I have upgraded the alloys and tyres. Now, I am planning to add TPMS and also get a remap done.

BHPian anupam00 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Things/Modifications done so far

1. Audio installation choices in consideration were Pioneer or Blaupunkt music system. Installed two systems - a single DIN system for audio and the second as a screen system for the 360 degree camera and GPS
2. Speakers: Rockford Fosgate. Went ahead with Pioneer
3. Component speakers - Rockford Fosgate
4. Custom wooden box for rear speaker installation - did not get installed
5. 4 channel amplifiers - maybe two of them - went ahead with a Pioneer amp
6. Bucket seat covers - got the same done. At a few places where I feel some more foaming shall be required, I shall get redone
7. GPS and central locking - Central locking of RD company installed
8. 360 degree camera - installed the same
9. Rear parking camera - installed the same
10. Projector headlights - after installing projector fog lamps, I am now not planning to install projector headlights
11. Projector fog lamps - installed the same and yes, they work well
12. Indicator Fit - like Gurkha - installed the same and yes, it works well
13. Roots horn with Hella horn - installed the same and yes, they work well
14. Rear windshield mirror - not required now since I have a 360 degree camera in place
15. Changing of gear oil to fully synthetic and adding additive
16. Roof Carrier besides Roof Rails done
17. Alloy and tyre upgrade done and ride quality is way too better than before
18. Central Locking
19. Interior Lighting
20. Rear Ladder

Front Indicator and looks

Force Citiline now with Alloys

Much wider Tyre that makes the looks Stand out more

List of things in the pipeline

• Pods
• 7D mats
• GPS
• TPMS
• Battery cut-off switch
• Wild Drink badging
• Snorkel - got the same one fitment is missing that needs to get built and this shall be done this week itself
• Remapping shall be done by World of Service - Planned for this week
• Fridge in the rear
• Body cover - to get it built / buy
• Engine bay light

Shall be sharing the pictures of the rear ladder and also the interiors

Update

Coming to this week's work

Added a Snorkel and it looks and works well just that in the case of Citiline, we added the snorkel to take air from outside at the same time the existing setup, in which below the air filter assembly - the car used to take air - we have not removed the same, that helps that snorkel doesn't create noise and the flip side is water wading capacity has not increased, I do have the option to close the below air input and that I shall do once required for a short time since the car would be mostly driven on the road and little off-road (advise to Gurkha owners to do same as that shall help increase intake air and resulting better pickup), also on a side note, the synthetic oil has really smoothen the engine and gearbox.

Picture of Snorkel Side View

Picture of Car Front View with Carrier and roof Rail Both able to get both now something that Force Service Centre couldn't do and were not inclined to do, thanks to World of Service

Picture of Car rear View with Ladder

A Side View

Car is in the phase of getting remapping done, code is getting written since version is BS6 2

Now coming to the next pending work

• Pods
• 7D mats
• GPS
• TPMS - Ordered
• Battery cut off switch
• Wild Drink badging
• Snorkel - got the same one fitment is missing that need to get build and this shall be done in this week itself - Completed
• Remapping shall be done by World of Service - Planned for this week- Ongoing
• Fridge in the rear looks like shall be custom build
• Body cover - to get it built / buy
• Engine bay light
• Ordered Bigger intercooler

Now the badging option is under plan to get it completed by next week.

Shall keep you all updated.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

After test driving the Tata Safari facelift, Mahindra Scorpio and XUV700, we also test drove the Force Cruiser.

BHPian anupam00 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Dear BHPians,

Sharing the story of my recent buying of a truck or should I say, a bus. Yes, probably the first Citiline on Team-BHP - ownership review.

Well, my association with Team-BHP and cars has been really long - from a collection of small bay toys to a huge garage of cars from Indian brands to Italians and Germans. I have cars which were always for enthusiasts. I have a good collection of cars and would start a thread on the same very soon.

Coming back to the decision-making process for the Citiline. It all started with Tata Safari ageing and the need for a people carrier and also some time back, my son - he is currently in class 10th - started his own brand of cold drink manufacturing i.e. Wild Drink. We thought it was time we built a car for him and that is how we started our search. The cars that were considered were the new Tata Safari, Scorpio-N and XUV700. At the same time, we needed space to carry people and also enough space to have a fridge installed and carry loads of stuff like cold drink bottles.

