Maruti Brezza rescues the Toyota Innova Crysta in the Himalayan region of Spiti [Video]

The upper reaches of the Himalayas are home to some of the highest mountain passes in the world, and many such passes are more of tracks carved out from mountain-sides, and are usually muddy and treacherous. It’s not uncommon for vehicles, especially front and rear wheel driven cars, to get stuck on such passes. A Toyota Innova Crysta recently got stuck in one such pass in Spiti, in India’s part of the Himalayas. A Maruti Vitara Brezza came to the rescue, and pulled out the Innova Crysta, but not without plenty of wheelspin. Check the video out.

As the video indicates, the Maruti Brezza does manage to pull out the Toyota Innova Crysta despite the former being a front wheel driven compact SUV, which is more of a raised hatchback than a full fledged, four wheel drive SUV. The Brezza’s wheels, which are road biased, spin quite a bit while trying to pull the heavy, body-on-ladder chassis equipped Innova Crysta. Finally, with the Brezza pulling the Innova Crysta in one direction, and some people also pushing the MPV in the same direction, the big Toyota manages to break free, and resume its journey.

The Maruti Vitara Brezza is India’s best selling compact SUV. The sub-4 meter Maruti vehicle also has a sturdy body structure, and has even been crash tested by Global NCAP, and has received a good 4 star rating. The Brezza is powered by a 1.3 liter turbocharged diesel engine that makes 89 Bhp of peak power and 200 Nm of peak torque. The engine is offered with two gearbox options: a 5 speed manual and a 5 speed AMT. Soon, Maruti will discontinue the diesel powered Brezza and launch a petrol powered one. The Brezza Petrol will be powered by a 1.5 liter K-Series engine with 104 Bhp-138 Nm, and will also get a mild hybrid powertrain.

Meanwhile, what’s important to note from this rescue is the fact that the rescue effort would have been a lot easier had the Innova Crysta been pulled out with a proper four wheel drive SUV. This is because of the fact that a four wheel drive equipped SUV will have much better traction, and better low end torque. Also, a lesser amount of torque will be wasted due to wheelspin thanks to the four wheel drive layout.

We must credit the Maruti Brezza driver though, for stopping by and rescuing the much heavier Toyota Innova Crysta. While driving in the hills, you may come across vehicles being stuck due to slush/stones. So, if you do have a SUV that has a four wheel drive transfer case, and recovery equipment such as towing straps, do stop and help out people who are stuck.

Temperatures in the Himalayas can plummet dramatically as the sun sets. Also, landslides, excess snowfall and unpredictable weather in the upper reaches of the Himalayas is quite common. This makes it doubly dangerous to get stuck in one of the high Himalayan passes. So drive with abundant caution, and do not veer from the main road for random detours/exploration without back up. Most such unknown roads with have little or no traffic and the possibility to seek help when stuck in such roads is remote.