 TriNation Escape and hushed their way through wildlife sanctuaries in the Wild Escape. Needless to say, our vehicles have a lot of stories to tell.
The Mahindra Adventure fleet comprises of various Mahindra 4WDs. But it is the Mahindra Scorpio VLX 4WD that forms the backbone of our fleet. When you arrive to drive, it is the Mahindra Scorpio that becomes your home for the next few days. The easiest way to recognise Mahindra Adventure vehicles is by the characteristic orange stripes of the Mahindra logo on the sides. And if you see one with headlights on, watch out because the expedition convoy is on the way.
Mahindra Thar CRDe 4x4
The Mahindra Thar combines the legendary off-road ability of the MM540 with the modern drivetrain of the Mahindra Scorpio. You will usually find them in the front and back of the convoy ensuring your safety and providing some vital automotive eye candy throughout the expedition. They’ve been customised appropriately for the kind of rough use they go through. We promise when you look at our Thars, you’ll want one. We also have specially prepared Mahindra Thars that you can drive at the Mahindra Adventure Off-Road Training Academy.
Mahindra Scorpio VLX 4WD
The Scorpio forms the backbone of our fleet and these are the ones you pilot on our expeditions. All our Scorpios are top-end VLX.
Mahindra Bolero SLX 4x4
The ubiquitous Mahindra Bolero is no stranger to India. You’ve seen them running around in every corner of the country. But our Boleros are special, first they are 4x4s which are rare and they are SLX trim 4x4s which aren’t available any more so they are a little exclusive too. The Boleros do duty as support vehicles in the Great Escapes and the Mahindra Adventure Rally team. They are also used on shorter expeditions like Authentic Goa where you could get a chance to behind the wheel of this truly rugged workhorse.
Mahindra XUV5OO W8 AWD
The cheetahs as we lovingly call them are used for official duties during the expeditions. All our XUV5OOs are top-of-the-line W8 AWD. We knock them about not only during the expeditions but also follow the rally routes during the Indian Rally Championship (IRC) and other raid-rally events. 140bhp worth of mHawk ensures we get there almost as quickly as our rally cars.
Mahindra Getaway 4WD.
Mahindra SuperXUV5OO
You’ll hardly ever see them unless you open a newspaper and see their exploits in rallies around the country. The current INRCSUV champion has been running rings around lighter, petrol-powered competition ever since it hit the scene. It may slightly resemble the domesticated XUV5OO that you’ll see during the expedition, but underneath these special cheetahs have lots of goodies. If you ever see a blur of orange and silver on a rally stage, it’s probably a SuperXUV5OO on its way to the podium. These mean machines are piloted by the best drivers in the business – Gaurav Gill, Sunny Sidhu and Amittrajit Ghosh.
Mahindra Navistar Truxo 25.
Special Vehicles Unit
The special vehicles unit comprises of vehicles which we use during expeditions, rallies and off-road events. These vehicles have their own names and personalities and are far from standard. We lovingly maintain them and keep them away from prying eyes. Ask for their keys at your own risk. We’re a nasty bunch when it comes to these vehicles.
Adventure One
This is what the Chief of Adventure Initiatives – Bijoykumar.Y drives. It’s a 2011 Mahindra Thar fitted with a rally cabin. Finished in matt British racing green and some tasteful white stripes along with purposeful Maxxis Bighorn 764s, Adventure One not only looks the part but also goes like stink. Mostly found in lead position during expeditions. If you see this around, rest assured ‘chief’ has one eye on her.
Baby
Baby is one of the newest Mahindra Thars. Made its first appearance on the pages of BBC TopGear magazine in 2012. She’s built not only to off-road but also lead expeditions. Chipped, lifted and equipped with a hardtop and locking rear differential, Baby is more than capable of climbing lots of stuff you’d only dream of otherwise. Maintained by Vinod Nookala – Brand Manager Thar, she can be spotted pulling people out of trouble during the numerous Mahindra Great Escapes around the country.
Blackie
A veteran of the Himalayas, this 2011 Mahindra Thar and has the title of being the most tweaked Thar in India today. We lovingly call her Blackie thanks to her matte black paintjob. Most of her bodywork is fibreglass. Apart from the regular chipping, lifting, she’s also the only Thar in India with a coil spring rear suspension. She’s one of the few Thars that run on road-biased tyres since her duty is only to lead the convoys to Ladakh. We have a hardtop on her as well as a rally exhaust. So she’s loud, so loud that you have to wear ear plugs when you drive. Ask Manish Sarser – Head of the Off-Road Training Academy who swears he hears less on one side. Do anything but don’t ask him for the keys.
Super Thar / Thar mHawk
These two are rarely seen. The Super Thar is the rally version of the Thar. Much on the same lines as the SuperXUV5OO. She runs rally-spec suspension along with many other goodies which we can’t tell you about. Because we’d have to kill you if we told you. The Thar mHawk is also one of a kind. Don’t start jumping, it’s not coming into production…yet. Both are finished in traditional orange and white, consider yourself lucky if you ever get to see one of these.