Which vehicle to buy for a Himalayan Road Tour?

[HappyGoLucky]

I had once done the trip from Mangalore to Hassan in my Swift with 4 people. Even though it is a NH it was no better than a river bed in heavy truck traffic, incessant dust reducing visibility and plenty of ghat sections thrown in for more 'fun'. Surprisingly the Swift was upto the task and didnt even develop any rattles after that trip. BUT the point is I would never repeat it again in a Swift.
If you want to enjoy the trip get a tough 4x4. If you can afford get the Pajero, nothing like it.
If you want thrill get in a Swift or Matiz or Fusion etc and be prepared for some real adventure.

[phamilyman]

Happy boss,
Issue is of one's back having min bruises, and gaddi with min repair costs!
Otherwise ... हजारों ख्वाहिशें ऐसी की हर ख्वाहिश पे दम निकले !
बहोत निकले मेरे अरमान, लेकिन फिर भी कम निकले!
Khanjan Mehta's translation of "Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi...) by Mirza Ghalib

[kesri]

Originally Posted by an10

Guess Safari or Scropio should solve the purpose without much of issues.

and I must say it should be a fun (& adventurous trip) for you guys. Wish I could join you but job takes all the time in the life....

Have fun !!

Thanks everybody fo your inputs ..as of now Scorpio sounds most interesting and in budget ranges.

[vinit.merchant]

I am not sure of your Budget as I dint read it anywhere in this thread.
But I noticed that there isn't any mention of one of the most able cars for such trips, an absolute delight on such roads, the Best Off roader IMO. That would definately be Ford Endeavour.

Powerful, Good Ground clearance and will handle bad roads at ease. And it is available in 2WD & 4WD, both very efficient and even the 2WD should make the trip at ease with its power.
It has been recently launched with another engine option of 3Litres ! Give it a thought.

[tsk1979]

I wonder is the Scorpio 4x4 available easily?
If going for 4x2, the Innova is a better bet because its more reliable than both safari and Scorpio.
If going for 4x4, then safari makes more sense as it comes with a LSD, which can be a boon in tricky situations

[rippergeo]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

I am not sure of your Budget as I dint read it anywhere in this thread.
But I noticed that there isn't any mention of one of the most able cars for such trips, an absolute delight on such roads, the Best Off roader IMO. That would definately be Ford Endeavour.

Powerful, Good Ground clearance and will handle bad roads at ease. And it is available in 2WD & 4WD, both very efficient and even the 2WD should make the trip at ease with its power.
It has been recently launched with another engine option of 3Litres ! Give it a thought.

its a very capable off roader, but no one is recommending it because of its bumpy ride and the cost.

the 2WD is average at hill descent.
it is, however, excellent at climbing
the 4WD is brilliant

[jaysmokesleaves]

4WD is definetely the thing to have for a trip to the himilayas. If you are not considering a 4WD vehicle then the least you can do is ensure that your vehicle has good ground clearance... as in suv type ground clearance. Dont take chances with a car.

[snb77]

I would bet on Suzuki Gypsy king 4X4. its trouble free, service available at all palces and will glide thru the mountains.

[DirtyDan]

Safari or Scorpio 2 or 4 wheel would do the job and give some measure of comfort over distances. You are going to get bounced around inside the cab pretty good and you will appreciate the ride after awhile. Scorpio's newer link rear suspension with the torsion bars looks a little fragile to me with those rods hanging down in front of the rear wheels. Seems to me they could be snapped off easily by rocks, etc. I would like to hear some opinions on just this issue.

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by snb77

I would bet on Suzuki Gypsy king 4X4. its trouble free, service available at all palces and will glide thru the mountains.

Problem with Gypsy is that it is now aged with almost 15-20 years in market and hardly any modifications done on it. It is available as made to order. I doubt even the Military buys it nowadays.

On top of that,it is Petrol. A Petrol 4WD! It will definately make you worry of the petrol bills. Also, I do not think that you are buying the car just those 3 months of tour. You will definately use it later for some more time.

Considering these, It is better to avoid Gypsy.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

Problem with Gypsy is that it is now aged with almost 15-20 years in market and hardly any modifications done on it. It is available as made to order. I doubt even the Military buys it nowadays.

As far as the age is concerned, I do not see the relationship between the capabilities of the vehicle as related to age of the design!
Please remember the Pajero is also a very dated design; yet it is probably the most capable off-roader around.

And the Gypsy is still being bought by the Army.
Spare parts support is very good right across the breath of the Himalayas.

[snb77]

one more point. If you are not concerned about the budget, you can go for Ford Endaveour which is a 100% 4X4 off roader. I recently happened to see a review on it in cnbc. Its amazing.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Spare parts support is very good right across the breath of the Himalayas.

Don't count on it.
We had a gypsy king 1.3 carb, and getting a clutch plate for the vehicle was a nightmare. Luckily our mechanic did a temporary jugaad, and the vehicle ran fine for another 10K kms and then we sold it.

[dwaraka]

Kesri,

Looking at HV Kumar doing ladakh on matiz, commander jeep and some even on maruti's my opinion is the doablity of these roads, rather no roads is in driver's ability. As for you, your choice of scorpio is good. You won't need a 4 WD as long as you are struck to tracks.

Gypsy definitely is a good bet, but mileage sucks.

Warm regards,
Dwarak

[kesri]

hi everybody ... thanks for all your valauable inputs on this thread. Will have to evaluate all responses and then compare a shortlist of models. Just to clarify, my budget upper limit for this Rs 9-10 lacs; with all accessories & music system etc. - Kesri