iDrive 4x4 Review - Oman Roadtrip

Are you planning a self-drive roadtrip through Oman? Then look no further! In this article, we share our experiences with iDrive 4x4, a Dutch company operating in Oman. In total, we traveled around the country with a trusty Toyota Land Cruiser 300 for 5 weeks. Read our full review below.

Get 100 euros off your 4x4 rental using our discount code

LUCAS100 at https://idrive4x4.com/

Full transparency 
We did a barter deal with iDrive4x4. For featuring them in our travel documentary, we received a 100% discount on our rental fee.

The Website and Booking Process

iDrive 4x4 is a Dutch company that collaborates with local rental companies in several countries. At the time of writing this post, they are active in Oman, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and Uganda. In Oman they work together with Al Maha Rent a Car. In a nutshell, iDrive 4x4 takes care of the camping gear and Al Maha provides the car.

These collaborations are not immediately visible on the website, but for guests, it barely makes any difference. The website of iDrive 4x4 is clearly structured, and the booking process straightforward. Communication runs either through email or, even quicker, through WhatsApp. 

The Pick-up

Due to the collaboration between iDrive 4x4 and Al Maha, you won’t find any signage of the former at the airport in Muscat. As soon as you touch down on the ground in Oman, all matters relating to the vehicle are handled by Al Maha. As of May 2025, Al Maha has a counter at the international airport in Muscat. That means, after you pick up your luggage, you can simply stroll over and take care of the formalities. 

The Instructions

The entire process of checking the vehicle for damage and reading through the paperwork took less than an hour. During that time, we also got a thorough introduction to how to put up the rooftop tent (which was incredibly easy).

The Car

We picked a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 series. This car is not only capable as a 4x4 but also offers all the amenities of a modern vehicle. In particular, it comes with an air con. As we traveled in blisteringly hot April and May, this was a lifesaver. 

The car has five seats, so, in theory, it would work for a family. However, it will be very difficult to store your luggage as the trunk is already full of camping gear. In fact, even for the two of us, space was limited. This was because we had both the camping gear and a large box with 4x4 gear in the trunk. As a result, one of our suitcases had to be stored on the backseat. 

Most importantly, the car worked the entire time flawlessly. We did not have a single mechanical issue. The vehicle needs an oil change every 10.000 km. As we drove 8000 km, it was due in the middle of our trip. For that, we visited the second office of Al Maha in Oman, which is located in Salalah. The entire process took a couple of hours during which we got a replacement vehicle. 

The car has a fairly large fuel tank, which was useful for our visit to the Empty Quarter. The four-wheel drive worked well. We used both 4H and 4L. The tires, on the other hand, are not entirely off-road worthy. They might be called all-terrain tires, but frankly, they look a lot like highway tires. Their profile is not very deep. That means you’ll definitely have to lower tire pressures as soon as you hit the sand.

The Rooftop Tent

The tent was comfortable and very easy to put up. In fact, you only have to unbuckle it and give it a little shove so it opens itself. The side flaps can be opened on three sides, which allows some ventilation at night. The ladder was sturdy. However, it needs to be stored inside the vehicle, which takes away valuable space.

The tent comes equipped with a mattress, so you do not need to bring any of your own. With a width of 140 cm, the bed offered enough space for two people. iDrive 4x4 also supplied us with sleeping bags, but we decided against using them. Most nights, it was simply too warm. Instead, we purchased two thin blankets directly at the start of the trip. Depending on the time of year, the sleeping bags will be very useful, though. In winter, aka November to February, it can get properly cold at night. Because of the flat design of the tent, the sleeping bags also need to be stored in the vehicle.

The Equipment

The car came equipped with A LOT of gear. In fact, there was so much gear that we decided to leave some of it behind when we picked up the vehicle. Among other things, there were two camping chairs, a table, a small gas stove, cooking equipment, a shovel, an air-compressor, and even a towing rope. The cooking equipment was fairly new or even unused - still, don’t expect non-stick pots and pans. There was even a large cooking grate to grill fish on.

Somewhat surprisingly, the car does not come with a proper fridge. It does, however, have a small fridge to cool beverages in the front center console.

One thing to be aware of is that most of the gear in Oman is imported from China. Sometimes, the quality of the items is seriously lacking. For example, our gas stove had a mechanical flaw. It simply would not accept a full gas bottle. That meant each time we wanted to use a new bottle, we first had to waste some of the gas. Equally, the awning almost drove us mad. We tried to put it up several times, but its entire design is ill-conceived, and you’ll need at least 4 people to put it up. Even then, the slightest breeze will fling it up and potentially damage the car. 

Before we left Muscat, we also paid a visit to Lulu Hypermarket to stock up on groceries and water. We'd highly recommend thoroughly checking if you need to buy anything before leaving Muscat, as it can be a little harder to find adequate gear in other parts of the country.

Communications during the Trip

Similar to the booking process, most of the communication runs through WhatsApp. You can either communicate with iDrive 4x4 or, if there are any issues with the car, contact Al Maha directly.

Our trip

We traveled around Oman for a total of five weeks, driving 8.000 km. If you would like to learn more about our trip, make sure to watch our Oman Travel Documentary on YouTube.

The Drop-off

Once we had concluded our roadtrip, we returned the vehicle at Muscat Airport. A quick look around the car was sufficient to determine there were no major issues.

Problems

We did not have any mechanical issues. The car ran the entire time perfectly. The only problems we encountered were with some of the gear. As mentioned above, we found the awning to be completely useless. Additionally, the gas stove had a weird flaw. 

Summary

For us, iDrive 4x4 and Al Maha were an excellent choice for our Oman roadtrip. We put the car through quite a lot, driving along very dusty off-road trails, through water crossings, and even the sandy vastness of the Empty Quarter. It held up perfectly fine without any mechanical problems.

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Get 100 euros off your 4x4 rental using our discount code

LUCAS100 at https://idrive4x4.com/

Make sure to watch our full Oman Travel Documentary on YouTube: