[careind]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

For people like you who are devoid of much options in some cars/vehicles, there is a wonderful product:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...quDN8g0O_O44b1

Thanks @Adityadeane for empathising and bringing this to my notice.
This seems to be a simple mechanism but going by my previous experiences, I am guessing there would be some legal hoops to jump through - especially for a PwD.
This would have been a godsend 10 or 12 years back when there was a dearth of AT cars in the lower/mid segments and people were looking for options.
Luckily I am certified to drive Factory equipped Automatic transmissions which provide a hassle free ownership.
But this seems to be a really good product for those who are on the look out to convert existing Manual transmission to Automatic.

[Dr_MNC_SK]

Hello everyone

I have been following this Gurkha and its wheels for quite some time and decided to write down today.

Firstly congratulations on the vehicle and tasteful mods.

I have a couple of queries. The Gurkha has been on my radar for some time but haven't been able to even see one (the new generation i mean) as we don't have a dealership in my state.

I have been driving a Sept 2015 New Gen Crde Thar for 75K kms which includes roadtrips to Ladakh Jaipur Orissa Arunachal Meghalaya Bhutan Nepal etc with a stock engine and softtop. I am thinking of the Gurkha for hardtop ABS and Airbags over my crde not foregoing the stance visibility and ease of having a four wheel high clearance vehicle with straight a pillar.

1. How is the low end torque especially when pulling up from stop on an incline?

2. How heavy is the clutch and steering ? If someone who has td compared to the Thar Crde.

3. Can we get to fix 3 point seatbelts in the rear? Someone has done it i think saw somewhere.

4. What is the wiper coverage on the windscreen?

5. What is the hub locking mechanism on the front? Freewheeling or auto manual like Thar Crde or electronic?

6. What does the turning radius feel like practically?

7. How does the 95 bhp feel like on the highway? Can we cruise 80-100 without flooring all the way?

8. Is the engine tunable? Anyone has tuned the Gurkha to produce more power and torque?

9. Is the stock bumper winch compatible?

Thank you in advance.

[ThatBalenoGuy]

I would like to answer some of these questions. I have TD the vehicle. @Manuuj

Waiting on the 5 Door, I've been told March is when it comes, I'll be sent pictures in February said the guys at FM Showroom.

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

1. How is the low end torque especially when pulling up from stop on an incline?

It's a rush, 1st gear is immense and you can probably skip it when riding on the road.
Be it 2H or 4H the 1st gear has plenty of torque to offer. But it's very short, almost feels Low Range Gear-ish. You have to immediately put 2nd.
The 2nd gear is capable to pull through. The advisor who came with me approved this bit, starting from a standstill in 2nd. 3rd is where you will find the Gurkha being driven the most. It has the torque to pull.

You release the clutch and it pulls ahead in crawl mode of sorts, it won't stall. This works in every gear. This same thing won't let it roll back on an incline. It will start crawling forward.

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

2. How heavy is the clutch and steering ? If someone who has td compared to the Thar Crde.

The clutch is incredibly light, but the travel will take some time to get used to. Coming from an Old Baleno and Hondas, I took a few minutes to adjust. The gear lever is angled towards the driver, it feels off but it's convenient.

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

3. Can we get to fix 3 point seatbelts in the rear? Someone has done it i think saw somewhere.

I believe @Hazchem from Mumbai has done that on his car. The FM dealership Manager got it done, held pride in his words when he told me about it, being the first Gurkha of Mumbai.

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

5. What is the hub locking mechanism on the front? Freewheeling or auto manual like Thar Crde or electronic?

Completely Analogue Manual, same as the previous models. There's a lever beside the gear lever identical to the one on the driver's side on the passenger side. You pull it to engage the front locker. You need to be stationary to engage and disengage. I believe the force with which you pull the lever itself actuates it (I could be wrong but it felt that solid)
You lock it, it's locked till you unlock it. Mind you, it's advised to have the steering pointing straight when you do any form of locking to avoid damage.

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

7. How does the 95 bhp feel like on the highway? Can we cruise 80-100 without flooring all the way?

I redlined all gears and the car didn't like it. It's eager to shift to higher gears early and cruise at 80-90kph (sweet spot). The driving characteristics will force you to drive without urgency. It's definitely not 20 seconds to a 100KPH like those YT reviews say. It can go fast if you want to, but it doesn't like to be driven fast.

