In the forested hills above The Quail in Carmel Valley, I pilot a 2026 Land Rover Defender to the crest of a steep hill. My line of sight over the vehicle’s hood is nothing but tree branches; the dirt trail in front of the vehicle is nowhere to be seen. Brenton Corns is sitting shotgun. With a few taps on the vehicle’s center screen, a camera shows the road in front of the vehicle, revealing what occupants of the vehicle can’t see with their own eyes. Corns advises me to shift the Land Rover into the S1 gear, which limits the vehicle’s speed to just a few miles an hour and automatically controls its momentum on a descent. He then tells me to do something that two decades of driving experience has taught me otherwise: Keep both feet flat on the floor and don’t use the brake when going downhill. 14 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY ® HAVEN 2026-2027 THE QUAIL Terrain Treaders LAND ROVER EXPERIENCE AT THE QUAIL LEADS BEGINNING AND ADVANCED OFF-ROADERS ON A JOURNEY OFF THE BEATEN PATH. By Erik Chalhoub ERIK CHALHOUB Top: From steep cliffs to muddy pits, the Land Rover Experience at The Quail in Carmel Valley allows drivers to traverse different types of terrain alongside an instructor. Below: Brenton Corns, lead instructor of the Land Rover Experience, explains how to calculate a Land Rover Defender’s approach angle during a pre-drive training session. Such a measurement is important to determine how steep of a ramp the vehicle can approach without hitting the front end.
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