CarWale Off-Road Day 2016 An introduction

Welcome to the inaugural edition of boys day out. This is the CarWale Off-Road Day; an idea that sprung from bored editorial minds stuck in office. You see, when it rains, it pours in Mumbai. So, there’s very little you can do in terms of work. You can’t enjoy fast bikes or cars, the pictures don’t turn out well, and no matter how much protection you use, getting and staying wet becomes the norm. It is unpleasant.

We must therefore turn to indoor work, you know watching YouTube videos of sliding cars, Facebook gifs of jumping cats, and maybe write a few articles in between. But, as motoring journalists, to keep our motivation soaring and sanity intact, getting out is a must. So, when the team came up with the idea of getting completely drenched for a whole day with no real food or comfort on cards, we jumped at it. As a result, here we are at 19 Degree North at Aamby Valley, an off-roading venue so vast, so diverse and so challenging, not to mention still so accessible, anyone with a 4x4 can just arrive, pay up and drive. And just so ‘anyone’ can do this, we have brought together a collection of 4x4s at various price points to encourage you to go out and try it for yourself.

Let me then introduce you to our rides. And that’s exactly what this article is, an introduction. The individual and elaborate driving experiences of these machines will come as separate articles a little later. So keep that nose trained at CarWale.

Let’s start with the Renault Duster AWD. It is the same Duster that most people are buying – same chassis, same engine, and the same design. Only underneath, it gets a fully independent rear suspension and a capable all wheel drive system. Add to it fantastic visibility and off-roading in this one should be a piece of cake. Sixty metres down the trail, and it doesn’t seem like it. The thing is, the rain has washed away most of the mud off the trail leaving huge rocks in its wake. Now even though 19 Degree North has a full-fledged rescue system in place, the last thing I want to do is break the sump by being overzealous.

So, I stare skywards, pray and begin the crawl over these rocks. The Duster AWD goes over most without a bother. But, then a bigger rock stops our progress. And with this downhill trail sloping to one side and the Duster running road tyres, we begin to slide. Thankfully, an even larger rock catches the rear tyre and we stop. Shift to 4x4 Lock, gently get on the gas, and voila! we are through! Now I know I don’t need to worry with the Duster, then it be rocks, water wading or slush.

And so I jump into something that’s much larger, has more ground clearance, and of course, is a lot more luxurious: Ford Endeavour with the 3.2-litre diesel, an automatic, and all wheel drive. And immediately there’s a problem. The interiors of the Endeavour are all beige. And I am already pretty muddy. Ford clearly has a big challenge once this SUV goes back to service.

There’s another challenge. The high bonnet. So, while I deliberately didn’t want to look where I was going in the Duster for the fear of damaging it (yes, I know, it is an ostrich thing, so save the lecture), I don’t really have a choice driving the Endeavour. Its tall and wide stance felt great wading through water and taking on the rocky slopes. But, come a narrow incline followed by a drop, and I was as nervous as I am stealing my favourite chocolate cake from the fridge at night (I am on a wife-enforced weight-loss diet). I couldn’t see anything. And with it raining heavily now, my shotgun refused to step out as well. But we made it. And not just over blind crests, but through slush, slippery inclines and some serious axle articulation through the day. Only, we had to make three points turns almost everywhere…

With me now almost clean courtesy the dirt shed all over the Endeavour (sorry Ford), it was time to try out something more expensive; a legendary off-roader. Okay, the Discovery Sport isn’t legendary; in fact it’s too new to be anything of a legend. But, the Land Rover badge most certainly is. And from what I have read, watched (it’s that YouTube again), and to an extent experienced, Landie are truly your go-anywhere machines.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the gall to subject the Discovery Sport to the real hardcore stuff. Firstly, unlike Land Rovers of yore, which were capable courtesy their hardware, the Discovery Sport is all about electronics. And it came with road-biased tyres. But, mostly given its stratospherically high price tag, I just didn’t have the heart to even put it through narrow tree lined trails, just in case its paint got scratched. So taking on the more serious stuff – rocks, deep ruts or river crossing – was completely out of the question.

But, it did manage to complete our chalked out route, albeit at the hands of some braver souls in the team. For my part, apart from slushing about and tackling slippery inclines, I also did drive it to the venue.

I can guess what you might be thinking: A Mahindra after the Land Rover! Yes, but not any Mahindra, the most serious and capable off-roader it makes in production guise. The Thar. Sure, it was never going to be as comfortable or luxurious. And I’d have to deal with an awkward driving position and thousand turns lock-to-lock. Not to mention the constant rattles. But, after the initial pleasantries, the Thar just continues to impress.

It has a short wheelbase, high clearance, a robust 4x4 system complete with low ratio, and a much lower price tag than the Discovery. The latter instantly eased my senses as if I were injected with a tranquiliser. So, come that rocky (or should I say boulder-y) trail, the tree-infested slippery downhill slope, or even that deep-rutted axle articulation section, the Thar was put through all of it without a hint of bother. It is almost like a pair of Asolos (hiking boots, you can Google them). Take them where you will, treat them as you choose, and they will do your bidding. Only, the Thar isn’t as pampering on the inside…

…neither is the Polaris RZR800. In fact, the Polaris is even less so. It is more difficult to get in and out of than the Thar; there’s absolutely no room to move about; and the quality of plastic inside is appalling. But, we digress, because asking for quality, well-made, plush interiors of the RZR800 is like asking Yo Yo Honey Singh to compose a symphony; it is pointless and completely unnecessary. But, a foot-tapping Punjabi number, now that’s worth all the 4am after parties and a lungi dance.

The Polaris’ Punjabi number is its sheer ability to take on any terrain. It’s not the best for serious rock climbing for its belly can take a beating as a result, but everything else – slush, sand (of which we didn’t have any), rocks, river beds, you name it, and the RZR800 can traverse it all. It is also pretty hardy. Jump it, take it flat out on bumpy surfaces or through water, or just go rut hunting, and it makes child’s play of it all. So much so that after a while I got bored and switched to two wheel drive.

Then, I found myself a large, flat, slippery patch of dirt. What transpired thereafter is obvious – drift, drift and then some more of it. With its quick steering and lightweight nature, it was tremendous fun with no effort. I loved it.

This was just an entrée. The main course will be served up through the course of next week. Five courses Monday to Friday. So don’t forget to log on.

Pictures: Kapil Angane

Location courtesy: 19 Degree North.

An adventure sports outfit located at Aamby Valley City near Lonavla that offers activities like riding ATVs, paintball shooting, Zorbing, and Jungle Safari among others.

Click here to read about the Renault Duster AWD at the CarWale Off-Road Day 2016

Click here to read about the Land Rover Discovery Sport at the CarWale Off-Road Day 2016

Click here to read about the Ford Endeavour at the CarWale Off-Road Day 2016

Click here to read about the Mahindra Thar at the CarWale off-Road 2016