[Williams_f1]

Hi Eric,

Congratulations on your new ride, very apt for your purposes, I myself would love to get one (for that matter any old 4x4 jeep!) but with no use case for one for now all I can do is just admire these rigs.

Looks much better with the Marshal wheels on, in my opinion.

Looking forward to your adventures with the vehicle just as it was with the Marshal.

Thanks.

[ringoism]

Getting a bit frustrated in the tyre search - the JK Elanzos in original.size were at ₹4998 last week and it was an extremely tempting proposition to spend a mere 20k and be done with it. But I had (also last week) seen a Pajero shod with same size that had a lot of micro-cracks in the surface of the tread blocks. Probably were old, but anyway, at ₹5k we may be getting new old stock too.

And design-wise honestly there just don't seem to be big enough void areas to really grip well in mud and snow.

I'm not sure I need a full-on mud tyre, but it seems all the A/T's available in this size (245/75-16) are really too mild for my tastes/ purposes, seem almost as mild as some of the H/T's to my eyes.

That Ultramile 4x4 Bull (a'la B.F. Goodrich's wildly popular design) or JK Ranger M/T are really more the kind of thing I'd had in mind. But neither are listed in that size.

Fully open to Hankook, Kumho, Kenda, whatever... also to 235/80(85)-16's, though those must be very rare at this point..

But where can I find these, and will they be offered in the required size?

I'm about to reconsider going again with 265/70-16's as the height is per OE and considering the lack of ABS, an extra inch of width over stock might actually be advisable in terms of all-out road grip. There's no lack of space in the wheel-wells for them (even with the offset put right), so no issues there but the price (and FE?). Cheapest I see at present is the Wanderer A/T at ₹8.5k.

If I could give up some height the 245/70-16 Czar A/T is hovering around ₹6k at the moment, which seems a good deal. Having trouble finding unbiased reviews, though.

With most basic servicing done now, apart from getting that brushguard/steel bumper replaced with OE, these tyres are the only thing that would worry me about heading out on a long trip at present. The 205-85's on there are a decade old and feel a little skinny and skid-prone for high-speed use.

Again, any tyre leads appreciated.

-Eric

[ringoism]

Got thinking that the transverse "tool box" I'd planned was going to make this short-bed even shorter, such that we'd not be able to manage bicycles, much less motorcycles... so came to this solution, locally fab'ed and self-installed, pretty rigidly I might add:





They're just about a foot wide and deep, and 2-1/2ft long, so just right for a couple of full-sized backpacks or whatever else. Weatherproof and braced enough / with tight-fitting lids so they don't rattle or creak much. Have already used them, both with and without a few cycles stacked between. Gonna be helpful.

Ordered a cheap enough OE front bumper which should be in tomorrow. Probably ought to get a reverse camera, since the head unit is set up for that function anyway, and the thing is certainly a lot longer and wider than the Marshal. On that note, though technically (legally) this is the wife's car, she hasn't driven it yet; I wanted to get everything right mechanically first so there wouldn't be any distractions, without which there is already enough to adjust to / be mindful of. It's a beast.

Had a couple scares - the steering rack seemed to be binding badly, dangerously - friend who used to rebuild them said the symptom pointed to internal leakage past the spool valve seals - not a user-servicable issue and Rs15k+ for a new one - But as it turned out, it was just two badly dried-up and extremely stiff cross joints... which, not being actually worn, responded well to some treatment with penetrating oil.

Then, after driving it a couple weeks and coming back from a drive down-valley with a load of apples, we stopped for dinner, and when I came out and tried to start out, there was zero turbo boost. Just gone. There had been no telltale smoke or screeching noises, and the pressure pipes were intact and well-fitted, so this was a real mystery - one which kept me up a good part of the night worrying about another likely Rs 12-13k. In the morning went out and popped the hood, and after poking around a bit, found a small pipe fallen off the intake plumbing, near the air filter. Not sure what that does or why it would matter (ties into the EGR through some kind of solenoid, but there's no vacuum on it) not being in the pressurized circuit, but anyway... ran fine again (thank God) once reconnected..