Took a test drive of the Cruiser after a test drive of the new Safari, Scorpio and XUV700. The preference was the following because we have big Germans already in the garage.

1. Engine - Rugged
2. Maintenance- Easy
3. Electronics - Bare minimum
4. Space - Huge
5. Road Presence - Extraordinary

Since we would be doing badging of "Wild Drink Drive", it should be smooth.

So the decision of a Force Cruiser-type car was made. At the same time, the Force Cruiser came with bench seats at the last row and it came to my notice that Force has launched the Citiline. Also, read the thread of the Citiline on Team-BHP in which our GTO said - I can't be the only one out here thinking this extended MUV has the potential to look handsome. Well, the decision was made and we decided to book one and the same was done with Rohit Force in Delhi. The day of delivery came when I actually saw how this truck looked.

There were no surprises here. Our visualization and the actual were the same. We took the delivery of the Citline and asked the dealership to install the following:

1. Roof Rails
2. Windshield protection bars
3. Red Grill Horn (plan to install roots as well)

The delivery day

There were some troubles which were later addressed by the dealership well and the delivery was taken at 10 in the night, thanks to them. It was Dhanteras, so we wanted a new car at home. The car was driven some 1400 kms as per the odometer. We were told that their cars are driven from plant to dealership. Hence the km reading.

Coming to the car's look and feel, well, I was not very happy with the way the car was cleaned. Maybe they had an extra workload that day. So no worries. I took the car later to World of Service and got it washed.

The front looks similar to the Mercedes G-Wagon or should I say, it's inspired by the Mercedes G-Wagon

Coming back to the list of things that I plan to do:

1. Audio installation choices in consideration - Pioneer or Blaupunkt music system
2. Speakers - Rockford Fosgate
3. Component speakers
4. Custom wooden box for rear speaker installation
5. Pods
6. 4 channel amplifiers - maybe two of them
7. Bucket seat covers
8. 7D mats
9. Roof carrier besides roof rails
10. Alloy wheels
11. GPS and central locking
12. TPMS
13. 360 degree camera
14. Rear parking camera
15. Projector headlights
16. Projector fog lamps
17. Indicator fitring - like Gurkha
18. Roots horn with Hella horn
19. Battery cut off switch
20. Wild Drink badging
21. Snorkel
22. Remapping shall be done by World of Service
23. Cold air intake
24. Fridge in the rear
25. Rear windshield mirror
26. Changing of gear oil to fully synthetic and adding additive
27. Steering cover
28. Body cover - to get it built / buy
29. Interior lights
30. Engine bay light
31. Rear ladder

Any suggestions you all have are most welcome. I am sorry the wish list is quite a huge one. The company has left us to do a lot of things. The second way was that they could have done all that themselves. But anyway, I like doing things on my car. I'm happy to get it done myself.

The road presence is truly amazing and the space it has is simply awesome. Loads and loads can be carried comfortably

The rear stance of Citiline

More updates shall be coming as soon as I complete things.

I have driven the car 400+ km post delivery and am happy with the performance. ABS has a loose connection that we sorted out today during washing at World of Service Greater Noida. Rest of the updates are coming soon. Do let me know what all accessories you propose.

Thanks to Rupam & Naveen Sir from the Gurkha group for their suggestions and support towards making my decision of buying a Force Citiline.

The rear camera comes as stock in the Citiline

What I like

1. The space and the road presence
2. People carrier that can ferry 10 people comfortably
3. Body-on-frame construction
4. Build quality and steel used
5. Turning radius considering the size of the vehicle
6. Good lower end torque
7. Modification options are quite exhaustive
8. Ground clearance is acceptable
9. Good A/C. Rear A/C is also very effective
10. Although this vehicle is a 4X2, it's still effective on bad roads

The tall, commanding driving position makes you feel nice and also helps to manoeuvre the vehicle well. The purpose for which it is bought, it shall serve well and that is people carrier / goods carrier / Wild Drink vehicle. Above all, one thing that is huge is space, space and space!

