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-   -   Asterix, my 2021 Force Gurkha | The adventure begins (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/244904-asterix-my-2021-force-gurkha-adventure-begins-16.html)

Height provides it the visual mass as you look at it, when it is done well it can look imposing or it would look like a Van. The current Bolero is a sub4M vehicle, but its road presence is not the same as an i20.

The origin of Gurkha is based on their people carriers that needs to be tall to accomodate side facing rear seats, that is why Gurkha is very tall in comparison to pickup based fortuner or endeavour, these vehicles as well have kept their bonnet very high in proportion to the overall height of the vehicle to provide a very heft visual mass as you look from the front but it is not good from a visibility point of view to have high bonnet and low seating - especially for off-road vehicles.

Different design choices as appropriate for their home market.

The visual appeal of Gurkha is definitely enhanced by its height and the tail mount spare wheel which adds another 265 mm to the length. The width is very near to all the major full size SUV's. Considering the height advantage, the Gurkha does have a macho stance which makes it look bigger. Also the volume of the car is what gives that big car feel in which Gurkha will be comparable with the full size SUV's.

On side note, still people refer my KUV100 as big car compared to my Linea. I have heard this from parking space guys, Drivers and in family as well. It all about the perspective :)

This is such an imposing vehicle! I feel it will scrape against the toll by-passes that we have here. These by-passes are basically for small cars, SUVs to pass through without paying. To avoid commercial vehicles going thru these lanes they have installed height barricades. The problem is they are quite low - my Thar V1 comes quite close to those barricades above. People in Pune/Mumbai/Nasik area can relate.

Asterix got a nice Jerry Can added today from Bimbra in Gurgaon. This will also prevent the Jerry Can Holder from making any noise when driving over rough surfaces. Have also fixed up to get the shiny aliminium side steps Linex coated black.

If and when i change the front bumper to a metal one with proper recovery points, the same Linex coating will be applied to it as well as the 4 fender flares.

The Jerry Can is made by Bruteforce and seems very well made. There was a choice of Green, Red, Black, Yellow and Blue. I chose this one:

Line-X is a durable, hardy coat. Have used it on boats also to good effect.

Did you check out the recently modified bumper of a Green Gurkha by Bimbra, with some Hellas mounted on the roofrack? It looked neatly executed. They also had got the headlight grilles mounted. Helped to wipe off clean, the Sumo look.

Yes i did see pics of it. I like the bumper they made too but will make certain changes to mine. The headlight grills were also neatly executed and i probably will have those installed too. Getting cabin marker lights installed in the place where the Hella's were installed.





Pic credit: Bimbra 4x4

Looks cool. What are the dimensions for the Jerry can?

hehehehe... interesting science there... So added vehicle /payload weight doesn't significantly apply extra load to engines/drivetrains (vs. wheels/tyres???)? I'll vote for tread design / rolling resistance here. And particularly odometer error on account of any increase in circumference. Easy to work out mathematically, as noted elsewhere.

Wear and tear on basically unloaded spinning stuff is minimal, assuming it's kept lubed. Bear in mind, AWD Fortuners have always had drivetrains on both ends spinning all the time, forever... with no adverse effects or accelerated wear.

Moreover, the Gurkha/Trax axle/hub design never allowed for the fitment of add-on freewheeling types. Scorps went the same way with their last-gen, away from hub-locks... axle splines mate directly with the ID of hub splines, which rotate with the whole assembly as fitted into the wheel bearing... In contrast, old M&M's female splines were in the bolt-on cap or separate locking hub only... this is a major difference. So new Scorps got inboard electronically-controlled axle lock-outs instead. Actually not *axle* lockouts... in this case, your CV's / axles are always rotating anyway, and any small fuel savings would be by nature of the differential / front driveshaft and its cross-joints and RC output shaft not having to spin all the time... possibly 1kmpl?

Btw, IMO most of the electro-shift 4wd stuff is simply idiot-proofing - manufacturer doesn't want expensive warranty issues coming up from owners/operators with no understanding trying to shift to 4Lo at high speeds, etc... Electronic "brain" prevents this on most cars. For hubs now as well as TC itself. But assuming understanding and a functional humanoid brain, I prefer the manual, direct linkages, as generally more dependable.

-Eric

Yes, science indeed is an interesting subject, even though I studied it way back and have quite lost touch. In case you are interested in science, please check up more on Rotational Inertia. Further smaller issues would be Unsprung Mass vs Sprung Mass.

