The new Force Gurkha takes little time to get settled into. The cabin is spacious, the driver seat is high, as is the steering wheel, and is angled to almost sit in your lap. It is large and has more than three-and-a-half turns lock-to-lock; as are needed out in the rough stuff. That said, the turning circle is pretty good for a vehicle of this size, 6.3 metres for this five-door and 5.5 metres for the three-door.
The engine is not from the Force One as many initially expected, but the “FM 2.6 CR” 2.6-litre common-rail direct injection turbo-diesel now turned up to 140 hp and 320 Nm. Peak power comes at 3,250 rpm while the torque peaks between 1,400 and 2,600 rpm, making for a surge forward when unleashed. There is only a five-speed manual transmission. The beauty of the package is, with the windows down, there is an audible turbo whistle when accelerating. And it moves forward with authority.
The ride quality is good, although, as one should expect, there is body-roll in bends and tight turns. There is an independent double wishbone front suspension set-up with a multi-link set-up and Panhard rod for the live rear axle and the spring compression and rebound characteristics are just right, neither too soft nor too firm. The new Force Gurkha is easy to manoeuvre and, sitting high, even easier to know where it is with respect to proportions. The response from the lazy but potent turbo-diesel is great, especially if one enjoys truck-like diesel engines. The added power is definitely felt higher up, but then again, the Gurkha isn’t meant to do triple-figure speeds. Also, the added power and torque, coupled with the low rev-ceiling, make it seem like the gearing is shorter. First gear is for crawling; second does a whole lot more. However, at speed and that projectile-like momentum, it does not instill that sort of confidence in the driver, especially on narrow roads such as these. Where it more than makes up, though, is when the going gets tough.
The new Force Gurkha comes with a selectable four-wheel driveline with “2H” rear-wheel drive high range, with the front decoupled, “4H” four-wheel drive high-range, and “4L” low range, for the more challenging situations. There are also yank-and-turn levers to lock the front and rear differentials for the most demanding scenarios. Here, the Gurkha excels. It can handle 35-degree grades and a more-than-fair bit of side slope as well. It is immensely confidence inspiring and does another thing with ease—put a smile on the driver’s face. It feels invincible and all-conquering, going on rather unperturbed with some daunting climbs and drops; stuff most modern day “SUVs” would wet their front-axle pants upon seeing.
There was also an obstacle course organised where we had both, the three- and five-door models. While child’s play for the new Force Gurkha, what it made evident was just how relaxed it could be in these sort of situations. In 4L, the Gurkha went about the course like a walk in the park. The revs climb to between 1,200 and 1,500 while speed stays in single digits. In fact, 4L was almost like a combination of hill-descent control and anti-stall—the former when heading down and the latter, up—with tank-like slow and steady forward motion taking on everything in its path. That is commendable.
The new Force Gurkha, then, would like to be more popular, but it is still like that science major specialising in one thing that wants to one day get out of the corner is has chosen to be in. It’s abilities speak for themselves. However, in this world which wants a little of everything, where orange soda meets Chinese food and instant noodles boiled in milk, essentially a mashed up mess in what they hope is a nice-looking mould, the Gurkha is the classic chocolate birthday cake; loved and cherished when the time is right. But, one can’t live on cake alone, can they?
Force Motors have come some way forward, but the step climb in the learning curve is not as much of the leap they needed for the Gurkha to compare with the vehicles of today; their ambition and execution have a gap that needs to be closed. However, for what it really is, the new Force Gurkha makes a strong case for itself and has an undeniable charm. It’s not for everybody, obviously, but there are more than a few who will be very happy owning one.
The outgoing Gurkha was priced at about Rs 14 lakh (ex-showroom), this new three-door should be in the range of Rs 15 lakh with the larger five-door a bit more. Bookings are already open and prices will be announced in the first week of May.
Need to Know – New Force Gurkha
Price: Rs 15-19 lakh (estimated)
Engine: 2596 cc, in-line four, turbo-diesel
Max Power: 140 hp @ 3200 rpm
Max Torque: 320 Nm @ 1400-2600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual, selectable rear/four-wheel drive
Suspension: Independent double wishbone front, multi-link with Panhard rod rear
Weight: 2215-2318 kg