I took a turn at almost 100 kmph and there was minimal body roll. There was no wallowing disconnection from the steering feedback that I was expecting when I turned it in. The ride quality is supreme, you get used to not slowing down for potholes/breakers, and then when you drive some other car you're bouncing. The ride in the Gurkha gets smoother with speed.

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

8. Is the engine tunable? Anyone has tuned the Gurkha to produce more power and torque?

I think yes. But the BS6 Norms have introduced a lot of new sensors and electrical components that monitor things on the vehicle, which might make tuning it difficult without getting a check engine light.

There's a channel on Youtube by the name of @mad_greasemonkey He's got his Xplorer to 115HP almost using Dieseltronic unit, also modified his exhaust, and sounds mad. His is 2017 however. Modding that one was easy.

Attaching an image of the pleasant TD experience. Got to do some mild offroading as well.

[Dr_MNC_SK]

Originally Posted by ThatBalenoGuy

Completely Analogue Manual, same as the previous models. There's a lever beside the gear lever identical to the one on the driver's side on the passenger side. You pull it to engage the front locker. You need to be stationary to engage and disengage. I believe the force with which you pull the lever itself actuates it (I could be wrong but it felt that solid)
You lock it, it's locked till you unlock it. Mind you, it's advised to have the steering pointing straight when you do any form of locking to avoid damage.

Thank you for the insight from your perspective.
I was asking about the front locking hubs. Not the locking differentials. Locking differentials are straight manual lockers. What about the front hubs? Any anyone throw light? I am completely satisfied with the manual auto hubs in my Thar Crde which except on one occasion always disengages in about 10 metres of reversing.

And also someone coming from a petrol engine will get floored by the torque rush in a 2.5 diesel. If anyone coming from Thar Crde or any diesel engine as primary drive can put a word of comparision.

Its not advisable to pull from 2nd no matter how tempting it looks if you want to extend the life of your clutch. Always better to pull in 1st and quickly shift to 2nd. Especially more so in hilly terrains.

[Manuuj]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

I think that is a good strategy.....

Force Motors is making all the right moves marketing wise. They are not going for a full on blitzkrieg but a more organic campaign. Surprisingly though many dealerships have had thier test drive vehicles delivered much, much after the official launch in September.
This seems a bit lethargic since one would imagine that test drive vehicles would be ready at launch itself so no customer is lost simply due to the lack of a test drive.
They did ask previous Gurkha owners to come and test the 2021 Gurkha at the launch event. BHPian Trojan himself did a very extensive drive and review of the All New Gurkha at launch. The problem with us unpaid forum reviewers though, is that our loyalty lies with the truth only.
Car companies can never rely on us for a rosy review. If things go south with an ownership then they will be adequately represented in our writeup as well.

Originally Posted by shady

Congratulations on your ride Manuuj. Lovely write up & I'm just loving ...

Thank you for your kind words! Asterix sure turns and lot of heads on the road. I am constantly giving mini reviews to inquisitive people. There is a lot of interest in the Gurkha on the street level.

Now its up to Force Motors to capitalize on this and capture adequate market share.

Originally Posted by madbullram

@manuuj: I am not at all surprised by the visit because in my opinion your thread has more marketing impact than their entire sales budget!
In fact, my experience hasn't started well, registered for test drive ( Chennai Force dealer) and ...

Thank you for your kind words brother.

This Test Drive issue is exactly what i was talking about earlier. There is a disconnect that Force Motors needs to address. In this competitive environment no one can afford to lose customers to such a silly reason.

After all the effort and investment in developing the new Gurkha these minor things cannot be allowed to negate the impact of all the hard work previously put in.

Originally Posted by swarnava.ch

Congratulations on your ride and loved your thread...
This kind of Product needs some dedicated efforts from FM higher-ups and not just from marketing. Some one needs to invest their heart and soul and then there are guys like you...

