt better knowing it was passable and not still rising.

I made it through without incident, the bow wave got up pretty high.

I checked on my diff fluids later that day just to be safe, but everything looked good. My brakes were totally useless when I first got out, had to pump them a few times to dry them off, that was about it, just held a nice steady pace and the RR didn't even flinch.

The police came to close the road just as I was past the deepest part.

 

[Green Beast]

No poser here. Just a fun day at The Biltmore Land Rover Owners Event this past November.

 

[Big_Bertha]

I don't think the vehicle per se can be labeled as a poser, it's how the owner uses it. You can have a fully built rig and do nothing but take it to the mall, then that's what makes it a poser.

Remember, the L322 is not built for what you seem to want to use it for. It seems like you need a Defender or a g-wagen or go all out with an expedition prepped unimog!

 

[bdalessio]

Several years ago I had my 2004 up to its windshield.

Out on rt9 in framingham, major spring rain storm and part of the road was totally flooded... A cop waved me on so I figured it couldn't be too deep... Out towards the middle of the puddle water started cresting over the hood and rolling up on the windscreen... I was freaking out! I had to replace a few exterior bulbs (headlights included) but it did make it. Was surprised water wasn't rushing inside the cabin.

WOW!!!!

 

[TheGrrrrr]

I built out my L322 as you described and out on the trail, it made even the Rubicons look like they were trying too hard. If not for reliability issues, I would still be wheeling the L322. Honestly, if there were any good ways to delete the EAS and go to a more reliable off-road suspension/lift, and better aftermarket support for things like skids, sliders and bumpers, I would almost certainly still have mine. I could make a strong argument that the L322 is the the most capable off-road vehicle Land Rover ever produced. I have since moved on to an "ugly, souless Japanese Landcruiser" and have no regrets, but I will always stand behind the off-road capability of the L322, if not the reliability. Also worth noting that the L322 properly outfitted is among the best looking off-roaders ever built.

Here is my '06:

 

[NorCal RR]

Whenever I see a true 4x4 with diff locks and low gear range, equipped with; a winch, a snorkel, a bull bar, roll bar, an expedition roof rack, auxilary lighting, jerry cans, pick and shovel, spare wheel, bash plate, sand ladders, large offroad tires, etc, etc.... I get extremely exited. Now I just feel like a poser.

Funny, when I see RR's with all the "accessories", I think, "what a poser". Same with lifted Chevy's or Jeeps with giant mud tires. I see every vehicle as some sort of compromised between comfort and utility. If you are going to load up the family and take a trip involving some off roading, an L322 seems like a great choice. A supreme mile eater on pavement with pretty darn good off-road ability. If you really plan to "overland" and need more serious off road gear, you will be penalized on the way there. If you want to get super serious, set your L322 up for towing, build a modified Jeep, and buy a trailer.

 

[Ian M.]

Here’s a few pics of mine in it’s natural habitat.....

 

[sowr]

Fantastic! I have to ask...how do you lift the vehicle with that hi-lift jack?