Most of all, trust the system. With some trepidation, I feather the accelerator to crawl the vehicle to the descent, and then let off. Like magic (or in reality, high tech), the Land Rover slowly and confidently makes its way down the narrow, steep dirt trail, at less than 3 miles per hour. Corns says it’s much safer to let the vehicle do its thing (calling the mechanisms its “Thinkalator”) in this instance. In S1 gear, the vehicle knows how much brake to apply to each wheel in order to have as much control as possible. If the driver was controlling the brake pedal, all four wheels would stop at the same time, possibly locking up the wheels and increasing the chance of sliding off the trail. Corns’ rule of thumb for off-roading? “As slow as necessary, as fast as possible,” he says. In addition to looking left, right, front and back, drivers must also look above for any low-hanging tree limbs. And watch out for those side-view mirrors. It’s safe to say Corns knows a thing or two about Land Rovers. He’s the lead instructor of the Land Rover Experience at The Quail in Carmel Valley, where adventure-seekers from across the globe visit to go off-roading in the latest and greatest from the British auto manufacturer. Beginners will walk away with terms such as “departure angle” and “articulation” becoming part of their regular vocabulary, while experienced off-roaders will discover the rapidly evolving tech that’s making the activity more accessible. No off-roading experience is necessary. My first official off-roading experience had only come days before during the Life Time Sea Otter Classic at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where I got the chance to take a Ford Bronco on a dirt course for less than 10 minutes. Here at The Quail, I got a full hour experience, where I felt my confidence ERIK CHALHOUB Modern off-road vehicles enjoy a slew of technological features that assist on the trail. Here, Brenton Corns shows how a Land Rover Defender’s suspension height can be adjusted with a few taps on a screen. 16 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY ® HAVEN 2026-2027 Everyone Loves Butter! Lemon Curd & Blueberry Pancakes Carne Asada Fried Rice Bacon Breakfast Burrito 831-394-2887 Everyone Loves Butter! Open Everyday 6am-2:30pm It’s time Seaside is no longer the evil step sister of Monterey but the Cinderella - Benny & Susan Lemon Curd & Blueberry Pancakes 1760 Fremont Blvd. B-1 Seaside EbQ Pork Belly Adobe Fried Rice Open Everyday 6 am-2 pm View Menu Join Waitlist ButterHouse_1-2h_FG25_KB.indd 1 3/11/25 4:42 PM
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