Still a fairly long list to deal with prior to taking off in a month on the first leg of what will amount to probanly 7,000km's or more driving to and from MZ, shouldn't take beyond a few days total to get it all squared away, for now (still) trying to figure out tyres and just get to where I feel familiar with the car.

Went to full synthetic lubes for engine and gearbox, shifts much easier on these cold mornings now and should probably run a little more efficient in short local drives.

Most urgently need to get the selfstarter redone, cargo box rails fabbed (hardly anyone here does it nicely), and either a tonneau cover or something more back there to keep stuff better protected/ out of sight.

A Chandigarh dealer says he has some fairly fresh.pre-owned Yomahamas coming in Monday that are attractively priced, if that doesn't happen, seems I'm down to Apollo Apterra or Ceat Czar or MRF Wanderers, all in A/T form. Only for the latter am I finding much in the way of reviews (overall pretty positive, incl. from U.S. users), but the first is the best-priced in OE size and has a lot of siping that suggests it could be good in snow, so let's see. Mizoram's clayey mud notwithstanding, I'm thinking I can probably do without M/T's - Scant affordable choices there and anyway one of the things I like about having 4wd is that you can get good enough grip on most offroad surfaces even when running tyres more comfort/ road-performance friendly. No HT's for sure, as they're useless in snow, but probably about any A/T would work.

The Maxxis Bravo 771 A/T is supposed to be a very nice, comfy, grippy all-rounder, Tyremarket has the 265 width listed in the "inquire" section with no "add to cart" option, sent a message, let's see.

-Eric

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

MRF Wanderer A/T is available in 245/75R16, for almost the same price as the Apollo Apterra.

https://m.mrftyres.com/products/tyres/27

I saw that, and they have it in 265-70 also.

Is that supposed to be a superior quality or better A/T tread design, with a bit more offroad in view?

[condor]

Nicely done boxes, there @Ringoism.

Reading your updates gives a sense of work getting done in a purposeful way, and for a purpose. All the repairs, functional mods would be put to use, unlike the ricer style mods that some do. (My MG413W is also getting readied in a similar way. Small issues are being taken care of, and some functional touches so that it wont go back for a long time. Just waiting to get my hands back on it so it can put to it's intended duty asap).

[ringoism]

Spent (unbelievably) a couple days fabbing these cargo rails, or whatever you want to call them. Couldn't find anyone around who was either available to do the work or using methods by which it would actually turn out looking well-finished. These match the pipe diameter of the roof rack and (soon to be removed) brush guard / bull-bar... Hadn't really done any work like this since the rock-sliders on the Marshal, and those were far easier.




Anyway these would not really have been necessary if I'd not been intending to fit a canopy on the back - and would not have been thinking of a canopy if not for the plans to head out we early December with four persons, five bicycles, several boxes of apples and jam, and luggage, on a few-thousand km journey from Manali to Mizoram...

Mechanically preparations are getting close - still four or five important things to get done, and too busy to get into discussion of completed / pending.

Suffice it to say that a near decade-old, semi-neglected M&M product can keep you going for awhile.

More later,
Eric.

[ringoism]

A couple people have commented / inquired privately re: the leaf-spring rear. My comments:

Most pickups have leaf-springs out back. My 1965 Chevy half-ton was fully coil-sprung and really rode nice loaded and unloaded... not sure why hardly any other manufacturers have tried it...

Anyway, am not much bothered about ride quality in any car, so long as the interior isn't rattling.

Most of the Scorpio rocking comes from the big F/R anti-roll bars and soft shock valving IMO. The engineers presumably wanted it basically cushy / "luxurious" without excessive body-roll (lean) in turns, and that is one approach that in places with nicely constructed/ finished roads would work absolutely fine. Big sway bars help control lean and can contribute to better handling, but inevitably cause some rocking on anything but smooth roads. Have experienced this on a few of my cars that were modded with them.

