11500km up on my Jimny: Went off-roading with a fellow Jimny owner

The first climb was the most anxious one. I was not sure if Jimny could do that.

BHPian VW2010 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

11500kms completed and an update with the first two trips to the palar bed.

I have done minimal offroading before, but I am what they call the Agmark Newbie. While Guru has been chasing me to go offroading. I had something else on the days he goes offroading. Either I am riding a bike or playing cricket.

So I finally took the first step and went with Guru. We went to Palar early in the day. I have accompanied Guru on a few trips as a passenger and have a decent sense of basics.

A list of things to carry includes tyre deflators, an air compressor, and a tow rope.

After getting the air pressure sorted we entered the river bed. The first fear to overcome is the first drop into the river bed. Jimny handles it with ease. Once into the soft sand I shifted to 4L and started driving around enjoying the first experience. We roamed around a bit and crossed a few streams and a few low-lying shrubs to get a taste of level 1 I would say.

We stopped and took some pictures

The First Climb:

The first climb was the most anxious one. I was not sure if Jimny could do that. Guru was the tester for most of the course where he would go and try it out while I stand by for recovery. You are also tempted to try going very fast with the fear of getting stuck. But having sat with Guru one thing I understood was it is easier to recover than to break your car while trying to use speed as a way of getting out of a tough situation.

As I climbed over the small dune I could hardly see anything below the bonnet. I gently throttled up and got over the dune. The first smile was evident and the fear of breaking the car in these sands turned into the fun one can have. Also, you learn to read the path as once you start the climb there is so much not visible and you are dependent on either the memory of what you were getting into as you drive into one or an external support guiding you.

The first Drop:

The first drop is also not so different. You have seen the other car do it. You know it can be done. But when you are the driver and you tip over the edge there is a few seconds of fear of what if the car will topple. Jimny ain't heavy either and you are constantly thinking for the first few meters on getting turtled over. But the soft sand sinks with the weight and you gently glide down.

Learning here includes how to avoid braking and sinking into the sand and gently moving the car so it keeps grabbing new surface area.

The water wading and in general goofing around:

Water wading is fairly straightforward. Precaution is to check the water bed and the height of the water. Post which we just went driving flat out in the wide river bed putting some stress on the lower arms of the car.

Here are two videos altogether over the last 1 month or so that pretty much cover some of the fun we had with Jimny.

What did I learn and what you can learn?

• Carry an air compressor and a tow rope. Carry a two-way communication device

• Leave it to the pros and follow the instruction
• Early butterflies in the stomach can be addressed only after you make the first climb or drop
• Driving fast when you are stuck is useless
• Cradle the car when you are stuck then hard throttle it
• It is not embarrassing to get stuck and need a tow
• The aim is not to sink and to keep rolling
• Be patient and do not attempt to be a hero

Impression on Jimny continues to grow. This is a solid performer when you add the offroad capability to its city and long-distance capability. If space is not a requirement Jimny can be a great car for having all sorts of fun.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.