[Aditya]

Force Gurkha 5-Door Review

Force Gurkha Pros

• Macho styling & incredible street presence. Robust build too
• Far more user-friendly than the old Gurkha due to superior interiors & better amenities
• Shift-on-the-fly 4x4 with low range, diff locks, satisfactory all-round visibility & 233 mm GC. Excellent gradability, approach, departure & break-over angles make it a potent off-roader
• Choice of 3-door and 5-door (7-seater) versions gives it an edge over competing off-roaders
• Rides noticeably better than other purpose-built offroaders in the market (especially the Thar)
• 5.5 m turning radius (3-door) is not as wide as its competitors
• Homologated accessories mean no cop trouble for owners (windscreen protection bar, roof carrier, ladder, headlamp & fender lamp grilles etc.). Snorkel is factory-fitted!
• 500L boot space (3-door) is enough for a family's vacation luggage
• Features such as the hard top, LED headlamps with DRLs, rear wash & wipe, 9-inch touchscreen HU, power & eco drive modes, TPMS, dead pedal, rear A/C vents...

Force Gurkha Cons

• High floor makes ingress & egress very difficult for the elderly in particular
• Braking capability is below average. Pedal travel is long too
• No soft-top or convertible options like the Thar. No Petrol engine or Automatic transmission either
• Tall stature equates to lots of body roll and poor handling
• Despite the increased power & torque, the Gurkha's outright performance is mediocre
• Overall fit & finish, quality of interior plastics, ICE audio, camera display…
• Notchy 5-speed MT has long throws and is cumbersome to use
• Missing features such as 6 airbags, ESP, hill-hold / descent control, sunroof, auto headlamps, auto wipers, driver's seat height & lumbar adjustment, auto-dimming IRVM, electrically folding ORVMs etc.
• 5-door variant's 3rd-row captain seats cannot be folded or flipped. You'll need to place your luggage on & around them (or get a carrier)

Since the Force Gurkha has already been reviewed by Team-BHP, this report will only focus on changes made to the 2024 edition. To read the full test-drive, click here.

Introduction

The current-gen Force Gurkha was launched in 2021. Built to take on purpose-built off-roaders such as the Mahindra Thar, it was much better in most departments compared to its predecessors. However, it fell short in many areas and couldn't make a dent in the Thar's market share.

Force Motors has worked on some of the shortcomings of the car and launched an updated version. Now, the off-roader gets a 5-door version (apart from the 3-door) with 3 more seats. While the car retains its Mercedes Gelandewagen-inspired design and most elements, there are some minor updates to the exterior and interior along with some feature additions. On the negative side, there are fewer body colours to choose from compared to what we saw in 2021.

The Gurkha's FM2.6 CR CD engine has been retained, but now, it produces more power and torque and comes with Eco and Power drive modes. The independent front suspension system has been modified and the Gurkha has more ground clearance too.

In terms of dimensions, the 3-door measures 3,965 mm in length, 1,865 mm in width, and 2,080 mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,400 mm and a ground clearance of 233 mm. It has a turning radius of 5.5 m. The 5-door measures 4,390 mm in length, 1,865 mm in width, and 2,095 mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,825 mm and a ground clearance of 233 mm. It has a turning radius of 6.3 m.

Force Motors is offering the Gurkha with a 3-year / 1.5 lakh km warranty, 4 free services and 1-year free roadside assistance.

2024 Force Gurkha Price & Brochure

Prices of the Force Gurkha are scheduled to be announced in the first week of May. The dispatches to dealers will commence after that. The deliveries to customers are planned from mid-May onwards. Those interested can book their vehicles on payment of Rs. 25,000 at the nearest Gurkha dealership.

Download the 2024 Force Gurkha brochure here: Force Gurkha Brochure.pdf

Force Gurkha Exterior Review

Absolutely no changes at the front...


...or rear:


The addition of the rear door in this 5-door version is obvious when viewed from the side. The alloy wheels are new too:


The independent double wishbone suspension with coil springs at the front is modified. Ground clearance has gone up from 180 mm to 233 mm:


ORMVs are new. They are smarter looking and wider than before:


18-inch alloy wheels shod with 255/65 section Ceat Czar tyres. The outgoing car had 16-inch rims wrapped in 245/70 section rubber:


Rear wheels continue with drum brakes:


Floor is way off the ground making ingress & egress difficult for many (particularly the elderly):


Force Motors claims that it is the only company to offer homologated accessories:


Accessories on offer include a windscreen bar, roof carrier with ladder, protective grills for headlamps and fender lamps, roof rail, and rear child seats:


Fuel flap has been moved to the right of the car. It now gets a release lever (no need to use the key):


Rear bumper now houses a reversing camera. Parking sensors have been retained:


The Gurkha is now available in 3 colours apart from the White of our test car. Here it is in Red...