The 5 seater will surely be launched in time as the Chassis is made in a modular manner such that it can be altered to house the 5 seater version.
Sales and After sales surely need looking into. Things have improved vastly from how it used to be. FM is making the effort required but it needs to be done on a larger scale.
You are correct when you say that it has to be a top down effort. I am sure they are in touch with all their customers who make the effort to remain in touch with the company also.

I am surprised that there are no more 2021 Gurkha reviews on Team BHP so far. I would love to hear feedback from other Gurkha owners on how thier vehicle is performing.

For spares availability i have been assured that all dealerships selling the 2021 Gurkha need to keep a certain set of spares handy at all times. Not just pads, filters and oil etc but other parts as well.

Originally Posted by Spinnerr

True, True. Passionate threads like this from real owners work wonders in terms of instilling confidence about a model..If not in south, up north, Manuuj's thread will translate to a few more Gurkhas on road

That is a huge responsibility. If what i write can influence people to spend their hard earned money on a particular vehicle then i must do so with utmost integrity as well.

I am a bit concerned at the moment with certain things in Asterix.

A) Harshness: The prop shaft/gearbox noise at low speeds.

B) A certain "whine" from the gearbox when de-accellarating.

C) I feel the FE may not be reaching even 10 kmpl at the moment. Will update with the exact figure today.

D) Allignment seems to be out of whack and needs looking into.

E) Spare wheel rattles a bit on bad roads. They need to re-engineer the bracket that holds the spare wheel and also maybe make the door hinges stronger.

I have fixed up a time with Ved Ji who is the
Service head for North india for 11 am at TAPL New Delhi workshop for a look at the issues. Maybe its all normal and I am feeling or hearing more things than i should since i usually drive the Endeavour which is a different class of vehicle.

Originally Posted by Ulysses

I will ditto this. I registered for a TD, online with Kshatriya Force Mysore way ...Although I was not impressed with the vehicle much, but the gesture from company did impressed me. But it is not company wide culture, as it seems.

You are right there is a disconnect that needs to be addressed. For some reason the TD vehicles have been quite late in reaching showrooms.

Originally Posted by HTC

I would suggest to ignore the dealership experiences and follow up on the TD with showroom. Since this is a niche vehicle and sales are very less..

Being niche product is a curse in some way. The Gurkha needs to break out of the niche product market as soon as they can. Low sales figures will not merit more investment in sales and aftersales and ultimately harm the Gurkha. The Thar is a niche product too but sells in vast quantities but that is also due to bigger sales and aftersales network, choice of automatic and manual transmissions as well as petrol and diesel engines.

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

Absolutely agree Manuuj! It is a niche lifestyle product and needs to be handled that way...
I am excited to see how they leverage this opportunity. All the best to the Gurkha!

I agree wholeheartedly with every point you have made. Its needs to be a structured process followed for all customers and a company as a whole needs to follow the process.

The best thing ofcourse for Customer delight is a trouble free ownership experience.
A well made and well engineered product can do much more for customer delight and satisfaction than any interaction can.
For example I am delighted with my Endeavour but don't even know the name of the Customer Relationship Manager in After sales at Harpreet Ford.

When i did face an oil leak issue from the gearbox it was identified by the workshop staff themselves and they initiated the part replacement under warranty themselves.
I was informed by the service advisor and no escalation to "higher ups" was required.

If there is any issue with any Gurkha then Force Motors needs to have similar practices in place for problem identification and suitable improvements for the same.

The Gurkha can do for Force Motors what Armada, Bolero and Scorpio did for Mahindra and they must treat it that way. It can be their stepping stone into the mass market if they do so wish.

Originally Posted by BhayanaV

A friend in Delhi bought a Gurkha - Orange color, last week. He upgraded from an Alto which is completing 15 years hence needed to be replaced/scrapped. Gurkha is indeed getting some visibility now.

Wow!! From on Alto straight to the Gurkha! That is some jump! Ofcourse both vehicles are capable off-roaders as the population of Ladakh, Lahaul , Spiti and other mountainous regions will attest happliy too.

Originally Posted by careind

It is not the gift that matters but ..
Based on your ownership thread ....That is the level of passion that has oozed out of this thread and kudos for that!
Hopefully I would get my Obelix one day, or at least a Getafix.

Thank you so much for your kind words. I don't know if and when the Gurkha will be offered with an Automatic transmission sadly.

