How many times in your life have you heard the saying “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey”? Probably way more than you’d care for. But how many times have you actually sat down and thought about it? I know I never did, up until about a year ago I was all about the destination, but then I realized that the destination is a lie, you’ll never get there.
Destinations in life are like mirages in deserts, the moment you think you’ve reached it you realize it was never actually there to begin with. So if you live your life just chasing that elusive finish line you end up missing everything great that’s happening all around you.
The true magic that is life is found in those moments when you’re sitting in a car with your best friend singing on the top of your lungs to a dumb song on the radio, when you’re in the car on the way to the hospital about to meet your future child for the first time, or those car trips a few years later where you drive around the block playing I spy until your kid falls asleep and you can carry them to bed.
It’s those seemingly insignificant moments, that when strung together, make up this wonderful adventure of life.
Now if you haven’t already noticed from the above word vomit, I love car trips, I always have.
As a baby, I used to fall asleep almost instantly when my parents put me into the car and as I grew up I took every opportunity to hop in the car with my folks if they had to drive anywhere. I still remember people laughing at my eagerness and telling me that I should enjoy driving now because one day when I have my own car and have to drive myself all the time I will wish I could just stay home, but if I’m honest, I’m still waiting for that day to come.
I love driving, and I love all the adventures and the awesome long-drive-conversations that come along with it. If you’re wondering what any of the above has to do with gaming, it doesn’t, but it has everything to do with me.
Earlier in the month, I did something crazy, instead of my usual routine of staying at home and playing games, I packed a bag with only a few hours notice and went on a spontaneous adventure.
The adventure in question was getting to test drive the latest Land Rover, The All New Discovery (and yes that is it’s actual name, the Xbox one X has a friend now) but naming conventions aside, I got to hop into this amazing car and drive it all the way to a mystery location (Marakele, Limpopo’s National Park) and put my Advanced Drivers License to good work by doing some truly amazing 4x4ing in it, and then, at night I got to sit around a fire with Sir Kingsley Holgate talking about adventures, because that’s really what this car is all about.
What it feels like to drive it:
I’m definitely not a ‘car expert’ so I’m not going to try to be one, instead, I’m going to sum up what driving it is like by sharing with you what my first reaction was when my foot touched the peddle for the first time:
Wooooooow… this is… freaking AWESOME!
Not technical I know, but that’s exactly what driving it is, awesome.
For starters, they’ve used a new lightweight aluminum for the outside shell of the car so it’s a LOT lighter than previous versions, meaning that the moment your foot touches the accelerator, no, THINKS of touching it, the car just goes. Then they incorporated some of the same technology used in planes to make your drive as silent as possible meaning you can drive on the absolute worst road while still singing like a rockstar in your car.
Oh, and if you frequently drive on roads that don’t get painted regularly (if you live in or around my area basically) then The All New Discovery has got your back, it’s got an automatic lane detection system built in that will let you know if you’re driving ‘out of the lane’, this just revolutionized driving on bad roads at night for me. I don’t think I can ever go back.
Okay so those things are pretty cool, but why is this car my wet dream:
It was designed by an actual human who lives in the world and drives a car.
A few weeks ago I was lying in bed going through Twitter and came across a Tweet from Casey Niestat asking for car manufacturers to please recognize that it’s 2017 and most people have smart phones. So if they would please start designing cars with that in mind and with a space specifically designed to house your smart phone etc. that would be great. Instantly, I related to it, nothing irks me quite as much as getting into the driver’s seat of a car, looking around and there being nowhere for my phone. Take my own car, for example, I have a little makeshift phone holder that sits above my small change holder, pretty much rendering that, and my one cup holder, unusable.
So imagine my elation when I sat down in The All New Discovery, looked to my left, and built straight into the middle console was not one, but two spaces specifically designed to house my phone. Yes, this might seem like the smallest and most irrelevant detail, but it’s not. It’s a detail that shows me that they actually cared when doing the design. Oh, and if you thought that was all that was cool, you’re wrong, when you open the middle console and there are 9 USB ports, 6 12-volt charging ports and a built in WiFi hotspot for up to 8 different devices.
Life. Changing.
Did I mention that pretty much everything in your car can be controlled via an app on your phone? Mood lighting, the rising and lowering of your car, oh and lowering and raising all the chairs in the car with a single tap. Car GOALS.
All those features are pretty cool, but why do I want/need one:
Because I felt at home when I was in it.
Everything inside the car is designed for maximum comfort and accessibility, the convenience factor was out of this world, and I felt safe. When you’re off-road with it and get scared or overwhelmed for any reason, it has a driving assist mode that will literally drive your car for you using its built in computer, only requiring you to focus on steering. There is just something about how it handles when you drive that lets you know that no matter what happens, you’ll exit your car in one piece, which for anyone who has ever been in a car accident, is an amazing reassurance to have. Also, if you are ever in an accident your car automatically sends out an SOS with your GPS location so that help can be on its way instantly.
One of the main reasons I never thought I would consider a Land Rover is because I hate how big it always felt when you’re driving it. I always thought it felt like I was driving a tractor and should be in the bush somewhere with it, not on a city road, but with the All New Discovery that’s no longer the case. This is a car that is a complete monster when you take it off the road but when it’s on the tar it drives like its wheels don’t even touch the ground, it glides.
Then my absolute favorite thing, if you’re like me who always seems to be carrying way too much junk into and out of my car without assistance, you can lightly kick the bottom of your car at the back bumper, and the boot automatically opens and closes. I’m not even kidding, this is the most amazing feature in the world.
In. The. WORLD.
And THIS is why you should never leave your house, one day I was happy and content with just sitting playing games and driving my little car around, and the next all I wanted was to go buy myself the All New Discovery and go explore the world…soon…