Loads and loads of space - something that is missed in most vehicles including luxury wagons

What I hate

1. The power out of the car is less. It needs a bigger intercooler and definitely remapping. That I plan to get done in the next 30 days or so
2. The basic audio etc is missing. So one area which the company should look at improving
3. The oil and lubricants used should be of better quality - fully synthetic oil of German brand makes the vehicle smoother
4. A 6-speed transmission is required in the vehicle
5. The dashboard could have been better
6. Airbags should have been there. This feature is missing for sure
7. The engine mountings should have been hydraulic or better quality to reduce vibrations
8. 4X4 option should be given by the company
9. The features / add-ons which are present in the Gurkha could have been provided by default in the Citiline
10. The service support is something they definitely need to improve upon. If you need to sell cars in India, learn from Maruti - which is to date best example of how to products in India
11. The part quality could have been better. The cooling coil - a few Gurkha owners faced failure. That too within 3 years.

Reasons why I bought the Citiline

1. Space that the vehicle has is huge
2. No other alternative to the Citiline for the purpose that it's been bought
3. The price at which it comes
4. The road presence
5. Ability to carry loads if required. It shall be used as a Wild Drink vehicle - my son's venture which is of herbal soft drink

Currently on the stock tyres and rims. Plan to upgrade to Gurkha alloys

Things/Modifications done so far

1. Audio installation choices in consideration were Pioneer or Blaupunkt music system. Installed two systems - a single DIN system for audio and the second as a screen system for the 360 degree camera and GPS
2. Speakers: Rockford Fosgate. Went ahead with Pioneer
3. Component speakers - Rockford Fosgate
4. Custom wooden box for rear speaker installation - did not get installed
5. 4 channel amplifiers - maybe two of them - went ahead with a Pioneer amp
6. Bucket seat covers - got the same done. At a few places where I feel some more foaming shall be required, I shall get redone
7. GPS and central locking - Central locking of RD company installed
8. 360 degree camera - installed the same
9. Rear parking camera - installed the same
10. Projector headlights - after installing projector fog lamps, I am now not planning to install projector headlights
11. Projector fog lamps - installed the same and yes, they work well
12. Indicator Fit - like Gurkha - installed the same and yes, it works well
13. Roots horn with Hella horn - installed the same and yes, they work well
14. Rear windshield mirror - not required now since I have a 360 degree camera in place
15. Changing of gear oil to fully synthetic and adding additive - done

The famous FM 2.6 engine - the same is used in almost all Force cars / buses

Things yet to be done

1. Pods- yet to be done
2. Bucket seat covers - got the same done. A few places where I feel some more foaming shall be required, I shall get redone
3. 7D mats - yet to be done
4. Roof carrier besides roof rails - this is a little tricky. I shall get it done this week
5. Alloy wheels - got alloys of the Gurkha thanks to Naveen Sir. I'm in a dilemma about whether to install them or not
6. TPMS - yet to be done
7. Battery cut off switch - yet to be done
8. Wild Drink Badging - yet to be done
9. Snorkel - ordered the same. looks like it will be delayed since it's not in stock and it's dependent on the factory which is busy making the new Gurkha
10. Remapping shall be done by World of Service - to be done
11. Cold air intake - to be done
12. Fridge in the rear - to be done
13. Rear windshield mirror - not required now since I have a 360 degree camera in place
14. Steering cover - to be done
15. Body cover - to get it built / buy - to be done
16. Interior lights - to be done
17. Engine bay light - to be done
18. Rear ladder - to be installed. Got the one used in the Gurkha
19. Rear foot-step - to be installed

Any suggestions you all have are most welcome.

A few pictures of the vehicle

The front gaps of the bumper - but that is okay. We knew what we were buying and why

The left view

The right view

Your suggestions are most welcome for modifications and upgrades.

I shall update the thread with the latest pictures of the Citiline with the accessories installed and once I get the remapping done, I will give an update on the performance.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The company is ambitiously testing 4 new passenger vehicles, a 3-door, 5-door SUVs in two formats and a light truck displayed in the Indonesian Motor show. But all of them are with the same 2.6L Mercedes derived engine.

BHPian DRPSREDDY recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

FORCE Motors - Scenario post CAFE norms. Will they sustain?

