All-new Mahindra Thar vs Force Gurkha in a classic tug-of-war contests

The Mahindra Thar and Force Gurkha are two names that have created a niche market of off-road four-wheel-drive lifestyle SUVs meant for off-road driving enthusiasts. These SUVs have been arch-rivals for a long time now, with their new second-generation models taking the baton further with massive improvements. While both the SUVs are capable in their ways, their admirers are keen to know which one is better than the two. Here, we have come across a video, in which both the four-wheel-drive SUVs are involved in a tug of war.

In a YouTube video uploaded by a channel named ‘Prashant Adventure’, we can see a red-coloured Mahindra Thar and an orange coloured Force Gurkha are tied to each other through their rear bumpers with the help of a rope. The part in which the tug of war is shown between the two SUVs commences in the second half of the video. In the first part, both the SUVs were kept in 4×2 mode. There was no clear winner in this round, with both the SUVs remaining stationary even at the full swing of the throttle.

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The real action begins in the second round, where 4×4 mode was engaged in both the SUVs. In this round, the Force Gurkha managed to pull the Mahindra Thar quite easily. To make sure the outcome is fair, the drivers of both the SUVs swapped their seats. However, even with a different driver, the Gurkha again managed to beat the Thar easily.

Force Gurkha dominates the tug-of-war

The outcome of both the rounds of the tug of war is quite surprising, given the fact that the Force Gurkha has lower power and torque figures on paper, compared to the Thar. The 2.6-litre four-cylinder diesel engine of the Gurkha produces 91 bhp of maximum power and 250 Nm of maximum torque, while the 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine of the Thar pumps out 130 bhp of maximum power and 300 Nm of maximum torque.

However, it looks like the real essence lies in the gearing of both the SUVs. The 5-speed manual gearbox of the Gurkha offers a better bottom end grunt in comparison to the 6-speed manual gearbox of the Thar. This gives the Gurkha a better start, despite having a higher kerb weight and lower power and torque figures.

The Force Gurkha was recently updated with a host of cosmetic features in and out and a new BS6 compliant 2.6-litre diesel engine, which happens to be the only choice of powertrain for the Gurkha. On the other hand, apart from the diesel engine, the Thar is also offered with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, which produces 150 bhp of power and 320 Nm of torque.

What makes the Thar an even more versatile option is the fact that both petrol and diesel engine options are available with two different transmission choices of a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic. Both the Force Gurkha and Mahindra Thar are offered a four-wheel-drive system as a part of the standard equipment.

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