Mike M.

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi for this drive. Sharing some of the experience in navigating and the added tips is equivalent to 20 drives in my book. I for one, value at this stage picking the brains of the senior and the experienced offroaders rather than steer the wheel for 4 hours straight. This session has been invaluable for me on a personal level to validate some basic info I have gained from lessons learned through my solo drives and also learn some new tricks from an experienced and senior marshal like you. @Carnity@Gaurav@Frederic@Srikumar some food for thought, especially from the members that have pretty much got to learn the driving techniques and are now looking for more depth such as: 1- Better reading of dunes, 2- Mastering Navigational skills, 3- Advanced recovery techniques and 4- Similar advanced offroading skills depending on demands and themes. I understand that some of the points I mentioned above will come along if someone hits the Support Team and above but I am just sharing this trail as you will notice that almost every member on this drive appreciated the sharing of navigational tips on top of the driving. The objective for this long message is to share some insights from this drive to consider maybe doing some "How-To" drives or a mix of both in future drives with FB+ and Intermediate members that will appreciate this sharing of knowledge more than steering the wheel for 4 hours. Just some constructive feedback from my end as I have been lucky enough to have a Master Oogway "Mentor" in Carnity that is guiding me every time I have a "How To" question but I am sure not everyone has been equally lucky.

Hi @Ale Vallecchi. As per the suggested timings, I can only do Drive 1, which is the earlier drive. Thanks

Thanks @Davie Smooth_Operator for a great drive. The convoy vibe was fantastic! I noticed that in your drive summary that you forgot to mention about the JINX and the myths! As a team I think we learned not to JINX it when things are going well See you on the next one and thanks again!

@salahb That thing that made the difference and you don’t know what to call it is called the RAPTOR effect Best of luck in whatever you decide. You have narrowed down your search to 2 very capable vehicles and you can’t go wrong from here.

That’s what I mentioned in the shared feedback (the link I shared). The only thing to do after you buy one is to get an underbody protection for peace of mind and you definitely need it as this beast will give u the confidence to do things you can’t do in any other vehicle. And no, this doesn’t affect warranty. Wish you all the best in your choice but at the risk of sounding very biased you can’t compare a Rubicon to a Ranger Raptor. They don’t even play in the same league. Try making an excel and tell me what you come up with (I’m genuinely curious). The only thing that the Rubicon does slightly better is Rock crawling…. Test them both out and tell me if there is anything else you were able to find one last piece of advice, if u do another test drive for a Ranger Raptor make sure u drive it in sport mode. That was my on-the-spot selling point when I wasn’t even looking to buying a new car since I already had a “new” car!! Good luck once again with whatever you decide on! @Luke K P will still support you on your drives, regardless what vehicle you choose

You’re gonna get me in trouble but you know I always speak my mind

I wrote this feedback / opinion not long ago: please feel free to go through it as I think it answers some of your points ur looking for: That being said and it all depends on your character and profile, if this car will be ur first offroader, I strongly suggest to go with something that will teach you the art and skills of driving in the desert with minimal dependency on tech or power to mask any weakness. I started off with a pajero and I couldn’t be happier or more satisfied that I started with one of the most under powered, yet extremely reliable SUVs. It literally forced me to learn how to drive in the desert based on pure skills as there is 0 power that will help you to hide or mask any weakness. Once you master the art of driving and the best lines to choose to flow like water, then I would recommend you to go for the only vehicle that can do it all with 0 competition in the current global market: All ICONIC brands accounted for in my statement (it’s my humble and personal opinion). This vehicle is the Ford Ranger Raptor. I know my recommendation is a long route but you can take my word for it when I say that Pajero drivers see lines that no other drivers can see because those drivers never had to develop that skill due to their vehicles’ capabilities. Very long answer but hope it helps somehow @salahb

@Frederic is it an option to join the celebration only and not the drive ? Sundays are usually the family day. Thanks!

Am I the only one who can’t see the drive booking link ?

Congrats @Ishak! I remember your first drive in @Carnity as if it was yesterday. You had the Mrs. With you and it was a scenic drive with @Frederic. Look at you now and how far along you have come! Congrats buddy! See you soon on the sand

Not sure how i missed such an interesting topic... I am adding the below not that i can add one cent of value to all the interesting contributions of very experienced off-roaders in the discussion but to give future Carnitists @Carnity another "toy" to consider when they go through this thread as it was not mentioned at the time: The Ford Ranger Raptor This vehicle in my personal opinion blurs all the lines and categories mentioned in the 7 pages of comments. In one weekend It can give the most capable, modified dune bashers and climbers the hardest time and a run for their money while also being a full-on armored and equipped Overlander the next weekend with 0 issues and constraints. It can also be parked at the front space of a hotel for a Gala dinner the following weekend. (Make sure to get a conservative color in this case ) It all depends on how you design and build it. Other than a protective layer for the underbody, there is 0 AED additional cost to unlock new levels of fun in the outdoors, throughout all off-roading activities: - Dune bashing - Overlanding / Scenic drives - Camping/Picnics - Outdoor adventures of all sorts It is a perfectly-sized powerhouse that calmly states "I AM HERE" when the big toys are around while being a more comfortable ride than a Rolls Royce, on-road. (Exageration intended but not too far from reality as well ) After having it for 8 months now, this thing is quite up there as the unicorn that can do it all for all purposes, needs and interests..... it does not look too bad as well (Exterior and Interior) for the "wifey" vote and approvals. One recommendation is to properly design it and not go overboard with what others do with bed racks, chase racks, molle panels and metal bumpers etc to keep it within this aspect of "One Toy to Conquer all Off-roading and On-road Needs".

@Looper thanks for today and hopefully it turns out to be something minor. Sri and Ale had you in the drive in sprit all along the drive as “This is what Looper would have done and planned :)” @Ale Vallecchi thanks again for a perfect drive, end-to-end. While unplanned and not so familiar territory, it was still flawless in every aspect! @Srikumar thanks for keeping a watchful eye on us today. Didn’t get a chance to tell you at the end but I got cartoonish thoughts during the drive. I would see you on top of the dune on my left while passing and then I would see you again on the top of the dune infront of me on my right. There was a cartoon called “Droopy” that was known for this if you know him Not sure how you were jumping from one dune to another but thanks nevertheless! Great driving from everyone in the convoy and thanks again @Looper@Ale Vallecchi@Srikumar

See you tomorrow !

@Looper since the drive is not full and is ending relatively early, chances are I can make it. Do I have a chance to still sign up ? Please let me know to try and tweak my family Sunday plans. sorry for the last minute but I just noticed the timing now. Thanks in advance

@JeromeFJ thank you for a great drive today and a bigger thank you for creating this drive on short notice to make room for a larger number of members to drive this weekend! Looking forward to driving with you again soon hopefully!

Done. Thanks @Gaurav

Congrats @Luke K P! Carnity has some serious firepower in its support bag now