Originally Posted by powertrain

Hey Manuuj!
I hope one of the suggestions you have given is that on an AT gearbox!! Did it come up during the discussions?!Mr. Firodia, now that we know you're listening - Please get an AT with 4x4 & diff locks on the Gurkha.

Yes i did make the suggestion but it seems a remote possibility at the moment.

Thank you so much for your kind words. I am glad you have enjoyed this thread.

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

Hello Firstly congratulations on the ...been on my radar for some time but haven't been able to even see one (the new generation i mean) as we don't have a dealership in my state..Thank you in advance.

Originally Posted by ThatBalenoGuy

I would like to answer some of these questions. I have TD the vehicle. @Manuuj Waiting on the 5 Door, I've been told March is when it comes, I'll be sent pictures in February said the guys at FM Showroom.
...potholes/breakers, and then when you drive some other car you're bouncing. The ride in the Gurkha gets smoother with

Thank you for your kind wishes. Not having a dealer in your state can be quite cumbersome when one requires service and spares. Please do consider this if thinking about the Gurkha. I cannot really advise you buy one in these conditons.

Most of your questions have been thankfully answered by ThatBalenoGuy and i am grateful for the same.

1) Torque in first gear is good. You will not find it lacking in steep hill climbs. I've had a MM540 DP, Fortuner, Endeavour and am speaking from that perspective.

2) Clutch is very light and Steering is not heavy at all. It cannot be compared to the electric power steering of my Endeavour but is similar to my Fortuner steering.
Turning Radius is like my Endeavours. One finds it easy to make U turns on the road. But i must mention here also that since mine is running 245/75/16 tyres Turning Radius is greater than that of the Gurkhas with the stock tyre size.

3) Wiper coverage is excellent

4) No Hublocking/Hublockers available like in the Gypsy's

5) Stock bumper is not winch compatible in my opinion

6) One can cruise all day at 90 100 kmph at 2500 rpm. It feels most comfortable at 90 kmph but 100 comes up easily too.

7) Engine tuning and Seat belt questions have been answered by fellow bhpian ThatBalenoGuy

I hope it gives you some clarity about the Gurkha but not having a workshop close by should immediately preclude it from your list of potentials in the first place I feel.

[mytbhp_turbo]

Hello Manuuj,

Very well written journey, Efforts you took from booking, registration, alloy shipping/painting/testing speaks volume about your passion to own Force Gurkha.

Force Gurkha has good design, they tried to keep vehicle simple - good water wading capability, diff lock setup at rear and front, stayed away from all gizmos.
I did feel they should have pumped up engine more, 91HP does not seem enough on paper (not sure if it feels same on open road, for off-roading, should be fine)

Thanks for sharing !

[Manuuj]

Originally Posted by mytbhp_turbo

Hello Manuuj,

Very well written journey..

Force Gurkha has good design, they tried to keep vehicle simple ..
I did feel they should have pumped up engine more, 91HP does not seem enough on paper (not sure if it feels same on open road, for off-roading, should be fine)Thanks for sharing !

Thank you for your kind words. The 90 bhp though seemingly low on paper translates to a decent driving experience while on the road.

It is indeed a good thing that the Gurkha is a relatively simple vehicle and is devoid of the overload of gizmos and electronics that most cars come with. On the whole it is a well engineered product and while there may be teething issues (as there are with all new vehicles) Force Motors is very quick to respond to feedback and initiate corrective action immediately.

I will share my experience today. I had taken Asterix in today as the TPMS sensor wasn't working well and i was also hearing some rattles from the rear door. Apart from this i felt there was a certain harshness to the drive which was mainly based on NVH levels.

I had called up Ved Ji who takes care of service for North India and he asked me to bring Asterix in today. He was present himself at the workshop to diagnose any issue and he immediately noticed the noise from the rear door and had it fixed through some adjustments. The Rear Ladder was also tightened up.

We took an extended test drive and the problem did not reoccur. About the NVH issue i reported it was found to be normal for all Gurkhas. He attached the laptop to the OBD port and checked for any fault codes and none came up. The DPF was also found to be working optimally.

