Trax Gurkha - As good as it gets??

[tsk1979]

Hey gurkha sorry to hear about your bad experience. I can understand how you feel.

[rahul_intlad]

Sorry to hear about your bad experiences.

I think recently the courts have directed state governments and highway authorities to get all speed breakers on highways removed [don't know if there is any progress in this direction,but plenty seem to have gone away after this ,are not the rest illegal]

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by Gurkha

Drove in .... experience to make a movie.

That is really sad to hear mate. :( But Samurai has hit the nail perfectly on the head. Still makes it difficult that we treat our own countrymen differently.

[man23ish]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Also to bust another popular myth, rural folks are lot more politically active than urban folks. In cities everybody minds their own business, in small towns/cities they mind the business of everyone else.

Very true, I myself have got into a tangle with a few conmen while trying to invest in some property outside bangalore.. And yes North-South divide exists almost everywhere in south India. There is a lot of resentment towards north indians and its not just a rural phenomenon, although it comes out openly in rural areas.. Atleast people in rural areas are more honest and direct in their approach..

[srishiva]

Very sad Gurkha. We all know it does exist everywhere and the reasons (economic).

[gopz]

Originally Posted by Gurkha

Drove in searing heat for four days to Pollachi, Gurkha didn't flinch at all, no oil top ups nothing, nada, survived bad fog and rain, had a washout, horrible Bridgestone Duellers made the Gurkha spin 360 degrees three times on the Gujrat Varodara expressway. Reached Pollachi to buy some farm land and settle there for good, got caught by con men, everywhere we went, plenty of resentment toward north Indians and shown openly, even my foreigner wife was not spared. Had a stroke, BP shot up to 270 and was in coma for days, after that, had many more bad experiences so after one and half month of hell, decided to drive back, Gurkha persevered, this time caught in the Gujrat floods. So 8000KM in one and a half month's span. Best driving was in Rajasthan and parts of Mumbai Pune and Gujrat Vadodra. Sadly left a very bitter taste about south India with me and my entire family although we did meet some good people there but it was too late. Indian highways have a long way to go before one can say pleasure drive, too many unmarked speed breakers, some would have broken average sedan to pieces. I have enough experience to make a movie.

Really sad to know what happened, Gurkha. I thought people in the south were more hospitable. Anyway, life has to move on, hope you do come back to South India soon and have a much better experience!

[Samurai]

OooooKaaay, let's get back to topic, as in TRAX Gurkha and not member Gurkha.

We know Force Motors has put Gurkha back in production, but they haven't delivered even after 6 months after taking first series of paid bookings. So what's happening?

[Proxima]

Does anyone know where I can get a TD of the Gurkha in Chennai?

[Gurkha]

Thanks for the word of support guys, now back to the topic of Gurkha. All those who have booked need to contact Mr. Firodia directly and tell them their plight, this is how I got my Gurkha and that too way back in 1999, sadly in this company, the big boss is a very nice man, but his juniors play the hide and seek game once he is not around, they are more interested in satisfying their foreign clients aka MB and MAN, as for the Indian scene, they are least bothered. They had a OM611 Gurkha on display in the 2001 auto show in Delhi, its not much of a feat to put the engine in the Gurkha chassis, the five cylinder OM617 can also be fit easily into it. Point is, they are just not interested in selling the Gurkha project in India. So far all those who are interested, myself included, I suggest bypassing the dealer and going straight for the jugular, the big boss has to know the plight, here is an excellent vehicle in demand and being marred by his own company. I am sure once he comes to know all this, things would be radically different.

By the way, speaking of engines, I would rather take the OM616/617 over the 611 any day, CRDI engines are not doing well in terms of reliability, MB or Toyota is no exception there, they manage to outlast others but still can't hold up to their previous offerings, its the inherent design, high pressure IP, real narrow squish area for top end, leading to pump failures and premature top end wear, also the high pressure pump and the whole CRDI process needs complex electronics to keep it running, over time, all electronics fail, I would seriously doubt the wading capability of the OM611 over the 616/617. Sadly Force refused to listen to logic, I had pleaded with them to put the super excellent 5 cylinder OM617 turbo with 128bhp, this engine would have been a killer in every terms and the weight penalty was minimal, also since OM616 turbo shares the same parts, tooling too would have been a feasible project. Force ruined the OM617 by sending it to AVL and making it a noisy and unrefined DI, all for economic gains. The GD 300 G Wagen has the OM617 turbo engine and apart from the Toyota FJ-78, this was the best 4x4 ever, Gurkha excluded.

[shazikon]

Gurkha thanks for the insight. Has it already been confirmed that indian market is going to get the OM611?? Will there be a turbo for the indian version and how much BHP is it going to make?
I hope FORCE wakes up and take interest in the indian market. I believe Team-BHP has some liverage in the indian automobile sector and could people in Pune / mumbai approach Force motors and find out whats the deal and as Gurkha says show FORCE motors how much of a following and interest it has!!

[Gurkha]

Team BHP indeed has leverage in the auto sector, but in case of Force, no one but the Germans do, they are just all over trying to please them. I am afraid, CRDI is it for the current diesel scene, they are easy to make and easy to pass emissions with, for IDI engines, complex plumbing has to be added to achieve the norms.

[Proxima]

Originally Posted by Proxima

Does anyone know where I can get a TD of the Gurkha in Chennai?

Can somebody please help?

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Gurkha

Team BHP indeed has leverage in the auto sector, but in case of Force, no one but the Germans do, they are just all over trying to please them. I am afraid, CRDI is it for the current diesel scene, they are easy to make and easy to pass emissions with, for IDI engines, complex plumbing has to be added to achieve the norms.

But currently they are offering (not delivering though ) the Gurkha with TD 2650 FTI engine. Isn't that supposed to be a good one? Not as powerful as OM616, but at least 80% right?

Originally Posted by Proxima

Can somebody please help?

Actually nobody can help here. It is delivered (if at all) only against order. No TD vehicle is available unless you can impress a current owner to let you drive one. Tough luck there. Many people have ordered it without ever doing test drive.

[wizardofid]

Originally Posted by 007 Bond

...4x4 Rationalised chassis of 3050 wheel base or 2750 WB ....

off topic joke in Bangalore - when a chap goes to the Trax showroom and expresses his interest in a vehicle, the dealer thinks for a moment, and asks how LONG do you want it?

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by wizardofid

off topic joke in Bangalore - when a chap goes to the Trax showroom and expresses his interest in a vehicle, the dealer thinks for a moment, and asks how LONG do you want it?

Nice one! Very fertile imagination!