[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by Fuldagap

One question, was the white colour your choice or is it only available in white? Can one buy in black?

On paper, yes! But you will end up waiting indefinitely if you order for anything other than white! I waited for almost 4 months for an elusive "Dolphin Blue" before giving in and buying a white one. Not a bad decision in the hindsight - nothing like a white Gypsy

Originally Posted by Equus

It is so relevant today!!

Errr.... why do you think it is relevant? A bare bones car devoid of taken-for-granted features (more of necessities, actually) like A/C, power steering, power windows, and not to mention a missing LHS ORVM - I'd say it is anything but relevant in today's world where customers want new "features" every 6 months!

[sourabhzen]

Congratulations Doc!

It's indeed a brave decision that you have taken. I used Swift for 8 years and 1.25 lac kms before shifting to Storme. Swift used to give me terrible back ache after 200 odd kms but I have driven Storme for 13 hours comfortably. I just can't imagine myself driving a Gypsy for more than an hour without having a slip disc. I am a big Gypsy fan but the bone jarring ride was the only issue that kept me away from buying one.

[Raulspace999]

Now thats what I call following your heart. Although Gypsy has been around for quite a while now, it is not often that one gets to see civilian Gypsys. My friend who was in the used car market for a Gypsy was never able to source one due to the lackadaisical attitude with which the police/military grade gypsys were maintained. Only a true petrolhead will take this decision to go for a Gypsy

[Maddy3008]

Hearty Congratulations ! Wishing you many many miles of offroading fun.

I wish my luck is as good as yours when I go to a Maruti dealership to buy a brand new King. Getting a hard top gypsy within a week of booking is extremely rare these days. I have seen many folks shift to Thar only due to this issue. I am a gypsy fan myself, and when God (read wife) showers her blessings to go ahead and buy one, I am going full steam to the nearest Maruti showroom and getting myself a soft-top gypsy.

Are you planning to install an after-market MLD on the gypsy for the tricky situations in your adventure trails ?

[SnakemanJohny]

Dinosaur is right. But congratulations all the same.
Nice to know some people are still buying it, one of two vehicles still wearing the Maruti logo (the other being the OMNI) -- all others sport the Suzuki "S". Gives me a good feeling, being a second time Gypsy owner, and these being for regular use - I HAVE NEVER OWNED A CAR (sedan/hatchback etc.), except the Alto my wife has, and which I do not drive except in emergencies.
I go for the old fashioned 4WD -- as opposed to 'shift on the fly', ' AWD', and all other modern conveniences. I also go for the customisation opportunities it presents, being bare boned. I am also a petrolhead, and detest diesel NVH in small vehicles. So this weak tinny wimp is the only choice for me ! Hurrah !

[auxsend]

Congratulations Dr. Anto for taking the plunge and buying one. Some of us (me included) have been sitting on the fence for years together as far as buying a Gypsy goes. Others like your self have bit the bullet and bought one.

[ARUN72]

Congratulations dear Bro. Being a fellow Gypsian, I can understand and appreciate your decision for buying the brand new Gypsy. I purchased my first Gypsy (New one, BS-III) in 2009 and enjoyed it thoroughly by driving it all across north India. Recently, three months back I purchased another new Gypsy (BS-IV) because I knew I can not adjust to another vehicle and I am not sure when they are going to stop the production.

[SajiNSalin]

Dr. Anto, has the Gypsy been busy during the previous weekends? How is it going?

[DrANTO]

Update :

Gypsy has completed 1300 km in last 3 weeks. Last weekend my humble gypsy was subjected to moderate to hard core off road exercises. It passed those tests in flying colours


Took the vehicle to Ulupunni hills (10 km from Vagamon); There are multiple off roading trails there ranging from mild to extreme. Started my adventure with simple bad road driving and later engaged 4H and 4L. Taken the vehicle to the top of beautiful green meadows. It was a wonderful experience and later I proceeded to kappakkanam ( 3-4 km from Ulupunni). There is a small stream/river in the middle of forest. Even though water level was low,I din't try to cross the river. Instead me and my brother did some mild trekking into the forest. A large tunnel is there (photo attached) at kappakanam which is a tourist attraction.



To be honest I made a mistake.Usually I am extra cautious and check the trail before venturing into an off-road territory. This time I broke the cardinal rule of off roading; " Always walk the trail before driving your 4WD" .



From Ulupunni view point there is a an off road trail going to Moolamattom through forest. The roads are in very bad condition after the recent rains. But I was confident ( means overconfident) that I can do it. Oh Boy, I was wrong. Last Monsoon has made the trail from off roading to no-roading. It was filled with big rocks and craters. The trail was very narrow too.Just 100 metres into the trail, we knew that we are in deep trouble. We couldn't even reverse gypsy in 4L. Finally we managed to find a spot to somehow reverse gypsy. We were stuck for almost 45 minutes and had to fill up big craters with rocks to get the gypsy out. But we managed to escape without scrapping the under body or any scratches to the paint work.


The fact is , I learned a valuable lesson on that day. However capable your vehicle is there is a limit and always check the trail before off-roading.



My observations about 4WD capabilities of gypsy:


Positives:


1. Light weight of gypsy is a big advantage; The places where I have to crawl slowly in jeep/safari/scorpio, I can blast through in a gypsy.
2. It is a very capable off-roader; Yes it is a well known fact but I had experienced it for the first time.
3. Small width of the vehicle is a boon when you are off-roading.
4. 4WD gear lever is very easy to reach/hold and its action is smooth.