So not easy to get ideal ride AND handling in a high COG vehicle on somewhat lumpy / uneven roads. Which is probably why the new Safari/ Scorps are more like crossovers now. Basic physics hard to bend.

Our Marshal by comparison has a very small anti-roll bar on front only, with fairly stiff shocks and springs and it actually has a LOT less of the rocking, at the expense of slightly more lean in turns and a MUCH more jiggly ride.

The Getaway does rock a lot in comparison, but a regional Bhpian offered me the heavier-duty South African export shockers for it, and I may afterwards try disconnecting the rear anti-roll bar to gauge the overall effect. This would also help with articulation, which it sorely lacks vs. the Marshal... Am constantly getting wheelspin at one rear wheel or the other on uneven surfaces, as a consequence have to use 4x4 far too often.

So every car has its compromises.

But yesterday we did our first real (albeit short) highway run on it, and it is truly lovely there, very quiet and planted, had it to 120kmph and it felt absolutely ok. That (and the heater!) are some of its real advantages over the old iron, for sure!

-Eric

[ringoism]

Been busy the past couple days....

Really busy:





Finally doing what we've thought of for years, and shifting our residence some distance down-valley - after seventeen years in one village. These are the times that whatever disadvantages that have arisen from owning a long-wheelbase, wide, and not entirely thrifty vehicle that lacks much of a lockable boot area - are quickly forgotten. Two full loads each for each car, and still a lot more to move; it is really something how we can accumulate stuff over the years, and not much of it that seems very disposable (though in reality most of it would be).

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The loading up began within hours of arriving back in Manali yesterday, arriving in morning from Lucknow; I've not driven that long and continuously since my college days - ahhh, those extended 150kmph runs with a few buddies across the American south, in a car so conveniently a law-enforcement look-alike... moreover equipped with a certain device suitable for detecting any genuine ones ahead, with their radar speed traps . But I digress. I am now something much more like a law-abiding citizen (though as a non-citizen!).

Around the middle of 2022 I proposed we take our usual winter trip out to Mizoram by vehicle for the first time. Not that I hadn't floated that one before, and not that wifey was any less skeptical this time. We hadn't been out there in three years, and had traveled mainly by air last time (vs. the mix with trains earlier) to "make things easier" (her words); But between stupidly missing our return flight and losing all that money, and then sitting up all night catching colds in the Kolkata airport, in the process somehow booking the wrong replacement flight, then paying a small fortune to secure seats on the right plane at that late hour... and THEN realizing, within a week of this complete fiasco, that we'd been sitting there in tight-packed planes and airport queues and benches, and sleeping on those hard tile floors, just about the time Covid was first entering the country (Feb '20)... Needless to say, all that could tend to soften just about anyone towards other "not so easy" options.

Post 9/11 (I must be getting old) security formalities had anyway become more intricate, time-consuming, and stressful. Ten years ago we'd been happy enough traveling Indian railways, but bookings always had to be done so far in advance as to seriously limit flexibility or adjustments to schedules, food was rarely inspiring, delays were so normal they really should not have even been defined as such, there were the stresses of wondering whether your RAC (or whatever) was going to finally work out - and moreover the whole scene there has become so undisciplined of late, with unticketed passengers getting bolder and bolder, with no real disincentives towards bad/ inconsiderate behavior. Those who now can afford it and don't have flight phobias are done with the railways for the most part, it's a fact.

To look at things more positively, we realized our kids had hardly any experience of their homeland outside of the two M's - Manali and Mizoram, with a few forays into the further reaches of H.P. / Ladakh, and a day or two in Calcutta or Delhi on very rare occasions. Some mind-broadening could certainly be useful/important - even enjoyable - for them, we thought. And no, there would not be seat-back video monitors in the car, which pretty much would defeat the whole purpose of traveling across a broad and diverse nation by road in the first place.

