[nilanjanray]

Great pictures, Guderian! The Admiral's belly looks nice and clean...no mud roads yet? :-)
When are you planning your first trip?

@Sutripta: The Admiral participated in the war with Russia...his flagship then was the Misaka. He died before WWII, so no giant battleship for him.

[Utopian]

Congrats for the Admiral. I forgot the name, you have a knack for such complicated ones, anyways. Awesome pen of yours and very detailed snaps.

[autobahner]

Hi,

This really is a class 1 report. Loved your in depth review and the writing style, also i understand you are a fellow thaneite so even more reason to be pleased. I am not really that into 4wd but will definitely make an exception for your general.

Hope you have the best of times with it.

A full 5 star review in my books.

[Me-hul]

Hey good write up. I was about to start reading my usual novel. Just stumbled across your post. Ended up reading the entire post.
Quite an uneasy feeling to have a Fortuner in your RVM.
BTW how did you manage to get the Fortuner in under 3 months?I was under the impression one had to wait for 7-8 months for it.

[architect]

Congratulations! Not only is your manner of writing (and I hope, speaking as well) very engrossing but your attention to detail is excellent. I hope your experience with the T-Fort is long lasting and enjoyable.

My admiration for this vehicle grew stronger when I saw the Toyota Hilux (same platform as the T-Fort, I believe) with a standard 3.0 D4D engine (same engine as the T-Fort again, I suppose) make it to the North Pole in the Top Gear Arctic Special. Of course, the other vehicle (with the camera) looked like a Prado or something.

[MileCruncher]

Harish Saar,

A little late in the day but many congratulations on the acquisition. Your write-up is truly world class and had me in splits.

I guess the Fortuner was a natural upgrade from Scorpio. Wish you many many miles of blissful driving.

Cheers

P.S: So is it "Ladakh & beyond" calling this year

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

@Sutripta: The Admiral participated in the war with Russia...his flagship then was the Misaka. He died before WWII, so no giant battleship for him.

Thanks.

Regards
Sutripta

[Dry Ice]

Congratulations on capturing the Fort!!
Indeed its beautiful.

OT:

Originally Posted by architect

My admiration for this vehicle grew stronger when I saw the Toyota Hilux (same platform as the T-Fort, I believe) with a standard 3.0 D4D engine (same engine as the T-Fort again, I suppose) make it to the North Pole in the Top Gear Arctic Special. Of course, the other vehicle (with the camera) looked like a Prado or something.

I think all the vehicles on that expedition were Toyota Hiluxs, infact, James took one of the left over camera crew vehicles to the Icelandic volcono in series 15.

See this: Arctic Trucks
These guys are experts in converting the vehicle for use on snow expeditions!

Now before the Admiral gets mad for the OT on his thread and shoots me, I better make a quick exit!

[Guderian]

Drove the Admiral today,1150 KMs, to Bangalore.
Currently in Bangalore for couple of days before I scoot off to Chikmagalur and Kollur. Siiigh and back to the grind again !
Admiral completed the running in period with great disdain and then made up for lost time.
Now the fun begins.
Shall put up a separate note in this thread on Admiral's behaviour and FEs etc after this response.

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Hi,
Wasn't the flagship the Yamato, and then the Musashi? In fact, given the size of your ride, did you consider either of these names?

Regards
Sutripta

Hi Su, On the history part - Nilanjan has hit the ball out of the stadium.
On the names bit I am a little well..... superstitious. Yamato was sunk in April 1945 by US carrier based torpedo planes and bombers near north Okinawa and lost most of her crew - no go.
Musashi was sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in Oct 1944 by US carrier aircraft - no,no go ! Wanted to christen my rides with names of successful and professionally upright soldiers. And so Guderian and Admiral Tojo came rather naturally.

Originally Posted by pramods

Yes, I do have all the workshop manual for Yeti and they are available to all via there erwin site.

Coming back to T_Fort, Mechanicals look so strong that they would go on and on and on..

-Pramod

I hope so too !

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Congrats Guderian on the Fleet Admiral!

And your command on the language is just amazing. I enjoyed reading every bit of that.

Try to cover the screw heads with bits from a rubber-tube or something. You can cut small patches from a used rubber-tube and stick it on top of all the screws which might be in the firing line.

Hi John, Many thanks for the compliments. About the screwheads - noted your suggestion will try and do so. Luckily right now none of the screw heads come in contact with the bumper. And couple of suspected ones were concealed. But even they stay away from trouble.

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Great pictures, Guderian! The Admiral's belly looks nice and clean...no mud roads yet? :-)
When are you planning your first trip?
Nilanjan - took the snaps immediately after the 1st service yesterday - no wonder the belly looks shaved and powdered ! In Blr now and off to some interesting sites. About a pucca 4X4 chukker - possibly after I get back to wilderness - meaning the concrete jungle - Amchi Mumbai.

