There are several types of off-roaders around in the UAE, those that have an obvious off-roading car such as Jeep and then there’s the people that drive unassuming SUVs and slap some off-road tyres and kit in them and viola, a subtle off-road car. What’s interesting about the latter is that some of them (if not every car in the region) has something unique in them. One such example is Aries’ ’09 Fortuner which believe it or not has an entire kitchen in the boot. And mind you, this happy camper has no need for any trailer. It’s happy on its own
Tell us a little background story about the car…
The car was originally bought as a workhorse for my business to haul goods and for my outdoor activities. Off-roading was introduced to me by a good friend from a local off-road group — FORCE-A 4×4. At first, I was very hesitant about off-roading. Maybe the car cannot make it; but with the guidance and supervision of the group. I was able to pull it off without any trouble at all. From there off-roading was history and my car, simple as it may became a dune basher in its own right.
Could you tell us all about the modifications that were made? Performance and cosmetic-wise?
There’s not much going on under the hood, but it’s still a project I’m continuously working on. Recently, I just changed the wheels to 265/18/60 rims and tyres for off-road wheel and replaced the grills with a black mesh grille to get an aggressive, yet sporty look. Lastly, I’ve also installed a 20″ LED Light Bar on the front bumper to make it easier to circumnavigate the desert especially when camping in the evening.
Do you have something that you would consider to be a “special feature” of your car?
Personally, I would consider it to be that wonderful device at the back of the car. I call it my “chuckbox” which I specifically made by hand to fit at the back of the car. It starts of as a simple looking box in the boot of my car and once me and my group have set up camp, it unfurls into a full-blown kitchen in the middle of the desert, complete with lighting, a proper gas stove and even some cupboards! This chuckbox serves as a kitchen for all my outdoor activities where I serve up some delectable local treats for our journeys.
What were your other options before you bought this car?
Initially I wanted a 2009 Nissan Pathfinder but wasn’t able to get one. Then the Fortuner came up and that was that!
How do you spend time with the car?
I usually spend a lot of time with my car. It’s my daily driver, so I take care of it like a living member of our family — car wash every weekend, weekly checks on the engine and of course I take it off-road as often as possible all around the country, but mostly around RAK, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
How often do you use your car?
Daily, as what I mentioned above; I use it to run quick errands for my business, I use it go out with my family and I of course use it as my happy camper in the beautiful outdoors of the region.
Any future modifications that you are planning?
Future modifications? I have a lot of plans, first up would be adding a 50″ LED Light Bar on the roof, a Roof Rack with Awning, a 2.5″ Lift Kit, Ironman Suspensions, upgrade to even bigger tyres, Custom Off-Road Bumpers and more future modifications which hasn’t come to mind yet. I want to make it a more formidable of an off-road vehicle.
What 4×4 do you dream of owning?
How I wish to own a Jeep Wrangler Bandit 7.0 HEMI which is a more perfect camper!
