It’s time to sit up and take notice as Force Motors venture into personal transport for the first time with an SUV offering
FORCE MOTORS (ERSTWHILE BAJAJ TEMPO LTD) HAVE been A well-known brand in the commercial vehicle sector for years. Besides tractors, the company has been manufacturing the Trax, the Traveller and the mini carrier, Trump. Not just that, Force Motors also have the reputation of being manufacturers of quality products. The production and export of MAN trucks testifies to this.
The Pune-based company is now all set to venture into a new area: personal vehicles. Making this switch from commercial vehicles to personal ones is not going to be an easy task, but the experience of and expertise in building quality products and delivering reliability will surely stand Force Motors in good stead as they roll out their first personal vehicle in an aggressive market.
A week before the Force One was launched, we travelled to Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh, where this SUV is being manufactured, to get a first-hand feel of this vehicle that is ready to take on the likes of Tata and Mahindra. To start with, competing with two such big names that have established themselves so well in the Indian market is a challenge in itself. The Force One, however, looks quite determined to accept the challenge in the most sporting spirit and showcases its potential to capture its share in the market.
Just one look at this SUV and one can easily mistake it to be from the class of Ford Endeavours or Toyota Fortuners. It is massive in size, its overall length being 4.8 metres, just 0.2 metres short of the Endeavour. The Force One takes its garb and basic external design from a car that is already available in China by the name of Foday Explorer III. However, a few cosmetic touches have made it look better than the Explorer III. The projector headlamp with daytime running LEDs look upmarket. The bold, chrome grille gives the car an imposing front-end styling. The huge wheel arches add to the look of the Force One.
It’s not just the exterior that looks big, this SUV is spacious inside too. Each of the three rows of seats has sufficient legroom for adults 5’ 10” or taller. Enough headroom from its tall body comes as an added benefit. Leather-like upholstery and the feel of plastics used in the interior are excellent too. Barring the wood-like finish on the dash, there is hardly anything that looks cheap in the car. The way the audio and cruise control buttons have been placed on the steering wheel reminds one a little of the Range Rover’s steering wheel.
Impressed as we were by the design, styling and interior of the Force One, what caught our attention even more was the engineering of this vehicle. To start with, this SUV has a 2.2-litre engine manufactured at the Pithampur plant itself under a licence from Mercedes-Benz. Not just that, the whole drivetrain is technically a Mercedes unit. The common rail unit produces 141 PS of peak power and 321 Nm of torque and claims to be the segment leader, albeit by a narrow margin. The well-matched gearing used in the Force One endows it with excellent driveability even at low speeds. In fact, its right gearing and the strong low-end torque is such an excellent combination that the SUV pulls even from 1,000 revs in the fifth gear without a hint of snatching. The mid range is strong, too, with the engine showing its real strength post 1,700 RPM when the turbo kicks in. However, there is no sudden surge in the torque which would make it a jerky drive. The five-speed transmission, which is also being manufactured under a Mercedes licence, has a little notchy feel to it, especially while shifting from the first to the second gear, and the clutch feels a little heavy. Apart from that, there are no complaints about the drivetrain of the Force One.
Coming to the chassis and handling, it is worth mentioning that Lotus Engineering has played a major role in developing and setting up the chassis and suspension of the Force One. With adequate suspension travel and sufficiently tall wheel arches, this SUV manages to take the off-road terrain in its stride quite well. However, currently it comes only in a 4×2 version, which limits its off-roading capability. A 4×4 version is expected by next year. While on the road, we didn’t get enough space to go fast round corners, which keeps us from commenting on the high-speed stability and body roll of this SUV.
As we neared the end of the drive, there was one question the answer to which would decide the fate of the Force One in the Indian market. That, of course, was about the price. With a tag of Rs 10.6 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi), the Force One turns out to be the strongest offering entering the market in this segment. Its competitors are similarly priced, but they definitely offer much less than this one. Three rows of seats, boot space beyond that, good leg room, a powerful and torquey engine, upmarket design and styling and an overall feel of a higher segment SUV put the advantage in the Force One’s court. Though the car lacks in features such as ABS and airbags as of now, these will be available by mid-2012.
We believe that Force Motors have made extra efforts to make sure that the vehicle is reliable by putting the test mules through rigorous 2.5 lakh kilometres of travel. Not just that, these have been driven in temperatures ranging from –10 degrees Celsius to 48 degrees Celsius.
That’s enough for now. We wish Force Motors the best for their latest venture and hope they succeed in delivering the best!
Story & Photography: Adhish Alawani
