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Old 3rd April 2013, 16:54   #16
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

This decision by the Army doesn't essentially mean the end of the Gypsy. There are scores of Gypsies sold to the Police, Forest, BSF, CRPF, STCs and the like who will always need a soft top, nimble vehicle for their operations.

Yes, the sales will dwindle but then MUL was never bothered about the numbers the Gypsy raked up in the first place.
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Old 3rd April 2013, 17:01   #17
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

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Originally Posted by Maky View Post
I'm surprised to hear the old Gypsy weighed only 500Kgs. Also, Very Happy to see the Govt. providing some niceties for our Army : ). Oh and Wouldn't the car also have to be 4x4 ?
Thanks for sharing madan.
Gypsy weighs ~1000kgs. I think Army meant loading capacity. i.e GVW-Kerb Weight
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Old 3rd April 2013, 17:08   #18
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

The Thar seems to be the one which will fit so perfectly to the requirement of the army provided they are ok with the front IFS.
But if they insist on a solid axle up front, am all ears and eyes looking forward to that vehicle the army shall pick.
Cheers and thanks for sharing this info!
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Old 3rd April 2013, 17:54   #19
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

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Originally Posted by madan80 View Post
The new specs given by the army include

ABS,
Airbags,
Powerwindows,
diesel driven,
minimum 120 horse power,
compliant with Bharat Stage (BS) III and BS IV environmental norms
weighing 800kg or above
apart from climbing ability
I think only vehicles costing 15L+ will have these features as of now.

XUV
Endeavour
Fortuner
...

Last edited by romeomidhun : 3rd April 2013 at 17:56.
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Old 3rd April 2013, 18:00   #20
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

Gypsy is just a couple of MM shorter than 4 meters and Maruti could use this to design a sub 4 m SUV with a slight facelift & 4X4.

Not sure if it makes more sense to invest on XA alpha instead of using a facelifted Gypsy.

- the more expensive the vehicle, better chance of making a scam.

Last edited by scopriobharath : 3rd April 2013 at 18:02.
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Old 3rd April 2013, 19:35   #21
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

This is all well and fine. I am just worried about how reliable the Gypsy replacement will be. Yes I agree our troops in the front line do deserve better like power steering, AC etc etc, but whats the point of having all these when the car breaks down? The more things you have in your vehicle, the bigger the chances of things breaking down. Thats probably why the Gypsy was so reliable. Therefore the Army should really look at what is a necessity and what are luxuries that they can do without.

I am not putting down our home grown SUV companies, but reading up on the long term ownership reviews makes me come to the conclusion that the Scorpio and the Safari are plagued by a fair few niggles that crop now and then. I do hope for the sake of our front line troops that these issues are sorted before the vehicles are delivered to the Army. After all a broken down and stranded vehicle in the front line could be a life and death issue

Last edited by amrisharm : 3rd April 2013 at 19:37.
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Old 3rd April 2013, 20:10   #22
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

Man if this new is true then it is very sad indeed to lose such a basic yet capable vehicle. Always felt that MSIL gave a raw deal to the Gypsy. Also intrigued with the fact that the Gypsys are never really sold in the showrooms whyexplain

They could have reworked on the vehicle to plonk it with the 1.6l petrol of the SX4 and the turbo diesel 1.3 again doing duty on the SX4 and Ertiga. This would have done wonders to the sales as a brute and powerful vehicle. Just imagine the power to weight ratio it would have achieved

Of course this would have needed more safety features but could have been cushioned by a sub 4m length correction.

Though pricey it would have surely found many followers and would be a cult car similar to the Thar!

Hope MSIL still listens to this and gets us a renewed Gypsy and not chop it off their list all together!
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Old 3rd April 2013, 21:50   #23
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

Whether they keep producing or stop production, a Gypsy has always tugged the heart rather than the mind. Though it has no modern features or creature comforts, it does its job well and yes, i used to drool over it when i was in school or college. However with all the modern technology coming in, the gypsy doesnt stand a chance in its current avatar to pose as a competitor and i dont think MUL is going to revive it.

