[Shekhar Rao]

The modifications to Asterix's nose are very original and unique It looks good
I think adding a pair of square aux lights on the middle bar on either side of the logo will embellish the looks further.
I quite like the 4x4x4 logo especially the 4 terrain emblem showing mountains, deserts, rivers and forests . I felt it captured the spirit and the capabilities of the Gurkha as well as reminding you that you need to go to these places in it !
I feel like appreciating the person who thought about it
I wonder whether Manuuj can reconsider putting it back or better still create an even more expressive logo of that kind.
As the manual recommends , I engaged Nemo's front and rear diff locks just to keep working the cables and checked the indicator lights in the instrument cluster There is an audible alarm too once you do this which lasts about 30 secs. The manual says do this once weekly . It feels good to pull the lever and engage it rather than pushing a button or turning a knob ! Don't know whether I will be saying the same thing in time to come !
Looking forward to Manuuj's ladder modification to make it actually usable.

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

Look forward to your comments!

The small logo doesn't suit the butch looks at all.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

The letters on the bonnet look fabulous!

Grill - I would personally get rid of the middle bar, paint the mesh black and add the previous logo (bigger one) directly on the mesh. But hey, I would be fine with the stock look as well. So, if this is what pleases you, that’s all that matters.

I would also recommend getting rid of the middle bar..

Originally Posted by Comrade

I actually like the bigger logo to the smaller one. The new one is too small for the car. Agree with Dry Ice. remove the middle bar and add a mesh grille in matt black?

And add that bigger Khukri logo directly on a mesh grill.

But, ultimately it's your beast, you choose what you love and we'll just sit and enjoy Asterix's tasteful modifications

[Manuuj]

Originally Posted by madbullram

Loved the look, may be you can try say 20% bigger logo plate? Currently, doesn't it look 2 size too small?

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

I absolutely love Asterix and I'm hooked to this thread Manuuj! If you do decide to stick to the Khukri logo, I find the new logo a tad too small. The older bigger one actually looks nice.

Originally Posted by PhantomLord

This one looks good, just loose GURKHA on bonnet and may be better kukri logo

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

The letters on the bonnet look fabulous!

Grill - I would personally get rid of the middle bar, paint the mesh black and add the previous logo (bigger one) directly on the mesh.

Originally Posted by Comrade

I actually like the bigger logo to the smaller one. The new one is too small for the car. Agree with Dry Ice. remove the middle bar and add a mesh grille in matt black?

Thanks for all the feedback guys! I like the GURKHA lettering on the bonnet. Besides if i remove that there will be nowhere else but the small Gurkha plate on the rear door that says "Gurkha"



The Logo I can always swap out for a slightly bigger one..about 20 to 25% larger than this current one. Though when seen live, it seems to sit quite well with the overall look.



The bigger 5 inch diameter one i really liked up until it went on the grill. The sloped design of the grill instead of a rectangular one made it look too much like a Sumo suddenly. A slightly larger one can always be tried out! Removing the center bar will be a very messy affair and one cannot be sure it will look good in a sloped design. On a rectangular design it may suit.

Ricky and I have some plans for the whole front face. But for now..its time to stop with the mods (and expenses!!) and just enjoy Asterix. Ofcourse a slightly larger Logo can be accommodated quite soon and rather inexpensively.

[vigneshkumar31]

I for one am happy that Force took the pains to rivet each letter in place. They could have just glued it in place and no one would know until it starts falling off.

Small example of how abuse friendly this vehicle is designed to be.

[RijuC]

I was going through the Gurkha owners/ users forum available for public view in Facebook yesterday. Those forums are full of unsatisfied owners/ users feedback due to lack of spares availability and services.

How is the ownership experience (w.r.to spares availability, breakdown/ unplanned service or unfortunate events like accident etc.) in T-BHP?

[Manuuj]

Originally Posted by Shekhar Rao

The modifications to Asterix's nose are very original and unique It looks good
I think adding a pair of square aux lights on the middle bar on either side of the logo will embellish the looks further.
I quite like the 4x4x4 logo especially the 4 terrain emblem showing mountains, deserts, rivers and forests . I felt it captured the spirit and the capabilities of the Gurkha as well as reminding you that you need to go to these places in it !
I feel like appreciating the person who thought about it
I wonder whether Manuuj can reconsider putting it back..
As the manual recommends..
Looking forward to Manuuj's ladder modification to make it actually usable.

Thanks for your good wishes Shekhar.

