Range Rover Spot Features On- and Above-the-Road Action
Things are not always what they seem to be at first. Just take a look at the newest Range Rover commercial from Land Rover USA.
It opens with footage of a regular-wheelbase Range Rover winding its way through mountain roads, pursued in the air by a glider. It seems as if the man in the SUV is being surveilled by the man in the sailplane. Is the driver an international criminal or spy, evading the vengeance of the pilot or the pilot’s mysterious employer? Does he have top-secret documents he needs to get to a buyer? Will that buyer use those secrets for good or evil?
The Range Rover driver takes a fork in the road, but is unable to elude his seaplane stalker until he reaches the mouth of a tunnel. The pilot flies around only to touch down in a field only feet away from the Range Rover and its sport-coat-wearing driver. Apparently, the driver has been expecting this rendezvous because he glances at his watch. It’s only a matter of time until gunfire erupts…
Or is it? No. No, it’s not. The glider pilot smiles, despite having come second in a friendly race.
As misleading as the commercial may (or may not) be in spots, its title, “Glide,” is fitting. Aside from being an impressive performer off-road, the last Range Rover Td6 we tested was an absolute dream on-road. It was shocking how composed and gentle its ride quality was. We were gliding – without worrying about going through tunnels.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