@Sutripta: The Admiral participated in the war with Russia...his flagship then was the Misaka. He died before WWII, so no giant battleship for him.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Congrats for the Admiral. I forgot the name, you have a knack for such complicated ones, anyways. Awesome pen of yours and very detailed snaps.

Thanks Utopian - Just remember Admiral and General !

Originally Posted by autobahner

Hi,

This really is a class 1 report. Loved your in depth review and the writing style, also i understand you are a fellow thaneite so even more reason to be pleased. I am not really that into 4wd but will definitely make an exception for your general.

Hope you have the best of times with it.

A full 5 star review in my books.

Thanks Autobahner for the mention in despatches ! Very kind of you. Let's link up sometime in Thane and shall take you for a drive. Deal ?

Originally Posted by Me-hul

Hey good write up. I was about to start reading my usual novel. Just stumbled across your post. Ended up reading the entire post.
Quite an uneasy feeling to have a Fortuner in your RVM.
BTW how did you manage to get the Fortuner in under 3 months?I was under the impression one had to wait for 7-8 months for it.

Hi Me-hul, Thanks. Even I am rather flummoxed about the delivery date, the number of TForts lying in the yard etc. Does it point to something rotten in the state of Denmark ? Not sure, as I haven't got a convincing answer as yet ! The only close to rational answer I recd was that the White TFort is overbooked and the wait period is some Che mahina. Even Guevara would have rebelled against that !

Originally Posted by architect

Congratulations! Not only is your manner of writing (and I hope, speaking as well) very engrossing but your attention to detail is excellent. I hope your experience with the T-Fort is long lasting and enjoyable.

My admiration for this vehicle grew stronger when I saw the Toyota Hilux (same platform as the T-Fort, I believe) with a standard 3.0 D4D engine (same engine as the T-Fort again, I suppose) make it to the North Pole in the Top Gear Arctic Special. Of course, the other vehicle (with the camera) looked like a Prado or something.

Thanks Arch. "and I hope, speaking as well" - for you to discover as and when we meet. Oh yes, get yourself some cotton ear plugs on your way in.....!

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Harish Saar,

A little late in the day but many congratulations on the acquisition. Your write-up is truly world class and had me in splits.

I guess the Fortuner was a natural upgrade from Scorpio. Wish you many many miles of blissful driving.

Cheers

P.S: So is it "Ladakh & beyond" calling this year

Dada - Thanks. And congratulations on the Getaway ! Let's get the beasts to meet and be friendly with each other, sometime ! And who knows their "meeting" could lead to the birth of a rather interesting SUV for the Indian roads !
Leh & Ladakh - now stop waving the red rag at me. Still sore about missing the 2009 bus ! And mighty sore.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Congratulations on capturing the Fort!!
Indeed its beautiful.

OT:


I think all the vehicles on that expedition were Toyota Hiluxs, infact, James took one of the left over camera crew vehicles to the Icelandic volcono in series 15.

See this: Arctic Trucks
These guys are experts in converting the vehicle for use on snow expeditions!

Now before the Admiral gets mad for the OT on his thread and shoots me, I better make a quick exit!

Thanks Dry Ice. Parry on my friend this thread isn't just about Admiral or TFort. Bring on anything that catches the fancy of the folks at the party. Nautch girls ? Errrr.....well let's talk about it first !

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by amitwlele

@Guderian - I had only requested for the interior snaps. In this post you have literally gone into the innards of the Admiral

The cladding was absolutely required. Now i know what you meant. I hope because of the cladding you are not putting caution to the wind while parking.

Hi Amit, Nope no way. If I throw caution to the wind the rear (bumper) would soon look very curvy and bootylicious. Now who does that remind me of ? A certain Ms Lopez ?
But (sorry, not a pun !) the fact is that if it is the bare wall - the bumper would have cracked on impact, with the rubber wall cladding what seems to be happening is while it absorbs some force, it sends back some and that causes a gentle bulge. Happened a few times - so very cautious. Now how would an Admiral with a severe case of steatopygia look in full naval ceremonial uniform I ask you !

[Guderian]

The Bangalore Run - Admiral Shrugs off the 'Running in' Period ! Mar 6, 2011.

(Disclaimer: Right, to get things straight - I do not want want to write a travelogue here but only describe the Admiral's behaviour on the hard tarmac. If I feel upto it, shall post a separate thread in the T'logue section later.)