I told him that sometimes the vehicle RPM goes up to 1000 on idle and stays there for a couple of minutes and he said that this is normal and the DPF does a mini-regen every 350 kms and that is when the RPM goes up to 1000. If a proper regeneration is required then the DPF light would come on and i could follow the steps for manual DPF regeneration.

The next thing I told him was that I had noticed a couple of oil drip marks on my driveway where Asterix is parked. He immediately asked for the vehicle to be lifted up and inspected the undercarriage.
The culprit was found to be Gear Oil that was slowly dripping onto the bash plate.
He had the assembly removed and identified it to be a seal within that needed replacement. This was started right away but took time. The seal had to be removed and scoured off completely. Then a new silicon sealant was applied to the cover. After letting it cure for some time it was then reassembled and everything was put back up. I was glad to note that proper torquing was carried out by the trained technicians under the watchful eye and guidance of Ved Ji.

A similar exercise was carried out on my Fortuner Obelix when the clutch was replaced and when the time comes for clutch replacement on Asterix the same assembly will have to be removed again to gain access to the clutch plate.

To a novice it may look like major surgery but it was a fairly straightforward job.

I got a very good look at the underside of Asterix and everything looked very well engineered and robust. I was happy to note 4 breather pipes for gearbox and differentials that ran all the way up high into the bonnet. A Snorkel would be useless for deep water crossings if these breather pipes were not in place as water would get into the gearbox and differentials and cause damage.

I will keep an eye out for this "Oil Drip" to see if it reoccurs. Ved ji was confident that it is sorted now and Asterix will leave no ugly oil stains behind.

The oil drip on the bash plate


One can the dark oil drop here


It was leaking from that seal for the bearing


New sealant was applied and after it had cured the seal cover was reapplied and torqued up to the correct range.


This was the Silicon Sealant used.


After this the TPMS for one tyre was found to not be taking a reading and it was reprogrammed. Post this it too is now working properly.

It was very heartening for me to see the prompt way the problems were identified and solutions implemented. As a consumer that is all one wants. Ideally one would want that no issues ever occur in their vehicle but that is not something that is possible in something as complex as a vehicle.
What matters is that one is heard and all issues are promptly resolved.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

It was very heartening for me to see the prompt way the problems were identified and solutions implemented. As a consumer that is all one wants. Ideally one would want that no issues ever occur in their vehicle but that is not something that is possible in something as complex as a vehicle.
What matters is that one is heard and all issues are promptly resolved.

Somewhat OT:

Your approach to niggles is heartening, I'd say, Manuuj.
Very often, we end up enjoying a vehicle we love based on how we interpret the issues we face with a car, and how we deal with them. Have always found a good relationship with people at the service centre important to a good ownership experience; both in terns of sorting, and also avoiding issues.

Much agree with what you said. The attitude of the staff makes so much of a difference, and that is partly dependent on how we behave with them.

Once again, best wishes for a happy partnership with Asterisk.

[RJK]

Congrats Manuuj!
Your Gurkha looks very butch. I’m not into off-roading or 4x4’s at all but lookin at the simple construction sans gizmos makes me want to buy it just to take care of unruly autos and taxis on the roads. 😂
How’s the wind noise in the vehicle at 80-100kmph band?

Cheers

[vigneshkumar31]

Proactive action by the Team and Ved ji. Kudos!

TPMS and seals etc. going haywire in a new vehicle is both annoying for the owner and worrisome. Its good that you are taking it in the right stride.


However, I just hope that the QC can be tightened and such issues do not reoccur in other vehicles delivered around the country. Since every workshop might not have the best technicians and might not have someone with the supervisory skill and authority of Ved ji around for guidance.

The product should be able to function without special attention.

But credit where its due, heartening to see none other than Service Head himself taking interest.

[Wageabond]

Brilliant thread, and thank you for logging your experience with the Gurkha so meticulously, Manuuj. Such detailed, long term updates help mortals such as us firm up our minds into getting into specialized vehicles and skills such as off-roading.

I have a Gurkha in 'bottle green' colour in our lane, and I cannot help but steal a few glances.

[roadrunner_nv]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

A similar exercise was carried out on my Fortuner Obelix when the clutch was replaced and when the time comes for clutch replacement on Asterix the same assembly will have to be removed again to gain access to the clutch plate.

