[Guderian]

Originally Posted by Monaro CV8

Hail Generale'

Good to see you back with your 'back' recuperating well. And the Admiral sure does entice one to bounce back & recover!

Your 'Yeh Leh' scouting did spark quite a few interests in the actual trip.
Remember, back then we were contemplating such a trip? Well, let us know when the advance planning starts..

take care,
Cheers.

Hi Monaro,
Thanks. Good to hear from you.
Sure remember the days of our chat up on that...let's shoot for Leh in Sept '12 - will keep you in the loop.
Incidentally if you get a chance to get the FL2 let me know - we could do a detailed comparision and a drive around with the T-Fortuner. Would be a great photo op !

[SushilBajpai]

I have been pre-occupied with my little battles. Consequently, I missed the recent action completely. I'm really sorry to read about back and happy that Good Guderian back in action.

From the little I know about the back and the trouble it can cause, I'm tempted to say, "take care" - real good care at that.

That you're unlikely to take any such advice seriously is obvious too, from the post trauma postings.

Would the general consider company of a Yeti for the march to Leh - perhaps with a new set of boots?

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by SushilBajpai

I have been pre-occupied with my little battles. Consequently, I missed the recent action completely. I'm really sorry to read about back and happy that Good Guderian back in action.

From the little I know about the back and the trouble it can cause, I'm tempted to say, "take care" - real good care at that.

That you're unlikely to take any such advice seriously is obvious too, from the post trauma postings.

Would the general consider company of a Yeti for the march to Leh - perhaps with a new set of boots?

Hi Sushil,
Many thanks !
Of course will take your advice seriously and more than me Admiral is taking the matter seriously and taking good case of my back !

And sir - you are more than welcome to join the posse of Toyota Fortuners to Leh.
After all the big, burly, rough, unshaven Fortuner brothers will take care of the cute lil' sister - Yeti !

And seriously, it'll be good fun - the drive and a chance to test out the two beasts in the toughest of conditions side by side.

Boy...am I looking forward to the Leh run.

[nilanjanray]

General,

Let me take the liberty to post in your thread about the Leh trip.

Fortuner/Yeti/Bigfoot - all welcome, as long as we have interesting company and the vehicle can manage it realistically. The more girls the better - seems I have the only female Fortuner in this forum. However, you know what they say about Shakti/Kali etc. etc....not to mention one Mr. Kipling ("For the female of the species is more deadly than the male"...)

Seriously, if we have between 3-10 vehicles (all types), the trip will be more enjoyable.

[dot]

Admiral Togo is either taking a long rest or a long voyage. Time to come back and keep us updated on the annals of the road cruncher.

[krish11]

While we wait for the Admiral - some snaps of "dressed up" T-Forts to keep us .... regaled (?)

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by dot

Admiral Togo is either taking a long rest or a long voyage. Time to come back and keep us updated on the annals of the road cruncher.

Hi dot,
Thanks for asking.
Just taking it a little easy with the Admiral doing many short trips and yearning for a long trip !

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

HG, hows the back holding on? Any better? Hows Admiral doing? Time to give us a dose of the usual updates, sire.

Hi SI,
Thanks. The back is limping 'back' to normalcy and as mentioned - I seem to be taking it rather easy.

And Admiral is doing real good. Though the mile munching is a little low these days. However here is a brief status report with a few snaps from a chukker to a nearby temple in the heart of Thane City, though the place looks 'off roadish' and wild - which it is...




- Crossed 9,449.24 Nautical Miles/17,500 KMs last week. The progress has been quite slow since Sept this year when it had crossed 15K Kms - in about 6+ months. That is primarily because it is currently doing about 10-15 KMs mainly in and around Thane and couple a days a week to Mumbai.




- Thanks to the local runs in maddening traffic the FE has slid down to about 10-10.5 KMPL (tank to tank). Which is still pretty delightful to me.


- No issues to report at all, except that it keeps chugging along and on and on. No, I am crowing about it from the rooftop...like a rooster.


But yes, it can get boring at times - but for the thrill of steering a magnificent vessel.



- The tyre tread after all this running. Seems OK to me. Even wear, not very badly worn etc. The first wheel alignment was carried out at 15K KMs, though there was nothing much to do. Must give it to the suspension system - its superb and rock steady and the alignment hasn't gone awry despite all the bumps and potholes and a number of semi road conditions/off road trips to spots outside the city.


