What is Land Rover Terrain Response? | A Reference Guide

SUVs are an incredibly popular choice for many consumers for several reasons. Brawny looks, a higher driving position, and enhanced practicality are some highlights. But not all SUVs are good off-road, despite what their appearance may suggest.

This is not the case for Land Rover, with its models leading the way in off-road excellence for generations. The thing is, they are also great on the road, too.

One of the reasons for being great on road and off-road is Land Rover's 'Terrain Response', but what is it?

• What is Land Rover Terrain Response?
• What Land Rover models have Terrain Response?
• How do you activate Terrain Response?
• Advantages of Terrain Response
• Disadvantages of Terrain Response

What is Land Rover Terrain Response?

Land Rover Terrain Response is a collection of settings that can be adjusted manually or automatically to ensure your Land Rover offers the best performance when dealing with varying terrains. The driver selects which terrain the Land Rover is about to deal with, or it can be done automatically on higher specification models that have Terrain Response 2.

For example, if you are about to take your Land Rover on sand, you can select the 'Sand' setting, and this will set the Land Rover up perfectly to deal with the sandy terrain.

Land Rover Terrain Response modes include:

• Grass/Gravel/Snow
• Mud Ruts
• Sand
• Rock Crawl
• Wade Mode

Auto Mode (This is part of Terrain Response 2)

What Land Rover models have Terrain Response?

On all new Land Rover models in the current range, you will find Terrain Response; however, on higher specification models, you will find enhanced Terrain Response 2 featuring the 'Auto' mode. For example, if you spec a Land Rover Defender 130, the 'S' trim will come with Terrain Response, whilst upgrading to the 'X' trim and you will get Terrain Response 2.

It is possible to find Terrain Response on used Land Rovers, as the system was launched in 2005 on the Discovery model. Terrain Response 2 was launched some years later in 2013.

Both versions are excellent, but some will prefer the convenience of Terrain Response 2, as it will automatically sort all the decision-making out for you, which is what you would expect from a higher specification Land Rover model.

How do you activate Terrain Response?

Activating Terrain Response is done by a toggle switch on older Land Rover models or via the infotainment display on newer models.

Of course, the Auto setting in higher specification models does this for you, effectively making driving your Land Rover easier to drive, as Terrain Response 2 automatically detects the type of terrain you are on, whether it be normal road tarmac, sand, snow, mud, or other varying types of terrain.

Terrain Response is superb for ensuring your Land Rover's performance is at its optimum when taking on varying terrain, with the driver selecting the setting they think is needed, whilst Terrain Response 2 effectively takes away the guess work if you are unsure and automatically adjusts the Land Rover's settings to best cope with the varying terrain.

Effectively, Terrain Response 2 means you do not have to toggle between settings if the terrain is constantly changing, and means you can focus all your attention on driving. That said, Terrain Response is still excellent and helps Land Rover models make light work of off-road terrain.

Advantages of Terrain Response

There are several advantages of this clever Land Rover system, which are highlighted below:

• Ensures your Land Rover can perform to its best in changing terrain.
• Provides peace of mind when venturing onto varying terrain.
• Can ensure that on and off-road driving is done to the best of the Land Rover's capabilities.
• Increases safety by giving you enhanced traction, grip, and confidence.
• Improved performance on road and off-road.
• Driver assistance is enhanced, giving the driver greater confidence.

Disadvantages of Terrain Response

As with anything, there are a few disadvantages to Terrain Response, and these are listed below:

• It can lead to driver overconfidence in some drivers, and does not guarantee your Land Rover will never get stuck.
• If the system malfunctions, it will revert to 'Comfort', which is only good for dealing with everyday on-road driving.
• It can reduce the skill development of newer Land Rover drivers, always relying on the vehicle's technology rather than their own judgment.
• Terrain Response 2 can make it super easy to adapt to varying terrain, taking input away from the driver, which again can reduce driver skill/thought processes.

Discover your perfect Land Rover with Stratstone

If you like the sound of Terrain Response and fancy owning your own Land Rover vehicle, as an official retailer for Land Rover, Stratstone has many attractive new Land Rover deals, along with excellent used Land Rover offers, too.

Alternatively, if you enjoyed this article, why not check out our dedicated blog for more like this?