Force Motors recently was in the news for the wrong reason, CAFE norms. Force Motors cars didn't comply with the recently introduced CAFE norms and was recommended by the committee to be fined Rs. Seventy lakhs for not complying with the latest emission norms. The company only has diesel engine powered vehicles in it's portfolio. Forgot about Electric or Hybrids, they don't even have a petrol engine. They only have Body on Ladder frame chassis and don't have any Monocoque chassis to introduce lighter and more fuel efficient vehicles. The company is ambitiously testing 4 new passenger vehicles, a 3-door, 5-door SUVs in two formats and a light truck displayed in the Indonesian Motor show. But all of them are with the same 2.6L Mercedes derived engine. They should have worked on the 2.2L, a relatively modern engine compared to the earlier one.

One major question strikes every one's mind who has some thoughts about Force Motors is, how will they sustain in the long term? They have not begun testing any alternative fuels like petrol, hybrid or electric platforms or and signs of launching them forget about that, they have not even displayed any till date. This surely drags them into the CAFE norms net and will face huge fines in the future that will bring them into financial pressure as they grow their portfolio. That leaves me puzzled about their seriousness in the automotive world and the future of the division of their company.

Force motors testing atleast four different GURKHA based SUVs

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Force Motors is very small and will find the car production journey very difficult. Possibilities in the longer term:

• Import EV drivetrains from China (like so many others) and launch EVs. EV batteries, controllers & motors are available to anyone willing to write a cheque.
• Big partnership, stake sale or acquisition by another company.
• Drop car making. Continue with just commercial vehicle segment & assemblies for others.

Here's what BHPian diwakarmuthu had to say on the matter:

Apart from manufacturing, Force pretty much lacks in all other departments especially Design, marketing, service, compliance, PR, etc. They may cough up the fine and continue to work on developing a new engine (which may take a long time in my view).

Alternatively, why can't they collaborate with Tata (2.2 Dicor used in Winger), Mahindra (2.2 mhawk that was made BSVI ready), Fiat or maybe even Ford (they continue to make engines from the Gujurat plant) and source a competent 2.0L or a 2.2L engine and focus on building the product.

In the past decade, I have not seen major investments from Force, so am not hopeful now as well.

Here's what BHPian anajn_c2007 had to say on the matter:

Since it's inception in 1958 as Bajaj Tempo Motors Ltd (Tempo is a registered trademark of Daimler) the Firodia family's second and third generations are presently managing the company. The name was changed to Force Motors Ltd in 2005. It is evident that the company has synergy and is meeting the challenges the modern times and is moving ahead , full steam. Some facts about Force Motors from Wikipedia:-

In 2015, the company was awarded a contract by BMW, resulting in a new facility in Chennai which produces and test engines and transmissions exclusively for all BMW cars and SUVs made in India.This plant can produce up to 20,000 engines per year.The facility was completed in July 2015.

A new plant was inaugurated at Chakan, Pune in June 2016. This facility assembles and tests engines for all Mercedes Cars and SUVs made in India.The new plant has a current annual capacity of 20,000 engines and 20,000 front and rear axles.

In March 2018, Force Motors entered into a joint-venture agreement with Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG to manufacture the 10- and 12-cylinder Series 1600 engines (545 hp to 1050 hp) in India for worldwide supply. These engines are meant for power generation and under floor rail applications.

Like their bread and butter changed over from the Tempo Hanseat three wheeler (1958) ( known as Dukkar in M.P. and Chattisgarh) to the Matador (1969), the Trax since early 1990's till Tata Sumo's entry in 1995, the Traveller is now their mainstay that sustains the company. They have tractors and the UV's Trax, Judo, Toofan, Cruiser and Gurkha their pickup variants in the portfolio that are not best sellers.

However, being in the automobile business for 65 years, hopefully they will be well prepared to bail out the company and meet the contemporary regulatory needs. But as we have observed, Hindustan Motors Ltd were in business since 1942 and Premier Automobiles Ltd since around 1945 and both were also family owned. But they failed to change over with the new age competition and perished in 1999 and 2014 respectively.

Hence, let's hope that the Firodias sustain their decades old company and embrace newer regulatory initiatives for sustenance.

Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say on the matter:

Private passenger vehicles were never really Force Motor’s thing. They were always in the transport and utility vehicles game, and they have always been good at it. We should not look at this company as a potential Tata Motors or Mahindra. Private passenger vehicles is a hugely competitive, complex and capital hungry business, and Force very well knows this. That is why they focus on only the select segments where there is minimum competition and they have synergies with their commercial centric products. And in these commercial segments, they rule the roost. Well accepted and hardy products which enjoy both customer loyalty and less competition. Private sales are added bonus and more about brand building. It is for good reason that Gurkha is widely considered the most hardcore of all off roaders in India, not Thar or Jimny or Fortuner or Endeavour.