...green...


and black:


The 3-door version in white...


...red...


...green...


and black:

[Aditya]

Force Gurkha Interior Review

Overall design of the dashboard is identical to the outgoing car, but the fit & finish has improved with much fewer rough edges than before. Quality is still not close to Tata/Mahindra vehicles:


Grab handles on the A-pillars are vital to haul yourself into the cabin:


Steering wheel is carried over from the outgoing car. It gets tilt & telescopic adjustment:


Keyhole gets an illuminated ring around it:


Digital instrument cluster is new. It is easy to read and displays most of the necessary information including TPMS:


Eco and Power drive modes are depicted in green and yellow colours respectively:


4H and 4L modes are displayed below the digital speedometer/tachometer:


Basic wiper and indicator stalks. No rain-sensing wipers or auto headlamps here, but you do get follow-me-home headlamps & lead me to car function:


ORVMs are electrically adjustable. The control knob is placed to the right of the steering wheel. A cubbyhole is provided below:


Doorpad is identical in design to the outgoing car. The fabric insert is coordinated with the new upholstery. Stickers with instructions for the 4WD system and DPF are provided at the top and bottom, respectively:


Seats get new fabric leather upholstery with red contrast stitching. They also get individual adjustable armrests. In terms of design and comfort, they are identical to the outgoing car:


While the armrests are comfortable, the adjustment levers have rough edges:


A closer look at the fabric upholstery:


Pedals are well spaced out. A useful dead pedal is a new addition:


Another new addition is the fuel flap release:


ORVMs are wider than before hence, provide more coverage of the action at the rear:


While the IRVM remains identical in design and size, it gets a manual day/night switch:


Centre console features a new 9-inch touchscreen head-unit and additional buttons below it:


9-inch touchscreen head-unit gets wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. It is supplied by Nippon and has a better display and touch response than the Kenwood unit of the outgoing car. No HD stuff here though:


Connectivity is through Bluetooth and the Carbit app. Carbit can be used to mirror your smartphone on the touchscreen. It's a long process though:


Despite multiple adjustments, the sound quality remains basic:


Multiple settings can be adjusted through the touchscreen:


However, many of the functions are irrelevant to the Gurkha:


Navigation has been provided, though many functions were not working in our test car:


The touchscreen doubles up as a display for the reversing camera. Camera quality is mediocre and lacks adaptive guidelines or multiple views:


Blanks have been replaced by switches for the drive mode and idling start/stop system:


Basic HVAC controls have been carried over:


Cover for the 12V switch was loose. USB ports are not fitted straight. Force Motors needs to pay more attention to detail:


Bird's eye view of the centre console. The lever to operate the 4WD system has been replaced by an electronic shifter, which means you get an additional cubbyhole to use. Two cupholders have been provided as well:


New 5-speed gear lever has a leather boot. Force has used the transmission from the Gurkha Xtreme due to the additional power and torque produced by the engine:


Power window console is located on the left, while...


...the shift-on-the-fly switch for the 4WD system is on the right:


2 USB charging ports for the second-row passengers to use are located at the end of the centre console.


The Gurkha badge and cubbyhole on the passenger side of the dashboard are new. The Gurkha still gets only 2 airbags:


Glovebox has multiple compartments, but is small in size:


Grab handles have been provided above all passenger doors:


Driver sunvisor gets a ticket holder. No vanity mirror is provided on either sunvisor:


Cabin light is located on the roof between the front seats:


Rear doorpads have an identical theme to the front ones. Power window switches have been provided:


Second-row ingress & egress are difficult due to the high floor. The rear seat is quite flat. It can accommodate 3 adults without a problem - a rare quality in today's cars. The 3-door version gets captain seats only:


Legroom is not abundant. I could just fit behind my driving position, but taller people will have problems. There is enough space under the front seats to slide your feet into. Headroom is abundant, but taller people will find the under-thigh support lacking and sit in a knees-up sitting position. Floor is flat:


Side passengers get adjustable headrests and 3-point seatbelts. The middle passenger gets a lap belt and no headrest. ISOFIX child seat mounts have been provided on both sides:


Centre armrest gets two cupholders:


Seatbelts are not adjustable:


Jack rod is stowed under the seat:


Rear windows are large and let a lot of light into the cabin:


Grab handles do not get coat hooks:


Roof-mounted A/C vents are a boon for occupants of the second and third rows:


Rear A/C has three fan speeds:


2 individual seats have been provided in the third row. They are not adjustable.


