EXPERIENCING THE LAND OF FIRE AND LIGHT

Seven Land Rover customers will be paired with seven Land Rover employees on a drive‑of‑a‑lifetime event tackling the frigid wilds of Iceland next month, behind the wheel of the dynamic new 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport.

 

Representing North America on this unique Land Rover Join the Experience event is California‑based Greg Gilliland, Land Rover Certified Pre‑owned Manager ‑ Western Region. Here Greg explains the background of the drive.

Tell us more about what the Join the Experience event is?
 

Land Rover has selected seven lucky customers to head to Iceland for the chance to drive the new 2015 Discovery Sport across some of the most extreme terrain in the world. As part of this truly unique opportunity, the company is offering seven equally lucky employees the chance to pair‑up with the customers and share the experience.

 

How did you get selected?
 

It was actually a competition open to every Jaguar Land Rover employee around the world. We had to put together an essay on what we thought would make a Land Rover Experience even more memorable to a customer. In my 16 years so far with Land Rover, I’ve been fortunate to take part in some amazing customer and media drives ‑ everywhere from Colorado, to Argentina, to the UK and, yes, Iceland for an LR3 drive in 2006. Those events have given me excellent insight.

 

Do you think Iceland in January is going to be a challenge, weather‑wise?

Land Rover has been holding global media drive programs for the new Discovery Sport in Iceland for the past few weeks and let’s just say, Mother Nature has not been too kind. There have been a few ice storms, white‑outs, howling wind and freezing temperatures. But that’s all part of the adventure; and perfect conditions for showcasing the capability of the new Discovery Sport.

Tell us more about the drive portion of the program.

We are there for three days, flying in to the capital city, Reykjavik on January 14. We get the chance to drive on the mountain roads in South West Iceland, through the Kaldidalsvegur, or Cold Valley, which skirts the famous Skjaldbreidur volcano. Some of the more challenging portions include driving across the top of a frozen waterfall and along a narrow Icelandic horse track, which Land Rover has chosen to showcase the awesome capability of the Discovery Sport’s awesome capability. Considering it doesn’t get light till 10 a.m. and sunset is 4:00 p.m., we’re cramming a lot of driving into a very short day.

What are you looking forward to most about the trip?

First and foremost, I’m very much excited to be one of the first people to drive the new Discovery Sport. I’ve read so much about it and can’t wait to get behind the wheel. I’m as equally excited to be driving with a group of customers who share our passion for Land Rover, and getting to hear what they have to say about the vehicle and the event. Naturally, driving in Iceland in such challenging conditions is going to be a blast.

Will you be using social media to share your experience?

Ten years ago there was no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Vine. Today, there are so many different ways of sharing experiences with the world. Each of the Discovery Sport vehicles will be fitted with special cameras and those images and videos will be available to everyone taking part. Parts of my journey will be shared on Land Rover USA’s social channels so be sure to watch their space in the coming weeks!