Gautam Banka

Good ride with nice weather 😀👍

Apologies for missing out the drive today. Late night party is a recipe for disaster 😅

@Waqas Parvez bhai I am your fan after watching your insta drive post. Would love to catch up with you. 😀👍

The only issue I struggle is rpm which is locked at 4,000 and above that the ECU takes over and doesn’t allow no matter how much gas you press hard. For all dunes in UAE if you are not doing dare devil extreme drives this is more than enough. 😀 I am traveling at the moment and would take you for a drive when I arrive end of the month. You can drive my tuned Prado 2022 model. look at a comparison I had made few days back when I wanted to buy off-road trading the Prado. the first three Toyota still cheapest and multi purpose.

@Nilakantan Erode did you managed to get the used Prado. I am thinking to sell mine, and move to a new car for off roading. Pls DM me if you are interested. 😀 All Experts can I please have your views on Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro. A friend of mine has imported a new one from US as its not sold in GCC. I am considering buying that and have 2 more options - Jeep 392 / Ford Bronco Raptor. I would use the car for 70 % onroad and 30 % offroad.

When I joined Carnity earlier this year, I had same question in my mind. I have 4 cars with 3 of family member including me driving those. One of the Car was 2023 Prado GXR 4.0. I started driving Prado last year and did a lot of fun drive with a group of friends - but nothing serious ones. Later when I decided to upgrade my driving skill, I did few modifications in Prado and it is working amazing - Both for Onroad & Off Road. Spend around 30 grands and you can play with the car to intermediate levels. Tune the car for Lift, Bigger rims & tyres, some lights, basics like skid plate, tow hooks, integrated compressor and some recovery equipments. Now I am done with the thought of buying a separate dedicated car for desert. This car works well for both my kids/ grocery / guest duty - as well as desert drives. I also love driving Prado ditching my RRS for added maneuverability.

Dear Ale @Ale Vallecchi my flight from riyadh got delayed and i have just landed now. I have to withdraw from tomorrow morning drive as i would be very tired without any rest. Apologies for last moment cancellation. I look forward to ride soon. I will try to join the afternoon ride if there is any space there tomorrow.

The Mercury Retrograde was heavy on me that day. 🤔 When the going gets tough, the tough get going - This is what I have experienced in Carnity Drives. 🤗 The tyres popped out twice on same day - same tyre. I checked tyre later and found that the apex valve had ruptured and there was a air leak happening. I have changed to new valve and car is fixed. Also realized to do few shopping for future rides - New Adaptor for tyres as old stock tyre adaptor not compatible with new method rim. A 2.5 ton jack for lifting the car, and some lubes for the tyres. I can't thank enough 🙌 to the crew who stayed back and did everything to pull my car back on the tarmac road. However it was a great fun and learning ride. My apologies to rest of the riders for holding you back. 🥴 I look forward to drive back this weekend with all corrective measures.

Thank you @Looper and entire crew. We had a great fun despite the extension, and very good learnings. Saw amazing spirit from @Stumpy Pajhelping @Bravoecho changing the popped tyres. I also felt the need of buying a new jack and realized that the stock jack in Prado would not work in desert conditions. would buy a 2.5 tons jack soon. I had a couple of refusal but recovered back fast with @GauravSoni giving me expert instructions to get out without getting out of the car. Look forward to next ride soon. Have a nice week guys.

I am attending. 😀

Thank you guys. Looking forward to more rides. 😀

What an amazing ride today. It was an absolute fun driving in convoy exploring the pristine dunes. Thanks to the Leads - Gaurav, Sree & Vanessa who had been very helpful to all of us in convoy. I look forward to do next ride soon. Have a nice week everyone.

Hi Gaurav, Thanks for letting me in this group as i was waitlisted. I had off road driving experience from last 1 year and I have done around 15 - 20 rides in Dubai, Sharjah area with smaller group of friends. My car Prado 2022 is fully modified to do desert drives. I look forward for this experience tomorrow in a bigger group.

Apologies. I will follow the grading structure which I just understood. 😀