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Copper Red
Matt Black
Dragon Green
The Gurkha made its appearance way back in 2008 when it was manufactured for export with only a handful of units being given to Indian customers. Fast forward to 2011 and the company rolled out its big offering, the ‘One’ – the 4×4 version is expected later this year and least to say, we are looking forward to that! The Gurkha in the meantime was revived and over the last two years, much work has gone into improving the good old product in all respects. The new Gurkha is largely based on the older model – it still makes use of the same chassis and the body. This isn’t a bad thing as the original Gurkha was designed on the lines of the legendary Mercedes Benz G Wagon and in the middle of nowhere, this vehicle will surely look appealing. Changes on the exteriors include new bumpers, foot board, grille and that lovely functional snorkel. Alloy wheels are borrowed from the Force One and on avail are both 3-door hard-top and a soft top version. Step in, or rather, climb in and the first thing that takes you by surprise is the overall up-market feel for a SUV of this segment. The two-tone seats for example match the two-tone colour combination of the interiors. The fascia design has been changed as compared to the older model and looks far pleasing than its main rival, the Mahindra Thar. It also offers a lockable glovebox and the tachometer sits in the middle of the fascia. The Gurkha still makes use of the same Mercedes licensed OM616 four cylinder unit. Much work has been done to make sure both power and torque take a bump. The 2596cc makes a maximum power of 80PS at 3200rpm along with a maximum torque of 230Nm at 1800 rpm. This is transferred to the wheels via a G1 18/5B gearbox. The engine does the trick automatically and all you need to do is lock the differentials, select 4x4L, slot into first and let off the clutch. This thing will give actually challenge mountain goats up a rocky hill side no matter what terrain it is on! For the uninitiated, the differential lock helps come out of situations when one or more of the wheels are slipping on soft ground or in air due to undulating terrain and unable to generate enough traction to move forward. The 210mm ground clearance and 550mm wading depth further give the Gurkha a complete clear edge over the Thar. Lastly, enthusiasts who love venturing into the unknown like jungle trails, mining areas etc will also love the 37 degree approach angle and 34 degree departure angle – possible due to short overhangs. Prices for the Gurkha 4X2 start at Rs 6.25 lakhs (Soft Top) and go up to Rs 8.5 lakhs for the 4x4 hardtop, ex-showroom Delhi. For a detailed analysis read below.
Step in, or rather, climb in and the first thing that takes you by surprise is the overall up-market feel for a SUV of this segment. The two-tone seats for example match the two-tone colour combination of the interiors. Finished in a mix of black and beige, they also offer high comfort though the arm-rest didn’t seem to function properly on our test vehicle. The fascia design has been changed as compared to the older model and looks far pleasing than its main rival, the Mahindra Thar. It also offers a lockable glovebox and the tachometer sits in the middle of the fascia. The standard air-con seems to work well in the 40+ degree heat though the fan seemed to be too noisy at full speed. The Gurkha makes use of hard-core 4×4 mechanicals here. The middle of the longest lever is ofcourse the conventional gear lever. On its right sit two smaller levers which are used to lock the front and rear differentials independently. Lastly, the lever on the right of the hand brake is for shifting from 4×2 to 4x4H or 4x4L.
Better than the Thar and much better than previous
Quality can be better
The new Gurkha is largely based on the older model – it still makes use of the same chassis and the body. This isn’t a bad thing as the original Gurkha was designed on the lines of the legendary Mercedes Benz G Wagon and in the middle of nowhere, this vehicle will surely look appealing. Changes on the exteriors include new bumpers, foot board, grille and that lovely functional snorkel. Alloy wheels are borrowed from the Force One and on avail are both 3-door hard-top and a soft top version. Interesting bits of exterior elements include the two Gurkha badges – one under the front windshield and one at the back. The Gurkha comes standard with front fog lamps and the exhaust outlet in front of the rear right tyre looks unique. The high ground clearance and all-terrain tyres add a touch of ‘macho-ness’ to the Gurkha.
Looks have their own charm
Earlier version was more handsome?
The Gurkha still makes use of the same Mercedes licensed OM616 four cylinder unit. Much work has been done to make sure both power and torque take a bump. The 2596cc makes a maximum power of 80PS at 3200rpm along with a maximum torque of 230Nm at 1800 rpm. This is transferred to the wheels via a G1 18/5B gearbox.
