Autocar-Fortuner Boot Camp 2011

Why do we Indians love SUVs? Is it because they are excellent at parting the ocean of rickshaws, buses and trucks? Absolutely. Exploring the wild, untamed terrain that we have plenty of in India? Not likely. Most owners hardly ever treat their SUVs to a diet of anything worse than pothole-strewn roads. You won’t really find them getting dirty, dusty and muddy. Not so for the 80 Fortuner owners though who turned up for the Bangalore edition of the Toyota 4WD Boot Camp held on April 24-25. Organised in association with Autocar India, the event was a chance for the Fortuners to stretch their legs, flex their muscles and get re-acquainted with their natural habitat – the dirty, rocky, unpredictable road.

Most participants were novice off-roaders and quite eager to jump right in. To get them geared up for what was to come, a video of the inaugural Boot Camp held in Mumbai last year and another of the specially prepared track was also shown. Jaws dropped, eyes widened and quite a few weak smiles crept into the faces as the participants watched in disbelief. Over three kilometres of slush pits, rock crawls, never-ending dips, 35 degree inclines and declines, side inclines, pits to twist the axles and waterholes lay in wait. Being careful meant you’d only get your teeth rattled and nerves tested. Go crazy, and you could slide off the course, get bogged down or, in the worst case, sink knee-deep in slush or water. However, a quick crash course in the do’s and don’ts from the experts on hand set the participants on the right course. 

To get the best out of the Fortuner’s 3-litre common-rail 168bhp and 35kgm motor, all the drivers were taken one by one onto a short demo track by the experts. The four-wheel-drive high and low ratios morphed the Fortuner’s tractor-like grunt into something more locomotive. Treading through slippery slush isn’t as easy as slotting the low ratio and putting your foot down. Drivers also need to stay levelheaded, fight off any sense of panic, and instead listen to and follow the SUV rather than trying to order it around. Minimal steering and gentle throttle inputs can get results that no amount of frantic yo-yoing on the steering wheel or stomping on the pedals can manage. 

After a few runs of the demo track, the participants were confident about attacking the main track. There was a heightened sense of excitement and eagerness to get going as the participants would now be steering their very own Fortuners on the course with their families and friends as passengers. While the kids thought that the off-road experience was nothing more than a wild roller-coaster ride, some of the ladies couldn’t help but scream as the Fortuner listed heavily or crawled up slopes. 

Each of these tests showed the Fortuner’s ability to stray off the beaten path. Rapid dips showed its ramp break- over angle and angles of approach and departure. These are extremely essential when going off-road to avoid scraping the nose, the rear or the belly when navigating over rocks or undulations. Steep climbs called for the tractive forces and the engine grunt to work hand in hand for smooth ascents. It was best to stick to four-wheel low ratio and climb up in third gear while putting a measured, steady foot on the throttle. Driving through the acutely angled side inclines, the Fortuners would tilt heavily to one side, and the passengers had to hold on to keep from sliding around. Drivers would frantically try to steer out of the ditch, only to slide back down, slowly but surely. Once they realised that the tall SUV wasn’t likely to land on its side, they would steer along the ditch to emerge safe,  sound and pleasantly surprised.

The axle twisters were the most dramatic to watch. They showed the wheel articulation on the Fortuner. Driving through these alternating ditches, the SUV’s two wheels were forced to scrabble for purchase in the gooey mud while the other two dangled uselessly in the air! Despite that, the near-two-tonne SUV would claw its way through. In the shallower ditches, the wheels would manage to drop down into the ditches and provide some additional heave-ho. 

A little known trick that wowed the participants was the Fortuner’s ability to crawl over obstructions without the driver touching anything. All that was required was to put the SUV in four-wheel low, engage first gear, point it in the right direction and then just let go. The torque of the engine would then let it crawl over the logs and obstructions without needing any input. While it seems easy, many a driver had a hard time letting go of the steering wheel. 

The more the track was used, the trickier it got. The slush got thicker, the pits deeper and the side inclines turned even more slippery. The same sections called for more caution and greater skill. The only casualties of the day were claimed by the slush pit and the splash pond. Braking in panic through the slush instead of carrying momentum caused one Fortuner to bog down in shin-deep, coagulating mud. Tractors were quickly summoned to drag the beast out. No wonder it’s recommended that you always have two cars when venturing off-road. 

The second casualty stopped short of being a calamity. To get 20,000 litres of water to move aside needs either a wave from Moses or solid commitment and momentum from the driver. Last-minute hesitation and a slow gear change caused the SUV’s engine to stall. Quick thinking by the expert prevented the driver from cranking the engine. It was a timely escape as the exhaust was under water. One crank would have been enough to suck the water up the exhaust and into the engine. It just goes to show why you need to go slow and steady in the world of off-road. Whenever you are unsure of your surroundings, it’s best to step out and take a good look around before deciding on your next course of action. In this case it certainly saved the day and the engine as the Fortuner sprang to life at the first turn of the key after it was towed out of the pit. There was no shortage of adrenaline highs.

To round things off, the mud-caked Fortuners were given a good hosing down to get them sparkling clean once again though some owners preferred to take them home caked with mud, a small memento of their weekend’s adventure. Toyota even threw in a free service for all the participating cars — a sweet way to top off the off-road adventure. Straying off the beaten path is an ideal way to indulge your motoring spirits. The speeds too are very low and hence quite safe. So, coming back to the question, why do Indians love SUVs? Well, the 4WD Boot Camp has given more than a few reasons for a lucky few Fortuner owners in Bangalore. Now Fortuner owners in Mumbai and Delhi can look forward to boot camps coming up in their cities too.