Friday 19 October 2012

Who would drive a (black) Range Rover?



This is a bit of a departure from my normal blog posts but please bear with me.  Besides, if you're a runner yourself this might strike a chord.

Through my running and cycling I have encountered a few Range Rovers and have learnt to be wary of them.    Especially black ones.  Especially black ones with black windows.  They don't seem to drive in a normal way where everyone blends in and co-operates with each other.  Not so with Range Rovers.  No.  Not at all.

Who drives a Range Rover?

Here in the East of England with occasional trips into London, I often see these machines and wonder who drives them.  The blacked out windows are there for a reason, perhaps?  Who could be behind....

  • drug dealers
  • celebrities
  • "new money" people (i.e. Lottery winners)
  • Royal protection officers / other Government vehicles
  • hit men
  • (from summer 2013) our friend Dave.  He's none of the above, that we know of.  Instead he's really nice and he helps us out with our various computer problems.

How they drive

Normally they are mean drivers.  Almost as if they are wanting some kind of pecking order on the roads in the hope that their huge heavy size counts for something.  Or perhaps the menacing look, the mysterious blacked out windows, the powerful engine, the ridiculous fuel consumption and obscene purchase price.  Would you believe some people pay well over £50,000 for these things?  I should think the four tyres would be worth more than my whole car.

They drive too close, don't give much room when over-taking, tend to be impatient, almost pushing others off the road, being unforgiving and generally having an intimidating driving style.  

How I react

When I'm in my little Toyota and have one of these things behind me on a country lane trying to nudge me out of the way, I deliberately carry on bumbling along.  I keep that up for quite some time until I imagine their annoyance is rising and then, in order to avoid the driver becoming too aggressive I might pull over in order to avoid them taking it out on someone else (like a runner or a cyclist).

And then the other day.....

I was out running the other day along a country lane.  It was a fairly narrow lane and as I heard a vehicle coming from behind I took a look.  Seeing as it was one of these Black Range Rovers, I naturally jumped up onto a grassy bank to let it pass by.  I was amazed at how carefully the Range Rover had slowed down and courteously avoided me.  Even more so when I realised it was driven by an ordinary looking young woman who gave me the sweetest smile and a little wave.

That made me smile as well.  An obscene, ridiculous car driven by a nice pleasant looking person, not a stuck up tough-guy on bling wheels.  Had I been maligning Range Rover drivers all along?  Are they all decent people driving tasteful, impressively purposeful cars bought with their small change?  No of course not.

But there is at least one decent Range Rover driver out there.  Unless you know different.....

9 comments:

  1. It has been some time since I visited website with such high quality information about regarding Techno British.Thank you so much for providing such helpful information. This is really informative and I will for sure refer my friends the same. Thanks.

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  2. You're right these cars are totally ridiculous in this day and age. The drivers obviously don't have any kind of a conscience about global warming and besides any bloke driving one of these must be making up inadequacies elsewhere.

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  3. I've seen this blog before while looking for a Range Rover to buy AND I was thinking about buying a black one as well. Are you made or something? Look what you've done and as for the previous comment this is stupid but perhaps you Doug will delete it. These are brilliant cars, I bet you have never been in one otherwise you wouldn't be saying these things.

    Pete.

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  4. Okay thanks Guys!

    Hey Pete, thank you for commenting but alas I'm not removing the previous comment - these debates are welcome on my blog providing they don't get too personal or out of hand.

    You are right, I've not been in a Range Rover and I'm sure they're lovely to drive but it doesn't detract from what I say. Besides, you know sometimes blogs are written deliberately with a bit of humour and I hope you're not too upset in coming across my blog again. You know, you're very welcome to comment further.....

    Kind regards, Doug.

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  5. Trying to find good reviews on Range Rovers on the web and I come across this. Not what I wanted to find but an interesting and thought provoking view - I'm not a drug dealer, new money, celebrity etc.

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  6. Thank you Anonymous, from 1 June 2013. If you do actually buy a Range Rover, make sure you're nice to runners, cyclists and drivers of little Toyotas.

    Kind regards,

    Doug.

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  7. I am a new range rover owner though I have wanted one for years. I have built my own business from the ground up and still work 24/7 myself (i am none of the above owner examples). I love the way they look and the space & towing ability. They are also great to drive on road and yes off road! I feel I am a safe driver, always move to the other lane (or stop if the lane is occupied by an oncoming vehicle) for runners, walker, horseback etc. I also use my size to let others into the lane I'm in when needed. So please don't lump is all in the same group (fyi I am a 33 woman) I do feel they are worth the price tag and would pay even more if they asked. I plan on keeping mine for years to come.
    Thankyou for your insight and for reading mine
    Jennifer

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    1. Hi Jennifer, many thanks for your comment. It sounds like you're a Range Rover owner like the one I described towards the end of the blog post and how she was considerate towards me as a runner. Range Rovers need drivers like you!

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  8. I just acquired a black range rover for my birthday. My partner was gracious to be so thoughtful. I enjoy the drive and all the amenities it offers. I can understand ones perspective on who drives a RR..I consider myself to be a considerate navigator.. I believe the RR is to be driven, almost gliding down the road.

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