Does a 4x2 SUV get you into India's OEM off-road events?

If you are buying an SUV partly so you can join the factory off-road drives, the drivetrain you pick decides whether you get in. Mahindra's own FAQ is blunt about it. "For events like the Great Escape and Club Challenge, owning a Mahindra 4x4 is mandatory," it says. The way around that is the arrive-and-drive side of the programme, where Mahindra gives you a prepped SUV for expeditions, boutique drives and the Igatpuri academy. So a Thar RWD or a front-wheel-drive XUV700 owner is not shut out of off-roading, only out of the events where you bring your own car.

What each OEM asks for

Mahindra's 4x4 Fundamentals day at the Mahindra SUV Proving Track in Chennai is written for "all Mahindra 4x4 SUV owners to go off-roading with their very own vehicles". If you do not have one, you pre-book a Mahindra Adventure training vehicle, a 3-door Thar shared with others, and seats are limited. Fees for bringing your own 4x4 run from ₹3,500 for the driver alone to ₹5,000 for a driver plus three. Nobody under 18 is allowed on the proving track.

Confusingly, individual event pages are looser than the FAQ. The Great Escape Bengaluru page calls the drive "exclusively for Mahindra SUV owners" with no drivetrain line, and prices it at ₹6,000 for a team of 2, ₹7,000 for 3 and ₹8,000 for 4. Mahindra does not supply cars for that one. Ask the event desk in writing before you pay if your car is a 4x2.

Maruti Suzuki is the strictest of the lot at the competitive end. Its ROCK N' ROAD 4X4 Masters championship is for Jimny owners only, in stock and modified categories, with qualifiers in eight cities and a finale in Goa. A Grand Vitara AllGrip in your garage does not buy you a start. The softer Expeditions and Weekenders formats are the route for other Maruti SUV owners.

Toyota is the most open. Its Great 4x4 X-pedition convoys are built around owners of the Hilux, Fortuner 4x4, LC 300 and Hyryder AWD, and Toyota's own release says owners of other SUV brands take part too. Note that the Hyryder AWD has no low range, so Toyota is already counting all-wheel drive as enough. Land Rover India's experiences page is the opposite case. It sells instructor-led drives and sends you to a centre finder rather than publishing dates or prices, and you do not need to own the car at all.

What the 4x4 variant costs you

On the Thar, like-for-like, Autocar India lists the LXT 2.0 petrol AT at ₹17.14 lakh in RWD and ₹19.99 lakh in 4WD, both ex-showroom. The ZXT 2.2 diesel AT is ₹20.73 lakh in RWD and ₹22.51 lakh in 4WD.

That is a lot of money to spend for event access alone. The sensible order is the other way round. Book an arrive-and-drive academy day or a training-vehicle slot first, spend a day in low range with an instructor, and see whether you actually want this. If you do, buy the 4WD variant and the whole owner calendar opens up. If you find you prefer the camping and the convoy to the obstacles, a 4x2 with good tyres and a Toyota-style open drive will keep you busy, and your service bills will be smaller.

Sources

• Mahindra Adventure
• Mahindra Adventure: 4x4 Fundamentals MSPT, Chennai
• Mahindra Adventure: Great Escape Bengaluru
• Maruti Suzuki: ROCK N' ROAD 4X4 Masters, the action begins
• Toyota Kirloskar Motor announces its first-ever Great 4x4 X-Pedition initiative in India
• Land Rover India: Experiences
• Autocar India: Mahindra Thar price list