The Mahindra Pik Up Karoo Expedition has officially kicked off and will see the line-up of locally-built, South African-exclusive bakkies take on 8,000km of the most treacherous terrains across South Africa and Namibia.
The ceremonial start for the Expedition took place on 15 August as the drivers started the first 900km leg of the journey.
They are only expected back at home in 21 days’ time, after the four vehicles on the trip have covered a collective 32,000km.
Karoo Expedition
Mahindra’s three newest bakkies – the Karoo Dawn, Karoo Dusk, and Karoo Storm – as well as one camera car, are tackling the Expedition to prove their toughness in the unrelenting wilderness of Africa.
The bakkies will travel to several breathtaking locations which are only accessible to hardcore off-roaders, along the way attempting to conquer “the most challenging 4×4 courses and routes that they can find,” said Rajesh Gupta, CEO of Mahindra South Africa.
Via the toughest and most scenic routes in the country, the Karoo convoy will first move to the Free State, on to the Northern Cape, and then KwaZulu-Natal, visiting Mahindra dealers along the way to give fans a glimpse of the special-edition bakkies in their natural habitat.
A decent portion of the Expedition will also take place in neighbouring Namibia, which is known for its natural beauty and 4×4 enthusiasm.
“Each leg of our tour was carefully chosen for its beauty, its challenging routes, and its proximity to some of our best-performing dealers,” said Gupta.
“The team will be lead on an adventure at every step of the journey with clues they receive daily from Mahindra and their task is to navigate to their destination.”
The finer details of all the locations the Karoo Expedition will visit will be revealed by the automaker as the tour unfolds, and customers can follow along via Mahindra’s social pages.
Special-edition specifications
The new special-edition Mahindra bakkies are based on the standard Pik Up S11 double cab, equipped with a variety of manufacturer-backed extras to make them more capable than their standard siblings.
Each new Dawn, Dusk, and Storm get the following rugged fitments straight from the factory:
- Rear sports bar
- All-terrain tyres
- Rear overfenders
- 16-inch alloy wheels
- Off-road suspension
- Rubberised load bins
- Roller shutter/tonneau cover
- High-strength steel “Bundu Gear” front and rear bumpers
With these additions, the bakkies boast an approach angle of 34 degrees, breakover angle of 18 degrees, and exit angle of 15 degrees, along with a ground clearance of 210mm.
Forward motivation is then brought by a 2.2-litre, turbo-diesel engine paired with a six-speed automatic gearbox with low range, the combination generating 103kW and 320Nm.
This setup aims to make these Mahindra bakkies far more capable than before and the manufacturer will now attempt to prove this claim with the Karoo Expedition.
Mahindra Pik Up Karoo Expedition ceremonial start
Keyword: Mahindra’s special-edition Pik Ups tackle 8,000km of treacherous African terrain