If Mahindra runs on Scorpio and Bolero, if Honda runs on City, then Force Motors runs on Tempo Traveller. And unlike M&M or Honda, they enjoy an absolute monopoly. Traveller is essentially a synonym for passenger van in India nowadays. The new Urbania is a MASSIVE improvement in every possible way and is actually a passenger van worthy of today’s times. Is any other company lining up products to compete with that? Not really.

Overall, the company is financially healthy, profitable, competitive and well entrenched in its core segments and also has a diversified and well established ‘side business’ of assembling engines and powertrains for some of the biggest companies in the game.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

It was a full-size SUV that competed with the likes of OG Tata Safari & Mahindra Scorpio.

BHPian PB65 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi family!

I have the itch to add a new vehicle to my garage.

I was just scrolling through options, and came across an interesting one; Force One. It was a full-size SUV to compete against the likes of OG Safari and Scorpio.

The SUV was a sales dud. But what makes it intriguing is that it's got the size, looks (personal perspective), and engineering inputs from Mercedes and Lotus.

Pricing is another key factor, 3-4 Lakh Rupees for a 2014 model, run for about 60k km.

So the question is, is it worth the risk considering:

• Force is still manufacturing vehicles in India
• Aftersales experience of fellow BHPians
• Possible maintenance at FNG rather than the authorised service centre
• Reliability

Here's what BHPian saisree had to say about the matter:

It was a sales dud and believe none will recognise that car. If you are just looking for size and comfort Tata Hexa should be the one you should be looking for.

Here's what BHPian condor had to say about the matter:

Why do you want something that not many wanted? Just the size and a certain level (but unknown level) of input from global giants? (I won't comment on your liking of the looks, because that is a personal perspective).

There are many other large SUVs around - Safari Storme, Scorpio…

Here's what BHPian 007 Bond had to say about the matter:

Only 3500 nos were manufactured Force One. In addition to that engine 2.2 is now no more in service for the last 3 years.

Hence the availability of spares etc is going to be an issue. For that cost why take a headache? In my opinion, stay away from this model.

You shall get a lot of models which can match your requirements.

Here's what BHPian Dry Ice had to say about the matter:

When I opened this thread, I was half expecting a decade-old thread bumped up due to a recent query. Surprised to see a new thread pop up for Force One in 2023!

If you are keen on it, find the nearest Force dealer and try to book a service/enquire about spares. This should give you an idea about the kind of support you will get in the future. You can also ask for the history of this vehicle to understand if it was maintained at the OEM service center or at some FNG.

Their response (whether positive/negative) will certainly help you make up your mind.

Lastly, do try to negotiate on the price further as there might not be too many takers for it apart from you.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The thing about this Force Motors team is that they listen and most certainly acknowledge and take action if something is not right and needs correction. Experienced this first hand.

BHPian Trojan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

So its been a long hiatus with zero updates but I can guarantee you, its like a Duck on calm water, you can't see the crazy action underneath:

So how has it been over the last 4 months? For starters, the Gurkha has now crossed 40K eventful kilometers.

States explored:

• Maharashtra
• Karnataka
• Madhya Pradesh

Terrains:

• Rocky
• Slush
• Beaches
• Forest Trails
• Highways

At devils point - North Goa:

Drone view of Devil's Point.

Issues?

Yes, a few I reckon. During the tyre change I wanted to investigate the wearout on my Yokos, the culprit were wheel bearings. The quality of parts raises its ugly head every now and then.

I have the Scorpio which is now in its 17th year and 220K kms and with stock Bearings, the Aria too was running on stock bearings until 95K kms after which we let her go.

And both the Aria and the Scorpio have been used in a similar manner as the Gurkha I do not see any reason why such a failure should happen on the Gurkha which is expected and designed to traverse such terrain in the first place?

Beach drive, does not sag or slip.

But the thing about this Force team is that they listen and do most certainly acknowledge and take action if something is not right and needs correction. The wheel-bearings for our Gurkha were changed FoC under exception whereas one could argue (deny) at length on the same. So this is where it keeps reminding me that we have made the correct choice in terms of the vehicle. But I would really urge FM to pull up the erring Vendors and get quality parts - its no longer a cheap vehicle now.

