Two months after our introductory lesson at the Land Rover Experience Center Quail Lodge, we had the opportunity to go back for their half-day experience. We think they forgot that they had already given us our new-owner discount and gave it to us again, so there we went! Shhhh—don’t tell them. This was more in-depth and had us driving on a different part of the course where we got to put more of the Defender’s off-roading capabilities to the test.
We practiced driving through mud and ruts. Some were long and deep, others came in an alternating pattern. It felt like a bumpy roller-coaster ride. That’s us in the back vehicle.
I got to experience a crazy maneuver that had me balancing the Defender, first with one front wheel off the ground, and then with one rear wheel in the air. Since I was in the car I couldn’t see what was actually happening, but I could tell from Chris’ voice and expression that it was insane. After watching the video, I couldn’t believe it. Talk about some acrobatic moves.
And this is the view from the back!
Our final lesson was a water crossing. This required more finesse to feel the resistance of the water and how much more throttle to apply. Chris got to practice a few times, and we’ll definitely need to practice more to really get these skills honed and burned in.
What we really enjoyed and appreciated about both our times at the Land Experience Center was that we got to learn what the Defender could actually handle. Prior to this, and had we gone out on our own and encountered any of the obstacles we saw on the course, we most likely would have turned around or found a different way around the hurdle thinking that it would be too dangerous to attempt. Not anymore!
Read about our introductory 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.