Toyota Fortuner Legender, Mahindra Thar 3 Door Climb Obstacle But Thar ROXX, Gurkha FAIL [Video]
Desi off-roading videos are becoming a thing these days. Youtubers love to show off their off-road skills, no matter how good, bad or pathetic they are, driving various SUVs often done and filmed in groups. It is always a best practice to go off-roading in groups. There have been many instances of people doing crazy off-road mods on their SUVs and taking them to where they belong. We have seen machines slay, struggle and fail. A recent video shows a tight off road session with a convoy that consists of a Thar 3 door, Thar Roxx, Force Gurkha and the Fortuner Legender.
The video shows these SUVs being taken to what looks like a desi off-road track. It looks like a plantation with a lot of loose sand, and greenery around. The terrain has gradations- small hills and steep slopes. The SUVs are seen climbing on these and sometimes doing some sort of dune-bashing.
Initially, all the SUVs are seen tackling the obstacles with ease. However, as you move further in the video, the vehicles are seen trying to climb a steep incline. While it is difficult to guess the gradient angle, it is something most SUVs will find challenging to tackle. The Fortuner makes the climb without much drama.
Next comes the 3-door Thar which struggles a bit but finally makes it to the top. The efficient 4-wheel drive system, torquey engine, short wheelbase, and good approach, departure and break-over angles, help it get to the top.
Then comes the new Thar Roxx. It struggles to make it halfway through the obstacle and gets stuck. When the driver tries to accelerate further, all it does is to have the wheels dig deep into the sand, sinking the vehicle. Likely recovered by an accompanying vehicle, it heads for another try and meets with the same fate again.
The failure of Thar Roxx could be attributed to two key factors- lack of momentum and long wheelbase of the vehicle. In all cases, the driver wasn’t carrying enough momentum when coming in contact with the obstacle for the first time. There was not enough room available for it to accelerate properly and gain ample momentum.
This likely made it run out of juice and come to a halt mid-way. Momentum plays a major role in off-roading. The generic rule here could be ‘ Go as slow as you can, and as fast as you need to ‘. Failing to stick to these could stall your engine or land you in static/stuck situations such as this.
The second would be the wheelbase. The three-door Thar has a wheelbase of 2,450mm while the Roxx has an additional 400 mm. It spans 2,850 mm in wheelbase. This added length between the axles has generated more room and comfort on the inside. It has, however, limited the off-road abilities.
The breakover angle here is 23.6 degrees, while on the 3-door, it is a better 26.2 degrees. If you have been into off-roading, you would obviously know the unfair advantage that short-wheelbase vehicles have over standard-wheelbase ones on terrains. The 3-door Jimny has its huge popularity partly due to the abilities bestowed on it by the short wheelbase. It doubles up as a reason to hate the 5-door as well.
Coming back, another factor that could have influenced or contributed to the fail would be driver expertise. The driver’s skills matter a lot in off-roading. Even in this video, finally, the Roxx is seen making it to the top, with repeated efforts and fresh strategies from the driver.
Besides the Roxx, the Force Gurkha 4x4x4 also failed to triumph over the obstacle. In this case, however, we think it to be the ‘rather underpowered’ engine responsible for the fail. Or it could be the driver skills, as the Gurkha is generally an extremely capable off-roader.
Summing it up, if you plan to hit the terrains, it is advised to do proper math on what to buy before investing, and to further hone your skills on a dirt or off-road track.