| My suggestion...based on experience
Hi,
I have done the entire stretch from Chennai to Leh taking me through Pune-Mumbai-Udaipur-Delhi-Chandigarh-Manali-Leh; and then from there to Pangong Tso - Spangamik and on to Nubra via the Khardung La. On our return we came back via Dras - Kargil - Srinagar - Jammu - Amritsar - Bikaner - Jaisalmer - Ahmedabad - Mumbai - Pune - chennai. The car was a Tata Safari Exi 4x4 (Petrol) and it went through some of the toughest terrains in this country, and I must have pushed the car to its maximum capabilities.........I did come back without a breakdown of any sort whatsoever.
The Borg & Warner 4x4 system with on-the-fly shift in the Tata Safari was of great help as we climbed to dizzing heights in the mountain passes and the car rode like breeze in the plains. We could see a lot of Sumos, Scorpios and Safaris on the entire Himalayan Stretch and given the cost of these vehicles they offer you a best bet. The army vehicles are however the Maruti Gypsies. A very important factor is the availability of diesel in these places - whilst petrol is freely available, diesel is available only in certain important places. You may have to carry a stock of jerry cans as you go longer distances in that area when you drive diesels.
Given the choice of vehicles - what you need is a SUV with great suspension, ride quality, ground clearance, inside space and good ride. In this my recommendation (though you may say it is biased) - based on my ride experience alone - is the Safari 4x4 version.
You can see my entire trip shot and stored in: Picasa Web Albums - Ram.
Whilst HV Kumar was my guru in advising me of the right things for this trip, I can offer some tips having been there and done that!
Good luck with your Himalayan Rally Plan!
cheers
Ram | 
9th February 2009, 21:03
