The very first Team-BHP Test Drive of Force Motor's Trax Gama

[Godfather]

no no no no no no

Have you tried the second hand options here as well??
You can get good used 4x4 safaris, scorpios in that range.. Sice it is for rough use why not take a second hand vehicle??
Also what do you think will be the resale of this vehicle say 5 years down the line?? The only time i have seen this vehicle on road is during the season when everyone travels to Shabarimalay...
Seriously.. with kids.. i dont think this is a safe vehicle.Please reconsider

Godfather

[spadival]

How about considering second hand SUV's ? I guess second hand Safari is out of the question because brand new ones themselves have so many problems !!

Dunno the exact price of old Pajero's or Prado's.. but they must be around 6-8 lakhs?

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

If you are worried about bad roads, buy the Tata 207. I have seen the double cab do duty in villages hauling twice the company recommended load. I am talking about the truck 207, not the sissy TL.
You get AC and Power steering with bucket seats.

I agree. My dad has one of the old gen 207s. The one without power anything except the power to take punishment and lug loads. No nonsense car and sensible for rural areas. Also the way the gears are arranged is similar to the arrangement you have described here. Only, to engage reverse, you have to lift the stick and slot it forward to where the #1 is generally found in cars.

P.S. Superb review.

[Godfather]

Originally Posted by spadival

I guess second hand Safari is out of the question because brand new ones have some many problems !!

God.... .. Safaris dont have problems.. There are initial glitches..which are rectified. U guys(In general) talk like the safari is the worst choice in the market..
... I would request the people who dont have a safari or have not owned a Safari to stop talking about it..
Till date there is only one instance where the safari has given a problem.. that too because of a bad fuelpump.. and it still did not stall on the highway.. Give it credit.. take any other car.. crack the fuel pump and try to drive it for 400+ kms...Then we talk

Godfather

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Godfather

Give it credit.. take any other car.. crack the fuel pump and try to drive it for 400+ kms...Then we talk

Tell it to 'em, Varma ! 30k Kms and the only issue on road was bad fuel.

[esteem_lover]

Samurai, get a TATA/Mahindra pick up truck & Aircon the cabin. You will have an amazing time riding those jungly roads. seriously a TATA or Mahindra makes a lot more sense in the kind of place you live. I agree the trax does have a very smooth refined sound about it & moves a lot better than the TATA/Mahindra, but you should also consider the easy maintanence part of it.

[Samurai]

Guys, I am a little surprised. Everybody is suggesting buy anything else, but nobody is telling what's wrong with Trax Gama or Force motors. Also, this thread is a TD thread and not about what car I want to buy. Let's ignore my needs for a moment here. I see members are suggesting commercial Tata trucks over Gama. So let us try to analyse why Trax Gama is a bad choice for any SUV buyer.

I see Trax vehicles everyday, way way more than Fiats, sorry to bring that up, but it is true. So, it is not unpopular among the tour operators. How is the A.S.S, I don't know, does anyone else know?

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

I agree the Trax does have a very smooth refined sound about it & moves a lot better than the TATA/Mahindra, but you should also consider the easy maintenance part of it.

That's interesting, you agree it may be a better vehicle. Is maintenance/parts a problem?

Come on guys, let's discuss why Gama is a bad choice without thinking about alternatives like Safari, Bolero, etc. Do Trax vehicles have a bad rap when it comes to reliability, A.S.S or spares cost? Please let's focus on that.

[Rtech]

Samurai, 99% of the replies here will be opinions based either on hearsay or magazine articles. That's because the average T-BHPian is not the market that the Trax is after. How many people here have even ridden in a Trax is something I'd like to know.

Would be great if you did go in for this one if only to have an accurate first hand report about the ownership experience. Granted though, that it's an expensive experiment!

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Samurai

That's interesting, you agree it may be a better vehicle. Is maintenance/parts a problem?

Yes, i have ridden (not driven) the trax & felt that the NVH levels were a lot better than the others. My only concern is the maintanence since i am not aware of it. Generally, a TATA or a Mahindra can be taken to the local mechanic who can easily source parts & fix the problem. Whether this is true for the trax also, i do not know. It is an unknown commodity.

[spadival]

Originally Posted by Godfather

God.... .. Safaris dont have problems.. There are initial glitches..which are rectified. U guys(In general) talk like the safari is the worst choice in the market..
Godfather

Yepp.. but urs is Safari V3 (or is it V2?).. I dont think u'll find many of those in the second hand market. Should have probably added that its Safari V1 that I am talking about.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I see Trax vehicles everyday, way way more than Fiats, sorry to bring that up, but it is true. So, it is not unpopular among the tour operators. How is the A.S.S, I don't know, does anyone else know?

Samu North kerala is just 2 hours away from you. There you find these trax jeeps dime a dozen. Only those folks can tell you how good or bad it is.
I guess you are getting advice on the contrary because after all its a "Tempo traveller".
The reactions would have been same if you had TD'd a 407 for use on rural roads

[spadival]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I see Trax vehicles everyday, way way more than Fiats, sorry to bring that up, but it is true. So, it is not unpopular among the tour operators.

I think you have answered ur own question. Trax probably has a stereotyped image by now. So if you decide to buy one, chances are that lots of people will flag you down on the highway, thinking u are one of those tour operators !!

PS: I give a tourist traxs a wide berth.. esp those on the shabarimale route ( lots of them go via Karkala) ;P.. These drivers seems intent on reaching god's abobe before reaching shabarimale and take us along with them.

[Godfather]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Guys, I am a little surprised. Everybody is suggesting buy anything else, but nobody is telling what's wrong with Trax Gama or Force motors.

So let us try to analyse why Trax Gama is a bad choice for any SUV buyer.

True.. What we have thought over reading the article was that you are interested in buying this vehicle.. Thats why nobody considered this as a TD thread and started off as an What car thread..

Since it is clear now we can go ahead with the facts.

1. I have seen only tour operated cars and not one personal vehicle..
this can be because since we dont consider this vehicle and even though we see it we tend to ignore it.
2. Most of the vehicles i have seen have body rust right below the passenger and driver doors.. and they will be max 3 years old..from the registration plates -- Poor maintainince i guess.
3. They must be cheap to maintain.. or tour operators will not be running these
4. considering the fact that it can seat more people than an average SUV the FE does not count or gets covered up in the rent per day.
5. Since the seats are bench type i doubt that its gonna be a comfy ride for long distances..
6. No PS -- will be a pain to turn this vehicle.. Talking U turns here or even turning the vehicle when its not moving will be a hassle..
7. No AC -- pray that the temperatures dont hit over 25 degrees.

This is for now..

Anyone else wants to add to this.

Godfather

[Godfather]

Originally Posted by spadival

, chances are that lots of people will flag you down on the highway, thinking u are one of those tour operators !!

Hahahahaha... I would pay to see the look on Samurai if this happens.

Godfather

[superavi]

When I was a kid we basically had a couple of options as hire rental cars with the driver - either a Tata Sumo, A Maruti Omni, or A trax.

Imagevise - the trax sucks, but even as a kid, i remember that journeys in the trax were better than trips in the Sumo. Also the engine note etc was smooth. I remember the drivers being happier in the Trax than the Sumo.

The armada available back then was particularly horrid - cramped and extremely noisy! The ad "heart of a jeep, soul of a car" was crap!