Negatives:


1. No crawling property as in Jeep or other diesel powered SUV'S; Even in 4 Low a minimum accelerator input is required.
2. It always need 4Low first gear for steep slopes ; second or third 4L is virtually useless in Gypsy. For example the same slopes which I have done in second 4L (in Mahindra Major) is impossible to do in gypsy.
3. The fear of toppling the vehicle because of the feather light feeling. Jeep feels more planted/solid.



Experts please advise/correct me about these observations.


Fuel efficiency (tank full to tank full) : 12.8 (70/30 highway/city)



adding a few random pictures from the drive.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by DrANTO

My observations about 4WD capabilities of gypsy:
Negatives:

1. No crawling property as in Jeep or other diesel powered SUV'S; Even in 4 Low a minimum accelerator input is required.
2. It always need 4Low first gear for steep slopes ; second or third 4L is virtually useless in Gypsy. For example the same slopes which I have done in second 4L (in Mahindra Major) is impossible to do in gypsy.
3. The fear of toppling the vehicle because of the feather light feeling. Jeep feels more planted/solid.

Experts please advise/correct me about these observations.

While there are many "Certified" Gypsy experts here, let me tell you what I know from my Gypsy driving experiences, across most terrain except highways (I prefer a faster vehicle there):

1. The Gypsy indeed crawls, like any other ECU enabled car, however, you need to trust it to crawl. It will appear like it will shut down, then go forward again. However, this can be jerky in offroad situations and hence it is best to feather the accelerator pedal to make it comfortable.

2. Your vehicle hasn't run in yet, and hence give it some time before you exploit the higher gears in 4L. Once it runs in, you will see that at a lot of places (sand, ruts, snow), 4L 2nd is a very effective gear to power up an incline. The Major develops torque lower down the rev range whereas the Gypsy does it higher up. It all a matter of understanding your vehicle, it will happen with time.

3. Yes, the Gypsy feels like it will topple but it seldom does. In fact, dynamically, it is better than the Jeeps you have mentioned/driven. Again, you are feeling what you are feeling because you are still new to the Gypsy, give it some time and you will know more about it.


PS: BTW, I will be at Cochin the day after tomorrow for 2-3 days, would be fun to meet if we can.

[Paradiddle]

Congratulations on the new Gypsy! Wishing you many miles of offroading fun!

Originally Posted by SajiNSalin

It is a very good vehicle off road, but the agony to get it to the places where it excels is to be endured. Take care of health as the vehicle will not offer any cushioning effect from the off road regions.

Well said! I totally agree with this.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

I must commend you on that; those roads just a collection of boulders. That was the worst experience we had on our family vacation to Munnar. I was suggested this place by the manager of a resort where we stayed in Munnar. It was one helluva ride in SWB Jeep (not ours/neither did I drive) and my daughter who was very small picked the right moment to a bout of gastroenteritis. All in all was a nightmare to and fro Kolukkumalai.

Sad to hear that you had a nightmarish experience at Kolukkumalai. It was the highlight of our trip. My family and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole off-roading experience.

[shyamkrish]

Congrats on your purchase. I did the same in April 2016, though a white ST. Since then i have enjoyed 9000 kms of unobstrusive pure hardcore offroading at my farmhouse in Kodai.

No other vehicle comes near a Gypsy in terms of driving experience. My initial fears regarding lack of power steering, A/C and suspension went outof the window the first time i placed my hands on the long gear shift Pure bliss!!!!

[DrANTO]

update

completed 3000 km in 45 days.




First service was done at 1200 km on the ODO. Since it is basically a check up only service I didn't bother much about the service. But one thing I understood from the service experience is that MASS people has absolutely no clue regarding gypsy or its service procedure. I really doubt anybody in Maruti workshop is familiar with a Gypsy. Since it is a barebone vehicle, they can't do much damage to it (at least that's what I think).



The guy who did interior cleaning got very curious and try to fiddle with 4WD gear. Somehow he managed to put it in 4H and didn't bother to put it back to 2WD mode. When we took delivery after the service , Gypsy was in 4WD mode My brother gave a mouthful to the service adviser and the cleaning guy but both of them were not at all knowledgeable about the problem of driving 4WD engaged on the tarmac. Since there is no point in arguing with these folks, escalated the problem with the service manager. He apologized for their error and promised us better service next time. Next time I am planning to put a sticker on the 4WD lever which says " Don't touch this"




3000 km in 45 days in a vehicle used only for weekend and fun drives is much more than its intended usage pattern. But Driving a gypsy is like a craving for beer or cigarettes. After a day's hard work you feel like taking the gypsy out for a drive. It is like riding a wild horse- once you got the knack of it there is nothing like it. You don't care about the stiff ride or the lack of power steering. It is a remarkably different experience compared to our daily drives.




I have done 2-3 small road trips during last one month. Last one was to Munnar- Mankulam- Anakulam. On the way back home visited Kattothimedu (near Santhanpara-Senapathy). It was a great opportunity to use 4WD and it was a blast. Gypsy climbed the steepest of hills in 4L first and second gear without any drama. After each and every off roading session I am in love with this little machines capability.




Update on Fuel Efficiency : (tank full method)


12 kmpl during last weeks Munnar drive ( 60% Western ghat roads / 40% highway along with good amount of off roading )

attaching a few pictures

[DrANTO]

adding more pictures:

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by DrANTO

Dear Friends,

I took delivery of a brand new Maruti Gypsy on 24.11.2017. Please let me tell you a bit about the background story.

Congrats for the bold decision!

It is the only car that comes with the Maruti logo now. All other models are now coming with Suzuki logo.

But wait! That placeholder for the logo is actually built for the "S"!