Q.Best Off-Road/ Lifestyle Vehicle in India.

The shortcomings of the Maruti Gypsy can easily be addressed by aftermarket parts. Cable operated and mechanically locking differentials are available easily for the Gypsy from companies such as ARB (top-end of the market) or Lamda (affordable range). It is the simplest off-roader mechanically and hence easy to fix. The suspension with solid axles, both front and rear, is a pain on tarmac, but is brilliant off-road. The Thar on the other hand has managed to strike a balance between on-road manners and off-road ability. Hard core off-roaders will swear by the solid axle arrangement and hate the independent front suspension set up on the Thar - in fact, many pick the lower powered Thar DI (which in a sense is a replica of the old MM550) because of the solid front axle on that variant, unlike the CRDe. The Gurkha - well, I just wish Force gave it a better engine. The 2.2 FMTech diesel from the Force One would be good enough for starters.

A few vehicles come to mind when think of hard-core off-road vehicles in India. Legendary Maruti Gypsy, Yes it is still being sold in India. And Mahindra Thar, which has helped revive off-road culture in India to a certain extend. And a new entrant has arrived in this segment recently, the Force Gurkha. So if you are on the look-out for a lifestyle vehicle, or a weekend vehicle for dune bashing, or one for an off-road picnic with friends, which one should you pick? So let's get to the Pros and Cons of these vehicles. [B]Maruti Gypsy:- [/B] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5273[/ATTACH] [B]Pros:-[/B] [LIST] [*]Petrol engine with fuel injection, no lag like in the diesel. [*]Excellent power to weight ratio. [*]Maruti service network and after sales support. [*]Considerably cheaper than its rivals. [/LIST] [B]Cons:-[/B] [LIST] [*]Misses out on locking differentials. [*]No power steering or air-conditioner. [*]Low on torque compared to the diesels [/LIST] [B]Mahindra Thar:-[/B] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5270[/ATTACH] [B]Pros:-[/B] [LIST] [*]Thar gets utility features like a power steering and an air-conditioner/heater. [*]Rear mechanically locking differential. [*]Frugal diesel, which is tried and tested over the years in Mahindra vehicles. [*]Descent power to weight to ratio when compared to Force Gurkha. [/LIST] [B]Cons:-[/B] [LIST] [*]No locking or limited slip differential for the front wheels. [*]Misses on a hardtop variant & forward facing rear seats (Force Gurka gets these!) [/LIST] [B]Force Gurkha:-[/B] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5271[/ATTACH] [B]Pros:- [/B] [LIST] [*]Force Gurkha gets front and rear manual cable-operated locking differentials which makes it a better package off-road. [*]Creature comforts like air-conditioner & power steering. [*]Gurkha also gets a variant that offers hard-top and forward facing rear seats (like shown in the picture above) [/LIST] [B]Cons:-[/B] [LIST] [*]Worst power to weight ratio when compared to its rivals. [*]Mercedes derived OM616 engine is dated. [*]Force brand image. [/LIST] [B]Spec comparison:-[/B] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5456[/ATTACH] Mahindra Thar comes out as an all-rounder in this comparison. Maruti Gypsy feels dated, lack of basic comfort features doesn't help its case either! But, at more than 2.5 lakhs cheaper than its rivals, Gypsy makes a good buy for people who wants to modify their off-roaders, and don't mind those missing diff-locks! Force Gurkha on the other hand is most effective off-road, and has a variant which has a hardtop, usable rear seats and snorkel as standard fitment. But that old diesel mill doesn't pack enough punch to make it an all-rounder like the Mahindra Thar. Add on to this thread! We would love hear ownership reviews of these vehicles!