The scene was somewhat apocalyptic.
A wild fire in northern California that had been raging for days transformed the sky into a yellow spectacle that sprinkled ash onto the 2017 Nissan Titan Pro-4X Crew Cab 4Ă—4 trucks.
We were in no danger, but it lent an ominous edge to the off-road event in Carmel.
Once behind the wheel, any thoughts of the fire were quickly extinguished by the approaching mound that Nissan had erected as part of its off-road course (see video below).
“Push the locking diff button,” Lee McGee, Nissan’s off-road driving instructor, told me as I came to a stop a few yards shy of the course’s first obstacle.
The goal was to ride on the side of the mound at a precarious angle that made you wonder if gravity was going to be good to you that day. Of course, you know you’re going to make it, but there’s always that thought that you might be that one driver that ends up in that memorable YouTube video that you’ll never live down.