Auxiliary lights are a sure fire way to get fined in NCR and Punjab which are both places that i frequent. Hence the BI-LED fog lamps. Infact the new Fog lamps coupled with the bright LED headlamps of the Gurkha make adding extra lights quite unnecessary from a functional perspective.

Also from experience i can tell you that adding large auxiliary lights in front of the Radiator hampers its effectiveness considerably more than you may think. If you are planning on adding these do consider this too. Maybe choose a thin light bar mounted on top of the bumper?

I quite like the 4 terrain Logo design too. Its just that the 4x4x4 portion makes zero sense. The vehicle is a Four Wheel Drive and 4X4 is all it should say.
The extra x4 sound ridiculous and also invites ridicule especially amongst the 4wd community and snide enquiries about its meaning. I really do feel Force Motors should drop the "4x4x4" moniker as swiftly as humanly possible.

I plan to reinstall it now after suitable "plastic surgery" (excuse the pun) was conducted today.



Thanks for reminding me about the Differential Lock Levers. I did the same too today after reading your post. This was done while standing still and was disengaged immediately after.
I also engaged 4L for a drive of about 50 meters in First Gear today. Slow and straight just to enable friendly introductions between all parts involved.
Hopefully it will not be long before we get a chance to actually use the 4H and 4L gears in the environment they were designed to be unleashed in.

Originally Posted by vigneshkumar31

I for one am happy that Force took the pains to rivet each letter in place. Small example of how abuse friendly this vehicle is designed to be.

Yes i was quite surprised too. You are quite correct when you say its well engineered. If so much attention could be given to the lettering on the grill one can assume that similar engineering has been applied to everything that comes behind and below those letters as well.

Originally Posted by RijuC

I was going through the Gurkha owners/ users forum available for public view in Facebook yesterday. Those forums are full of unsatisfied owners/ users feedback due to lack of spares availability and services.
How is the ownership experience (w.r.to spares availability, breakdown/ unplanned service or unfortunate events like accident etc.) in T-BHP?

This is an unsuitable thread to ask this question at this point in time. Today is my 12th day with Asterix and he has only 2367 kms on the Odometer so far.



Out of these 2367 kms, 1414 kms was the distance from the plant to the dealership. So I haven't driven him even a 1000 kms as yet.

Car Clubs/Car Forums online also may not present a very true picture of the actual situation with any particular model or manufacturer.
Happy vehicle owners, of any brand, neglect/do not feel the need, to go make posts about their delight and satisfaction with a particular vehicle/brand.

The small percentage of Owners that are rightfully disappointed/dismayed/displeased with the vehicle, its performance or the quality of after sales service they experienced, end up being the only source of information, through their online posts and cries for help on Social Media. I am sure there are many disgruntled unsatisfied owners of previous versions of the Gurkha who have faced the brunt of low quality parts and indifference of Force Motors aftersales.

I can only tell you from my 2 weeks of experience that I have so far received 2 follow up calls from Force Motors Pune regarding my experience with Asterix, 3 follow up calls from the dealership i bought Asterix from, 1 follow up call from the Head of Sales in North india, 1 call and a meeting to sort out minor issues in Asterix with the Force Motors Head of Service (North India). As i said before in my earlier posts, I am no VIP by a long shot. I am a certified Aam Aadmi (minus the muffler and cough ofcourse).

So that makes it a total of 7 interactions in 14 days. Given the above , I honestly believe that if and when I do face a problem with Asterix there will be a genuine effort by the Company to resolve my issues in a timebound and effective manner and meet my aftersales expectations as long as they are reasonable.

Godforbid, in the future if I do unfortunately join the "Club of Unhappy Gurkha Owners" then Bhpians will be well and truly made aware of my unenviable membership. Hope that helps.

Lastly after all the feedback and revisiting the Logo i have come to the firm conclusion that the larger Logo does indeed suit Asterix more than the smaller one.

[vigneshkumar31]

Do you have any clarity on the warranty manuuj. In another ownership review of older Gurkha on the forum, I read one has to contact OEM directly? Could you please shed some light on warranty applicability?

[ThatBalenoGuy]

Originally Posted by vigneshkumar31

Do you have any clarity on the warranty manuuj. In another ownership review of older Gurkha on the forum, I read one has to contact OEM directly? Could you please shed some light on warranty applicability?

Yes even I've heard. So like if the Kenwood system goes kaput you will have to contact Kenwood yourself. Same goes for other bits in the vehicle.

[petrogeek]

Manuuj,

Anytime, anyone takes the trouble to customise their 4X4 ride , i can tell that person is an enthusiast and passionate about his/her ride. Looking forward to Asterix doing what it does best soon which is Off roading!. This ride is all about the mud, dirt, sand etc. None of that faux SUV rides loaded with gizmos for city rides!

