chris ratay traveler
Overlanding South America w T6.1 Ocean 204, 4M+
VIP Member
Got to play a bit in the Sahara and must say I'm really enjoying the van. It's not a sand monster like the Defender was back in 2018, but still quite capable.
I played with traction control, locking rear diff, and manual vs automatic. Mostly drove with traction off and manual shifting. I tested the diff lock and it seemed to help a lot, but truthfully didn't test the van as hard as I would've liked.
My van came with lower profile street tires so I couldn't safely deflate (255/45r18) for better traction, and surprisingly there was nobody else around, so getting stuck wouldn't be fun and lingered in my choice of tracks.
I'm already signed up for an off-road course in Germany in May - just to understand the true capabilities compared to my 4x4 Defender. The van will have smaller rims and proper AT tires by then, which will make a big difference.
Had a few pucker moments, which is always fun. At one point I realized the sand was getting deeper and deeper but I had to push on a bit further to get to the next plateau. After a quick pause at the top to reassess, I reversed down with enough momentum to carry me thru a big dip.
When a vehicle starts to get bogged down, there's a fine line between creating more momentum and digging a hole/sinking. I decided on more throttle and slight moving of the steering wheel for additional traction, and made it out to firmer sand.
If we were moving forward it would've been easier, but I was concerned we'd get stuck doing a multipoint turn on the narrow plateau, and opted for action vs overthinking. Fortunately, we didn't have to start walking to find help.
We've had the van for 4 months and travelled over 10,000km thru several countries, and I think this is a fantastic overland vehicle for my style of travel:
Visiting congested cities, covering long distances in comfort, driving off-pavement, and wild camping when we want.
Glam shots...
I played with traction control, locking rear diff, and manual vs automatic. Mostly drove with traction off and manual shifting. I tested the diff lock and it seemed to help a lot, but truthfully didn't test the van as hard as I would've liked.
My van came with lower profile street tires so I couldn't safely deflate (255/45r18) for better traction, and surprisingly there was nobody else around, so getting stuck wouldn't be fun and lingered in my choice of tracks.
I'm already signed up for an off-road course in Germany in May - just to understand the true capabilities compared to my 4x4 Defender. The van will have smaller rims and proper AT tires by then, which will make a big difference.
Had a few pucker moments, which is always fun. At one point I realized the sand was getting deeper and deeper but I had to push on a bit further to get to the next plateau. After a quick pause at the top to reassess, I reversed down with enough momentum to carry me thru a big dip.
When a vehicle starts to get bogged down, there's a fine line between creating more momentum and digging a hole/sinking. I decided on more throttle and slight moving of the steering wheel for additional traction, and made it out to firmer sand.
If we were moving forward it would've been easier, but I was concerned we'd get stuck doing a multipoint turn on the narrow plateau, and opted for action vs overthinking. Fortunately, we didn't have to start walking to find help.
We've had the van for 4 months and travelled over 10,000km thru several countries, and I think this is a fantastic overland vehicle for my style of travel:
Visiting congested cities, covering long distances in comfort, driving off-pavement, and wild camping when we want.
Glam shots...
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