Hi everyone,

I have a Yeti 4 x 4 and while I'm probably never going to do any serious off-roading, I would like to take some training to be able to understand some of the basics.

Can any of the more experienced Yeti drivers suggest anything?

Does anyone know if the Land Rover Experience would suit my purpose? There is a venue not too far away from where I live at Consiton Hall in North Yorkshire.

John

Hi everyone,

I have a Yeti 4 x 4 and while I'm probably never going to do any serious off-roading, I would like to take some training to be able to understand some of the basics.

Can any of the more experienced Yeti drivers suggest anything?

Does anyone know if the Land Rover Experience would suit my purpose? There is a venue not too far away from where I live at Consiton Hall in North Yorkshire.

John

No idea jst, but it sounds AWESOME fun

I quite fancy doing something like that too

You can do a last minute booking thing and it is usually a lot cheaper so keep checking on their site in case they have a few spaces left on a course local to you.

You can do a last minute booking thing and it is usually a lot cheaper so keep checking on their site in case they have a few spaces left on a course local to you.

I was at the Landrover Experience in Dunkeld, Perthshire a couple of weeks back. There's also one at skipton. Got a 1/2 day free via the local LandRover dealer as I am considering a Freelander. Duration was from 13.30 to 16.45. Drove the 1st hour on road the remainder off. Quite a serious woodland course and some man made gulleys and rocky "riverbeds". The Frelander was diesel autobox with standard tyres on. I was amazed at how capable it was/is. There is the "terrain response" set up which makes off road driving easy as did being the auto. I have driven Defenders etc off road in farm situations and was very impressed at the Freelander but because of the electronic set ups the driving style/method is different. I imagine the Yeti requiring similar driving to the Freelander.

As I said we got it for free(you could try that too) I think the cost was around £200.

If you are not taking your Yeti off road other than dirt tracks then I feel training would not be necessary only a good use of common sense. At the centre at Dunkeld it was also possible to get training and use your own vehicle. It was an activity centre that landrover also used. Very well run, good instructor and no sales pitch.

If you can get the whole day course at last minute price it is much better value than the morning or afternoon course.

As "punishment" for using a wet grass field as a fun skid test pan I was given an extremely slippery steep slope with the the exit route to the left of a small pond set in front of the slope.

Guess I won't forget the consequences of not relying on the auto systems and applying brakes on a wet slope!

Thank goodness I did not have to wash the Range Rover afterwards.

BTW would anyone have time to look at the full electronic instrument panel of the Range Rover when things get difficult?

For the "normal" quarry work it seemed better to focus on what was happening outside and I certainly found the course useful in utilising substantial steering wheel rotations and then sensing when you were centralised again.

The owner of a heavy goods firm certainly had an excellent one handed technique for turning and centralising the steering!

So far so good with the Freelander II and my wife will be doing the free half day course on the Freelander (not our own one of course!)

Y4Yeti, you should use your own Freelander, not one of the LRE ones, then you will really understand how it works in YOUR car.

John,

you should have come with us today!!

Will an LRE course in a Freelander2 help you? A little, but the "systems" on the FL2 are very unique and really only suited to that vehicle. Whilst there are similar systems on the Yeti then do appear to work differently, so personally I would be more inclined to find someone local who is a 4x4 Instructor and get them to explain things. However I think you might have a problem finding someone.

Although not a Yeti expert I am certainly willing to help you out, if needs be.

Because I have said I might have been interested in buying another FL, LR have just offered me another LRE day, which I will probably take up. Previously I have been to Eastnor when the FL2 was introduced, so this time I think I might go to the Cheshire Centre. Having previously been taught by LR I will treat it as a refresher day, and have some fun.

Y4Yeti, you should use your own Freelander, not one of the LRE ones, then you will really understand how it works in YOUR car.<snip>

Graham three of us had a vehicle supplied with an instructor for the day. The course was organised so we were each learning both from our own experiences and watching that of others.and of course the input of the instructor to the various situations.

I am not sure that your suggestion would be feasible on safety grounds or Land Rover insurance requirements.

If one were to offer the use of one's own Land Rover vehicle on the course it would be important to check ones own conditions of insurance to see if they enabled one to both instructor and other participants for this off road course on private land including quarries and of course the other drivers were covered for your vehicle.

In all I think the Land Rover arrangement is the best. We could not tackle the maximum angled slope because the ground surface was wet and slippery. Knowing our instructor would not want the Land Rover vehicle damaged (or risk his life!) I was happy tackling everything on the course without the worry of a potential insurance claim on my own vehicle!!!

We even had fun with a simulated ice covered pond using bow waves to break up the ice!

Will our neighbours in our cul de sac be pleased if I use the shunt plough technique to move snow and compact a track to the main road that may not be useable by two wheel drive vehicles?

.