During the pandemic we decided to try off-roading and prepare ourselves for overlanding type excursions as a precursor to what we want to do more of once we retire. After bingeing on the Long Way series featuring Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman traversing the world by motorbike, I fancied ourselves engaging in something similar but in a classic Defender (yes, I can see your eyes rolling, but it’s such an iconic vehicle).
We didn’t get that classic Defender, but we got something we hope will be just as fun—a modern reboot of the old classic. In previous years we had taken our old SUV on dirt or unmarked tracks through BLM land but nothing hard-core like rock crawling or water crossings that really tested the capabilities of a true off-road vehicle. Now that we had finally taken possession of our 2022 Defender, we were looking forward to trying more serious off-roading. Opportunity presented itself when we happened to be in Carmel celebrating my birthday! We remembered that Land Rover had an Experience Center nearby and wondered if they would have availability on such short notice. Luckily for us, they had one the next morning.
We booked a 2-hour experience that was the perfect introduction to the Defender’s many off-road features. From the parking lot we followed the instructor onto the course set in the hillside across the street from the Quail Lodge.
Our first lesson was reviewing the various technologies built into the car and the purpose of each one. Once we had a better understanding of the different controls, it was time to put theory into practice. We followed in our Defender as the instructor drove his own Land Rover through a basic course that allowed us to experience navigating through ruts, rounding tight corners, and going up and down hills. Chris and I took turns driving, and I remember at one point the instructor guided me on a turn that had me off camber by 16 degrees—it was crazy! I had never experienced anything like that before, and my brain was trying to reconcile the sensation of feeling like the car was on the verge of tipping over while simultaneously being told that the car was designed to handle this kind of situation.
Another fun part of the course was going down one particularly steep hill. When I was lined up at the top, the instructor’s voice came on the walkie-talkie to guide me through the process for going down: with my foot on the brake and the truck already in low-gear mode, set the gear to S1, then engage hill descent mode at the lowest speed; when I was ready, take my feet off the brake and let the car drive itself down the hill. My only task was to keep the steering wheel steady. The idea is, the car can decide better than a human when best to brake, or not. Talk about putting your faith in technology. It was amazing—the car started slowing moving down the hill in a really controlled manner. Before I knew it, I was at the bottom.
Two hours flew by and soon we were waving goodbye to our instructor and heading back to San Francisco. We had such a blast we knew we would definitely do it again.
Read about our half-day experience at Land Rover Experience Center Quail Lodge here.
Additional Info
- Land Rover operates Experience Centers in the following locations: California, North Carolina and Vermont.
- The one in California is near Carmel.
- You don’t have to be a Land Rover owner to experience a day out on the course. You can book a package where they provide the vehicle.