SUV owners are often accused of being wasteful. And those who use their 5000-pound behemoths for nothing but to travel back and forth to work everyday probably are. But the right SUV purchase can also be the doorway to an adventurous lifestyle.

Land Rover invited journalists to Argentina to show how the LR3 can help customers trek off the beaten path and discover a new, vibrant way of life.

Land Rover called its adventure the “Road to the Clouds.” On our three-day, 375-mile odyssey, we learned about the LR3’s traction systems, off-roading techniques and the terrain, history and culture of Argentina.

The LR3 is one of the most capable SUVs on the planet. Elsewhere in the world, it is called the Discovery 3 and is available with a 2.7-liter turbo diesel that makes 190 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. That’s how our vehicles were equipped.

At the heart of the LR3’s off-road capability is its permanent four-wheel drive system with a standard locking center differential and an optional locking rear differential. By definition permanent four-wheel drive cannot be run in two-wheel drive mode and has a two-speed transfer case to provide high- and low-range gearing.

The LR3 also has a unique computer-controlled off-road system called terrain response. To allow the LR3 to best deal with various types of topography, terrain response monitors and adjusts the throttle mapping, transmission, locking differentials, air suspension, anti-lock brakes, traction control, anti-skid control and hill-descent control.

Terrain response has five modes that are chosen by the driver via a control knob on the center console: general, grass/gravel/snow, mud and ruts, sand, and rock crawl. In any mode, the system is constantly monitoring traction and torque and using the locking differentials to apportion power from rear to front and side to side in the rear to maintain traction. A graphic display on the dash shows when the differentials are locked and open.

Argentina is a large country with varied terrain, cultures and climates. Our adventure took place in early September in the northwest region, where travelers will find the Andes Mountains, high desert and picturesque river valleys.

The dirt roads and diverse landscape gave us a chance to use each setting of terrain response. Much of the trip was spent on gravel and dirt roads that were perfect for grass/gravel/snow mode. Depending on the amount of traction, this mode may start the vehicle in second gear. It also slows the throttle response, changes the shift points, and heightens the electronic stability control and ABS to move power to the wheels with traction. We found it worked well, getting us under way with ease and maintaining traction on these loose surfaces.

But dirt wasn’t all we encountered. Land Rover chose some of the wilder and least traveled roads in the region. They were sparsely traveled for a reason: They included some rocky hills that called for us to engage the rock crawl mode. The accompanying descents put hill-descent control to the test.

Rock crawl is terrain response’s most drastic mode. It raises the vehicle’s ride height via the air suspension, alerts the driver to select the transfer case’s low-range gearing, holds lower gears longer and slows throttle response. The result is a lot of torque at low speeds, which turns the LR3 into a billy goat that can crawl over just about any obstacle that will clear the front bumper.

What goes up must come down, and that’s where hill-descent control came in. To prevent the vehicle from gaining too much speed on steep slopes, HDC pulses the anti-lock brakes and holds a lower gear to induce engine braking. The system is set with the flick of a button, and you can even use the cruise control stalk to vary your speed from a baseline of about 2 mph up to 30 mph. We found it made steep descents worry free.

Our trip through Argentina’s varied terrain also called for us to ford several shallow river beds. For these instances, we used the mud and ruts mode, which slows throttle response, starts in second or even third gear, and dials back on braking to prevent the vehicle from sliding. It also turns on hill-descent control, giving the driver the option to turn it off.

From the river beds we entered sandy desert, which was a fine test for the sand mode. Sand mode may start in second gear to prevent the vehicle from digging in and getting stuck. It also provides the most aggressive throttle response from a stop and it only gets more aggressive as speeds increase. Lots of throttle is needed so drivers can maintain speed on sand, which is the key to making it through this type of terrain. We found it worked great on sand, but it was important to help out the system by staying on the throttle.

The terrain soon changed as we began climbing the Andes. Our goal was the 5000-kilometer (16,000-foot) peak at Acay. As we approached the peak, the road turned into no road at all. Instead, to climb the last 30 or so meters of altitude we had to cross a field of rocks. Here, it was important to drive slow, look ahead, and pick the path that kept us away from pointy rocks, which can puncture a tire.

After three days of hard driving, I had a greater respect for the off-road capabilities of the LR3 and the adventurous lifestyle a 4x4 can offer. If an off-roading adventure sounds appealing to you, Land Rover offers three types of factory-sponsored programs. The opportunities range from local dealer-run outings to a driving school to full-blown off-roading vacations. For more information, go to www.landroverusa.com.