Initially thought to buy cheap Delhi diesel disposal, drive it out and re-sell in MZ (where used cars run a bit higher), at enough profit to cover our travel expenses to and fro, at minimum. Looked a lot at Dusters but never had one come up that I felt confident about.

Meanwhile, the Getaway came along and while it was going to use twice the diesel over the 2500+km's out, and moreover require a return drive, we were also going to be able to bring a lot more stuff with us both going and coming - useful in light of the fact that my in-laws were working on a new house there. And like they used to say about cameras (before everyone had them on their phones): "the best one is the one you have with you".

So long story short, put together an arm's-length to-do list as it concerned the nearly decade old / lakh km's done and a bit roughly used vehicle, and got at least 2/3rds of the way down it before the time came to leave. Never did get the front wheel bearings greased, the fuel gauge sending unit replaced, the badly cracked rubber fuel filler lines replaced or tank seepage resolved. Front 4x4 spindle bearing was bad and rattled along over bumps (as the Marshal did for a long time before I'd re-engineered it); A/C didn't work, no time to clean the air filter (only blocked in on smallish area!), and a proper alignment had yet to be done as well (eyeballed it as best I could). Fuel filter had yet to do, it still didn't have a fan shroud (where on earth do you get one of those?), and we didn't even have time to wash the car or deep-clean the interior before going.

For goodness sakes, you exclaim, what HAD you been doing on that car the couple months you had it prior to leaving!!??? Well...

1. New Apterra 245/75-16's, which arrived via courier a day before we'd planned to go.
2. Got the (grossly) outwardly offset aftermarket wheels corrected.
3. Fluids all done
4. New radiator and heater hoses & thermostat
5. New rear axle bearings and seals (complications caused by inept / ill-equipped past and present mechanics consuming an enormous amount of time there); also right rear brake shoes as they'd become oil-soaked.
6. A tie rod end, and ball-joint boots
7. rear number plate lights (housings had been entirely missing)
8. Sawed off the bullbar after trying without success to locate an older-model OE front bumper (which allows for a better approach angle than later models)
9. Transmission and engine mounts.
10. Selfstarter service
11. Cargo rails / carry boxes / canopy for bed.
12. An under-seat low-profile subwoofer fitted (it already had a reasonably upscale Pioneer head unit in it when we bought it, but the amp had been removed).




We had wanted to get on the road December 7th, but at the last minute, sleep-deprived and still trying to move stuff out of our place into storage as we awaited completion of our new place, we wisely postponed our departure.

9th morning we were off, we took ten days arriving, had almost two months on the ground in Mizoram, and departed the 21st Feb for another ten days back, with about six days each way spent actually on-road, the others sight-seeing etc. Did quite a lot of moving about within MZ as well, such that by the time we returned, we had covered nearly 8800km's! The car did great, took us on all sorts of roads (and non-roads) with no significant issues.

Stayed with lots of old friends & good people along the way... I pretty much had stopped traveling outside the hills at the point we got married, and it has been amazing to see how much things have changed, overwhelmingly for the better. Might post a more complete thread (and/or that Mizoram thread I started years ago) eventually, but for now just will share the route and whatever pics I took with my phone (also had my Oly Stylus 1 along, haven't delved into those as yet):

Basic route going was Manali - Dehradun - Lucknow - Allahabad - Varanasi - Kushinagar - Siliguri - Guwahati - Aizawl; And within MZ east right up to and then along the Burma border. Crossed over there on foot (Burmese border officials having fled their posts in that particular place), but vehicle bridge is closed now due to the war over there. Had been over a couple times to see what is called "the biggest lake in Mizoram" - Rih-Dil - which has for a long time actually been a few km's inside Myanmar. This time stayed mainly on the Indian side, spent several days out there, moving around quite a bit and seeing quite a few lovely sights.

And returning: Aizawl - Guwahati - Siliguri - Kakarbitta/Kalyam (Nepal) - Malda dist (WB) - Patna - Lucknow - Manali.