- Everything else just seems to work. No creaks/groans/croaks - no nothing.



-If there is any complaint, it is the feeling that the skin is thin. That's it.
Feels like a Knight in a papier mache armour.
Everything else is solid and tank like. The engine, suspension and so on - Muah, Muah !


And so life sails along.

Aloha.

[GTO]

Guderian,

With all that glass area, still no sunfilm? I think you should get it installed. Plus, silver Fortuner + Dark'ish tints looks really awesome.

[dot]

^^I agree. With the fronts covered by CR70 and sides + rear by something similar, the cabin wont become too hot during day time, moreover AC will certainly cool the vehicle faster. A relaxation that you definitely deserve.

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by GTO

Guderian,

With all that glass area, still no sunfilm? I think you should get it installed. Plus, silver Fortuner + Dark'ish tints looks really awesome.

Hi GTO,
I really did agonize over the issue of putting in the sun film. Finally decided against it for the reason of wanting a clear view especially in the night. My wife's car which has good quality film is a pain to drive whenever I take the wheel at night - from the PoV of my eyes. It is for the very same reason that I didn't have a film on my previous vehicle the Scorpio.

But yes, agree with you on the point of looks/appeal. It would be a real killer.

Originally Posted by dot

^^I agree. With the fronts covered by CR70 and sides + rear by something similar, the cabin wont become too hot during day time, moreover AC will certainly cool the vehicle faster. A relaxation that you definitely deserve.

Hi dot,
Thanks - but for the reason mentioned above !
Believe me when I tell you this, that the Fortuner's AC is a chiller even without the film. Even in the harsh Mumbaiya summer which we just went through. Never felt the need for a film.

Originally Posted by krish11

While we wait for the Admiral - some snaps of "dressed up" T-Forts to keep us .... regaled (?)

Hi Krish11,
Thanks for sharing.
That first Fortuner is real grotesque in my eyes.
A Fortuner in that get up is, well, phew ! Almost PiKA - Pansy in a Knight's Armour.
Or may be it's just me ?

That white Fortuner appears to be a limited edition version which Toyota rolled out in Aug 2010 or so - on 10,000 Fortuners being sold in India. Liked the add-ons in it though it was available only in white. A limited edition black version would have been a real jaw dropping beauty.

[Guderian]

The Admiral at his/our favourite haunt today - Kalaghoda, Fort, Mumbai.
Ahhh...nothing like that place on a slow, gloriously sunny, Mumbai 'winter(?)' Sunday morning/afternoon !

- The lazy drive saw the MID FE figures creep up again to cross 11 KMPL. Couple of more such runs should see it back at 12 KMPL.

- And before I forget - the MapmyIndia device Vx140s has been working very since its deployment from August this year. Pretty accurate and very helpful. The Mumbai/Thane/Bangalore maps and directions seem to be quite spot on.

-And... Mumbai Meri Jaan.

Cheerio !

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Post edited. Duplicate pics removed.

[kalpeshc]

Guderian sir - Where is that snap clicked from? From what I remember all the buildings opposite Rythm House are those beautiful gothic(?) architecture types.

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

Guderian sir - Where is that snap clicked from? From what I remember all the buildings opposite Rythm House are those beautiful gothic(?) architecture types.

Hi Kalpeshc,
The snaps were indeed taken from one of those 'Gothic' looking buildings across the road ! To be very precise from the Army Navy Building.

[Monaro CV8]

Hail Generale!
How are you doing?

Looks like you've been visiting a lot of temples lately, got a special prayer going on?

Originally Posted by Guderian

-If there is any complaint, it is the feeling that the skin is thin. That's it.
Feels like a Knight in a papier mache armour.
Everything else is solid and tank like. The engine, suspension and so on -

^^
Wanted to ask you about this bit. How would you compare that feeling with your ex ? ( arh..hm, the Scorpio, I meant to say)

IMO, these are jap designs, with light frame, lighter doors. Though they are equally good - crash testing wise.
Lets say, if one would expect Octavia like heavy doors, imagine the weight of the (already heavy) Fortuner..

[Kool_Kid]

I really loved your style of writing and have rated the thread 5 stars