Its been almost a year since we saw the new-gen Force Gurkha at the 2020 Auto Expo. Since then, Force Motors have been spied testing the Gurkha on our roads many a times but it just does not seem to hit the market. Now, the Force Gurkha has been spied testing once again and this seems to be in near production guise. More importantly. there are a few updates over the version that was showcased at 2020 Auto Expo.
On the outside, the Gurkha remains largely unchanged to the version that was showcased at the Auto Expo. The Gurkha has a classic, rugged SUV design like no other, not even the Mahindra Thar. The round headlamps with LED DRL surrounds, slatted grille, and the upright and boxy silhouette are in fact reminiscent of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and that's only a great thing. The two-door configuration, rugged body cladding, raised suspension and 16-inch tires with chrome-plated alloys all look very purposeful as well.
Also Read : Is A Convertible Hard-Top Variant Of The Mahindra Thar In Works?
It is on the inside where we see some changes over the model that was showcased at the Auto Expo. The dashboard layout remains the same but its still very utilitarian even when the Thar has massively stepped up on this front. Force Motors have however spiced up things with a new gloss black trim around the AC vents. The interiors here are also finished in an all-black theme as opposed to the black-brown finish of the show car at Auto Expo 2020.
The infotainment system is however still an aftermarket unit. For seating, the Gurkha comes with captain seats for the rear occupants with jump seats for the third row. The Gurkha is however not all bare bones as it covers the basics with features such as front power windows, remote locking, and a multi-info display. The air-conditioning is however manual. Safety features on the Gurkha will include dual airbags, ABS with EBD, and rear parking sensors. This test mule can also be seen sporting a snorkel but that could come as an official accessory.
Under the hood, the Gurka will be powered by a 2.6-litre common-rail diesel engine which puts out 90hp and 260Nm. The engine will come mated to a 5-speed manual transmission along with a low-range transfer case. The Gurkha also gets manual-locking front and rear differential which the Thar completely misses out on. Force could also introduce a 140hp/321Nm 2.2-litre diesel engine at a later stage. The previous iteration of the Gurkha retailed in the country with prices starting from INR 9.75 lakh (ex-showroom). The new-gen model will certainly come at a premium and apart from the Thar, it will also take on the Maruti Suzuki Jimny. We expect the launch to happen soon.
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Force Motors updates and other four-wheeler news.
[Image Source - Rushlane]