Will leave you to the pics now, in the hopes that sometime in the next few months I'll be able to find time to write up something like a proper (at least proper for me) travelogue. FYI the focus here is on things we could view and witness from the car itself, very often in places (especially in Mizoram) seldom trod by outsiders. Whereas getting into the tremendous number of beautiful things we witnessed further off the roads / deeper into the cities in all the above places spanning the north of the country would take an enormous amount of time that I can't afford at present. But suffice it to say for now that this is an amazing land.




























































In closing:

A few days into our journey, cruising along through tunnels of tree limbs on a rural road in northern UP (a place I'd fairly feared entering / traversing), my wife looked at me and said in all sincerity, "I am SO glad we did this - we should always drive from now on". It was a conviction that remained till the end. A few days before we left, we wondered whether we were being stupid / crazy. A few days after getting back, we are telling everyone how great an experience it was. Moreover it is a repeatable one - there is still so much to see, so many places we wanted to go but lacked the time for. God willing, there will be a next time, and if the budget for it is there, our runs to the Northeast will be an annual "pilgrimage".

The car, for its part, has comprehensively proven itself. There are compromises, but it does pretty much everything, and we did most of it: Smooth and comfy 130kmph cruising (if I wanted to!), 1300km days, days without pavement, crawling across bridge-less streams on small trails, canyon-carving on broad, perfectly paved mountain highways, camping out with full gear, carrying several bicycles (we left Manali with five of them), hauling construction (or plantation) materials. It can handle snow-covered roads, climb extreme inclines on and of-road, accommodate eight or nine people (provided you're at speeds low enough for the carry-box to be availed of). And more.

It was very new to us when we embarked on this, it had shown a few unresolved glitches and worrying noises that there was no time to isolate / rectify beforehand... But it got us there and back without incident, and while there is yet much work to be done (none of it urgently), and some possible upgrades coming into view, my confidence in it has grown large, and at the end of some further maintenance and rebuilding in the coming months, I really would not hesitate to drive it anywhere. It was also surprising to find how many people took an interest in it along the way - people who seemed to have never heheld a Getaway. Almost everywhere we went, they looked, commented, inquired, and even offered to buy it. It seems such a shame that a vehicle so many people seem to genuinely like and see as desirable was such a marketing and sales failure - it deserved to be enjoyed by greater numbers. They certainly are selling better in a number of places abroad than they managed to in their homeland.

One regret was that I never did get the planned reversing camera in (head unit has a large enough touch-screen and a reverse signal wire, so would have been plug&play). And I paid for that on a couple occasions, put my first significant dent in a car in (if you can believe it) probably nearly 30 years - in the tailgate, of course (!) which had an unfortunate run-in with an oddly placed hand-pump handle on the boundary of a parking lot in Varanasi. This car (and its overhang) are SO long compared to the Marshal, and turning radius is comparatively very poor. It honestly isn't much for exploring on the tighter forest trails (never sure where or if you will be able to turn around if you need to), or parking lots or narrow and heavily trafficked old-city streets. But we managed all of it somehow. It is a comfortable ride anywhere (got the A/C fixed prior to the return trip), and munches the miles like anything.

I see "God's Gift" written on whomever's vehicle from time to time here in India, and in truth, that is exactly what we gratefully consider this one to be. We could have so easily gone wrong, but ended up with what seems exactly right for us.

Till later,
Eric

[ringoism]

Just adding whatever wouldn't fit within the 30 images per post limit, again just some depictions of the kinds of scenes we saw along our way, the Getaway doing its part in getting us where we needed to be to witness them:

Threw in a few food pics as examples of typical dinner (or breakfast, no distinction) fare in Mizo homes - very balanced and tasty, with so much variety over the course of a few days.































Regards,
Eric

[condor]

Lovely pics ! And good to see the truck being used the way it can be, in all those ways.

JUst one question - what is the last pic in the above post ? The steps, understandable. But the space on either side - is that for 2-wheelers ? Some kind of a short cut ?