And so as mentioned earlier the Admiral set off on his first expedition early this morning much before the crack o' dawn. He set sail for Bangalore and was kind enough to take us along. Or else we would have been branded stowaways !
The story a day ago was that I had the Admiral go in for his 1K check up and service at 400KMs (early, rather early) knowing I wouldn't have the time or inclination, to take a break during the short trip to the south for this. And about Toyota service and my observations ? Shall put up another post here. Would make the most die hard T loyalists weep gently into their kerchiefs, though the guys were very good at handling customers and in general. As for me I have this habbit of standing with the vehicle on the shop floor and checking everything that is done and instructing the grease monkeys what needs to be done, till I drive out with the vehicle, even if takes the whole day or the next. And in the process yell, cajole, bring the roof down or even call the parent company if it was really annoying ! With the Scorpio it was a habit and the grease monkeys at the M&M ASC used to run at the sight of Guderian, my Scorpio.
And what do I see when I drive into Toyota ASC, with stars in me eyes ? Three or four grinning grease monkeys coming in a rush to the Admiral. Wow that's attention, I mutter to myself. And then the penny dropped, as the G monkeys start gesticulating at me and they held out their hands through the window. These were all chaps who were working in M&M's ASC in Thane and had been at the receiving end of my intemperate behaviour in the past. Ah so ! World is truly round !
But more about service stories sometime else.
Let me now revel with the Admiral and the drive.
There was yet another 550 odd KMs to complete before the 1K KMs of running in. Though many are clear about this not being a requirement for modern day vehicles due to the current day cylinder sleeve, piston and metallurgy tech etc, yet everyone follows it - if it his/her own vehicle ! And so who am I to consign age old wisdom to the dustbin of automobile history ? For the first 400 KMs in the city I judiciously ran at 60-80 KMPH range. And on the highway for the remaining portion I thought would run at varying speeds in the range of 60-100 KMPH. That I knew would put a huge pressure on the time factor to come inot Bangalore at a decent hour. But anyway it needs to be done if not required by/for the vehicle then for your own mental peace !
And I followed my plan to the 'T'. Upto Hubli and slightly beyond ran at varying speeds between 60-100. Being human was very, very tempted to break free and reach for the sound barrier - but !
And then after the mark was reached, did a little more KMs with the restrictions and then gently cut Admiral loose from the moorings ! I was generally on 130KMPH after that and had occasional bursts of 140KMPH. Nothing beyond that as I ran out of road ! And didn't want to try anything stupid with a new machine besides being a cautious Joe to a fault (Please Note:Only as far as vehicles are concerned !).
And my observations:
1. Admiral treats simple straightforward tarmac runs with great contempt.
2. Compared to the Scorpio the TFort is a real road hugger. Rest of the SUVs I haven't really driven them - so wouldn't know. But there was no rolling, pitching or yawing (or any other bedroom antics !) - never at all. Zipping in and weaving between illmannered trucks was such a breeze ! Somehow felt like a huge Gorilla, fur and all, attempting a precise and svelte ballroom dance and holding his own against professional dancers and doing very well for himself in general !
3. Brakes felt rather adeqaute to me if used judiciously and anticipating the other guy's move. At one crunch situation (sorry nothing more dramatic than a surly road hump on Thane-Belapur Road) it held up well. More on this, as I experience it. One funny thing I noticed was that when you hold the brake it holds, does the job it was asked to and after a few milli seconds later your foot starts sinking again as though you are stepping on marshy land. Quick release and reapplication seems to get better results ?
4. That 168 BHP engine with all its refinements (or the lack of it, going by the sound - take your pick) is a real boon on the highways. I thought the Scorpio engine was peppy and packed a punch but here is one that seems to go about his job in a very quiet fashion and yet delivering everytime. Overtaking, kicking up a dust, leaving that pesky hatch back in your wake tasting salt seemed very elementary to this chap. At about 130 KMPH it can go on for months without stopping if you can somehow get fuel during the period into the common rail, while on the run, without ceasing to roll.
5.FE figures : Funny ! The figures returned, as calculated by me and the ones pompously shown to me by the new fangled MID (new to me at least) were at odds. But I hold my figures as very accurate as it is pucca - calculated on top up to top up fuel consumed and KMs run in between. It can't get more real and accurate than that !
- OK so in the city - since the day I got the Admiral, while the MID average showed 11KMPL, my calculations showed 10.79 KMPL. Minor difference - jane do.
- On the highway today during the period when I was running between 60-11 KMPH (for the running in) the MID showed -12 KMPL. And my calculations - 13.53 KMPL !
- When the Admiral was moderately unleashed after 1025 KMs of running in with 130 KMPH being the needle level at most of the time and occasional bursts of 140 KMPH, for I reckon about 609 KMs the MID indicated 11.4 KMPL and my calculations threw up 10.71 KMPL when I topped up again.
You see I have this habbit of topping up as soon as the needle hits half way mark, on long drives. A tip from an old army geezer of an officer (my elder bro incidentally !) for long drives and when you are not very sure where the next fuel dump is and even otherwise. So had two fuel top ups. One at Kagal and the other at Sirsa - both BPCL. Fill only BP 'sada' diesel. So effectively used one full tank to roll into Namma Bengaluru. Not sure what to make out of the MID variance/error ?
Does anyone have any experience/insight to explain the variation ? Please ?
But in any case the T Fort seems to be reasonably frugal given its weight and demeanour.
6. The climate control was superb. The day was a rather warm along the route. Music system works well for me. Gear shifts and clutch smooooth !
7. Everything in the interiors was used - every little cubby hole ( - "Honey - can you pass me my hairclips ?" was met with instant results, where earlier it would have ended up in a ten minute wayside halt and a brawl. "Dad I think I have lost one of my socks" was also dealt adroitly which earlier would mean a return/retrack of 15 KMs to a wayside souvenir shop which had seen us earlier on to check whether the owner has a hidden sock fetish.), every little feature was held by me in great esteem !
-One strange but valid observation by my rather tallish son (touching nearly 6' - when the devil did he grow up ?!!) - his head kept bumping into the second row passenger overhead hand grip. May be a tip off for the boffins at Toyota design group ? He had a few nasty run ins with it - couple of times when getting in/out and some when he nodded off towards the window side. Maybe Thai/Jap designers are vertically challenged ?
- Internal comfort - extremely good and as per me very suited for long drives.
8. Large tyres gobbled up big potholes easily. Suspension felt very robust. Numerous rough patches and a few short yards where we went down an embankment to the village road handled with aplomb. Numerous toll booths along the route tested the window winders effectively. The single touch feature on the driver's side is nice. Hmmmmm...... someone's added a feature to aid highway robbers ?!!


