[theMAG]

Is this an official Mahindra product or a modification ?

[amrisharm]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Nothing unique in the rear tyres from 2 angles.

1) When you leave a vehicle in a paint shop, you normally take back the good tyres (if there are any) and snap on a ol' one to last the 1-2 months of abuse in such a place

2) OR - as ^ said, this is THE running condition of everyday taxis' is many places in India...

I too would have to agree with your point no. 1. Though mine too is only an assumption I really find it hard to believe that the owner of the vehicle would spend that much time and money on the bodywork and leave the tyres just like that with over spray all over the rubber.

Originally Posted by anujmishra

All jeeps are common site at any hill stations. These are workhorse really and with little or no maintenance. I am sure owner will bring his jeep next time to this garage after 2 - 3 years.

I feel pity for passenger who get seat in second last row. There is very small ingress/egress area for them and all passenger have to literally jump out during egress.

Not to mention, when there is no luggage for roof carrier they fill it with more passengers. So, all in all it can move 30 - 40 passengers.

Originally Posted by ashis89

From the pic it seems the rear tyre is already a re-threaded one. The paint job seems quite good for a roadside garage standard.

PS- I would like to share an experience. I have happened to have traveled in such a taxi,it was a Hindustan Trekker. It wasn't modified at all,only a roof carrier was added. It had the normal 2 front facing seats and 2 side facing jump seats. The number of people seated in it were- 30(including the driver). Not all were seated,some were hanging on all 3 sides and another was sitting on the roof rack,holding several large sacks of rice(50 kg each). I remember noticing that one of its front tires was torn on the side wall and the tube exposed.

It was my ONLY experience in such a taxi,13 years ago and i haven't been able to forget it till date. I just couldn't help thinking about the guts of the driver. BTW, the fare was Rs.5 each for a 12 km journey on a canal bank full of huge 'craters' and non-existent road.

I know exactly what you mean and I think the picture below illustrates what you are saying. I still am amazed when i see people driving these vehicles with 3 other passengers in the front seat in such twisty roads. If you look at the below picture carefully you will see the driver as far left as he could possibly sit and still driving and changing gears. I think I can count 10 people on the roof itself!

Originally Posted by TheARUN

I've seen Kerala registered TEMPO TRAX Jeeps also being modified to have all front facing seats. They are called 'Cruiser' and they seat upto 10 people with their luggage. They usually are hired out for trips and are known to meet up with huge accidents that you read about in the papers

Hi Arun, I would love to see what kind of modifications they do to the Trax in Kerala. Any chance of uploading a picture?

Originally Posted by theMAG

Is this an official Mahindra product or a modification ?

This is a modified version of the Mahindra Savari. The original factory version only has 2 rows of front facing seats and long jump seats at the back. It kinda reminds me of a Mahindra double cab pickup but with a soft top and jump seats at the loading bay.

A factory Mahindra Savari, though this one has a fibre top, the factory model comes with a soft top.



(Picture source: Mahindra Savari by Anirban Ghosh at Coroflot)

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by amrisharm

I know exactly what you mean and I think the picture below illustrates what you are saying. I still am amazed when i see people driving these vehicles with 3 other passengers in the front seat in such twisty roads. If you look at the below picture carefully you will see the driver as far left as he could possibly sit and still driving and changing gears. I think I can count 10 people on the roof itself!

Ya that is exactly what i meant though in case of Savari,there are doors on all sides where as the Trekker had no doors except a quarter sized one on the back.

Secondly,in my case,I was sitting almost behind the wheel. The driver was almost jutting of the front seat,with another man hanging beside him

[anjan_c2007]

The Savari is everywhere as a humble workhorse. It plies in Sikkim,Vidarbha, Marathwada,Chhattisgarh and anywhere else.
But the way these are overloaded, these frequently meet with accidents.The rugged chassis carries more than 20 passengers usually. The original CJ4A chassis has been extended to its hilt and over it has been bolted a grotesque body. Its capacity may be 12 or so but these are overloaded with people and luggage.The DI 3 litre engine is capable of pulling all the load.
On highways,I have seen some accidents where the FRP top cover has been ripped apart and the Savari has been compressed due to impacts with trucks.
So though its doing its duty, its being forced to do so dangerously by the operators.

[SirAlec]

Not only Savari commander or other similar taxi will have their rear seat front facing. As passenger do not prefer the side facing seat in Darjeeling.

[AdityaDeane]

My In-Laws live in Algarah (Kalimpong), and this is a very common site there. People from the hills are used to crowding and sitting in these chicken boxes, even in Thatyur (Tehri Garhwal) where I worked before, people used to sit on each other's laps and travel from their villages to the central market place for their shopping etc.

But, hats off to Mahindra for making vehicles that can stand the abuse of such conditions and still last for years and years without much trouble in such treacherous conditions.