New Force Gurkha to take on Mahindra Thar: Now revealed officially

Force Motors showcased the new Gurkha at the 2020 Auto Expo. However, due to the pandemic and other reasons, the launch of the new Gurkha got delayed. Force Motors has finally revealed the new Gurkha that will take on the Mahindra Thar head-on.

The new Gurkha will be launched on 27th September. The official unveiling shows the new design of the Gurkha, which is very similar to the now-discontinued model of the SUV. It gets an identical bodyshell too. A few changes that set the new Gurkha apart from the older one are the new grille, headlamp clusters, larger windows for the rear passengers and a larger rear windshield.

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Gurkha is the only car in the Indian market to get a factory-fitted snorkel. Force has also made changes to the cabin of the Gurkha and has added modern equipment and a new dashboard as well.

Force Motors showcased the Gurkha concept at the 2020 Auto Expo. Compared to that model, the production version gets a different grille, new badging and different colour themes for the cabin as well as the exterior of the car.

Updated engine

Force has carried forward a lot of mechanicals from the discontinued model to the new one. However, there are a few changes to comply with the new emission norms and safety regulations. The same 2.6-litre diesel engine is now updated thoroughly. It is now BS6 compliant.

The diesel engine produces a maximum power of 91 PS and a peak torque of 250 Nm. It gets a five-speed manual transmission. Force is not offering the more powerful 140 PS 2.2-litre diesel engine that was available with the Gurkha Xtreme earlier.

Just like before, the Gurkha gets off-roading capabilities and supporting equipment like four-wheel drive with a low ratio transfer case. There are also manual locking differentials at the front and rear axles.

The suspension setup remains unchanged. The Gurkha rides on double wishbones up front and multilink set-up at the rear. The Gurkha is also highly capable as well. Force claims that the SUV can navigate slopes of up to 35 degrees with 4X4 engaged. It can also wade through 700mm of water because of the factory-fitted snorkel.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Prasan Firodia, Managing Director, Force Motors said,

“Aligning with the changing customer expectations and aspirations, we have designed and developed the All-New Gurkha on a ground-up, modular architecture platform and are confident that we shall now be able to appeal to a much wider audience who wish to own a vehicle that is suitable for both daily commutes as well as adventure trips.”

The new Force Gurkha gets full LED Pro Edge Headlamps, jewel-like, broken circle DRLs and fender-mounted LED indicators. The vehicle also comes with two airbags and it is the only vehicle in the segment to get a full metal rooftop.

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