Overall (as of now !) - Whatta vehicle.

A few snaps:

Packed Breakfast break near Satara:




As if Admiral Togo wishes to announce - Seek my sleek (?) lines as I seek miles and more miles to feed my gluttony:




View from the bridge of the ship (near Ranebennur at a level crossing under a tree - waiting for the train to pass by):


Now you see it:


Now you don't:


You wait for 15 minutes for the train. After the train flashes by you still wait for 10 for the gates to arise (arise yes, they move upwards no ?) and the you let your curiosity get the better of you and go to the gateman who flashes you a toothy smile and states in Kannada - "No problem saaar, only two more trains to go saaar, one of them goods - little late, was to come yesterday !"

Lunch break - packed 'ghar ka khana' affair again. As a rule we try and not eat any thing off the highways - for if a bug were to lay you low, then you can kiss the vacation and the drive goodbye. So my wife packs enough victuals to feed 3 divisions of the Indian Army on the Rajasthan border for a year comfortably, despite my very vocal protestations.
We had this lunch break at a spot near Davangere. We couldn't find any good spot and went off road on spotting a cute village road leading to this shady alcove:



And the journey continues !

[AvonA7]

Congratulations Guderian !

One of the best ownership thread and writing skills to me, ever read on Team-BHP. There are many many excellent ownership reports in this forum but reading your one is... as if myself owning one of this b`ful machine

Wish you many many happy and interesting miles on your ride, all the best.

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Great pictures, Guderian! The Admiral's belly looks nice and clean...no mud roads yet? :-)
When are you planning your first trip?

@Sutripta: The Admiral participated in the war with Russia...his flagship then was the Misaka. He died before WWII, so no giant battleship for him.

Hi Nilanjan, Seemed to have messed up my response to your Q which embedded itself in the Q itself !
Here goes once again - Took the snaps immediately after the 1st service yesterday - no wonder the belly looks shaved and powdered ! In Blr now and off to some interesting sites. About a pucca 4X4 chukker - possibly after I get back to wilderness - meaning the concrete jungle - Amchi Mumbai.

Originally Posted by AvonA7

Congratulations Guderian !

One of the best ownership thread and writing skills to me, ever read on Team-BHP. There are many many excellent ownership reports in this forum but reading your one is... as if myself owning one of this b`ful machine

Wish you many many happy and interesting miles on your ride, all the best.

Thank you very much Avon. You make me blush.

[amitwlele]

@Guderian - I am sure it must have taken trememdous amount of self control to maintain lower speeds on the expressway during the run in period. But as you mentioned it had to be done for nothing else but mental peace

Admiral i guess won the battle in flying colours. Keep it coming.

[AlphaKilo]

Guderian Sir,

Congrats with your new acquisition of a Flugzeugträger. I have a small question: Are/were you from/in the services? You seriously seem to show the trails of Boys turned into Men in Dehradun.