Do you have a Dogmatix too?

A question from someone who has admired the Gurkha over the years: How harsh/plush is the ride on Tarmac laden with potholes? I’m tired of Pune roads and am contemplating buying a Gurkha to reduce the pain induced when my Skodas, Hyundais and Hondas go over these roads

[shan2129]

Hi Manuuj,

Superb and informative thread.

I recently booked my Gurkha Green from Khivraj Motors in Bangalore. The delivery is awaited on 29th.
As the anticipation grew, I thought to give a small search here on ownership reviews and found your thread.

It was much later that I realised how popular, informative, and superb this thread is. I must you very diligent and passionate.

I have opted for the force accessories package with the alloy wheels, wind screen bar, roof rack and half ladder. I might change the tyres at a later stage.

I had a couple of questions that I wanted to ask you.

1. Can I depend on the FM provided Alloys? For off-road strolls from Bangalore/dehradun and ofcourse more into the mountains!

2. Are Cab clearance lights a good idea? And are they legal in India?

3. Where did you get the horns from? And is upgrading the interiors a good idea?

[Shekhar Rao]

Hi everyone
I had taken Nemo on a 900 kms trip through the Western Ghats area .I particularly enjoyed the drive through the Bisle Ghats There are multiple sharp curves with big elevation and camber changes as well as hair pins Road surface is good but a bit narrow for two way traffic
The Gurkha was excellent to drive . There is almost no body roll and no understeer when you have to stick to your side through the bends
The steering is quite accurate and confident and the commanding driving position makes scanning round the bend more efficient .One can brake to quite a slow speed to allow a vehicle to cross in the opposite direction through a bend and let the torque keep you moving till you throttle again .
Clutch and gear shifts are easy and accurate
Rough roads and speed breakers are tackled with comfort .Going off the edge of the road to let a vehicle pass is done effortlessly.
The drive is really fatigue and cramp free and one is quite fresh after 8 to 9 hours of driving
One needs to plan overtakes in some situations especially like going past a line of lorries as you may not get the acceleration to get past and come back into your lane . This is particularly noticable in the hills where you can be surprised by sudden oncoming traffic
There are small metallic squeaks from the tail gate that need attention at first service
Support from the regional Force personnel, Mr Jesurajan ( sales ) and Mr Shekhar Mudaliar ( service) has been prompt , friendly and very encouraging for an enthusiastic ownership experience .Many people took interest and enquired about the Gurkha and it really stands out wherever it goes .You enjoy coming back to it and looking at it from different angles !
I wanted to know from the forum about the role of hub lockers when there is already a differential lock on the axle ?
In answer to an earlier question about comparison with the older Thar which I used ,I would say there is a huge upgrade in ride quality, cabin noise , driving ease and dynamics as well as fit and finish .In comparison to the older Fortuner , the pleasure of driving a short wheelbase vehicle over varied terrain , the better ride over broken roads, minimal body roll and the better seating position and view out are my observations .

[Manuuj]

Originally Posted by Poitive

Have always found a good relationship with people at the service centre important to a good ownership experience; ..

Once again, best wishes for a happy partnership with Asterisk.

Thank you! Yes the attitude and approach of the Service staff has a big impact on the ownership experience. I found the staff at Force Motors to be very proactive and supportive in this regard.

Nitesh ji ( Head of Sales, North India) had also come to the workshop when the Gear Box Oil Seal was being changed. During our discussion I brought up the low sales and service network being a reason that many people were not opting for the Gurkha despite really liking it. He assured me that in the near future Force Motors will have a service station along all major highways every 100-150 kms and that it was one of their top priorities.

This would provide a lot of peace of mind to current and prospective owners of the Gurkha.

I do hope the gear oil leak issue is now resolved and does not reoccur. It took pretty much the whole day to rectify and i do not relish the idea of experiencing that again. Especially since i have never faced something like this since 2003 when i bought my Qualis.

There was a gear oil seal leak observed in my Endeavour but once the whole seal was replaced under warranty that issue has not resurfaced.

Originally Posted by RJK

Congrats Manuuj!
Your Gurkha looks very ...
How’s the wind noise in the vehicle at 80-100kmph band?Cheers

Thank you and i agree Asterix sure is a looker.



