New Force Gurkha Review: Hardcore Off-Roader Rivals Thar — SEE PICS

Force Gurkha

There are very few SUVs that are very good offroaders and by that we mean, being equipped with proper off-road features like a low-range gearbox. The new Gurkha, on the other hand, is a proper offroader with everything one would want including lockable differentials, low-range gearbox, and a snorkel as standard. If you want to go anywhere and everywhere, the Gurkha will seem like one of the few options at this price. However, with the new Gurkha, Force Motors also says that it is much better for on-road use and living with it day-to-day. The earlier Gurkha could not be called that or even luxurious as it was a basic off-road tool but the new one is different. Hence, we lived the Gurkha for the better part of a week to see whether it can be your only car or not.

First of all, the new Gurkha is huge despite being a 3-door with an increase in its dimensions. That along with the new style makes heads turn when you drive it. The Gurkha stands tall and is every inch a proper offroader along with an old-school look. The design is changed with a new round LED headlamp, grille, or the boxy but muscular proportions. It's wide too and the snorkel gives it a look of 'not to be messed with'. Needless to say, others move away when they see it in the rearview mirrors plus I did not use the horn even once- the presence is enough!

Compared to the earlier Gurkha, the build quality or the paint finish is better too since this is an all-new car. I love the way 'Gurkha' is written at the front and the position of the indicators. A full-sized spare wheel indicates that this is a serious piece of machinery and we like the cool design touch. The Gurkha gets many personalisation options and you can do whatever you like by adding a ladder at the back or more.

Getting inside is a task that requires exercise in itself. There is a grab rail which you have to use as it is very tall and difficult to get in. Even tall people will have to make an effort here. Once in, the interiors might seem basic at first glance but compared to the earlier ones, there is much better quality and more technology. However, do not go thinking that it matches some other similarly priced compact SUVs and you'll be fine. That said, for what is a tank on wheels, the equipment list is surprisingly good. You get a (basic) touchscreen with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay while there are front power windows, speed-sensing door locks, a tyre pressure monitoring system (near the instrument cluster which you can turn on/off), dual airbags, and rear parking sensors.

Compared to the old Gurkha, the shape of the new aircon vents, the larger seats, and the better ergonomics mean it is more liveable now. Where the new Gurkha surprised me is the amount of space. For a three-door car, the rear seats have very good space with better access points too. The wide cabin, large windows further makes it a proper four-seater for long journeys while even the boot space is more than sufficient.

Start the Gurkha and there is diesel clatter but not as much as I was expecting and it is refined on the move. There is no petrol or automatic Gurkha as for now there is a new 91 bhp diesel with 260Nm of torque. Standard is a 5-speed manual gearbox. Driving the Gurkha at first is a bit intimidating. You feel you are sat much higher and the gearbox requires some effort to slot in along with the heavy steering at low speeds. That said, I did get used to it after living with it for many days. I used the Gurkha for Delhi-Noida runs in peak hour traffic. Am I mad? Not quite, since the huge stance of the Gurkha meant I was nearly seeing eye to eye with bus drivers and I just bullied my way through the unruly traffic. The heavy gearbox did tire me out a bit but the music system was decent and yes, I can say it can be used daily! This engine is not very quick and nor does it rev but at highway speeds, it cruises at 90/100 kmph quite well. We did 120 kmph and it was fairly stable. The brick-like shape means this is not something that will go very fast and the engine won't let you as well. But for everyday usage and cruising at 80/100 kmph, the wind noise was tolerable and it was surprisingly comfortable.

Off-road? Of course, we took it off-roading and discovered its capabilities are far more than me as a driver willing to take those risks. We crossed a narrow stream and its 700mm water wading capability is what makes this a weapon for all seasons and reasons. The off-road ability is so good that most of the time, you do not need to touch the 4 wheel drive gear lever or the lockable differentials. It is robust and goes over everything with excellent ground clearance, great visibility, and smallish size. More than the 205mm ground clearance figure, it's the wheelbase (which needs to be as short as possible), approach and departure angles that makes it easy to navigate tricky places. For a steep section, I switched to 4-low and it just climbed with no sweat. No huffing or puffing, just easy. For real hardcore offroading, you need the lockable differentials which need a lot of effort to operate but that's only in really tough circumstances when you're stuck.

But then we knew that so what we really wanted to find out is whether the new Gurkha is a more rounded machine. The answer is yes since it is vastly better than the earlier one along with the brilliant off-road ability. That said, you have to live with some compromises and you'll be fine. It isn't as easy to drive as a compact SUV or to live with and that is expected. Buy the Gurkha for its cool looks, presence, off-road ability and the exclusivity hence, at Rs 14 lakh, its price tag makes it a bit of a bargain.

What we like - Looks, off-road ability, space, improved ride/comfort/suspension, exclusivity What we do not - Bouncy ride, heavy manual gearbox, noisy engine