Posting a few quotes for reference below:
1.
https://www.machinedesign.com/mechan...nsprung-weight

2.
https://www.tyreleader.co.uk/tyres-a...-weight-wheels

3.
https://www.oponeo.co.uk/blog/how-mu...s-a-tyre-weigh

~~~~~~~~~

- The 3kg increase in tyre weight reported by Manuuj might not be insignificant in context.

- Weight distribution on the wheel too has a role: weight on the outer side (tyres) contributes way more to rolling inertia than wheel towards the centre of the wheel.

- Rolling Inertia is a major factor in stop and go traffic (not as much if cursing at stable speeds as on a highway). Each time the car accelerates, much more effort is needed. It would also impact brake wear. It is directly related to the weight of the tyre.

- I had mentioned lower torque as compared to the Endevour also being a possible factor in another post in this thread. Similar extra effort for a high torque system (Endevour) would not be as taxing as it would be for e lower torque system (Gurkha). They aren't directly comparable in that sense.

- Besides the weight, increased diameter also implies more load on the engine each time the inertia needs to be overcome to get the car moving from standstill. Would impact FE.

- Not enough is there in this post about Rolling Inertia, and it is worth looking into for anyone interested in things from a technical perspective.

- Not related to FE: Though one generally tries for a higher sprung to unsprung weight ratio, in off-road situations, a higher unsprung weight has some benefits in stability of the vehicle.

~~~~~~~~~

PS: Something I haven't studied and might be relevant for someone wanting to go further into the science of it is Traction Effort.
PPS: On a side note: @ringoism, "hehehehe... ", multiple question marks, and a dotty style don't make for good polite reading, and not really encouraged on the forum.

An interesting phenomenon that i suspect all Gurkha owners must be experiencing is the amount of times one sees people pointing at/posing with/clicking the Gurkha.
These pics are from yesterdays drive to Khan Market.




On a daily basis i answer polite queries about it whenever i am parked somewhere. Many times an admiring thumbs up at red lights have been acknowledged by me with a smile and and thumbs up back.

If only i had fitted a dashcam i could have started a YouTube channel dedicated to crowd reactions on the Gurkha! :)

If the Gurkha was an expensive ADV motorcycle, you would have been cursing on posers who would be sitting on it :D. Jokes apart, have all your issues been resolved by FM? How’s the truck performing now?

Belated Congrats on Asterix and Thanks for such a passionate and brilliant ownership review.

I came here after reading VigneshKumar31's thread yesterday and seems like both the Gurkha owners have a penchant for writing passionate and captivating reviews.
Or maybe its the Gurkha choosing wisely.
Hats off clap:

Being a hatch/sedan person the only reason I would ever think of getting a SUV would be to go off road and that means 4x4 at the minimum with mechanical locking diffs to drag me out of the muck I would inevitably dig myself in, figuratively and literally.

If that day ever comes, the Gurkha sits at the top, all Thanks to the enthralling experiences of both of you gentlemen.

No marketing could ever do what you've done for the Gurkha, its image and desirability factor. Reading this makes me want to get one now and head on a cross country expedition :)

Kudos and Thank You.

Thank you for your kind words! I really appreaciate it. On saturday i did a bit of minor offorading in Asterix and it was such an absolute pleasure!

I was so excited about the climb up a steep rocky path that i forgot to engage 4wd at first much less make a video. After a while engaged 4wd Low in 1st gear and Asterix just sauntered up the path without breaking a sweat. It was quite steep and had a loose rocky surface underneath.

It was such a pleasure to see Asterix in his element enjoying every moment in his natural habitat.

I did make a short video of the descent from a not so challenging part which then became my first feeble attempt at a YouTube video.
I am in the process of educating myself on how to make, edit and upload good content on YouTube with Asterix as the obvious star.

Here is a link to the aforementioned first feeble attempt at a YT video.
https://youtu.be/8JP0fcyWWlM

- As expected and just reaffirms Gurkhas capabilities and position as a true off roader.
Was the descent in 4L?

- I can only imagine, only some special vehicles have the capability to bring the excitement and smile every time they're out in their habitat and Asterix is one of them.
The kids in the video were fascinated :)

Will wait for your next exertions, you should be up and running with the YouTube in no time.

The ascent and descent were all done in 4 Low with almost no inputs on the accelerator from my side during the climb. It basically just climbed itself. There was one portion which had a rocky step up on an angle. This was also on quite a steep section. Here i needed to press on the accelerator and the rear tyre could not get any traction and started spinning.

All i did was reach down and engage the Rear Diff Lock. Post this I gently accelerated out without any drama. 10 meters later I switched off the Rear Differential Lock and carried on. The torquey Gurkha loves climbing. I cannot wait to take it for some proper mountain trip soon.