[Monster_BHP]

Some people look at this pic and get disappointed over the Gurkhas capability but looks like this guys tyre is bald? It certainly doesn't look like the big studded tyres i get with the Gurkha. His tyres seem to be the problem here..

[Monster_BHP]

One more thing is my Gurkha does not have Beige Interiors!! It has the Black dash and some dark colored seat(not leather)!! What is wrong with my Gurkha?!!!

The weird thing is i never ordered for one and when i was about to take the Safari this was parked on the way in the Force Showroom!!! I just checked and it was a Gurkha for some odd reason!!! I mean what is a dealer doing with a "Custom" "made to order" Vehicle?? Does anyone smell something fishy here??!! I mean why does he have one there?

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Monster_BHP

Some people look at this pic and get disappointed over the Gurkhas capability but looks like this guys tyre is bald? It certainly doesn't look like the big studded tyres i get with the Gurkha. His tyres seem to be the problem here..

Boss, please don't try to judge the tyres from the pictures. Look at the same tyres from morning:



Once the tyres drive through slush, all the treads get filled with mud and they all look bald. This will happen with any AT or MT tyres.

[RedMM340]

Originally Posted by Monster_BHP

One more thing is my Gurkha does not have Beige Interiors!! It has the Black dash and some dark colored seat(not leather)!! What is wrong with my Gurkha?!!!

The weird thing is i never ordered for one and when i was about to take the Safari this was parked on the way in the Force Showroom!!! I just checked and it was a Gurkha for some odd reason!!! I mean what is a dealer doing with a "Custom" "made to order" Vehicle?? Does anyone smell something fishy here??!! I mean why does he have one there?

I really do not get what your point is. What are you trying to say?

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by RedMM340

Samurai,
Yes, my impression is based on the OM616. Is no the newer engine a variant/evolution of the OM616? Or is it an altogether new design?

Nope, Force is no more associated with Mercedes. This engine is the local make, not connection to earlier OM616. It is the same engine used in newer tempo traveller and Trax cruiser UVs.

Originally Posted by RedMM340

The fit and finish is not really the criteria for the Gurkha. Fit and finish is sort of a consumer car metric. Fit an finish really don't matter when you are negotiating a 30 degree slope or winching yourself out of a mud bog.

My cousin's Gurkha broke it's PS and AC belt as it was driven from the factory to the dealership. What kind of fit is that? I had to TD without AC although they did fix the PS before delivery.

Originally Posted by RedMM340

You may not have seen the Gurkha demonstrate its full capability, but believe me, when a vehicle has the type of hardware like the Gurkha, it is very capable in the hands of a competent driver.

Checkout my TD of Gurkha: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-road-too.html



In the above image it couldn't scale that hill in bone dry weather. Yes, we could blame it on highway tyres. This was being driven by an experienced off-roader who owns a Mahindra Classic.

Meanwhile GV managed to climb the same hill in slippery conditions with highway tyres in my inexperienced hands. I finally got stuck on the top because of breakover angle. Meanwhile GV has 170Nm@4000 compared to Gurkha's 195Nm@1800, you know which is better for climbing. The Gurkha had both diff locks engaged in low gear and GV has only open diff at front and rear. Finally GV did it in very slippery conditions during rain, Gurkha had dry conditions.





I am not saying GV is better offroader than Gurkha, it isn't. But how do you explain this performance?

[Monster_BHP]

Originally Posted by RedMM340

I really do not get what your point is. What are you trying to say?

Do you work there?

I mean these vehicles are only from the factory to the customer on order bases.. So why is a Dealer haveing it? It is not a commercial marketed vehicle for dealers..

Originally Posted by Samurai

In the above image it couldn't scale that hill in bone dry weather. Yes, we could blame it on highway tyres. This was being driven by an experienced off-roader who owns a Mahindra Classic.

Meanwhile GV managed to climb the same hill in slippery conditions with highway tyres in my inexperienced hands. I finally got stuck on the top because of breakover angle. Meanwhile GV has 170Nm@4000 compared to Gurkha's 195Nm@1800, you know which is better for climbing. The Gurkha had both diff locks engaged in low gear and GV has only open diff at front and rear. Finally GV did it in very slippery conditions during rain, Gurkha had dry conditions.




I am not saying GV is better offroader than Gurkha, it isn't. But how do you explain this performance?

