You wished you were that guy in the TV show who drives off the road, straight into the wild… with a camera strapped to the seat on the side. Stop there. Before you can traipse into the wilderness, we bring you a checklist applicable to an off road SUV to ensure you have the perfect off-roading experience – from the first to the always.
1. THE RIGHT ONE
Your vehicle is your partner; so the right SUV for the best experience is key. You can’t possibly find yourself in the woods (or slush) in a gorgeous sedan. Make sure the vehicle checks all boxes from the following:
- Ground Clearance: If you intend to go off-roading more often, choose a vehicle from a range of SUV cars in India with ground clearance appropriate for the drive.
- Drive: It works to your advantage if you picked one with an all-wheel or a 4-wheel drive.
- Traction Control: This means that you can keep moving forward regardless of what the ground condition is. How this works is by monitoring wheel spin, and adding torque to one or more tyres so they are constantly in motion.
- Locking Differential: In a regular scenario, not all wheels spin at the same time, and definitely not during a turn. A locking differential ensures both your wheels are spinning at the same rate, so that you are moving even if one wheel loses traction.
You can find some or all of these in any number of SUVs, but the best experience is, of course, served by the best in the lot – one that is calm, and can lend that state of mind to you as well. For instance, the Range Rover price is on the higher side but it is an SUV that is not only capable, but also composed. All this in a cabin that spells all things luxury.
2. Must-Have Ride Checks
Before every off-road journey you go on, there’s still a few checks that you need to do. Make sure your tyres are the right set meant for the trails you are about to tread. Another check that’s essential is to ensure your SUV’s suspension, brakes and electricals are all functioning at full capacity. As for the trails that go well into foggy nights, just make sure your lights are all in place, and you’re good to go.
3. Know Your Trail… Backwards
Take some time out to learn of your trail well enough. Make sure you start by picking a well-trodden trail, and then graduate to beating down a virgin path, instead of taking up something that is hard to negotiate right in the first few times. Nothing prepares you for surprises once you take to the wheel, but it is best to be a 100% sure before you take your vehicle out for the first time.
Read up on weather and soil conditions, prepare for flash floods or avalanches beforehand, and mark out areas that you can seek shelter in around your chosen trail.
4. Pack Smart
An off-roading experience means being cut off from the nearest petrol pump or grocery store, so stock up on everything possible – adequate food and water, a first-aid kit, and a spare tyre and repair kit. Your SUV should also enable you to navigate you into and out of the forest, but a handy map and compass works as a sound back up.
Lastly, share your GPS location with your folks, even as you keep emergency phone numbers and other contact details on your person.
We sign off with this: off-roading is fun if you are safe and careful. It’s a great weekend idea, if you’ve spent a few weekends investing in preparation. So, read up and sing to the country road!
Land Rover India 