For a vast majority of travel and adventure-oriented auto enthusiasts, it’s often not the capability of their machines, but their own preconceived notions that deter them from venturing out and exploring new vistas. Quite a few amongst us are often of the opinion that you need a proper, rugged 4×4 to explore uncharted territories. The truth, however, cannot be farther away from that conception. More than 95 percent of the territory that you could traverse in a proper 4×4, can also be taken into stride by a 2WD, with sufficient guidance from an able, experienced man behind the wheel with good judgment of course.
The question here isn’t really as to where all your 2WD cars cannot take you, but rather what terrains, surfaces, and conditions would you deliberately avoid. For the inaccessible areas you wish to explore, you can often find an alternative, less treacherous route. You don’t always have to take a surface head-on – finding your way around the most treacherous terrain, through less challenging surfaces more often than not gets the job done for you.
Understand this one simple thing, if you are really out there all by yourself, truly ‘exploring’ uncharted territories, taking a challenging terrain head-on, even your proper 4×4 may get stuck in the process, and you’d end up being stranded in the middle of nowhere. What’s more important is judgment, skill, and experience. What I am trying to say here is, your fondness for adventure and exploration isn’t defined by the car you own. Instead, it is your study of the topography, surface, and traction conditions of an area that would help you navigate to places that would be deemed inaccessible by everyday drivers. Personally, I have been around almost every nook and cranny of Maharashtra, and over ninety-five percent of all of these exploratory trips have been undertaken in everyday two-wheel-drive cars. So never underestimate what your everyday two-wheel drive car can do for you.
Case in point is the humble WR-V, which I recently took out for an exploratory trip from Mumbai to the inviting, pristine valleys in the vicinity of Nashik. I venture out around this area often, as there is a lot to explore and unlike the hilly regions close to Lonavala, Pune, or Mahabaleshwar, these areas aren’t too inhabited, thus not too commercialized either. Such trips, whenever I undertake, are often without a destination in my mind. I simply put a finger on a region that I haven’t hitherto explored and venture out. I generally try keeping a day or sometimes two in reserve just so I have enough time to explore everything if I stumble upon a little piece of heaven that appeals to me.
I typically prefer simple machines while being out on such jaunts, as it prevents gathering unwanted attention while traveling through the hinterlands. Smaller machines generally mean that you get good fuel efficiency as well. And the WR-V simply excels in that aspect. The diesel variant that I was behind the wheel of boasts an ARAI efficiency figure of nigh 24 km/l and it certainly reflects in its real-world efficiency numbers as well. A leisurely, slow drive through the picturesque Sahyadris returned a consistent 18-19 km/l to me which translated into a range of nearly 750 km on a full tank of fuel. This meant I didn’t have to bother looking for a fuel pump even when I was in the remotest parts of the region I was trying to unravel.
On the contrary, it has happened many times to me that fancier SUVs with their big 2-liter turbo petrol engines, especially the ones equipped with 4x4s and automatic transmissions offer dismal efficiency numbers which sometimes dip down to as low as 5-6 km/l. Not only does it increase the expenses many fold, it also sometimes ruins the whole idea of exploration with the range anxiety playing heavily on your mind. You are constantly bothered about keeping track of the available range and the nearest fuel pump rather than steering into every beautiful looking turn without a bother in the world about the remaining kilometers your car can do.
In that context, a sub-4 meter diesel SUV is ideal, as it offers efficiency and compactness comparable with a hatch, with some added space, a more rugged build, and a lot more ground clearance. The WR-V was especially impressive with its phenomenal fuel efficiency and an engine that packs tons of low-end torque, which minimizes gearshifts, further enhancing efficiency.
About the engines, I prefer diesels to petrols in the real world for their low-end torque, fuel efficiency and tractability is a lot better than petrol motors. It’s a shame that diesels are going out of production as petrol engines can neither match the diesels for their efficiency nor for the low-end torque or the mid-range punch. The low-end torque on diesel motors endows them with the capability to handle gradients and climbs on kutcha surfaces with aplomb, and the WR-V too delighted me with its 200 Nm of torque available from as low as 1750 rpm.
As I meandered around nameless country roads, sometimes venturing into steep climbs leading to the hilltops, which are otherwise inaccessible using tar-top roads, the advantages of a torquey motor with ample foot-pounds at low revs made itself all too evident. With sufficient torque lower down the rev range, inadvertent wheelspin is largely restricted and a vehicle can pull its weight up the altitude even on low traction surfaces with relative ease. Honda’s i-DTEC engine has always been exceptional in this department with hardly any turbo lag, offering torque in spades lower down the rev range. A super slick gearbox that’s a delight to use also does its bit in making the WR-V a super convenient machine to row.
A decent enough ground clearance of 190mm on the WR-V which handled most challenges just fine, along with great visibility all around helped me navigate my way around some challenges effectively. For the ones which cast doubt on my judgment, I duly got down from the car and made sure I played the spotter myself before making the car traverse the visibly treacherous grounds. In addition to offering great space and airy interiors on the inside, the WR-V is also one of the most nicely sprung cars around, offering great comfort even when you have rather unsettling terrains underneath you.
While a lot of other cars offer great ride and handling, when you are driving over unpaved terrain, a slightly softer suspension setup comes in handy. Sure, the WR-V doesn’t have the most athletic set of wheels when you wish to go fast around a set of bends, but it goes about its job just fine on well-paved surfaces while also offering a good balance between plush ride quality and good handling. But take it on rougher surfaces, and its cushier suspension makes its advantages all too evident.
While driving two-wheel drive cars, I am generally fine venturing off the road onto unpaved surfaces as long as the terrain is firm, offering sufficient traction. In wet conditions, however, you need to be careful of the type of soil, the sogginess of the surfaces, and the available traction. While wet, firm sand is often fine, the red clay-like soil, what we often call mud in its wet form has the tendency to turn into a slimy, sticky paste which often renders the tires of your 2WD car tractionless. Always be careful before you take your car out on such surfaces, or you’ll be left with a pair of two wheels that keep spinning in one place.
In that context, wet grass can also be very deceptive, so make sure you get down from the car and feel how firm the surface is beneath the wet grass. If it’s soggy, do NOT tread the surface in your car. The tires of your car would bog down in no time and you’d soon require human or mechanical help to retrieve your equipment. Over surfaces that aren’t too firm, do not apply too much gas, and negotiate the surface at a constant, gentle pace. Throttle control is extremely important as you go off the road. Always remember the golden rule of off-roading – go as slow as possible, and past fast as required.
So the next time someone tells you that you need to have a capable, 4×4 off-roader to go out and explore the world around you, don’t take their word for it. By all means, venture out, get off the road as long as lack of traction is not an issue. Your humble two-wheel drive is more capable than you assume it to be. Use discretion, be careful, and don’t put your machine in harm’s way.
Having said that, most surfaces that look inaccessible looking at them from a distance are navigable. All you need is some experience, a proper survey on foot to assess the extent of the challenge, and the mindset to navigate your way around the problem area if direct access doesn’t work out. Go ahead then, take your machine out and explore the enchanting wonders of the countryside. You’d be surprised at what you’ve been missing all this while!