1,280 km of shifting sands, extreme temperatures, and dust storms. This is the story of an epic drive through a subtropical desert
As far as challenges go, this one was right up there. Earlier this month, the Jeep Compass Trailhawk took on the Great Indian desert and won. In doing so, it became India’s first production SUV to cross the Great Indian Desert in one go without hitting any tarmac.
The Mission
Arid, stark and desolate were adjectives that sprang to mind at the first glimpse of the forbidding desertscape that stood between the Trailhawk and its record-setting drive. The route involved 1,280 kilometers of daunting, harsh terrain from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, to Kutch, Gujarat. The mission? To showcase the Jeep Compass Trailhawk’s ruggedness and capability, as it navigated the difficult terrain of the desert — without touching tarmac — and endured extreme climatic conditions.
Abhimanyu Alsisar, the prince of Alsisar, a small town near Jhunjhunu, in Rajasthan, helmed the Trailhawk, guiding it through the 72-hour journey. “I was born in the desert and I’m a son of this soil. My family’s been here since 1757 and I know this land like the back of my hand. My connection with Jeep is really special, as I’ve driven Jeeps all my life. So, this expedition was a dream come true for me,” Alsisar says.
The Jeep Compass Trailhawk set about its expedition, travelling through Alsisar, Bikaner, Dhani, Army dunes, Little Rann, Kala Dungar, Virgin Dunes, Barmer, Jaisalmer and the Rann of Kutch. The going was not easy, obviously. But pushing the limits is something the Jeep brand is no stranger to, and the new Compass Trailhawk continues to live up to its claim.
Jeep Compass Trailhawk: Go anywhere, Do anything
Over three days, the Trailhawk took every challenge thrown by the route in its stride: these involved unidentified trails, extreme weather conditions, and some of the most brutal terrain the Great Indian Desert had to offer. Temperatures would peak at 40°C in the day and plummet to near-freezing at night. But the Compass Trailhawk managed effortlessly, owing to its unique features such as the first-in-segment ‘Rock Mode’ (AWD). Using low speeds, and evenly distributed torque, the mode allows for more spin to help take over anything in its path.
The Trailhawk’s several other stand-out features, designed for optimum off-road performance, played a crucial role in ensuring that the vehicle conquered the Great Indian Desert without breaking sweat. The bumpers on the Compass Trailhawk are different from those on the standard Jeep Compass, enabling superior approach and departure angles. With a turning radius of 5.7m, the SUV is equipped with 225/65R17 all-season tires that provide better grip on a variety of terrain, including sand, mud, snow, and even rocks.
Despite the punishing conditions, dust, and extreme temperatures, Abhimanyu Alsisar enjoyed this voyage, thanks to the unparalleled comfort and convenience offered by the off-roader. The Compass Trailhawk’s interiors feature, among others, premium black leather and a range of goodies that keep you snug and comfy irrespective of whether you are driving through rush hour, or, in this case, crossing a desert. The SUV’s capabilities meant that Alsisar was never in doubt about how the expedition would pan out. “Crossing the Great Indian Desert is no joke. It is unpredictable and you can easily get lost. But the Compass made the journey very comfortable. Its Selec-Terrain dial provided the best-in-class off-road capability with the option of four driving modes – Auto, Snow, Sand, Mud, and Rock that helped tackle the terrain effortlessly,” Abhimanyu Alsisar added.
“The most fascinating aspect of this expedition was witnessing the Jeep Compass Trailhawk navigate through all of the weather, environmental hurdles and overcome vast and enormous sand dunes. The Jeep Compass Trailhawk is the newest member of the Jeep family, and we’re very proud of it,” said Roland Bouchara, CEO and Managing Director of Stellantis India.
Trail Rated: supremacy in off-road capability
What makes the Trailhawk truly special is that it sports the ‘Trail Rated’ badge – a mark reserved for only the most off-road capable models in the Jeep line-up. And before earning a ‘Trail Rated’ badge each Jeep model is pushed to the limits to test its performance in five key areas – traction, water fording, manoeuvrability, articulation, and ground clearance. Only when a Jeep model has passed all tests with flying colors can it claim to be among the most capable production off-road models on the market.
Responding to the exhilarating adventure of the Trailhawk across the Great Indian Desert, Nipun J Mahajan, Head of Jeep Brand India, said, “The Compass Trailhawk epitomises the Jeep brand’s core DNA: an insatiable thirst to explore and go on exhilarating adventures and in this case, the SUV did not traverse tarmac even once. With the challenges we placed before the Jeep Compass Trailhawk, it reinforced itself as a bonafide off-road SUV. The Jeep Compass Trailhawk is a versatile ‘Trail Rated’ variant of the Compass equally capable for on-road and off-road adventures.”
Jeep has a long history of conquering deserts, right since the days of the Desert Rats – the 7th Armoured Division of the British Army that used Jeeps in their heroic campaigns in the African desert during World War II, and the Compass Trailhawk carries the legacy forward admirably.
In many ways, the conquest of the Great Indian Desert by the new Compass Trailhawk was yet another reminder of Jeep’s adventurous genes. This is the brand that invented the SUV way back in the 1940s, and has since then constantly innovated and pushed the envelope of off-roading capabilities. It has come to embody the very essence of freedom, the spirit of adventure and the ability to overcome any obstacle.
