If you’ve ever seen an ad for a side-by-side, it’s likely they showed it going fast, jumping sand dunes, and carving corners. While side-by-sides are really fun to go fast, they do have a low-range.

Zooming through the sand dunes of Pismo Beach, California, I steer toward the bowl. I give more throttle, and skim around the inside of the wall. With my peripheral vision, I see the sky to my right ...