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by ringoism

A few days into our journey, cruising along through tunnels of tree limbs on a rural road in northern UP (a place I'd fairly feared entering / traversing), my wife looked at me and said in all sincerity, "I am SO glad we did this - we should always drive from now on". It was a conviction Almost everywhere we went, they looked, commented, inquired, and even offered to buy it. It seems such a shame that a vehicle so many people seem to genuinely like and see as desirable was such a marketing and sales failure - it deserved to be enjoyed by greater numbers. They certainly are selling better in a number of places abroad than they managed to in their homeland.

When your family members appreciate and cherish a road trip, it's often a seal of approval that you're a good nut to have behind the wheel, well done

I have seen several times the 140 bhp version with AT being tested over the last few years in Nilgiris and even in Bangalore traffic with full load, just that they are not releasing it in India yet, perhaps the market for premium (compared to Bolero) pickup is not that much or Mahindra's parts shortage prioritised more profitable overseas market than price sensitive Indian market.

We have enquired about it several times but no clear release date for the new model that is being sold elsewhere since many years

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by condor

JUst one question - what is the last pic in the above post ? The steps, understandable. But the space on either side - is that for 2-wheelers ? Some kind of a short cut ?

Haha, No, Sir, that is the "road" we ourselves had to drive up and down, usually multiple times daily, between our (newly forming) plantation and the friend's place we stay at during visits. There is another up higher on the way that's even steeper, but it's always hard to film in the trickiest on/off road moments. Such inclines (~1:4) are normal in Mizoram, but still, we gave an older lady a lift home one day, and she commented, "Wow, your vehicle is really powerful, we never take our car up here"!

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

I have seen several times the 140 bhp version with AT being tested over the last few years... just that they are not releasing it in India yet, perhaps the market for premium (compared to Bolero) pickup is not that much or Mahindra's parts shortage prioritised more profitable overseas market than price sensitive Indian market.

We have enquired about it several times but no clear release date for the new model that is being sold elsewhere since many years

It is baffling. We literally saw more Getaway's - a.k.a. Pik-Ups - in a mere four hours in Nepal (which must also be a price-sensitive market), than I've seen in the past five years in India. And they had the mHawk 4x4 version in the old body style there, too.

Judging by people's reactions to our car across India, I tend to think that a lot of would-be buyers simply didn't know it existed. Which perhaps points to promotion/marketing lapses, Gul Panag's effort notwithstanding.

Truly, with the V-Cross and now HiLux touching the 30-50L range, I can't see how something like this at 16-18L wouldn't sell in worthwhile numbers. Outgoing model at a solid 1.5L LESS (I had looked into them around 2016) than a comparably equipped Scorp SUV of the same year represented (IMO) extreme VFM in a butch "image" type vehicle that unlike the Thar would for many actually be spacious / highly practical for family travel & adventure (so long as generous parking provisions are available), as well as for some real work.

Cultural considerations do come in: In a DIY context like the U.S. people have a lot more reason to be hauling personal construction/ gardening/ mechanical.materials than almost anyone here would. And related contextual perceptions can be strange things. One friend, while appreciating the vehicle overall, commented, "It's actually quite luxurious - the only part that doesn't look luxurious is the back".

I suspect there is just too much rigid compartmentalization going on there. Pickups are supposed to be spartan and low-status like the drivers hired to operate them. Whereas SUV's are posh for the sake of the relatively well-heeled, who alone can afford to purchase them and feed their opulent bulk.

So in this milieu the question becomes: "Why would anyone pay so much for a low-status vehicle?" (...and/or, "I get it - but what would Mom & Dad say?!!!"). They never even get the chance to look into / seriously consider the merits.

How M&M could observe that there are plenty existing outside that mental box and snatching up Isuzus, and YET not believe they themselves can do the same, is quite beyond me.

-Eric

[Dry Ice]

Please do share some more notes on this epic journey you undertook, will be an interesting read.