There was another instance of the gear link fulcrum (ball-joint socket) where it popped out during my drive through a forest road. And yet again, my call to the technical Heead at Force Motors was promptly answered and solution given in no time, leading to me moving on my way in under 10mins.

This is what I have always kept repeating, it does not matter what car you drive or what kind of on paper support systems you have. Unless it works at crucial hours and places - it is useless.

I had mentioned I would write about the tyres and their performance - well it has been a mixed bag but in general am happy and satisfied. The grip levels are amazing but I found myself stuck on a meadow with zero traction and wheelspin aplomb - maybe some driver error there as it was raining cats n dogs and with leeches sucking the life out of you every few minutes, you stop thinking straight, but nevertheless I got out of the same.

Evaluating the ground clearance post the cycle, I was worried but it did not hamper me one bit. And just check out the amount of sag on the vehicle, it was loaded, truly-madly-deeply:

For the 1400kms drive the fuel efficiency I got was quite good at 10.5 - 11kmpl, now considering I carry a rooftop tent and usually travel with a huge amount of luggage - I would say that its darn good.

Lastly, I am back at our camp (Bear Valley Camp), did a 1400km drive to reach and that again proved just how wonderful and versatile this vehicle really is. Want to check how much stuff did I really get along - watch this video.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

There is a commanding view of the front and the sides from the rear seat thanks to the theater style seating and the massive side glasses.

BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Had the privilege of riding in a Force Gurkha this evening.

What I liked:

• The best rear seat in a high seating vehicle; comfortable captain seats, and great under thigh support since the foot is placed on the floor that is slightly lower than the floor where the seat is mounted.
• Commanding view of the front and the sides from the rear seat thanks to the theater style seating and the massive side glasses.
• The brute cruises effortlessly at 100kmph on a smooth road.

What I didn't like:

• Engine would get rough at approx 2,500rpm.
• Transmission whine very audible especially in gear no.2 and no.4.
• Driver side wiper blade was making noise - and for an under 2 month old car, this is unacceptable.
• Bumpy bumpy ride at the rear.
• The plastic ends on the rear armrests can be rather uncomfortable if places one's arm(s) on them.

Overall, a good experience, with the high point being the rear seating.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I have driven this vehicle for 3500 kms already and am thoroughly impressed with its performance.

BHPian Vector recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello,

I'm a new owner of the Force Gurkha BS6, delivered on 22/2/22. I have been following this thread since the launch of the new Gurkha, and I must say that this thread and the words of praise from fellow owners played a big part in my purchase decision.

I have driven this vehicle for 3500 kms already and am thoroughly impressed with its performance. For context, my regular drive is a 2019 Creta and my family owns other SUVs as well.

I am also a veteran of the Indian armed forces and have had the privilege of operating the Light Strike Vehicle (Gurkha's brawnier cousin) in some very difficult situations.

I had a query about this vehicle and was hoping fellow owners and Team BHPians might be able to shed some light on it. I noticed today that there seemed to be a difference in offset for the front driver and passenger wheels. I have attached pictures for reference below (apologies for the poor quality).

Here's what BHPian PhantomLord had to say on the matter:

Congratulations on your new Gurkha. Get the wheel alignment checked, specifically camber. You can also verify this by comparing if upper and lower control arm angle are symmetric on both sides.

Here's what BHPian condor had to say on the matter:

Pictures are not always the right way to check or show an issue - especially where measurements can give a far better picture. Pics have many factors that come in to play which an cause optical illusions. I am seeing such an illusion in your pics, at least to some extent.

Get the alignment checked. If you are not convinced, go to any shop that does manual alignment. You can see the readings there, on the dials of the alignment setup.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Changing the rear seats to make them front facing was on the cards for a long time.

BHPian Trojan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

So the new year brought about a lot of perspective, heck it canned out our plans for the BS6 and with that we thought on adding a few accessories to the Gurkha and make it more comfortable and adventure ready!

External changes:

Rooftop tent: This was on the cards for a long time and being back in the cities meant we got a chance to see it up, close and personal and helped us decide on it. The existing roof rack was finally put to good use and it was pretty much a plug n play.

