Trax Gurkha Test Drive on Horrible roads and Off-road too

[Kandisa]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

Come one man. There are tons of us with deisel vehicles from 540s to indicabs. How many people have their deisel nozzles spewing out deisel in the first couple of thousand kms?

Good point. I was just referring to the end result i.e. getting stalled in the middle of nowhere for whatever may be the reason.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by mohan

What exactly do you mean?..... many or none?..

Mohan, what I meant was this cannot be treated as a normal *can happen to anyone* problem. This is obviously a quality control/build quality issue in the factory. The person/persons who assembled this engine messed up when installing the injectors.

[rhandle]

Well I have never said Gurkha's fit and finish is solid.

You need to go through tightening of all nuts again and then periodically again. I have become half mechanic now with Gurkha.

Anything which needs to be tightened or screwed you have to go over it again and again.

Do check your hose pipes as well Mohan that they are not rubbing or with a leaking pipe suddenly you wud be wondering where all your coolant is gone and why the engine is heating up abnormally.

One more thing while coming back from Gangtok I just got my vehicle checked, got paranoid about it, and found that one of the bolts from axle shaft had fallen!!


@4x4addict : very true. This is not common. I have been driving since last 18 years with many car ownerships, none has given me this much headache! This is one experience I guess you can have on Gurkha only :d

[mohan]

@ Gurkha,
Boy you seem to be lucky to have checked the vehicle in time.
Think I should go over again and the problem of the hose pipes too.I went through your posts regarding the hose pipe modification you did. I am planning a different technique altogether,difficult to explain ,will post photos.

[rhandle]

^^ With hose pipe you dont have to do anything. Mine was a Jugad method at that point of time.

What you need to do is just bend the metal whichever is touching your pipe. I got it done at force motor dealership. That is the cheapest and easiest way to do. If you are doing lot of offroading or on rough roads, becasue of heat and vibrations it would eat up in to your hose pipes.

[mohan]

Dear Shivshankar,
Hi,you have opted not to recieve PM,hence answering your query on the forum.
Despite all the odd issues regarding the Gurkha I still am proud to own it...you sad it right.
Hello and welcome to the world of Gurkha.
I am sure no other vehicle would make you involved so much as the Gurkha would.

Your PM was regarding my opinion about Gurkha's role as a family vehicle

1. You are right when you talked about "nasseb" and "Mr.Pandu"..even Skodas,TATA's,Hondas all had their share of problems.Mechanical things are by their virtue prone to malfunction. However Gurkha's malfunctions are extremely common.These malfunctions are more "assembly line" problems than mechanical..like screws falling off,nozzle leakages,A/C malfunctioning etc.Hence the Gurkha would be unreliable in the first 5000 kms.You have to bear this in mind.
2. Its difficult for old people with knee joint problem to get in the Gurkha,because one literally has to climb it.Also its a 3 door vehicle.If you have someone like that in the family then you should think twice.
3. Gurkha has a fantastic engine which really opens up to you after 3500 kms or so.Its very responsive and gives you a whopping 16km/l without A/C.Overtaking is a piece of cake. Offset to this fact is the fatigue you will have after driving it for 175 km non stop..as the gears aren't free initially,the gear throw is longer and you have to be physically attuned to the Gurkha seat configuartion which is probably made for the terrain rugged soldiers.Add to that the noise factor in the initial stages which can tire you.
4. The ride in the rear seat is something you wouldn't fancy.There are no handles and your passengers keep on getting tossed and moved around.Add to that an uncomfortable feeling that most people have is the height of the rear seat which appears as though you are sitting in a theatre balcony or giving a stage performance.This may be a problem with my Gurkha as I have fitted Yokohoma A/T tires which are very wide and make my ride in the city very bumpy.They are however very capable off-road tires.
5. The dealer Mr.Daya is a very cooperative person and issues with your Gurkha will be handled promptly.Over the phone service is available literally at any time.Hence servicing is no issue. However bear this in mind that the trax dosen't run high in the popularity ratings in Maharashtra,hence finding a mechanic or spares while on travel may be difficult.
6. I had shown my Gurkha to my Ambulance designer Mr Samson,who opined that this vehicle can be made much more comfortable with good rear seats,carpet and modified dashboard(for eye comfort).All that for Rs 75,000/-.
7. If you even add that amount it's still cheaper than the 4WD Safari.
8. You will also have to change to normal street tires.You MUST not sell the original tires as they are very good Off-road tires.Refrain from putting mag wheels,rides will be bouncier.
9. The vehicle is very rugged,has a tubular chasis and a higher guage steel used,hence theoritically it would be much safer inside than any other vehicle.

So,to my mind,this vehicle can be used for family use only after the modifications.For family purpose you would have many other good choices. If you need to have both on-road and off-road utility then this should be your vehicle with an "undertaking" to your self that things would go wrong initially and that you would attend them without remorse or grouch.
Once that happens, in the words of Rahul ,"The Gurkha will own you ,you wont own the Gurkha"..Rahul are you listening???

[rhandle]

^^^ very well put up.