M&M ought to spend some time improving the visual appeal of this vehicle. The crude looking load bay contributes a lot to the judgements you point to - a cheap commercial vehicle, devoid of any creature comforts. As well as the rear door, which seems just too busy with all the cuts and creases.



I wish they learn something from Tata Xenon - it looked much better, and decently modern compared to the Getaway.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

M&M ought to spend some time improving the visual appeal... I wish they learn something from Tata Xenon - it looked much better, and decently modern compared to the Getaway.

Xenons seem to have a very sketchy reputation both here and abroad when it comes to quality / reliability, but in stock form they are definitely better lookers than the Getaway. I've read in the South-African/Aussie forums that they're not as capable offroad, probably because of that longer wheelbase.

That said, wider dished wheels, and the different bumper, roof carrier, and rear canopy on ours have turned it into a pretty good looker in a decidedly rugged way, both in our own opinion and that of many others who've seen it in the flesh and commented favorably.

The OE's don't always get it right.

Meanwhile, we and the vehicle are still hard at work:



Lots.of pending service/.repair but nothing preventing our using it here locally: Shocks need replacing as do some noisy bearings in the gearbox and blower motor. Windscreen got chipped and the chip turned into a nice long crack one fine sunny day with some thermal shock, when I tossed water from a bottle on it to wash it... Oh, which I did only because the washer pump also isn't working...

Also need a.sturdier rear step bumper, and.would like to fit the export-model airbox with easier-to- clean, slower to clog, and probably freer-flowing paper element. And maybe a free-flow exhaust, and quicker-spooling turbo, and... ??? (I don't like getting dusted by new Thars )

Anyway, nothing highly urgent. And it's a ten-year-old after all.

-Eric

[ringoism]

Had a little daytrip and picnic with family friends near Sissu in Lahaul, I guess this was in October... Been so busy I've not had time for posting...

Btw I believe this is my thousandth post...!

Lahaul is always so pretty when the leaves are turning, and having 4x4 gives the confidence to explore some fairly unknown little tracks towards rather un-touristed places - and having a pickup allows for proper tailgate parties. Wife set up her cooking station (wind-shielded) in the carry box and served out through the side flaps, quite like a vending truck!!!

Car has been doing well. Can't recall if I posted pics from our Zanskar trip, if not will try and do so soon... It performed brilliantly there.

It pretty much does everything and does it well. I still find the length a bit daunting for.parking / manoevering - in ten years of Marshal ownership never had a mishap, in a year of Getaway ownership have had more than half a dozen, a couple of which cost us!!! Turning radius comparatively poor, low-end grunt is nowhere, but can be worked around. Overall still feel it shines and so glad to have it.

The ONLY ongoing concern has been some gearbox noise, especially in 5th... This has the Peugeot NGT530 Series 1, descended from the rather notorious BA-10. Had it opened last month at Mahindra, they replaced the 5th gear and rearmost bearing. I wish I felt confident that the mechanic knew what he was doing. Also wish the GB wasn't noisier now than when I brought it to them!!! The kinda low-frequency howl that was there earlier is gone, only to be replaced with something more like proper gear whine! I had asked them to replace all bearings whether required or not. They didn't oblige.

Anyway they've given a six-month guarantee, I hope I will not be needing to avail of that whilst enroute to Mizoram - beginning next week, God willing. Planning a long way 'round, swinging low on our first travels in Central India - Gwalior, Jhansi, Tilda (CG), Dumka (JH), then up through WB to Guwahati, Silchar, and finally Aizawl.

Thought of flying but only one airline serving now so pricing sky-high. Train would have been sensible but there are lugagge limits and hassles transferring to taxis on both ends and paying for them... The Getaway doesn't exactly sip fuel - but figured if overall we're within a few tens of thousands then hopefully the experience, new sights, something beyond the familiar for the kids should make it worth it.. We enjoyed last year's trip there and back so much!

As with that journey will be staying with friends at least half the time, some we've not seen in years. So really looking forward to this... And hoping the gb gets better with some run-in, rather than worse.

-Eric