Toyota Off Road Camp 2018
Toyota Off-Road Camp – Exploring the Sigma Four
The Toyota Off-Road Camp (TORC) is an exhilarating experience for someone who has never experienced the off-road capabilities of the Toyota Fortuner. If you are not aware of what the Fortuner can or cannot do, this is the place to be. The off-road camp was held on October 11, 2018 on a specially prepped track in Mumbai.
The track had nine obstacles which could display the capabilities of the Fortuner 4×4. Existing and potential customers of the Fortuner could come and have a go at the track, but not before an intense demo from the professional ‘Offroad Junkies’ team. A team of five legit certified 4WD Trainers (Recognized by I4WDTA) who seem to torture 4×4 vehicles for breakfast. Each of the participants were given a drive demo by the one of the team members before they could have a go at the obstacle course.
“Seat belts on, engage 4L” said Amol after which the customer drove to the first obstacle of the day, which was a test of the Fortuner’s wheel articulation and tractions control. Since all Fortuners get an electronically locking differential, which made it easy to get onto the axle twister, but with one of the front wheels in the air, the traction control would have to feed power to the wheel that is planted, which it did with ease.
A tight right turn and we moved to the next obstacle, which was a metal side incline which had to be taken twice during the loop. The incline was almost 20 degrees with approach and departure slopes. The driver had to manouver the Fortuner onto the slope and onto the side incline. Once all four wheels touch the metal incline the driver straightens out and exits the incline the same way he approached it. To be very precise, this was a test of the drivers capability also.
The driver moves ahead an onto the easiest obstacle of the day, the chicken holes. These were a series of ‘potholes’ carefully placed within a few steps away from each other. Showing that the Fortuner can take on the rookie terrain with ease. This little obstacle was just to loosen you up for the next big “holy crap” moment. The ‘big mound‘ as they call it was a near vertical climb with a maximum angle of 55 to 60 degrees on both entry and exit. Once you are on it, the instructor makes you drive up and stop halfway looking up in the sky. Why? To show off the Fortuner’s Hill hold assist. The hill assist gives you exactly four seconds to get back on the gas to return to the climb. Once you are up the mound, another stop to engage Downhill Assist Control (DAC) and first gear in sequential mode. The instructor said “Foot off the brakes while you descend” we did just that and were awe-struck as to how well these assists work.
Once you have safely exited the mound, get back on some flat ground for a quick breather and back to the metal side incline. After this the driver would have to move to a ‘Natural Side Incline’. Similar to the ‘Metal Side Incline’ but this one is a trench that the driver would have to enter with one of the Fortuner’s left rear wheel up in the air. Once all four wheels hit the ground, your whole body is resting on the door panel for a few metres until you exit the trench. Out of the trench, over the rumblers and into the water.
The Fortuner has a water wading capacity of 700mm, that does not mean the driver can just jump into the water and expect no consequences. Strict instructions were given on how to wade through the water. Approach the water and make sure the vehciles enter slowly, so as to not let any water into the intake (causing a hydro-lock). While getting the vehicle out, stop at an incline to let the water drain out from door panels before you set of; for the next obstacle that is. It was time to get down and dirty in the ‘U’ shaped slush pit, fairly easy from here on. After the slush the course, we move to a small patch of gravel and off to the finish.
To add some variation one of the customers gave it a go in his brand new Land Cruiser. It was surely hard for the driver to judge the obstacles considering the sheer width of the Land Cruiser, but it conquered all of them without breaking a sweat.
