Four Wheel Drive Genesis

In search of the ideal off-roader, Abhishek embarks on a journey that takes him back to the inception of off-road vehicle drivetrains. And the result might surprise you!

- Abhishek Chaliha

Human beings are a curious lot – they’re hard to please! But perhaps it’s this insatiable nature and an inherent curiosity that’s responsible for our advancement in science and technology. Of course, this trait has yielded plenty of comfort and convenience in our everyday lives. And while we enjoy the benefits of technology, it’s ever so important to take that occasional walk down the memory lane to contemplate the past and put the present in perspective.

So, that’s exactly what we’re doing here – taking a trip down memory lane to look at the past. More specifically, the journey of fourwheel drive vehicles through the decades. Why now? Well, quite simply because this is the year that Land Rover – perhaps the most prominent four-wheel drive vehicle manufacturer of our time – turns 70.

Some of you might say that the original Jeep was the first mainstream four-wheel drive vehicle. That’s true, but let’s not forget that it was Land Rover that took the concept of a four-wheel drive vehicle to unparalleled heights with numerous variations of its Series and Defender models – station wagons, cranes, fire engines, armoured UVs, military vehicles, ambulances, tracked vehicles and pick-up trucks. A Land Rover came in all shapes and sizes, literally!

The three Land Rovers that we have here represent the very essence of Land Rover over the years. The green Series 1 is where it all began for the Rover car company in the UK, as its off-road vehicle tasted unprecedented success almost immediately. The white vehicle is the Defender – the final iteration of Land Rover’s original vehicle. The orange shiny one, meanwhile, represents everything that a Land Rover stands for today – a blizzard of electronic equipment, new age off-road credentials, luxury and comfort, while still being as capable as its ancestors.