Now with the added weight on top, I can feel a bit of body roll on undulations, though not too much. Will be moving the tire pressure by 1psi at least and observe how it fares.

Bicycle rack: Have installed a 3 bicycle rack, so that we can carry our bikes around too, need to test this too. It has been hooked on the rear tyre frame and part of the weight is on the tyre - seems balanced enough.

With the added weight and protrusions, it never won any awards for aero-dynamicity and now it would be left to be seen how it fairs on the mileage front.

Internal changes:

Changing the rear seats to make them front facing: This was on the cards for a long time and finally found the right guy for the same. Amit Goud (Ground Designs) helped out and got a set of some really good seats (ARAI discards) so practically brand new. It had the Kia/Hyundai branding, and came along with center arm rest and 3 point seat belts and ISOfix mounts too.

The modification to the body was also done in a very clean manner and we are extremely satisfied with the overall result.

One thing that we were concerned about was the available boot space after the change, but this has actually helped in increasing boot space as it the volume has gone up due to the seat back.

The seats:

The frame fits snug between the wheel wells:

The legroom and space on offer is not compromised - and yes got the seat covers done too:

The boot space has increased, will post a picture with luggage, as of now can see there is plenty of space under the seats too which can be used for tools etc.

TPMS: Though I carry a compressor with me, wanted to add a TPMS just to have another gadget on the dashboard checked out the reviews on Amazon and seemed quite reliable. I didn't go for the internal ones as I was not completely sure about their reliability and in the FAQs and troubleshooting they do mention that sometimes they might have to be refit. And removing tyres for that would make that very difficult.

Dashcam: With the kind of driving we do, this should have been installed a lot earlier - but hey better late than never. Got the DDPAI 500 Mini which comes with an inbuilt storage (so no memory cards etc) plus 4k recording and the clarity is very good.

Music system: The position provided for the music system is not too great and I spent a long time trying to find a solution to fit a 9 or 10 inch Tablet on the dashboard which could double up as our Navigational Aid along with playing music over Bluetooth speakers. But never found the perfect accessory for the same, one accessory shop owner was willing to try out some jugaad for our sake to install a regular Android Music system on the flat dashboard by making an additional frame and drilling holes on the top, but wasn't too sure how the outcome would be and the long term durability of such a mod, so decided against it.
Since, the utility of an android/navigation unit was not a priority (due to location), focused on the Music front and decided on the Sony XAV1500 coupled with a pair of JBL speakers (A series I think) and the result is actually quite satisfying. We are not audiophiles and the output is really crisp and definitely a lot better than the bluetooth speakers we used earlier. This will make our drives a lot more interesting.

Maintenance & service:

Fuel tank damage: On the vehicle maintenance and servicing front, during our return back to Pune, we had taken a halt at Nasik (inside the city) and unfortunately someone fiddled with our fuel tank trying to steal fuel from it in the Hotel parking. Though there was no spillage whatsoever, once we reached home, I realized we were dripping diesel. Upon inspection it was found that the drain bolt was tampered with and the threading and tank itself was found to have been damaged. This meant that the tank would need to be replaced and the same was promptly ordered from Indore and took around 7 days for the vehicle to be back home after the visit. We had also noticed the power steering fluid leakage and this was rectified by them FOC.

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The stock mats are held down with locking pins and are not easily removable. As a result its quite a chore to clean them.

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I am yet to make a detailed post on the sound damping work carried out on Asterix. I forgot to get the technical specifications of the damping used so haven't compiled my post yet.

In the meantime, I went and got custom noodle mats made up for Asterix today. The stock mats are held down with locking pins and are not easily removable. As a result its quite a chore to clean them. Being black, they show up dust and mud immediately after use.

I went in for beige black noodle mats and had them cut to fit Asterix. Also had the edges stitched with a black leatherette material to give it a clean look.

The steering and back logo also got completed today with the ring around it. Chose to go with the same silver color for the ring as the Khukri was in:

Lastly Asterix is now doubling up as a billboard for my fledgling YouTube channel.

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There was some issue being raised about the Gurkha being too high to fit into mall parking basements.

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There was some issue being raised about the Gurkha being too high to fit into mall parking basements. I have taken it into basements a number of times and not faced any problems as evident from these pics taken at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.

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