[Manuuj]

Originally Posted by vigneshkumar31

Could you please shed some light on warranty applicability?

Originally Posted by ThatBalenoGuy

Yes even I've heard. ..

No clarity on this but I will inquire. Just had my vaccine so a bit under the weather.

Originally Posted by petrogeek

Manuuj,

Anytime, anyone takes the trouble to customise their 4X4 ride , i can tell that person is an enthusiast and passionate about his/her ride. Looking forward to Asterix doing what it does best soon which is Off roading!. This ride is all about the mud, dirt, sand etc. None of that faux SUV rides loaded with gizmos for city rides!

I agree completely with you and thank you for your kind words!

Asterix got demoted today to a normal 4x4. Had got the 4x4x4 badge laser cut yesterday to remove the extra X4. I removed the excess adhesive and reapplied automotive grade 3M double tape on the badge.


After this I reabadged Asterix in the same general area as the previous badge since I do like the 4 terrain circular design of the badge.


The additions to a bone stock Gurkha are:
1. Front windshield guard
2. Rear ladder
3. Rooftop Carrier

The things changed so far are:

1.Tyres upgrade (245/75/16-Rugged Terrain)
2. Alloys wheels Plati & Painting of Alloys
3. Horn uprade
4. Fog Lamps upgrade to Bi-LED
5. Steering wheel leather cover, Logo change
6. Rear View camera installed.
7. Front Grill paint and Logo change.
8. 4x4x4 badges altered.

The important functional mods that are pending and will be done after a while are listed. There is no urgency to have these done ASAP:

1. Speakers upgrade
2. Sound deadening with Dampmat
3. Rear Ladder alter/change.
4. Maxtrax install with their mounts.

Dream mods in addition to the above if money was no object:

1. Suspension upgrade with 50 mm lift kit
2. Front Winch Bumper with recovery points and a 12,000 pound rated Winch.
3. Rock Sliders.
4. Rear Bumper with spare Tyre and Jerry can holder.
5. ECU Remap to handle the extra weight.
6. Brakes upgrade to handle the extra weight.

Since the above 6 require good technical expertise to design and install they are probably never going to take place except for maybe the Rock Sliders that should be relatively inexpensive and easy to install.

[vigneshkumar31]

Thanks manuuj, the warranty issue is not clearly explained anywhere even in their otherwise comprehensive website.
It would be great if you can get us some detailed info.
I must say that your thread has been the single most influential factor in me seriously considering Gurkha to replace my Safari

Thanks for that.

[Porschefire]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

Lastly after all the feedback and revisiting the Logo i have come to the firm conclusion that the larger Logo does indeed suit Asterix more than the smaller one.

Hey Manuuj, heartiest congratulations on the Gurkha. With the mods, it looks kickass and classy at the same time. You've got good taste, Sir.
I'm sorry, I haven't gone through the entire thread yet but I will do it soon, for sure.

Originally Posted by Manuuj

But for now..its time to stop with the mods (and expenses!!) and just enjoy Asterix.

I'm sure you've received a lot of feedback regarding the logo and I'm glad that you reverted to the bigger one. If I may, I have a small suggestion -



How about rotating the front logo by 5-10 degrees to the left, to match the khukri angle on the seat? It is something that I noticed and haven't been able to take out of my head.

PS: It might just be me overthinking and(or) it looks alright in person.

Edit: After 5mins of posting the above, realised that there is a khukri on the OVRMs as well and maybe the front logo matches the angle on the right OVRM?

[Manuuj]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Hey Manuuj, heartiest congratulations on the Gurkha. With the mods, it looks kickass and classy at the same time.
Edit: After 5mins of posting the above, realised that there is a khukri on the OVRMs as well and maybe the front logo matches the angle on the right OVRM?

Thank you for your kind words. That is correct. Used a protractor to measure the angle of the Khukri logo on the ORVM's and replicated that angle for the Logo on the grill as well as the steering wheel.

[karanddd]

When I see both side by side, I feel the stock actually looks better. The lettering on the hood is too Defender like and robs the Gurkha a bit of its uniqueness. But it's just one person's opinion, I can see why one would prefer the modified look as well.

[Cool-Shine]

Hello Manuuj, I think someone has covered your Asterix in the following YouTube video.

https://youtu.be/A1Y11WMhZCA

I must say that Asterix is absolute looker. You have tastefully modified it. Wishing you many more years of troublefree ownership of this car.