Introduction

When the intent is to go across mountains, climb down valleys, cross rivers, and take on the unknowns of the jungles in an automobile, but without using any man-made infrastructure, how would you prepare yourself? The answer should ideally include everything from heavily modified SUVs with loads of power, to custom built monster trucks.

Some might actually start by asking, why should one attempt such a thing in the first place? And the answer can be anything from having fun to taking up a challenge or simply preparing for the apocalypse. Since it is evident that none of these are a matter of making money or a matter of comfort, how about using something extremely humble and bare bones, not because we are short of money or without access to the 500bhp machines, but because with the right training that is all you would need.

At Mahindra Adventure's training academy in Nashik we were trained how to tackle these difficulties in the Thar and boy we took this hill climber for one wild ride.

Day 1

Located somewhere in the hills of Igatpuri, we reached the Mahindra Adventure Off-Road Training Academy which is India’s first and only dedicated off-road training centre. The special track is made in the 28acres of private land just behind their R&D centre and the gates were thrown open for us to take the Thar CRDEs and get dirty.

Manish Sarser, our trainer immediately put us to the task, guiding us to drive to a higher point in the region from where the entire area could be seen and there we were handed the 4X4 training manual. The manual listed a lot of information, right from the basics to knowing the different techniques and their applications and how to recover and stay safe.

How to cross an obstacle

How to cross an obstacle

I started with our first beginner obstacle course where Manish showed us how to get into a ditch and come out of it with the Thar. The three basic things to be understood here were - approach angle, breakover angle and departure angle. The approach angle is the angle between the front bumper and the front tyre. The vehicle can climb steeper slopes with ease if the value of the angle is high.

It seemed simple at first, but when I entered the ditch with the Thar in 2WD mode it got stuck as the power was being delivered to the rear wheels only. This is when I switched to the 4H mode and the power delivery went to the front axle as well. The Thar comes equipped with automatic hub locks which get engaged when we select 4WD. With a bit of the right technique and making optimum use of the throttle, the Thar came out of the ditch comfortably.

It was evening and it became very dark by the time all the participants finished this activity. I thought we would just call it a day and head back to the hotel rooms, but to my surprise, Manish informed us that as a part of Trail Survivor Mission, we would go off-roading in the dark as well! We were going to take some of the toughest patches in the dark while the king of all terrains was set to revel in all its glory!

Zig-Zag and Idle Crawl

Zig-Zag and Idle Crawl

Zig-Zag and Idle Crawl, was what the Mahindra Adventure team had named it; it was the first proper intermediate level obstacle course. All I could figure out in the dark was that this activity involved a circular route while climbing a steep hill in a zig-zag manner. This route went to the edge of the hill and back to the starting point. The edge of the hill was a region from where a drop could land us on to the Mumbai-Nashik railway track if we were not careful.

The start of the path itself had a small ridge that required us to take the Thar diagonally over it. As I drove the Thar, one tyre entered the gap at a time preventing the first two tyres from entering at the same time but somehow the vehicle was beached. Further as I climbed the slope in 2WD mode, the car stopped and refused to go further. This is when I had to back up the car, put the car in 4WD mode and start again to go beyond the previous point I had got stuck at. However, to add to my despair as I pressed the accelerator, the Thar started slowing down and the spinning wheels only created more ruts (A rut is a long deep track made by the repeated passage of the wheels of vehicles). Manish instructed us to use the throttle to the minimum and maintain constant momentum while moving the steering slightly sideways. This vigorous movement of the steering wheel helped to offset the rut and I reached the edge of the steep slope.

Now the difficult task was to get the vehicle down without skidding or falling on to the railway tracks. We were explained how the vehicle should idle crawl with the help of engine braking. The vehicle's powertrain was given the task to maintain the speed of the vehicle without the use of brakes. We put the car in 4H mode and left the car on its own. We were warned not to even touch the pedals, failing which the car would unsettle. I trusted the Thar and surprisingly the Thar slowly found its way down the slope without skidding or any jerks. All I had to do is just steer the car.

Sarpanch

Sarpanch

When translated this word means ‘the head’. I guess, they called it that because they saved the best for the last event of Day 1.

Before we started driving on the route, we walked the path in the dark while Manish was pointing out a few things on the route that needed to be marked. It was a steep upward slope which ended near a wall at which point we had to reverse the car and return. Half way through, there was a huge rock in the way which surely would have hit the differential of the car if the right line was not followed. Pretty difficult to find the correct line in the dark we still started our Thars and started moving one by one. As expected, most of us followed the wrong line and ended lodging the differential of the car on the rock. Nevertheless, Manish guided us to move the car in the right line, put the Thar in 4L (four-wheel-drive low range) and idle crawl to complete the activity. It was after the completion of the activity that I realised why it was rightly called Sarpanch. It gave us an impression that it was an easy thing to complete but required us to use all our previous learning in one go.

After this exhilarating night-time exercise we headed to our hotel rooms to take rest and prepare ourselves for the next day.

Rush Pond

Day 2

Rush Pond

Day 2 had more adventure in store for us. The first activity of the day was Rush Pond. I had been secretly hoping to get to this part since the first day when I had noticed an artificially created pond and I so wanted to drive through it. Finally the time had come when we were supposed to do the same. The pond was dug up to make things difficult for the vehicles to go across. The vehicle given to us here was equipped with high level air intakes connected to a tall snorkel allowing the car to be driven through water. We were instructed to enter the pond as slow as we could.

Keeping a tab on my excitement level, I drove the Thar at a crawling speed to the edge of the pond in 4H mode, slotted the gear to second, released the clutch and kept the revs constant. This made sure the exhaust was clear of water entering in. I calmly waded through the pond while moving the steering and avoided keeping it straight. In hindsight, I am glad that I chose the hiking Quechua shoes for the event; else I would have had to say goodbye to my footwear as the water rushed into the cabin. Keeping the foot on the gas, I waded through the pond gradually and came out of it with a constant speed.

Level three-Beyond Bone Yard

Level three-Beyond Bone Yard

This activity didn't have a particular name that I can remember, but to reach this area we went across a narrow road that was named bone yard. We were told that this is one step beyond the intermediate stage of off-roading and here we would test our skills and patience. We had to go through a small puddle of slush and follow a path to climb a hill. The difficult part started when I entered small bushes and had to drive down a dried rocky riverbed. The Thar, again in first gear and 4H mode, entered the river bed and got stuck unevenly amidst the rocks. This activity required a spotter who could guide the driver how to mount the car on any rock and dismount it whenever required. We had to be very careful not to hit the differential and damage it. Manish himself guided us one by one by spotting each rock under the vehicle and helping us get the vehicle out.

Through the entire driving experience there were moments when we got stuck and had a difficult time getting out, but there wasn't a single time when we had to abandon any of the activity as the Thar just kept moving. Never did the Thar make me feel that it is going to break down, but kept asking for more of the rough terrain. The Mahindra Thar doesn't give up unless any human error proves to be an obstacle. No wonder the Indian Army uses it and validates it for its all-terrain-friendly drive.

My experience at the Mahindra Adventure camp was exhilarating! I learnt new things while honing the skills I'd already got. Especially how to do the wrong things the right way!