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Originally Posted by 4x4addict This is untrue. The stock gurkha is actually only an average off-roader. if you follow the Indian off-road scene. Thars and even the older 540s are doing just fine. In fact no one ever brings a stock gurka to any of the extreme off-road events in the country. The excess wight and under powered engine is a major disadvantage off-road. The RFC Gurkha has has only a few things in common with the civilian Gurkha such as body, dash, axis, etc. The powertrain, suspension and steering is completely different. |
I wasn't referring to the RFC gurkha either, LOL. But the stock gurkha comes with the single-minded approach of being an offroader over everything else. I find that refreshing. Unlike the Fortuner, Pajero, Thar that seem more comfortable onroad. Again, speaking from my limited experience driving stock vehicles only. Also in the words of a friend who owns a safari, used pajero, thar, and the prev-gen Gurkha: "Gurkhas break less often."
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Originally Posted by 4x4addict I wouldn't' call the Thar ugly by any stretch of imagination. It still maintains the CJ5 looks to a large extend. Unlike the Gurkha with a pushup bra in front. |
I am sorry but I would. For the Mahindras to be perfect, they should have a longer bonnet and a shorter windscreen and overall height above the window sill. Also bigger wheel-wells and tyres. The second and third things are the most common changes people make around here if they want to really ape the Wrangler in looks.
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Originally Posted by 4x4addict Try driving it in the hills and you will see it is a pain as you have to stretch around the steering wheel. I am surprised they haven't addressed this major flaw. |
Most heavy vehicles seem to have these ergos without fatigue issues. For me a vehicle's ride and handling both on and off road, plays a bigger part in overall comfort. I have to say the new Gurkha excels at this. The compromise between pliancy and roll-control is the best among all vehicles. For pure on-road use, I'd prefer the Fortuner / Thar mainly because of their road-car engines.
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Originally Posted by 4x4addict Glad better sense prevailed at Force. The damn thing was hideous. |
I agree.
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Originally Posted by 4x4addict Gurkha fan's will jump off the cliff if they hear that the Gurkha no longer has a Tubular chasis. If the Gurkha fans were to be believed, the tubular chasis was supposedly a major advantage Gurkha has over it's competitors. |
Any perceived loss of articulation is more than adequately compensated for by the slightly larger profile tyres and of course the locking diffs. Again this is amateur speak, not coming from someone who's spent half his life flogging some hapless mahindra. Stock for stock, in the hands of an amateur, there is NOTHING else that offroads as effortlessly as this beast. I agree that for some this might actually be a bad thing. For me, it is not. I have neither the time, nor the inclination to run behind jeep garages and builders to build a perfect offroader.
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Originally Posted by 4x4addict Any idea on the CC & power specs? The Gurkha needs atleast 110+ bhp & 26 kgm Torque to lug it's weight around. I hope it will not come with 85 bhp engine again. |
Haha as Jeremy Clarkson once said, there is no such thing as too much power. Sadly, the Gurkha in its BS-IV avatar only gets 94 hp and 240 NM of torque. But there has been weight-loss over the previous model due to the lighter yet stiffer chassis and wheels. The gearing is also better suited to the powerplant than it was in the earlier model. For me, a slight lack of balls-out power is anyway not an issue on an offroader. Having said that, a top-speed of 140 kmph and more importantly, a peak torque figure reached at 1700 rpm, is good enough for me.
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Originally Posted by 4x4addict Looks like they are using a different gearbox. |
Could be. This one had a notchy shift into second. The co. guy attributed it to being a new vehicle. I hope that is true, because in most offroad situations, the shift from 1st to 2nd is the most critical and should therefore be most effortless.
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Originally Posted by 4x4addict All CRDe engines have this anti-stall feature. |
Again, not my experience. The thar stalls on inclines unless the throttle is feathered at the very least. Probably because peak torque starts 500 rpm higher than that of the Gurkha's engine. The MM550 is better in this regard but overall power and torque figures are too low for it to have any fighting chance in the crazy stuff. Again, I know in the hands of a seasoned driver, the vehicle's capabilities are almost secondary, but I am no seasoned driver.
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Originally Posted by 4x4addict This is sad. The front facing back seat was a major advantage Gurkha had over the Thar. I suppose one can retrofit the folding front seat and make the rear front facing. |
True. If I ever buy one, this is the first change I will make.
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Originally Posted by 4x4addict It means a rubber tube of the axle breather taken a foot or so above. He almost makes it sound like rocket science. Wonder why he is called the Tech person ![Smile](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.png) . |
haha yes, most of them are noobs. I asked them why is the wading depth only 40 inches when the snorkel is almost 6+ feet in the air. And if there is a way to increase wading depth if some loose ends were fixed up. They had no answer.
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Originally Posted by 4x4addict Oh Well. Here we go again.. back to the drawing board only to come back 5 years later. |
Sadly true maybe. Not for any deficiency on part of the product, but just that it is not being promoted well. But their export order book is full so they are not complaining either.