Ok Shiv, you will need to buy another car if you are married and have kids. I just asked Toyota people to deposit my cheque in bank for fortuner.

Doctor any modification will make your Gurkha rattle while off-road, that my 2 cents so do not go for much mods. The reason being those mods are nice if you remain on road, but not on OFF-road.

Gurkha, no fan belts available in Delhi NCR at force dealer. Going to buy TWO from open market. Ensure you have a space for spare parts.

BTW yesterday my 10 year old son drove Gurkha his first driving lessons, and in 15 minutes of that he beautifully climbed a hill and came out of ditch ... now trust me that is the beauty of Gurkha

The only painful thing is you will have to learn how to drive it by yourself as there are not many people here who can tell you or teach you how to drive it, unlike if you opt for a jeep.

Also my paint has started to chip off. The workmanship QUALITY is BAD, in fact VERY BAD.

But then I still maintain ... Even though you might have bought it "The Gurkha will own you, you wont own the Gurkha"

Nothing to beat it or the ownership experience!

[shivshanker]

Dr. & Rahul,

Many thanks for the inputs.

Crrently my Baleno is with me most of the week, with very little weekend travel. As my wife hates travelling by road.

I plan to have my Baleno for a few more years as the Family car and use the Second Jeep as the primary city drive and for weekend travel.

In most cases, I am pretty sure that I will be alone in the new vehilce most of the times.

[mohan]

Rahul,congrats on booking the Fortuner.
What variant have you bought the 4x4 or the 4X2 , Petrol or diesel?
The 4WD variant is a monster giving 160 BHP and a fantastic torque of 343Nm,guess you can go places with that sort of power.
Let us know when you get the delivery..
There is a rumour running in the circles that TATA is coming up with the Jeep Wrangler,have you heard this rumour too.I wish this was a reality.
I had driven it in Dubai and its hell of a machine.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by mohan

There is a rumour running in the circles that TATA is coming up with the Jeep Wrangler,have you heard this rumour too.I wish this was a reality.
I had driven it in Dubai and its hell of a machine.

Chrysler which owns the Jeep brand is now owned by Fiat so maybe Fiat is leveraging their Tata connection to launch the Wrangler. At the same time Tata now owns the Landrover and the Landrover Defender is a direct competitor to the Wrangler so will Tata promote it's own son or it's nephew? Only time will tell...

[mohan]

Defender is a direct competitor to the Wrangler so will Tata promote it's own son or it's nephew? Only time will tell...[/quote].
I think blood is thicker than water.

[ajitkommini]

Originally Posted by mohan

Defender is a direct competitor to the Wrangler so will Tata promote it's own son or it's nephew? Only time will tell....
I think blood is thicker than water.

Being an ardent LR fan I really hope your prediction comes true, but disappointingly, it looks like Land Rover is trying very hard to position itself as a luxury brand and it would not surprise me if they did away with the defender entirely at some point in the future.

[rhandle]

Originally Posted by shivshanker

Dr. & Rahul,

Many thanks for the inputs.

Crrently my Baleno is with me most of the week, with very little weekend travel. As my wife hates travelling by road.

I plan to have my Baleno for a few more years as the Family car and use the Second Jeep as the primary city drive and for weekend travel.

In most cases, I am pretty sure that I will be alone in the new vehilce most of the times.

Shiv then I would advise you against spending 9 lakhs and counting for this vehicle. Get a cheap jeep for 1-1.5L and use for fun and buy another comfortable car for yourself.

Originally Posted by mohan

Rahul,congrats on booking the Fortuner.
What variant have you bought the 4x4 or the 4X2 , Petrol or diesel?
The 4WD variant is a monster giving 160 BHP and a fantastic torque of 343Nm,guess you can go places with that sort of power.
Let us know when you get the delivery..
There is a rumour running in the circles that TATA is coming up with the Jeep Wrangler,have you heard this rumour too.I wish this was a reality.
I had driven it in Dubai and its hell of a machine.

The only variant in is 4wd, diesel with 171 PS and 343 NM torque. They are telling me delivery would be in December. BTW I removed the single seats at the end and pushed the rear bench back. Now have lot more space and seating is comparatively better now.

I do not think I would be changing Gurkha in another 6-7 years. So wont think about wrangler!!

[mohan]

Originally Posted by rhandle

the end and pushed the rear bench back. Now have lot more space and seating is comparatively better now.

I do not think I would be changing Gurkha in another 6-7 years. So wont think about wrangler!!

Can you send a photo of this arrangement Rahul?
Also I would like to know whether the modifications you carried out for the A/C, i:e fixing up of 2 fans,worked well?Does the engine heat up now?.
I approached the Force technical division for a similiar problem and I talked about the modifications you did.. I submitted your photos too.If this modification has solved your problem, then the company has agreed to do the same with my Gurkha"free of cost"...
Attention: Mr.Grewal.

[rhandle]

^^ yes after fans problem has been solved. In fact they called the guy from Subros who told clearly that the engine heat up is because of the no ram air flow when the vehicle is in standing position. You can fix even one fan if you get a good size.

Sure I will be posting pictures soon in my Gurkha thread.