I cant explain the performance. It should mean that the GV is better thats all. Thats the only honest possibility but what did the Gurkha do did it climb at all on wet conditions?

In the end even the Safari sounds a better 4Wd than this? May be these narrow tyres are to blame? Because i noticed even on road it wasn't grippe and it squeaked when breaking or turning.

So if the dam thing is not good on road or off-road then what am i doing!! Can some one prove Samurai wrong? His Katana sword is cutting my Gurkha dreams to shreds..

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by nitrous

1300 kms?
You want to buy yourself a demo vehicle for 8.7 lakhs?

Force drives it's vehicles. I paid extra to have my vehicle send by lorry to cochin and it came with 2 km on the odo.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Safari : Primary on-road, bad-road, and occasional moderate off-road.
Gurkha: Primay off-road, bad-road, and decent on-road, but not too fast.

I think Samurai sums it up here. You should only buy the Gurkha if you need the extra off-road abilities. Otherwise you may want to stick with a 4x4 Safari/Scorpio.

Originally Posted by Monster_BHP

Thanks Guys.

@Sumari.. I see one of our members has sold a brand new Gurkha for 7.78 lakhs. So do you think i can some how pester them to pull the price down?

7.78 was the ex-showroom price in Cochin. 8.2L OTR.

Originally Posted by Monster_BHP

T

Also I drove the Gurkha, it felt like a mini truck with all those rattlings and rough gear change, i sort of liked that, it feels macho to have some thing that feels it can take you to the Sahara Desert and back. So i have made up my mind to go for it since it has AC and power steering i can also use it as an everyday vehicle. Something tells me i am going to like this.

I would rate the off-road abilities of a Jeep to be comparable to the Gurkha outside of the differential locks and the extra ground clearance. If you find a good jeep, you can modify it to improve the clearance, add Limited slip differential etc. However Jeep's ride on leafsprings up front and Gurkha will handle better than jeeps on road. You have two options, find a good used jeep and invest money into it or buy the Gurkha.

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

Nothing against the Gurkha. It's a capable machine/off-roader but in NO WAY better then the old school jeeps (for me the proof is in actual performance and not paper specs)

But way better then 4x4 safari/scorpios etc..

A four wheel drive vehicle with front and rear diff locks only guarantee that power will be available to all four wheels, but if all four wheels loose traction even a landrover or hummer will get bogged down in slush/mud. This is why off-road enthusiasts install winches. SWB Jeeps have the advantage of being lighter and having a smaller wheelbase but just because that particular Gurkha got stuck in the slush doesn't mean the Jeeps are more capable or the Gurkha is more capable. If the situation was such that mud/slush was on either the right side or the left side of the vehicle a vehicle with diff locks have an advantage as the tires on the other side will provide traction. But from the pictures it appears that all four wheels were bogged down for most of the vehicles. In such situations only a winch can pull out a vehicle. Diff locks are like air bags or ABS, You can drive you'r vehicle a life time without ever having to use them, but knowing you have them gives you the extra confidence.

Originally Posted by RedMM340

Monster BHP,

That Gurkha is a very capable vehicle that is worth buying. It is an ultimate off-roader that has very high end mechanicals not offered by M&M Jeeps. The diff locks, frame, transfer box, engine, are superior components.

It is a more capable off-roader than anything produced by M&M today.

Don't be fooled by a couple of pics that show a Gurkha stuck in axle deep mud.

Don't even compare a Gurkha to a Sumo. Sumo's are mechanical junk. A Bolero 4x4 is a nice SUV that has 4x4, but is not an 'off-roader'.

If you have the budget, and truly want an ultimate off-road vehicle, you will make a good choice in buying a Gurkha.

Regards,

RedMM, I agree with you on these points. However, I would like to add that your usage has to justify the premium for the additional off-road hardware. For most leisure 4x4 users a Jeep will do fine regardless of it's fairly basic power train and 4x4 system.

[Monster_BHP]

The Gurkha they have here has a TD-2650 Engine and not the OM-616 engine are both these engines diffrent? They dealer says the OM-616 engine is called TD2650 by Force motors but it does not have 90bhp either. So i guess the dealer is bluffing?