Has decent grunt
Needs more power
The engine does the trick automatically and all you need to do is lock the differentials, select 4x4L, slot into first and let off the clutch. This thing will give actually challenge mountain goats up a rocky hill side no matter what terrain it is on! For the uninitiated, the differential lock helps come out of situations when one or more of the wheels are slipping on soft ground or in air due to undulating terrain and unable to generate enough traction to move forward. The 210mm ground clearance and 550mm wading depth further give the Gurkha a complete clear edge over the Thar. Lastly, enthusiasts who love venturing into the unknown like jungle trails, mining areas etc will also love the 37 degree approach angle and 34 degree departure angle – possible due to short overhangs.
Brilliant off-road
Could be better on-road
The OM616 engine isn’t very smooth or refined. However this could also be blamed on the overall NVH levels. It goes over bad roads very well and just lords over them.
Much better now
Ride could be better
Jagat Nanjapa has emerged a winner at the inaugural of the 2016 Force Gurkha Rain Forest Challenge (RFC) South India. Representing V5 Off-Roaders of Coorg, Nanjapa along with his co-driver, Chethanand secured a total of 525 points out of 600. A total of 11 teams participated in the event for two days wherein there were six tasks and special stages....
Force Gurkha in RFC India 2015 After the two successful seasons of Rainforest Challenge India, it was quite clear that India has lot of potential when it comes to organising and competing in off-roading events. After the culmination of 2nd season of RFC India, it was announced that RFC will be spreading its roots in India and organise short dura...
Goa is no less than a heaven for an ideal beach bum throughout most times of the year, but once a year the overwhelming monsoon rains brings out a different kind of charm. Most people call it the “off season” but for the select few, monsoons in Goa means “off-roading season”. This time the internationaly renowned off-roading extravaganza, the Rainf...
Pros Good Performance,
Cons Average Looks,Average Interiors,Average Fuel Efficiency,CongestedUncomfortable,
The Force Gurkha is no doubt a very capable off road vehicle. With its front and rear differential locks, four wheel drive system and torquey engine the Force Gurkha is in its own league while going off road. Sadly its strong point along with its tough cabin end here. Everything else about the SUV is quite spartan at best. Force Motors has put absolutely no effort into the aesthetics of the vehicle. You can see the panel joints in the metal, the plastic cladding while being durable look very down market and dont even ask about the interiors. This dashboard is the saddest thing I have ever seen fitted to a car. Everything to the looks and plastic quality is horrible. The top 4x4 model of the Force Gurkha is also very expensive at Rs 8.5 lakh. No doubt it is a very capable machine but at its price it is necessary for the Gurkha to come with better interiors, equipment and fit and finish. If only these things are taken care of, the Gurkha has a potential of building a cult following for itself. Otherwise, like the earlier model, it too will always remain in the backdrop.
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21 of 25 users found this review helpful.
Pros Good Performance,
Cons Average Fuel Efficiency,
Best off road vehicle i have driven. Better quality than thar. More features for off roading also. For slow crawling over rocks this vehicle has good features. I drive off road in my farm in Kerala and performance is satisfactry. I enjoy long drive around hills and can take off road anywhere. The snorkle helps in going in water and then tyres have good grip everywhere. Interior quality is not very good but engine is powerful and gearbox has good abilty for hardcore off road driving. I took friends and went off roading and car dont get stuck anywhere. But i unhappy with service of car. It has rattle sometimes and service quality not good at service centre.
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12 of 13 users found this review helpful.
Pros Great Looks,Good Performance,Great Interiors,Comfort,
Cons Average Fuel Efficiency,
Awesome.
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2 of 4 users found this review helpful.
Pros Good Performance,
Cons Average Looks,
Gurkha is not meant for the road. On the road it's a pain to drive. Take it off-road and you willl love it. Every terrain is a piece of cake in this machine. This car can really off-road. Road or no-road nothing matters. Then options like 4-low and the car goes uphill with no effort. You can manually select diffrentials. It's not a car for the ones who look for beige interiors..or for features. It's a car for the ones who just love to explore and off-road. Its just Raw force.
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21 of 27 users found this review helpful.
