Sand, snow, and rocks? Broken paver blocks, cracked concrete and questionable tarmac, that’s your ideal mode selector,’ I thought as the Defender softly thudded over yet another unavoidable section of Mumbai’s infrastructure. This Land Rover’s sophistication was quietly rubbing off on me, too, as I noticed myself making remarks to an imaginary butler; ‘I say, Jeeves, isn’t that Thar too close to our posh posterior?’ The Defender’s excellent ClearSight rear-view mirror was always filled with the Thar’s face, its bumper a chin that Jay Leno would be proud of. But what were we doing in South Bombay with these two unlikely partners for a day?
Well, to quote an old one, there’s many a slip between cup and lip, and those slips are where modern off-roaders endlessly commute. The attractive image of an SUV and the chastening fact of being a buyable commodity mean that, more often than not, approach angles are tested on nothing more than speed breakers and flyovers. Wading depths are useful in the monsoon, though. We don’t often get two important 4X4s in the same year, at least none with the history and tradition that these two tow along wherever they go. And I also thought that these two might look good together, which they do. That’s quite a lot of intent in one frame, caged in a sleepy urban morning.
Denne historien er fra January 2021-utgaven av Motoring World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 2021-utgaven av Motoring World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
DESTINI REWRITTEN
With a pretty major design overhaul, has the Hero Destini 125 found a new footing altogether?
OLDIE'S GOLD?
History makes yet another comeback with the BSA Gold Star 650. Is it what you were hoping for?
THE HIGH OF THE TIGER
Triumph's big cat is in its most ferocious avatar yet
LAUGHTER HOURS
This! This is the greatest single of all time!
BULL'S EYE?
Audi's new flagship SUV — or a budget Lamborghini Urus?
DARK HORSE
The Alcazar is now available in a new avatar, and the multi-faceted SUV deserves more attention than it got in the past
CURVV-BALL!
Tata's new mass-market SUV coupe may have more than a few tricks up its sleeve
GIVEN A RAISE
The EQS SUV looks like an EQS sedan on stilts but it offers a lot more than that
FOR MUCK'S SAKE!
No scooters, commuters or old bikes... this year's Pune Off-road Expedition was serious work
ALL THE WAY UP!
Exploring the vast landscape of Ladakh with Renault India's lineup - why would we say no?!