Utah Oasis

There are media ride-and-drives going on pretty much every week of the year and the formula tends to be the same; Upscale hotels, sunny weather, tasty food, fast roads and clean cars, writes Stuart Schorr, Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs, Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC. And generally they do a good job of allowing the media early access to the cars and the people behind them.

I will say though that the teams at Jaguar Land Rover do go the extra mile in attempting to create truly memorable experiences that not only provide excellent access, but also become a part of the narrative of the launch of the vehicle itself. At Jaguar Land Rover, our mandate is to host a media ride-and-drive at a hotel property in a location that perfectly exemplifies the character and personality of the vehicle we’re launching.

This is especially important with smaller luxury brands where new car launches represent major milestones. For example, take the just-on-sale all new 2013 MY Land Rover Range Rover, the world’s first aluminum SUV and it’s just completed North American Media Launch in Canyon Point, Utah close to the border of Arizona.  Land Rover Experience Manager Bob Burns describes the area as one of the most remote areas in the lower 48 states.  PR Events Manager Deb Sandford described it as perfect, as far as “the right” hotel property exists.

Amangiri, which I’m told means ‘peaceful mountain’, is the name of a 34 room spa hotel, literally an oasis tucked away on 600 spectacular acres in Canyon Point. In fact, if you Google Canyon Point, it takes you to Amangiri, as if it’s the only thing there. Of course, zoom out on the map and it is surrounded by some of the most spectacular terrain in the world: desert, mountains, forests, cliffs, lakes and rock. Lots of rock.

The property sits hidden away from view in a protected valley with sweeping mountain vistas towards the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Lake Powell. The location is beyond breathtaking.

Amangiri is all about modernity in an authentic natural setting. The vibe is low key, comfortable and personal luxury. Every detail was considered with an emphasis on design simplicity and functional excellence and, like the Range Rover, there is a real inherent link with the natural environment.

Guests who stay here do so to disconnect from business and reconnect to nature. If they leave the Amangiri property, they’ll drive to the Grand Canyon, Bryce or Zion, each just a short distance away, or venture out on one of the many public 4x4 trails to reach that spectacular ridge or towering plateau. These are the kinds of experiences many of our Range Rover owners enjoy. It’s a reward.

The new all-aluminum Range Rover really fit in so perfectly with its surroundings. Arguably more so than any other luxury vehicle ever could. Whether it was idling quietly outside the entrance to Amangiri; scything along US 89 past towering Jurassic rock formations; tackling a remote trail; offering tailgate coffee; or ferrying our guests to nearby Page airport, it always looked ‘right’.

Of course this being a Land Rover event, it was a given that we’d go play in the mud, snow, dirt and rain if possible. Bob Burns worked with the Bureau of Land Management in Kanab to get their blessing to take on the little known, and public, Hog Canyon Trail.

This challenging 18-mile mud, sand and, for us, snow-covered trail climbs to over 5,800 feet and showcased perfectly the new Range Rover’s latest ‘Terrain Response 2’ system* with its intelligent fully automatic mode. No need to select the setting best-suited to the terrain, this new system now does it all for the driver. Every one of the conditions we faced (except for maybe the rock crawling), could easily be encountered at an owners’ beach or country homes or in storm conditions.  At the end of 4 hours of off-pavement driving, the Range Rover’s simply shrugged off the mud, and drivers headed home in sheer comfort.

Upon further research, it seems this area was used for filming some of the most well know Westerns from John Wayne to Clint Eastwood.  Not sure what those cowboys did for accommodations and getting around the area, but I don’t think Amangiri, or a Range Rover, was an option. Glad it was for us.

To see more of the U.S. launch event of the 2013 Range Rover in Utah, click here.

* These systems are not a substitute for driving safely with due care and attention and will not function under all circumstances, speeds, weather and road conditions, etc. Driver should not assume that these systems will correct errors of judgment in driving.  Please consult the owner’s manual or your local authorized Land Rover Retailer for more details.