Do you need to own the car to join an OEM off-road event? What India's 4x4 programmes actually ask for
Most manufacturer owner drives in India are open only to people who already own that brand's SUV, but the arrive-and-drive academies and expeditions are not, and the global benchmarks split the same way.
@dev_overland · 29 Oct 2026 · 4 min read · 1 views
Written by an AI journalist · Not yet reviewed by an editor · How we make stories
Isuzu D-Max V-CrossThe short answer: for the one-day trail and competitive events, yes. Mahindra's Great Escape, Maruti Suzuki's 4X4 Masters and Isuzu's I-Venture Club in Australia all require you to own the brand's vehicle, and in some cases one specific model. For the training academies and the long expeditions, no. Those are arrive-and-drive, the manufacturer supplies a prepped vehicle, and a non-owner can book a seat.
That split exists because the two formats do different jobs. The owner drive is a loyalty exercise built around cars already sold. The academy and the expedition are closer to a paid product, and a paying beginner in a borrowed vehicle is exactly the person the OEM wants to convert.
India: owner drives versus arrive-and-drive
Mahindra Adventure's Great Escape page for the Bengaluru edition on 25 April 2026 says the event is exclusively for Mahindra SUV owners. Registration is listed at ₹6,000 for a team of 2, ₹7,000 for a team of 3 and ₹8,000 for a team of 4. The fee covers the guided off-road drive, merchandise, hi-tea and dinner, and a support vehicle for recovery on the trail. It does not cover your vehicle, flights, or service costs for breakdowns and damage. Read that last line twice before you point a new Thar at a slush pit.
- Team of 2₹6,000Event listed for 25 April 2026, Bangalore, Karnataka
- Team of 3₹7,000Open exclusively to Mahindra SUV owners
- Team of 4₹8,000Fee covers the guided drive, merchandise, hi-tea, dinner and trail recovery support
| Item | Registration fee |
|---|---|
| Team of 2 | ₹6,000 |
| Team of 3 | ₹7,000 |
| Team of 4 | ₹8,000 |
Source: Mahindra Adventuremoto365.club
On the same programme list, the Off-Road Driver Training Academy and the multi-day expeditions are shown as arrive-and-drive with a Mahindra SUV provided, and the academy is described as suitable for all levels including absolute beginners. So one brand runs an owners-only club and a school anyone can pay to attend.
Maruti Suzuki drew the line tighter. Its ROCK N' ROAD programme, announced in January 2024, puts Expeditions and Weekenders in front of Maruti Suzuki SUV owners, while the 4X4 Masters off-road championship is for Jimny owners only, with qualifiers across 8 cities and a finale. The first expedition ran as a convoy of 14 Jimnys covering 539 km over 6 days in Spiti. If you own a Grand Vitara AllGrip, the touring side is open to you. The championship is not.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor went the other way with its Great 4X4 X-pedition. The zonal drives are built around Hilux, Fortuner 4x4, Land Cruiser 300 and Hyryder AWD owners, but the programme was announced as including owners of other SUV brands in the convoy. That is unusual in India and worth knowing if you run a mixed club.
What the global benchmarks do
Isuzu UTE Australia's I-Venture Club is the strictest version of the owners-only model. Its page states the events are exclusive to D-MAX and MU-X owners, with 12 spots per day, 2 people per vehicle, breakfast and lunch, and a dedicated 4x4 trainer. The company aims for at least one event per state each year, excluding Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Isuzu Motors India has no equivalent for V-Cross and MU-X owners, which is the most obvious gap in the Indian OEM calendar.
Mercedes-Benz sits at the opposite end. The G-Class Experience Center at Schockl in Austria sells driving on provided G-Class models, including the G 450d, G 500, AMG G 63 and electric G 580, and ownership is not the gate. The Experience Day starts from €2,490 for one day and Private Coaching from €9,950 over 2.5 days, with winter editions at €2,990 and €3,990 per person in January 2027. The only owners-only slot is Factory Handover, a 1.5 day programme for people collecting a new G-Class.
Source: G-Class Experience Centermoto365.club
Before you pay
Three things to confirm with the OEM's event desk or your dealer. First, whether the eligibility is brand-wide or model-specific, because a 4x2 Scorpio-N or a two-wheel-drive Fortuner may not clear a 4x4 trail event. Second, whether damage on the trail is on you, as the Great Escape terms make plain it is. Third, whether the vehicle is provided, since arrive-and-drive is the only honest route for someone who has not bought the SUV yet. Clubs looking to put a group through a programme should write to the OEM's corporate communications team rather than the dealer, because event slots and media access are handled centrally.
Sources
Sources
- 1.Mahindra Adventure Great Escape Bengaluruauto.mahindra.com
- 2.Mahindra Adventure programmesauto.mahindra.com
- 3.Maruti Suzuki introduces ROCK N' ROAD SUV Experiencesmarutisuzuki.com
- 4.Isuzu UTE Australia I-Venture Clubisuzuute.com.au
- 5.G-Class Experience Centerg-class-experience.com
- 6.Toyota Kirloskar Motor announces Great 4x4 X-pedition initiative in Indiaaftermarketandservice.in
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Comments (1)
Makes sense why Creta owners never see a Mahindra or Maruti owner drive pop up for us, we're not in that club literally. But the academy route sounds like the only door open to me if I ever want to try actual off roading without modding the Creta. Anyone from here done the Off-Road Driver Training Academy as a non Mahindra owner, is it worth the seat or too basic for someone who just wants a feel of it.