Introduction

With our off-road stage set at the ‘19 Degree North’ adventure sports club in Aamby Valley, we start off early into the wilderness to make it back before darkness falls. I’m at the wheel of the Discovery Sport and the key here, in these conditions, is to venture out into such terrain, learn and also have some fun before heading back to base camp, unscathed (ideally).

Land Rover genes

And there’s no better way than to go about every terrain with caution and a steady pace. My subconscious half keeps me reminded that I am driving the most expensive set of wheels in the group, and hence have to be more careful, or even have less fun too. What’s comforting though is the fact that Land Rover claims the Discovery Sport has been tested in over 20 countries in some of the most gruelling situations. Armed with ‘Terrain Response’, it offers a series of modes called grass, gravel and snow, mud and ruts, and sand settings to take on the off-road challenges.

The off-road ahead

It takes hardly an hour of limitless trenches, boulders and ditches for me to realise that this Land Rover was creeping over the terrain like an insect. There’s a number of stability systems which enhance traction and also help reduce power output by optimising throttle inputs. The confidence inspired by these electronics on this versatile SUV even on a wet day, like today, is commendable. Ops, did I just forget to slot it into ‘mud and ruts’ mode? Yes, I was driving in ‘general’ mode all along!

Mud and ruts

I quietly slip into the required mode and now make most of the hill descent control. Set for the least speed possible, I just sit back and relax with my feet flat on the floor. In ‘mud and ruts’ mode, the terrain requires the car to adopt slow and constant progress. While any loss of grip is detected spontaneously and compensated for by the car, traction control is also activated. River wading is ideally performed in this mode. As of now, only steering inputs are required of me and I proudly manoeuvre through the terrain, with the car inching across.

Whizz kid

With the ‘grass, gravel and snow’ mode, the dynamic stability control will avoid the tyres from slipping on low grip terrain. All this happens as the gearbox manages low engine revs while the throttle feeds a soft response. Even hill descent control is automatically engaged to ensure progress is steady. Though we did not have sand to encounter on this track, the ‘sand mode’ ensures the engine serves an aggressive response while the gearbox holds a gear longer to keep the revs up. Now I’m sure by now you’d have realised that this vehicle is built to take you where you want, with enough space for occupants and everything else you need.

Prowlers

With the bunch of cars prowling together into the wilderness, it looked like we were out hunting for something. Oh yes, off-road thrills? Soon enough, I came across an interesting obstacle which required me to brake and go easy over it. More like a huge fat speed breaker that goes diagonally across, we ended up with three wheels on the ground and one fairly up in the air. I naughtily backed up a bit and the car began to tip over two wheels from side to side. Before getting caught in the act, I hurriedly caught up with the gang through a descent and some slush tracks. It looked like everybody had bunched up just ahead to analyse the water cross before wading through. It was after I crossed it like a pro that it struck me that the Discovery Sport has a 600mm wading depth ability which is what helped us swiftly pass through.

It's a wrap, boys!

At the end of the day, my rapport with the Discovery Sport grew to an extent where I felt I always had expert supervision at hand. All the cars here overcame the wretched landscape on offer, and should also have lots of tales to reveal. Ascents, descents, water crossings and unimaginable rocks are just part of this off-roading day. It’s a ‘trip’ we can’t wait to experience the next time around..

Pictures: Kapil Angane

Location courtesy: 19 Degree North

An adventure sports outfit located at Aamby Valley City near Lonavla that offers activities like riding ATVs, paintball shooting, Zorbing, and Jungle Safari among others.

Click here to read the introduction of CarWale Off-Road Day 2016

Click here to read about the Renault Duster AWD at the CarWale Off-Road Day 2016

Click here for the Land Rover Discovery Sport First Drive Review

Click here for the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR First Drive Review

Click here for the Range Rover Evoque Road Test