Have you ever wanted to own an off-roader? Something to set yourself apart from the sea of Marutis and Hyundais? Something to make a statement? Well, your options are meek. Because Tata Xenon XT and Scorpio Getaway are both discontinued. Isuzu V-Cross is steeply-priced despite being a generation older.
From Toyota, we have the Hilux, which, in true Toyota India fashion, has a ridiculous price tag. That leaves us with Mahindra Thar and Force Gurkha. Mahindra is currently developing a 5-door version of Thar based on Scorpio-N platform. Also, Maruti Suzuki is keen on setting foot in this segment with 5-door Jimny which is currently under testing in global markets. What is Force Motors doing to tackle these developments? Let’s break it down.
While Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki are working on offering six or seven-seat layouts on their upcoming lifestyle off-roaders, Force seems to be following “Go hard or go home” kinda strategy. If this upcoming 13-seater Gurkha is launched alongside 5-door Gurkha, Force will have 4-seater, 6-seater, 9-seater and whopping 13-seater options to offer under Gurkha brand. Talk about the flex, huh?
The Gurkha in question is not a newly developed vehicle based on Gurkha 5-door platform. What it is, is a Force Trax Cruiser commercial people mover developed with PV norms like dual airbags, rear parking sensors and dual-airbags. It will get the same bumper, headlights assembly, G-Class-inspired fender-mounted indicators, 4X4 system, and snorkel as the Gurkha 3-Door and 5-Door.
It also gets the same 18” alloy wheels with 255/60 tyres as seen on 5-Door Gurkha. But the vehicle in question is production ready and also dons a white number plate. So, is it undergoing a TVC shoot? Force Motors hasn’t revealed anything officially yet.
Force Gurkha is a no-nonsense off-roader. It doesn’t get half the creature comforts and features that Thar gets. But where Gurkha has the edge, is with extreme off-roading. It gets mechanically lockable differentials both at front and rear which allows it to retain grip and traction like a panicky cat holding to its life.
Trax Cruiser gets the same interiors as Gurkha already and also gets separate blower and AC vents for second and third rows. 13-seater Gurkha based on Cruiser will also get the Kenwood infotainment system with smartphone integration too. Force Motors only has one engine, a Mercedes-Benz-derived 2.6L turbo-diesel unit making 90 bhp and 250 Nm.
This engine does duties on every single Force Motors product. Gurkha has always been a rudimentary machine that gets the job done in most off-road situations. It might not be a compelling buy as a primary vehicle, but as a third or fourth vehicle in the garage, it is brilliant.
But where does this chunker fall into? We call it a chunker because it will have same dimensions as Trax Cruiser which measures 5,120mm long, 1818mm wide, 2027mm tall and has a bonkers 3050mm wheelbase with an almost 6.5m turning radius. I don’t understand who would logically buy this, but if I had to buy a vehicle to create a 4X4 RV, now I know where to put my money.