[Samurai]

Force dealers know nothing about Gurkha, he is bluffing big time. It is the same engine as in Gama, Cruiser and Traveller.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Monster_BHP

The Gurkha they have here has a TD-2650 Engine and not the OM-616 engine are both these engines diffrent? They dealer says the OM-616 engine is called TD2650 by Force motors but it does not have 90bhp either. So i guess the dealer is bluffing?

The TD-2650 is supposedly based on the OM-616, but extensively re-worked by AVL Austria. As Samurai pointed out 90 percent of the dealers have probably not heard about the Gurkha and the ones who have seen it probably don't know a thing about diff locks, etc.

Correct me, if i am wrong, but my understanding from reading the thread is that you seem to have two worries.

1. Is Gurkha the right vehicle for you? This is a choice you have to make after reading the various opinions of it and based on your needs for your next vehicle.

2. Is something fishy about the particular Gurkha you see in Chennai. In my view this is not something to worry about. Dealers don't make fake Gurkhas, if that is your concern.

[Monster_BHP]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

The TD-2650 is supposedly based on the OM-616, but extensively re-worked by AVL Austria. As Samurai pointed out 90 percent of the dealers have probably not heard about the Gurkha and the ones who have seen it probably don't know a thing about diff locks, etc.

Correct me, if i am wrong, but my understanding from reading the thread is that you seem to have two worries.

1. Is Gurkha the right vehicle for you? This is a choice you have to make after reading the various opinions of it and based on your needs for your next vehicle.

2. Is something fishy about the particular Gurkha you see in Chennai. In my view this is not something to worry about. Dealers don't make fake Gurkhas, if that is your concern.

Well actually all this while i was of the opinion that they where giving the Gurkha with the OM-616 engine. So when i found out they had a diffrent engine i was sort of put off. Now I am not sure if this engine is as good as the old one.

As per your points.

1. Yes the Gurkha is the right vehicle for me but i am not sure after the engine change that this TD engine is as good as the OM engine.

2. Well dealers dont make fake ones your right but i was surprised when he had one ready at hand! I thought it only comes on customer order bases.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Monster_BHP

Well actually all this while i was of the opinion that they where giving the Gurkha with the OM-616 engine. So when i found out they had a diffrent engine i was sort of put off. Now I am not sure if this engine is as good as the old one.

As per your points.

1. Yes the Gurkha is the right vehicle for me but i am not sure after the engine change that this TD engine is as good as the OM engine.

The OM616 is a 2.4 liter engine that came on Mercedes 240D. For it's day it was a fabulous engine, but modern diesels have come a long way since then. The TD2650 DI is the same engine that has been powering the Tempo Traveller recently and has decent Torque bhp figures. If you like the Gurkha, I wouldn't hold back only because of the OM616 engine. The current engine was improvised by AVL austria. These are the same guys who helped develop the Scorpio and newer Safari engines. the TD2650 may not be as refined as the OM616 but it has higher Torque and should be reliable.

[aah78]

Originally Posted by Monster_BHP

One more thing is my Gurkha does not have Beige Interiors!! It has the Black dash and some dark colored seat(not leather)!! What is wrong with my Gurkha?!!!

Maybe you're getting an older "reconditioned" vehicle.

Just checked the Force Motors website - they're calling it the Gurkha Black Beauty now. Couldn't come up with an innovative name.
The GAMA Classic DT sounds much better.

Why don't you contact Force Motors directly and ask them about it (the interior colour discrepancy) if you think something's fishy?

[rhandle]

If u have not yet bought it then wait till year end for Gurkha with OM611!

Originally Posted by Torque-ative

Like Samurai rightly says it is a rare vehicle to behold and thats what makes it all the more alluring to auto enthusiasts !!

Personally I'll put my money on the 5.5 Lac Gypsy any day !!
I am sure in the "RIGHT HANDS" it can equal the Gurkha on most terrain, that is thrown across it !!

Prepare the Gypsy and then its a different story !!

Gypsy and Gurkha both are totally different animals... you cannot compare them. Gypsy is a Leopard and and Gurkha is a Lion.

It's your choice and your terrain where you would be traveling which will dictate the terms for you.

[Monster_BHP]

Does anyone have an idea of when the OM611 engine will be launched? I didnt buy this becoz i was disappointed with the engine, it felt like a down graded bolero, the engine is really not what we imagine it to be the bolero is better in terms of pick up and the boleros torque nearly compares with the TD engine.

Anyone have an idea when the OM engines will be available?