Photo by Mario James
The 2008 Nissan Navara and X-TRAIL outside Island Village in Ocho Rios, St Ann.

Mario James, Gleaner Writer

LAST WEEK, our intrepid group embarked upon a tour of 'ele-phan-tine' proportions. We, a bunch of scribes, one diva, and a crew of Fidelity Motors folk, plus five to six tonnes of off-road capable machinery attacked the slopes of Mount Rosser after a chow fest at Juicy Patties in Bog Walk, St Catherine.

Yours truly in a white X-TRAIL, and the diva (Power 106 FM's Shelly-Ann McLaggan) in the Navara. Exiting Bog Walk and heading up to Ewarton we leaned on that big Nissan four-cylinder. Grunt is available from low rpm, so morning traffic melted in front of us like Kraft singles in a microwave. The prowess of the X-TRAIL was confidence inspiring on road - its meaty torque curve made for some astonished faces (especially from our host!) as we were able to fit this wagon into ever smaller spaces. It felt as if the front wheels were wired to the neurons in my brain. Soon the radio lady and her Navara were left far behind.

Starlet freak

Ah! We are on schedule and in Ocho Rios at 11:45 a.m. Island Village beckons, and with it the prospect of more torture. Of course, we had to wait on the diva (again!). Margaritaville is our respite, and it did not disappoint (at least for those who allowed themselves to eat!) Me and my strict no-food-until-four policy impinged on my binge, and I sipped on a savoury fruit punch while others inhaled exotic liquor and loaded on fries, burgers and squid as they were participating in a triathlon. Trust me, many a cigarette was lit after that meal. And still, there was no sign of the Starlet freak, Rory Daley of The Sunday Herald.

So after the hunger pangs were sated, and after having maybe one too many Rothmans, our party headed towards some rougher terrain. Not so sure how good an idea that was, considering the meal we had! The name of this patch of earth that Government forgot was called Litchfield Mines, and while the name might conjure up images of tranquil picturesque countryside, the roads were from the land that time forgot.

Bauxite mine

Originally a bauxite mine, the road was flanked on one side for most of its travel by a conveyor belt more than five miles long! The road was made of marl, and had very little drainage, so rivulets of water ran into the road, eroding it severely all along its length. There are car traps so big on this road, a car could disappear and not be found for days.

The X-TRAIL went up this road initially quite fine. We started in two-wheel-drive, and the vehicle impressed me with its stability and soft ride. But with the craters that had to be avoided, we had to be riding the sides of the road, sometimes putting two wheels up on the banking, which was pretty steep. And then the road surface really deteriorated, rocks and detritus bouncing off the chassis and the surface becoming so powdery that four-wheel-drive had to be called for. Once that rotary switch was turned, confidence returned, and the X-TRAIL mounted the track as a champ.

Eventually, though, we traded the plush confines of the SUV for the more purposeful surroundings of the four-door 4WD monster pickup called the Navara. It was a struggle getting Shelly-Ann to give up the reins to her new found love. It just was not happenin'! But this time the Fidelity guys were on my side (time is money I guess), and we shoehorned the diva out of the pickup. Well, she will get to fall in love all over again with the X-TRAIL.

Next Week: The Navara in the mines.