Mahindra Adventure Off-Road Training Academy: Kicking Up A Dust Storm

Off-roading is a skill that only a few dare to learn and even fewer dare to hone. Off-roading isn’t simply driving on broken surfaces once the tarmac runs out. It is far more technical than most would have you believe. Hitting the right spot at the right time with the right amount of power is essential and the main catalyst for the adrenaline being pumped into your system. So no wonder that it is an adventure that only keen enthusiasts can connect with.

Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) is one automaker that primarily concentrates on building utility vehicles. And the company’s 4x4s have always enjoyed an almost cult following. While the home-grown auto giant appreciates that, it also wants its customers to be safe and prepared to withstand any driving-related crises. That’s where the Mahindra Off-Road Training Academy comes in which also happens to be India’s first and only off-road training academy. So it’s a no brainer I grabbed the opportunity to represent Zigwheels and get a taste of the training school for myself. As the name suggests, the camp is designed to teach drivers on how to tackle tough terrains when going off-road.

I had to travel all the way to a town called Igatpuri. Located nearly 40km south-west of Nashik, Maharashtra, M&M has a huge landscape (nearly 30 acres), most of which is carved out as a playground for adventure-seeking off-roading enthusiasts. Three different levels of training courses are offered - Getting Dirty, Trail Survivor (the one I was signed for) and Global Explorer.

Day 1

Our trainer shared three basic rules. One, just because the Thar has a 4x4 drivetrain, doesn’t make it invincible. Two, you must learn the limits of the car because only then you will be able to trust it. Three, if you are not sure about whether you will be able to cover an obstacle or not, opt out.

After the initial training was over, which included theory on the three transfer modes of the gearbox - 2WD high, 4WD high and 4WD low, we were introduced to the cars. While the fleet included multiple modern day Thar SUVs with CRDe 4x4 powertrains, there were also a couple of old, out of production, military-spec Mahindra Jeeps. The idea was to showcase how a vehicle, which has been conceived specifically to tackle rough terrains differs from the modern day ones, which have to work on an ‘all-rounder’ recipe.

We were told that the Mahindra Major, a military-spec off-roader and the oldest of the lot, was the best off-roader and is an idiot-proof SUV. As soon as I heard the latter, I grabbed the keys to it!

The first one was called Home Run and it was simply a near-vertical nose drop obstacle, with a depth of about six feet, that we had to climb down, make a 3-point turn and climb back up again.

The next obstacle was called Zig-Zag Hill - a mix of left- and right-handed turns, with sudden crests and dips, in an oval-shaped track. With the Mahindra Major, both the tracks were easily completed. All I needed to ensure was to not use the brakes on the way down and trust the vehicle’s 4WD low driving mode. On the way back, keep the second gear engaged and accelerate only once the climb begins. On finishing both the tasks, we retired for the day and left for a hotel in Nasik.

Day 2

The second day began with with a bit more in-depth theory about tips and tricks which can come handy if the vehicle gets stuck over a rough terrain. For the rest of the obstacles, I wanted to try my hands on a modern Thar 4x4.

The first obstacle was called Short Cut. It included a much shorter zig-zag muddy oval track, which had a much steeper climb at the beginning and an almost vertical but not-so-deep drop half-way. The modern day Thar was different to drive as compared to Major. Although it handled similarly on the way down hill, it needed to stay in first gear for climbing up hill, with 4WD low engaged.

Next up was a track called Rock Crawl. It was slightly different to the tracks we covered earlier as it featured tighter turn angles and rocky terrain, as compared to sand and mud in all the others. We were asked to follow a racing line while making turns and avoid over-revving the engine as the rocks could damage the car.

On completion, we were given a crash course on various hand-signals used to guide a driver out of trouble. Post that, we moved on to the next exercise called Spotting, which included us to follow hand-signals being given by our trainer and based on those alone, cross a muddy ditch.

The next one was called Blind Zone. The exercise included a climb with a mixture of muddy crests and troughs, tight corners and rocky patches. The idea behind this track was to revisit all the driving skills learnt and apply them when you don’t know the track.

After our lunch break, we headed straight to the last obstacle for the day. It was called Railway Crossing. It got its name because it was carved out right next to a railway crossing. Although it was again an uphill climb track, the difference was that it had a wet-muddy terrain. It is here when we felt the difference between 2WD high and 4WD low power-modes. We were asked to approach the climb with 2WD high engaged. After a certain amount of climb, the car refused to move ahead. Then we engaged the low range gearbox to 4WD low mode, which delivers all the available torque at much lower rpm via all four wheels. Once done, the vehicle managed to pull itself up the hill without a hiccup.

Comparing the two generations of off-roaders isn’t fair. The Mahindra Major was easily the best of the lot. It felt more planted, thanks to its live-axle setup on which the leaf-spring suspension was bolted on. The Thar, on the other hand, was potent enough but felt a bit out of its comfort zone. You get the feeling that the key ingredients which transforms a 4WD car to a good off-roader where taken off just to make it more friendly for everyday driving. The Thar has coil springs in it’s suspension recipe and wheels aren’t connected to each other through a common metal rod (live-axle). This makes the ride quality on normal roads far superior to that of the Major’s. Let’s put it this way - The Thar is designed to be the best of both worlds - off-roading and day-to-day driving, whereas the Major was built only to tackle the rough stuff.

We all passed the training of the intermediate course with participation certificates given from Mahindra - a souvenir to remember the terrific experience. For beginners, the challenging exercises do look tough but once you start trusting your vehicle and learn its limits, you start enjoying the adventure. That’s what I experienced and I would love to go back and do it all over again.