Atleast i am happy that i could own one
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Old 3rd April 2013, 22:04   #24
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

Gypsy you served the Army well. Infact not only the Army but other departments whether civil or military, you were one of the favorite amongst all .

However now its time to replace it with something more modern. The said requirements can easily be fulfilled by the Tata Xenon/ Mahindra Scorpio Getaway.
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Old 4th April 2013, 08:03   #25
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

I hope Tata and Mahindra would prove to be as reliable as the Gypsy for the Army. This would be a huge challenge for them considering the adverse climatic conditions that are waiting ahead. If they can step up to it, they could take this as an opportunity to prove themselves and change a lot of perceptions.
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Old 4th April 2013, 09:04   #26
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This news is in line with the LSV trials that happened a couple of years ago. Tata, AL, Mahindra and OFB all participated and the vehicles were tested over all possible terrain including cold and high, hot and high, desert and marsh. From what I understand all these performed extremely well.

While the gypsy is a good vehicle it is expensive to run ( petrol) does not have the torque that is required in some situations ( recovery) making it necessary to have recovery vehicles based on the MM and tata vehicles.

When introduced it did not have competition ( except for the mm550). However now the game has changed with the availability of the 4x4 sumo, thar, xenon, Scorpio, axe, LSV, so on.

The 500 kg capacity is also important as most times these vehicles are moving material.

From a reliability perspective the Tata and Mahindra have proven equally reliable and the army has been depending upon them for quite some time now.

Last edited by torquecurve : 4th April 2013 at 09:06.
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Old 4th April 2013, 09:05   #27
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

I think this is the best chance for Maruti to introduce their small SUV code named XA-Alpha, with the features like ABS, airbags, audio / video systems, steering mounted controls, rear parking sensors and camera. With a combination of the following, it will be another success story for Maruti:

Rugged SUV looks with a 'Swift' touch
Compact enough to drive easily in cities
High seating position
5 / 5+2 seat configuration
Comfortable car-like suspension compared to Gypsy's leaf suspension
High ground clearance for off-road trips
Better mileage figures compared to Gypsy
Maruti's a.s.s. and reach

Price? I expect it to be around 5.5L for the base Petrol variant!

And a variant with a 1.6L Diesel engines of 120BHP will serve the armed forces too!

Last edited by romeomidhun : 4th April 2013 at 09:08.
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Old 4th April 2013, 09:58   #28
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

Quote:
Originally Posted by scopriobharath View Post
Gypsy is just a couple of MM shorter than 4 meters and Maruti could use this to design a sub 4 m SUV with a slight facelift & 4X4.

Not sure if it makes more sense to invest on XA alpha instead of using a facelifted Gypsy.

- the more expensive the vehicle, better chance of making a scam.
Bhargava had mentioned in a recent interview that they will be bringing in a new 4X4 in a few months. Possibly the next generation Jimmy or the Gypsy with updated drivetrain?
Hell we desperately need a tough as nails 4x4 with safety features(ABS & 6 airbags) & an AT box. The only option now is to pay through our nose for the CBU models & I do not want to lock up so much cash in a depceriating asset.!!
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Old 4th April 2013, 10:02   #29
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

I wonder why the Maruti management never considered selling the Gypsy as a lifestyle vehicle, similar to what Mahindra is doing with Thar. Was it too costly?

Today most manufacturers are racing to get a pie of the SUV market, with Fiat too talking about bringing in the Jeep brand in India. If Maruti could have upgraded the Gypsy with timely modifications, it would probably be the hottest selling SUV today. Just my thoughts.
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Old 4th April 2013, 13:06   #30
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Re: End of the Road for the Gypsy

Quote:
Originally Posted by tsk1979 View Post
Gypsy weighs ~1000kgs. I think Army meant loading capacity. i.e GVW-Kerb Weight
Quote:
Originally Posted by howler View Post
I think the reference is to payload and not vehicle weight
So that's 500Kgs worth of 'Army Equipment' carrying ability? not Dry weight?
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