Unlike the mechanical travails suffered by Gregory Anderson in the Belizean rainforest, the obstacles I face on a beach along Morocco’s Atlantic coast can be surmounted without the physical intervention of a support team. All I need is advice, and one of Land Rover’s intrepid Scottish guides to tell me exactly how to attack the tall sand dunes that lay ahead. "Put some wellie in it," he says, referring to knee-high Wellington boots. My passenger embraces the word with gusto and I’m treated to a chorus of "Wellie! Wellie! Wellie!" as I approach the first dune. Burying the gas pedal in the floor, I charge up the steep hill of sand, no problem. Not all of my attempts will be as successful. Later on, for instance, the course contains a steep section immediately following a sharp turn. I have little chance to build speed beforehand, and can’t quite crest the dune on my first try. On the second, however, I keep my foot firmly on the accelerator and power through.

I’m in the North African nation to sample a variety of Land Rover offerings—including the freshened Range Rover and Range Rover Supercharged—and the sand course provides a prime venue for the manufacturer’s impressive Terrain Response system. Up to five unique programs, each with specialized transmission and traction settings, tailor performance to conditions as diverse as sand, snow and rock crawling. Land Rover first introduced Terrain Response on the LR3, and it has now become a welcome feature across the model line-up.

I’ll use the system to navigate boulder-strewn off-road courses later on, but today it’s sand—and lots of it. In addition to the roller coaster ride through the dunes, I have the chance to blast around an improvised seaside course that showcases a Land Rover’s speed and handling capabilities on the challenging surface. Unfettered by the soft, deep sand, I achieve high speeds in the straightways and maneuver with ease through turns. There is usually a slight drift sideways when changing direction at a clip—it feels something like a momentary loss of traction on snow—but it’s easily controlled and corrected.

The availability of a supercharged engine—with its extra 95 hp—only makes a great car better. Though it can’t touch a Porsche Cayenne Turbo in the acceleration department, a Supercharged’s power comes on in a satisfying surge. A well-controlled ride and quick steering would be appropriate in any sport-oriented luxury car, and despite its high center of gravity, a Range Rover can be driven aggressively on winding roads—throwing it through turns is exhilarating.

Everyone in Morocco seems to be going somewhere. They walk, ride donkeys sidesaddle, and crowd onto mopeds or horse-drawn carts. Almost no one has a car. The few automobiles on the road tend to be ancient Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot taxis, and typically occupied four-across—even in the front seat. Nearly every Moroccan I encounter waves, and before long waving to strangers becomes second nature.

The general lack of motorized traffic makes high-speed jaunts along the region’s well-maintained network of blacktops tempting. But I’m monitoring the speedometer. Earlier, one of the Land Rover guides issued an emphatic warning about speed traps in the region surrounding Essaouira, a fortified city located due west of Marrakech and down the coast from Casablanca. But I soon realize that the speed traps are not difficult to spot; generally, police officers—the jackets of their stylized French Foreign Legion uniforms sporting exaggerated cuffs—stand next to small, white Citroën vans, pointing radar guns. Already conspicuous, they further reduce the odds of catching anyone by selecting positions on the way out of crowded towns, where common sense dictates a moderate pace.

Navigation systems prove indispensable in a country where road signs seem nonexistent. The Navteq system in our cars is incredible, noting even the dirt tracks that hardly qualify as trails. A glance at the screen regularly displays a maze of accurately mapped "unnamed" roads. Without such navigation assistance, I would never find my way back to our base in Essaouira. Founded in the 14th century by the Portuguese (who called it Mogador), the large town underwent a dramatic transformation in the 18th century when a sultan re-imagined the place in the dual functions of fortress and port. The waterfront battlements dating from this extensive program still exist, as does the protected harbor, which welcomed Muslim, Jewish and Christian merchants; an ecumenically-minded city gate near the harbor features symbols of all three faiths.We cannot drive into the old city center. Completely encircled by crenellated walls, it contains a grid of narrow pedestrian streets crowded with spice and fish markets, innumerable vendors and a bustling populace. Our hotel, the L’Heure Bleue Palais (www.heure-bleue.com), sits just inside the walls, and occupies a four-story structure dating from the 19th century. Small windows dot the hotel’s relatively non-descript whitewashed façades, but colonnaded galleries surround a lavish courtyard of fountains and palm trees. In the morning, calls to prayer echo off the front of L’Heure Bleu from the mosque across the street; at the back of the hotel, however, I hear only the insistent crowing of roosters.

The day’s route takes me inland, where crumbling fortresses of red-hued stone and ancient villages dot the low hilltops. I head to Argantou, an oasis located in a deep ravine and accessed by yet another unnamed road consisting of shallow steps carved into stone. With crumbling, ancient walls close on either side, it takes some patience and care to wind down a pathway more suited to horses than cars. The Land Rovers are mechanically up to the challenge—only their width and pristine paint jobs cause concern.

It’s impossible to go anywhere without seeing goat-herders in the local costume: monk-like robes with hoods that rise to a point. I know they’re designed to combat the chill and the strong winds that sweep across the hilly landscape, but the ubiquity of pointed hoods lends a quasi-mystical sensation—the Range Rover feels almost like a UFO hovering through an alien place. I ask a local if the design of the pointed hoods has any significance, some special meaning. I expect a profound insight to Moroccan culture, and receive a decidedly practical rationale. "It’s probably easier to sew them that way," she says. The ethos parallels the glamorous Range Rover’s purpose-built nature.

A lengthy wade through a shallow river follows our lunch of lamb stew at Argantou, as does some serious rock crawling. Driving over rocks demands an entirely different sensibility than driving on sand: While pressing the gas pedal to the floor is a regular occurrence among the sand dunes, for instance, it’s rarely even tapped when negotiating a rocky trail. With Terrain Response dialed to the proper setting, I prepare for the slow-moving journey the top of the hill. It will take several minutes to cover the same distance that took scant seconds on the sand. With the assistance of Land Rover guides, who use a simple set of hand signals to direct minute adjustments to the steering wheel, I navigate the $92,750 car through a complicated series of rocky switchbacks. Making the experience even more remarkable, I accomplish this feat in the comfort of the Range Rover’s beautifully appointed interior. The manufacturer slightly remodeled the leather-swathed cabin for the 2007 model year with a new dashboard design, a revised climate control system and available ventilated seats. Though subtle, the changes make a noticeable improvement.

Before my flight back to London, I have the chance to traverse a muddy field. (Yes, there’s a Terrain Response mode for that, too.) When a photographer requests some shots of the car on a low beachfront bluff, I descend the rain-soaked incline all the way to the bluff’s edge. Afterwards, it’s an easy hike back up to the pavement. This detour underscores for me a Range Rover’s real value: The ability to go just about anywhere on a whim and—more importantly—remain confident in the knowledge that you’ll be able to get back.

Land Rover, 800.346.3493, www.landroverusa.com
Land Rover Experience Driving Schools, 800.239.0533, www.landroverusa.com/drivingschools