The Little Crossover That Could

TEXT BY JERRY TSAI

IMAGES BY HENRY Z. DEKUYPER

“BLACK RHINO WENT TO THE OFF-ROAD SUBARU AFTERMARKET EXPERTS AT LP ADVENTURE FOR THEIR 1.5-INCH LIFT KIT. THE LIFT KIT CONSISTS OF A SET OF SPACERS AND HARDWARE TO INCREASE THE CAR’S GROUND CLEARANCE.”

How do you define adventure? Is it taking off for a month to retrace a Camel Trophy route in some far-off land? Or would an exploration of a natural habitat be enough to feed your desire to escape? Big or small, far or near, we believe that adventures can be had anywhere. Our focus here is on the conveyance itself that takes you on these grand or humble explorations.

When I first laid eyes on a Land Rover Defender 110, images of navigating tight, almost non-existent routes through dense brush danced through my mind. I had to have one. When I got my first taste of driving one on the 405 Freeway in traffic, those images quickly evaporated. As much as I love that truck, it certainly wasn’t developed for rush hour in Los Angeles.

This brings up the plain fact that one’s choice of vehicle does have an impact on what kinds of adventures one can take. Of course, there are plenty of factors that dictate just which vehicle you end up owning. For the majority, it’s budget. While for others, it may be available space, their commute, or even their environment. There are too many factors to list, really.