When off-roading is on one’s mind, the Great Indian Desert offers one of the most challenging terrains to do so. To experience the adrenaline rush and thrill of navigating the challenging topography of the desert is unparalleled. And when one is behind the wheel of the all-new Jeep Compass Trailhawk, an amazing drive is always on the cards. Read on to find out about this epic adventure!
What was so special about the Great Indian Desert Crossing?
The Trailhawk’s journey was unique on many counts. This was the first time an Indian production SUV drove across the Great Indian Desert. This trip covered 1200+ km one way and none of it was on any road. The Jeep drove across a variety of terrains, each with unique challenges. It covered territories that no civilian vehicle has covered, and in many ways highlighted the supremacy of this beast and how it truly can claim to be the modern age ‘ship of the desert’.
Here’s a quick break-up of the Trailhawk’s adventure: Alsisar – Bikaner – Mohangarh – Barmer – Rann of Kutch
The daredevil behind the wheel
Abhimanyu Alsisar, the scion of the house of Alsisar, in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan is the man behind this truly special journey of the Jeep Compass Trailhawk. He set off into the desert in this vehicle to challenge its performance across a wide variety of terrains. Abhimanyu and the Trailhawk have both come home with stories of facing the most extreme weather conditions in the country, across paths few would dare to tread.
The Trailhawk’s limits were put to test in the desert
Abhimanyu set out from his family palace in Alsisar, testing the Trailhawk on the mud dunes of the Shekhawati region. The 250 km of acacia-lined dry mud ground of the Shekhawati region in Rajasthan gave way to the soft sand of the Great Indian Desert, as the Jeep skirted around Bikaner. On the massive dunes of the desert, Abhimanyu lived his dream of dune bashing thanks to the Jeep’s endurance and control on such a difficult driving surface. Sand driving is possibly one of the most difficult, as any driver would know. But the Trailhawk’s sturdy alloy wheels and unrivaled 4x4 capabilities made the sand feel like hard ground. The duo spent the night in Bikaner, eager to find out what lay ahead of them in the morning
From the golden sands of the Great Indian Desert, the Jeep ascended the rocky outcrops of Mohangarh near Jaisalmer the next day. The effortless navigation of the dunes by Trailhawk was followed by a feeling of great comfort while ascending the rocky cliffs. After another exuberating day of life in the desert, Abhimanyu and the Trailhawk called it a day under a canopy of stars in Mohangarh.
Driving downhill: the real challenge
The next morning saw a grueling test for the Jeep, one that highlighted another unique feature of the vehicle. Climbing down and getting back to flat ground (well almost) after camping for the night atop a rocky hill was the Trailhawk’s biggest challenge yet. However, the 4x4 Rock mode on the trail-rated SUV coupled with the superior ground clearance made the descent from rocky cliffs an effortless job. The hill descent feature brakes automatically when descending. The underbody skid plates of the Trailhawk ensured full protection of the undercarriage from the jagged rocks. Cool, right?
The next phase of the journey took the duo to the cacti-lined desert of Barmer. With the sun blazing down and the soft sand under its wheels, the Jeep Trailhawk was in its true element - one that conquers the harshest of terrains and makes the driver feel like they are cruising on a metaled highway.
Conquering the salt flats
From the golden sands of Rajasthan, crossing over into Gujarat, the Trailhawk stepped on the salt flats of the Great Rann of Kutch. Driving on the salt-covered terrain is a dream for any auto enthusiast, and Abhimanyu got to experience this adrenaline-inducing adventure, made more comfortable thanks to the Trailhawk’s superb terrain control.
This 1200+ km journey was undertaken in one of the most brutal weather conditions to test both man and machine. And the Jeep Compass Trailhawk didn’t break a sweat even when the vehicle had to operate in temperatures over 40 degrees in the day, which plummeted to near-zero degrees at night. Barring the snow mode on the Selec-Terrain dial, all the other modes (Rock, Sand and Mud) were thoroughly tested for their efficacy and capability to make off-roading seem as simple as a highway drive.
This desert expedition was like none other and safely puts to rest all doubts that an Indian production SUV has the calibre to do something as intense and pathbreaking as the Great Indian Desert Crossing. Has this got you excited to set off on your own adventure in the desert?
To know more about the superior capability stories of the new Compass Trailhawk, watch this video of the New Compass Trailhawk, India’s first SUV to cross the Great Indian Desert.
In association with Jeep.
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