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-   -   10 Dummies guide to Gurkha ~ 17000 kms done (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-vehicles/54693-10-dummies-guide-gurkha-17000-kms-done-8.html)

@Rhandle
It seems that you are really enjoying you time with the gurkha!!!
Good keep it up!!

Did you get you registration done yet??? If so come for the OTR on the 28th...

@Rhandle , take your friend again to the same spot with his Ikon, keep your vehicle along since it will be needed to tow the Ikon to the service station in more than piece.
or as samurai san said, invite him to the next OTR, with him IKON.

ROFL: rhandle: Guess he does not understand 4x4 and its capabilities. Guess "Ignorance is bliss"

True he did not even know what 4x4 is. As per him even his vehicle is 4x4 as it got 4 wheels and while moving all the wheels rotate:eek:

But the point you are missing is "He was feeling right at home in Gurkha, and he did not have to stress to get the vehicle up or down. SO it is the Best Compliment Gurkha received as per me."

What you guys think about it now - Gurkha deserves this compliment to make things easy for a total novice, ignorant person.


Harjeev, you cannot believe how happy I am today. Just got the number on phone. Force people would fax me the receipt by evening today. I would be coming to the OTR with one or two friend. The drive from Noida to Gurgaon is long.
BTW to get the number for FORCE it took them 5 Months!!:deadhorse

Great Buddy!!!
See you at the OTR!!!
BTW you know the meet point. Its the wine shop opposite the signature towers in Gurgaon

I went to my second OTR on 28th March.

I realized one point, everyone thinks Gurkha to be unbeatable with difflocks and numerous discussions and some great defenses close to it. But What I can say is it is not "one size which fits all". It is good in certain conditions, and willy would beat it in certain other. I guess I had high expectations from it. Gurkha performed but not to the hype which has been created around it.


But again do not take my word for it, Gurkha may be as good or as bad, and do not forget it was my 2nd OTR so as a off road driver I might not have evolved very much.

Will be submitting my report and views on Gurkha off-road by tomorrow.

Were These pics taken in kottivakkam beach?

Waiting for the promised pics and report.
Why do you say that? Because the Willys is lighter? Did you feel any of the "heavy" SUVs performed as well as the Gurkha?

Actually on some occaisons, the Scorpio and Safari performed better than the Gurkha.
Surprised?
Well on paper Gurkha is amazing, but there is a big let down... The engine.
For example on the sandy incline, 1st low meant no momentum, and after some time she would dig in.
On 2nd low, she would go up, but as soon has heavy sand started, the engine would stall due to lack of low end torque.
For such a heavy vehicle atleast 250NM of peak torque is necessary.

Other think I noticed is that the engine was constantly taking air after stalling, and required very long multiple self cycles to start again.

Attained Nirvana, I guess !

Easy, brother. your friend didn't realise who drove how much on that drive. Let him bring his Ikon and then realization will dawn upon him. Almost instantaneously.

This is exactly the point that myself and some others have been trying to convince the human Gurkha about. The Gurkha (vehicle that is) is a very capable vehicle but it is by no means the last work on 4WD vehicles.

Different types of vehicles will shine in different conditions. You have a very capable machine and as you spend more time off-road you will learn to manage the vehicle better based on it's capabilities. I still think it will perform better than a Safari or Scorpio 4WD off-road.

Sir, I dont understand what you mean?

Any pictures ?

I actually wanted to write up from start, and put down all the things we did, but unfortunately because of the busy day ahead ( yes 31st March) I will just stick to a skelton report, next time promise to give you guys more flesh around it ;)

First the pics. Unfortunately as I had no one to accompany me, I did not had any pics of Gurkha. But yes I managed to get pics of the two endeavors where Gurkha failed -- "Well almost not all made it - after two or three jeeps passed the earth had crumbled to very loose sand"

This is the place which no body could defeat -





Looking back at it now I feel I could have done it. Gurkha is more like an Elephant, and what I was doing was to climb up running. Obviously it lost its breath. Had I let it crawl on 1st gear with Diff. Locks on I am sure It would have done. What I was advised to put it in 3rd and do "Pedal to Metal" and go up with momentum.


Failure #2 again not all made it in one go:





Well made the same mistakes there. Well I can say one needs to know their vehicle good, and it's +ve and -ve to be able to work on it.



Willys is lighter, I saw Willy literally floating around. If nothing, then moving slush would push them out. I would say they were also competent but then I was not afraid to take Gurkha to places where other "heavy" SUV did not go. This happened at least on one occasion and there was a climb which I took with my a/c on and it did not bothered. So anywhere the ground was even marginaly hard I did not face any issues with Gurkha.




Well I guess we did not worked it well. What we were trying was what everyone was trying without understanding how a Safari, mahindra, willy or Gurkha differ. I now feel in 1st Low and diff locks on Gurkha would have climbed. We will check it in next OTR and will know more.


I am sure given all different kind of terrains it would surely beat Safari and Scorpio. In any situations where wheel would lift, it wud win most probably because of diff. locks.

But again talking about "Human Gurkha" understand that he has got 10 years, and more than 125, 000 kms under his belt on Gurkha. I am like 8000 kms and 2 OTRS plus not even 6 month old Gurkha owner. I hope his faith kind of becomes my faith in another years time, that this vehicle is unbeatable if driven properly and with understanding.

4x4addict, I believe everyone is right. Might be had you had his experience you might have been talking his language.

My Principle is I will have my Opinion without claiming yours is wrong one. I guess it lets me sleep peacefully.

The point also is I have never ever driven any other 4wd vehicle. Most of the people giving me advice on how to drive this vehicle have never been near a Gurkha before, so it's more like trial and error method for us to find out what works and what not.

Hopefully in next OTR I would try some jeep and understand what style changes I need to do. I am sure with practise I would be able to do good.

There is a person Pushkin, who came to this OTR on 2wd jeep and did almost everything because of his driving skills.

Bro' hope the above things would have made it clear.

My last statement : I am still not disappointed with Gurkha, even with small hiccups and finding the coolant tank empty early morning @4:30 am before starting up (Why coolant leaks :Frustrati - have cheked everything many times) Also I dented my roof - do not ask me how!

This is definitely a feather in your cap, Rhandle!

With machines like this, it is not only raw power that rules, which I am sure you have understood. Just a other lesson in the school of Gurkha! :)

The next OTR will be even more interesting. Am sure of this. It is more like learning to drive all over once again.

In the right hands, the Gurkha and G Wagen with 72bhp will outhandle and outperform any vehicle including those with 400+bhp and Willys, of course, in hands of a novice even a Ford Ikon will do better ;) The legendary G Wagen 460 and 461 diesels had 72bhp and 80bhp respectively from the OM616 and 617, every tests done against their competition who had better power, they outperformed them off road.


Human Gurkha doesn't need to be convinced, he knows what he has and has done enough off road in his lifetime to know what the priorities of an off road vehicle should be. He has owned and off roaded with several other vehicles of different pedigree including the JEEP to know whats it all about. Higher authorities with way more experience than Gurkha, Chennai trails and Gurgaon trails drivers have thoroughly tested the Gurkha against other vehicles to come to the same conclusion.

In case of novices, its better to stick to Ford Ikons or Maruti 800s.

Gurkha UBER and AUS

Auf Wiedersehen