Lizett Bond on what to drive to a wedding: Land Rover LR3
Thought Process
What’s the first thought that occurs to a woman when a wedding invitation
arrives in the mail? WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR? As I was the Mother of
the Groom this was an important decision! The shopping, the consultations
with friends, it’s all so time consuming! What’s the last thought? What am I
going to drive? Being pretty typical in that regard my first stop was to a high
tail it to the closest high-end department store to find a great outfit. I found
the perfect dress, shoes, jewelry and purse to match. Whew! After shopping
for the mandatory registered wedding gift I was ready to fly!
Now comes the plane and hotel reservations and as always, the cheapest
car rental available. When it comes to rented wheels, I squeak, although my
pumpkin has turned into a fine coach on occasion. However, no Aston
Martin this time. As luck would have it though, I was about to play Cinderella
once again. A Land Rover LR3 would be my ride to this wedding courtesy of
the corporate HQ as long as I had a story to go with it. Every car I drive turns
in to some kind of a story. Next month I will tell you about a McLaren, that’s
a promise.
LR3 for Me!
The car would be delivered to the house of intrepid SCP editor Morse. As
Mr. Morse was not home the key was hidden, and I mean well hidden, at
said residence. After hailing a cab at the airport and a harrowing ride on the
L.A. freeways, we arrived to find a beautiful Bonatti Grey Land Rover sitting in
the driveway. After crawling around on hands and knees to find the key, I
was in! I have never mastered the skill of traveling light and as I was
attending a wedding, a rehearsal dinner and staying at The Riverside Mission
Inn, in Riverside, California, a very cool resort, well, let’s just say steamer
trunk might be a fitting description of what was sitting in the cab driver’s trunk
What I really liked about the LR3 was the asymmetrical tailgate, it was easy
to set the luggage there and then slide it into the car. The seats were easy
to fold down too! The cab driver’s comment “nice car!” Yep, I was about to
find out just how nice as I got in and began my hour-long drive to the Mission
Inn.
Feeling ‘oh so Orange County’ I headed for the toll road and my resort hotel.
As I drove over the hills to Riverside County I took in the spacious interior.
Very roomy, the stepped roof and stadium seating in the passenger seats
gives a very open feeling, very roomy, great visibility. There is a GPS
system (which I did not use) and the SIRIUS radio system was a kick. The
LR3 has a 9 speaker sound system, so when I settled on a jazz station, the
sound was awesome. I found the whole radio system a bit confusing, too
many buttons and gadgets…. but I forced myself to crank the music and
enjoy the sound. The car sped up the mountain, it was quiet and smooth
and handled so well. Very comfortable. I know that I really should sign up
for the Land Rover Experience which consists of huge dirt mounds that
demonstrate the off road capabilities of both the Land and Range Rovers
variations but this isn’t the time nor the place. Lean and clean are the
catchwords for this weekend.
Spa? No, not that one………….
Arriving a few hours before check in time at the Mission Inn I did what any
good LR3 drivin’ gal would do….I made a spa appointment…massage, facial,
the works. The Mission Inn has a choice of valet or self-parking. I opted for
self-parking, not wanting to put ‘my’ cool car in the hands of some speed-
crazed valet. Parking in the structure in the LR3 was a breeze, the tight
turning radius made it easy to get into the space…and of course the Park
Distant Control made sure I didn’t nail any poles (sorry to say, Land Rover, I
have a perfect pole indentation in the rear bumper of my truck. Brave of you
to let me drive your car).
The wedding took place at the beautiful Citrus State Park in Riverside,
California. A wedding location that would have been perfect for a Vanity Fair
or Town and Country photo shoot and so my arrival in the LR3 was very
fitting, very classy. My shoes fit, I didn’t lose one, so no prince charming to
my rescue this trip. But then my coach didn’t turn into a pumpkin either.
After the wedding I made several trips in to Los Angeles to visit friends and
have dinner. The LR3 is the perfect height for observing most of the surprises
that can happen in the greater metropolis. It is so much more than what I
expected a Land Rover to be. My recollection of them is from old copies of
National Geographic that showed Land Rovers deep in the bush of Kenya or
parked next to a hut outside of Mombassa. Tales of Warren Zevon! The new
Land Rovers are a different breed of elephant walk but are comfortable where
ever home may be.
Lizett Bond, December 2007
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