[nerd1200]

Originally Posted by yuvmudapa

How is the clearance though? Many people complained about offroad tires rubbing the wheel well.

I'll let ROG_AK answer that elaborately.
However per my observation, it's not too bad under normal conditions. During the entire trail I saw the sidewall foul with the mudflap just once. In lock to lock turns it's fine. Check this pic clicked by Columbus_500.

Originally Posted by Blooming Flower

Would you please share some pictures of the obstacles or patches in the off-road trail where 4x4 needs to be engaged?

Thank you! This trail does not require a proper 4wd, just an SUV with good clearance should suffice. Most crossovers with some spotting help should also do this trail with ease. An AWD or 4wd helps in certain dirt inclines where a car with certainly loose traction momentarily. An experienced driver would know how to mitigate or avoid it.

The first turn is probably the most critical one. It's a little bit of an axle twister, that's all. Please refer to these timeframes in the video:

https://youtu.be/rMtG9lfunTE

1:05 - 1:46 (during ascent) and 6:17 - 7:34 (during descent)
4:43 - 5:44 -> this section was not part of the trail. We just climbed up to explore. It wasn't too technical and most of use climbed up in RWD. However as it was a steep dirt track, the car was loosing traction. In the video you would see brake lights turning on momentarily a number of times. That's when BLD was engaging. I did part of the track in RWD and switched to 4H towards the end. In 4H, the car was much more relaxed, there was no loss of traction whatsoever. That's the beauty of a 4wd SUV, you have umpteen "get out of jail free" cards.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

The trail from the main road to staging area was so bad that a couple had abandoned their hatchback wherever it got stuck and started walking with a baby in their hands, it was that bad and The drive up to the staging area had neatly removed the bumpers from a Dzire cab too. The conditions were meant only for high GC vehicles, not sure how things are now.

Thank you! Indeed, these are able tourers and take a lot of stress out of driving in our chaotic conditions. At the end of 1500KMs of driving you don't come out as tired as you would in a low slung car.

The trail condition as I understand is a bit volatile per the weather. Currently it's more of a dirt trail which makes the traction control in any car work that much harder at inclines. As you rightly said, a high GC SUV should suffice. 4wd/AWD would act as a safety net.

Originally Posted by powertrain

Ok, I have to ask - Which make are these alloys?!

They're Fuel offroad rims.

Originally Posted by gururajrv

Please look at making this as series like those of Amazon prime or netflix exploring the 4x4 regions within Karnataka and beyond!

Haha. Thank you! I'm inclined to to that and continue exploring the capabilities of the SUV and that of my own all the while exploring our beautiful country.

Originally Posted by gururajrv

However, I have a question for you, sir. How are you managing the expectations with your N while chamfering your family? Scorpio N is a delight for driver and more engaging than a XUV7OO to be honest basis the test drive I took last week. I came mighty impressed with N but my family felt every single maneuver and didn't like it one bit. But for me as a driver, I loved it in fact more than 7OO

Well, my wife & I love it. I come from a Skoda Yeti AWD and we've explored it's limits from trail driving perspective. Not that I wanted to do hardcore offroading with the Yeti, but I just wanted my SUV to take me further down the beaten path without worrying me too much. The Scorpio N is a step in that direction.

I have unfettered access to adneo's XUV7OO and have done cross country trips in that. It's a brilliant SUV. You can drive it a higher than usual speeds all day like nobody's business. If I were getting my first SUV, that would've probably been it. However with our expectations, the ScorpioN fits the bill better.

[ROG_AK]

Thanks for the writeup and beautiful pics to match nerd1200 . It was indeed a great drive with good company and delicious food. Can't really expect much more from a Saturday now can we

Although the trail was not too tough (by 4x4 standards), the sheer comfort and ease with which the Scorpio N was able to do it is truly commendable.
Sharing some pics from my end:

A great pic taken by Columbus_500

Originally Posted by yuvmudapa

...Many people complained about offroad tires rubbing the wheel well.

When I had the stock rims, there was no issue with rubbing. The new rims are the same 18" but wider, at full lock the left wheel just grazes the fender lining while the right wheel is completely fine. This is not really a major cause for concern and doesn't hamper drivability in any way.

Originally Posted by powertrain

...Ok, I have to ask - Which make are these alloys?!

They are Fuel rims, the specific model is called Covert

[Gypsian]

Mandalpatti trail gets challenging during monsoons, which makes it difficult for 2WD vehicles. In summer or non - rainy seasons, any vehicle with good ground clearance can traverse through to the parking spot. Be that as it may, great pictures and crisp narration made it an interesting thread.

[sunilarkt]

Originally Posted by ROG_AK

They are Fuel rims, the specific model is called Covert

They look amazing on the car! Are they available in India, or did you import them?

[ROG_AK]

Originally Posted by sunilarkt

...Are they available in India, or did you import them?

They are available from Hottracks, who are the official Fuel distributors. They had to import them, waited a couple of months to get them

[kovilkalai]

I did the Mandalpatti drive this past weekend. I was alone in my ScorpioN. In hindsight, I should have gone with others. There were a couple of hairy sections with rocks jutting out. The ScorpioN handled it just fine, but there was definitely risk of underbody damage.

I was feeling quite proud of myself when I got to the end until I saw a Maruti DZire driving up behind me.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by nerd1200

We
We stopped at Hunsur for breakfast and that gave me another opportunity for a photo op. The morning light renders such a nice compositional hue to pictures, it’s a photographer’s delight.

In the context of the Indian automotive market, the Thar deserves this "TRAIL RATED" badge much more than the Compass Trailhawk does.

Lovely photographs as always Deb. Your photography, the angles, the lighting and the different perspectives are always a treat. Enjoyed this thread. Last time I went there was some 30 years ago with my Dad in his MM540, when he was planting coffee in the Somwarpet area.

And yes, I really couldn’t agree more about the Thar being far more deserving of the Trail Rated Badge than the Jeep Compass. And vehicles like the Scorpio N, the Maruti Gypsy and Jimny and all of these ought to have some kind of similar badging.

(Of course many of us owners have been personally certifying and badging our own Thars and Gypsys for years now!)