Even though SUVs are becoming extremely popular in the Indian market, most of the customers go for the 4X2 models due to the need and of course, the price of the vehicle. Even most 4X4 vehicle owners keep their cars on the tarmac and do not use the vehicle for the purpose they have been built for. Off-roading is not very popular in India, but it is slowly trending, and off-roading events and meet-ups have started to come up on a regular basis. Watch a bunch of Indian and international off-roading vehicles taking on the Desert Challenge.
The video is uploaded by Anshuman Bishnoi, and the event took place at a curated track which offered various challenges to the off-road vehicles. The video starts by showing a Polaris RZR taking on the course. Polaris RZR is an All-Terrain-Vehicle (ATV), and sadly, they are not road-legal. ATVs are extremely fun to drive, and the Polaris shows just that by taking on the course at high speed. It just zips across the whole course without a gulp. The Polaris ATVs are fully imported to India and are priced quite high. The base Polaris RZR is priced at around Rs. 14 lakhs, which is enough money to buy a good road-legal vehicle, but they would not be as much fun as this Polaris on the off-road tracks.
The next in the video is the Toyota Hilux pick-up truck. Interestingly, the Toyota Fortuner and the Toyota Hilux share the same platform, but the Hilux pick-up is not available officially in the Indian market. The Hilux is known as the most reliable Toyota vehicle in the world. It is a privately imported vehicle, and it took the course without any problem. The vehicle gets some mild modifications like aftermarket tyres and the snorkel. The Hilux is a very long pick-up truck, which affects the turning radius. The same did show in tight turn challenge where the Hilux had to take a three-point turn.
After the Hilux, the Toyota Land Cruiser Series 80 came to take the challenge, and it also went through the course like a breeze. The Land Cruiser Series 80 is a legendary vehicle and was discontinued in 1998. There are not many examples of the Series 80 Land Cruisers on the Indian roads. This specific SUV is heavily modified. It also took the tight corner in three turns just like the Hilux.
The video also shows other vehicles like a heavily modified previous-generation Toyota Fortuner, a Mahindra Bolero 4×4, an old-generation Jeep Cherokee petrol, a Toyota Land Cruiser Series 100 and an Isuzu D-Max V-Cross taking on the course and completing it without much problem. Interestingly, the Mahindra Bolero 4X4 is the most affordable vehicle in convoy and, it did quite well to go through the challenge. Currently, the Mahindra Bolero 4WD is only available with Direct Injection 2.5-litre engine, and there is no AC unit in the 4X4 Bolero. It is for the customers who want a rugged and no non-sense vehicle for daily use. Mahindra Bolero is extremely popular in Tier II and Tier III cities of India.
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