I have seen people taking photos of it and with it on a number of occasions. Its a nice feeling! There isn't any windnoise that comes through in the 80-100 kmph band. It is sealed up pretty well.

Originally Posted by vigneshkumar31

Proactive action by the Team and Ved ji. Kudos!
TPMS and seals etc. going haywire in a new vehicle is both annoying for the owner and worrisome.
The product should be able to function without special attention.
But credit where its due, heartening to see none other than Service Head himself taking interest.

The TPMS unfortunately is acting up again already. I spoke to a couple of other owners and they are facing the same issue.

One would hope that the fix of the oil seal is not going to be regularly occurring phenomenon. That would really make the ownership experience unpleasant. I was hoping that any such issues would have been found and resolved during the product testing phase itself.

That said they have taken quick action and made the effort to resolve the issue. Once i have observed it for a month or two then i would be able to give my final report regarding the fix on this thread.

Originally Posted by Wageabond

Brilliant thread, and thank you for logging your experience with the Gurkha so meticulously, Manuuj. Such detailed, long term update...

Thank you so much for your kind words.

Originally Posted by roadrunner_nv

Do you have a Dogmatix too?

A question from someone who has admired the Gurkha over the years: How harsh/plush is the ride on Tarmac laden with potholes?

I haven't had a chance to drive on tarmac riddled with potholes at low speeds. I did have some bad highway sections and the Gurkha felt very pliant over these bad sections of highway. The suspension is a positive point of the Gurkha.

I don't have a car called Dogmatix but an actual dog called Benji.

Originally Posted by shan2129

Hi Manuuj,
Superb and informative thread. I recently booked my Gurkha Green from Khivraj Motors in Bangalore. The delivery is awaited on 29th.
1. Can I depend on the FM provided Alloys? For off-road strolls from Bangalore/dehradun and ofcourse more into the mountains!
2. Are Cab clearance lights a good idea? And are they legal in India?
3. Where did you get the horns from? And is upgrading the interiors a good idea?

Thank you for your kind words and congratulations on joining the Gurkha club. Its a special vehicle and i am sure you will enjoy it.

Do check for any Oil leaks from the gearbox/differentials etc during the PDI. Ask them to hoist it up on a lift and inspect it yourself with a torch and a clean cloth.

The Alloys and the tyres should be just fine. My change was more of a design/optical preference rather than a usability or safety issue.
Cab over lights may require drilling holes in the roof? Are you sure you want to do that? There is space for them on top of the windscreen guard as well though. They will look great and i have thought of installing the same but I don't have any clarity on their legality.

The horn is easily available at pretty much any decent accessory shop and quite painless to install. The interiors do not require any changes. The seats are perfect and the material of the seats cleans up easily. One can invest in noodle mats over the fixed floor mats of the Gurkha, maybe better speakers and some sound damping as well.

Originally Posted by Shekhar Rao

Hi everyone
I had taken Nemo on a 900 kms trip through the Western Ghats area .I particularly enjoyed the drive through the ...
I wanted to know from the forum about the role of hub lockers when there is already a differential lock on the axle ?...

Thank you for your observations and writeup. It will answer a lot of questions that many people do have regarding the usability and drivability of the Gurkha.

To answer your Q. The Differential Lockers and Hub Lockers are two completely diffferent things.

While Diff lockers lock or unlock the axles on each wheel through locking the Differential, Hub Lockers are used to unlock the front hubs from the Axles Shaft when in two wheel drive to reduce wear and tear on the Hub bearings. When shifting to 4 wheel drive Hub Lockers can engage automatically to lock the hubs with the axle on each wheel.
In the Gurkha the hub is permanently engaged with the axles in 2wd and 4wd modes. Any good YouTube video regarding this subject will make things much clearer than my inadequate reply above.

I observed the size difference of the Gurkha once again. It really does tower over all other cars and make them look smaller than they are. The Hyundai Creta next to it looks more like an i10. In the corner is a Fortuner that also looks small in comparison to the Gurkha

I am only harping about this size difference to emphasize that the Gurkha is large spacious vehicle and not to say its superior in any other way to the vehicles in the photograph.