Headroom is excellent and the legroom is adequate with space under the second row to slide your feet into. However, under-thigh support is very poor, and even shorter occupants will sit in a knees-up position:


Knee room is sufficient. I had ~3 inches to spare:


3-point seatbelts have been provided. They are not adjustable:


Rear speakers are placed next to third-row seats:


2 cupholders for the third-row passengers have been provided on the seatback of the second-row:


A cabin light has been provided on the roof between the third-row seats:


Access to the third-row seats is only through the tailgate:


Grab handles have been provided on the seatbacks to aid entry:


Jack is stored behind the third-row seat on the right:


In the 3-door version, the jack rod is placed in the cargo area. Luggage space is unchanged at 500 liters:


In the 3-door version, rear speakers are located behind the second-row seats:


Doorpad of the tailgate has an identical theme to the others:

[Aditya]

Driving the 2.6L Diesel 5-speed MT

2,596cc, 4-cylinder diesel engine puts out 138 BHP & 320 Nm:


The 2024 Gurkha retains the same 2.6-liter, 4-cylinder diesel engine as the outgoing car. However, the unit has been retuned to deliver more power and torque. It now develops 138 BHP @ 3,200 rpm and 320 Nm @ 1,400-2,600 rpm. These figures are considerably higher than the 90 BHP & 250 Nm of the outgoing car. But even with the additional power, the Gurkha does not feel sporty to drive on the road.

To fire up the engine, you do not need to press the clutch anymore. On start-up, there is some body shake, and at idle, vibrations are felt on the steering wheel, pedals, handbrake, and seats.

Release the clutch gradually and the car moves forward without any throttle input. You can even pull away from a standstill in 2nd, albeit with some extra throttle input. Throttle response is satisfactory and power comes in smoothly. Low-speed drivability is fair and in the lower gears, the car can pull reasonably well at anything over 1,000 rpm. The engine starts feeling comfortable above ~1,250 rpm. Keeping up with the city traffic is not difficult, but if you need to close a gap, a downshift might be required.

On the open road, the Gurkha is a little quicker than before thanks to its higher power and torque output. However, it still isn't what we would call fast or even brisk. Due to its heavy kerb weight, the 5-door takes its own sweet time to accelerate. On the roads of Goa, I managed to get it past 80 km/h on a few occasions, but only just. The lighter 3-door feels slightly quicker. Still, it's not fast by any means. Something like the Mahindra Thar will leave the Gurkha in its dust. Overtaking slower vehicles on undivided highways will require some planning and aggressive downshifting. The turbo kicks in ~2,000 rpm and pulls nicely till 3,000 rpm. When pushed, the engine revs to 3,500 rpm. This is very low and you might need to upshift in the middle of overtaking manoeuvres. The Gurkha is more suited to a sedate driving style. It can cruise at 80 km/h in 5th gear with the tachometer reading ~1,750 rpm.

The clutch is light with a pedal travel that's neither too long, nor too short. The transmission has been changed. The outgoing vehicle's gearbox could handle just 250 Nm of torque. With the torque increased to 320 Nm, Force Motors had to use the 5-speed MT of the erstwhile Gurkha Xtreme. This gearbox has long throws and a notchy shift action. It's not suitable for snappy shifting. There is also a clicking noise heard every time you move to neutral from any gear.

The Gurkha also gets a drive mode selector. While Power is the default mode, one can select the Eco mode by pressing a button on the centre fascia. In Eco mode, the throttle response is dumbed down and the car feels very sluggish. While it is alright to use Eco mode in the city in slow-moving traffic, if you want to close a gap to the car in front quickly, you will need to shift to Power mode. Eco mode is not suitable for highway driving at all.

Apart from the drive mode selector, the Gurkha gets an idling start/stop function to improve fuel efficiency. This feature worked seamlessly on our short test drive and was not intrusive. It can be turned off by pressing a button on the centre fascia.

Coming to NVH, the engine can be heard inside the cabin at all times. It is louder as you accelerate. Above 3,000 rpm, the engine starts screaming and begging for an upshift. Wind noise is not heard at 80 km/h, but tyre noise is present at even 60 km/h. There is a prominent body shake on start-up and shutdown. As mentioned earlier, vibrations can be felt on the steering wheel, seat, and pedals at idle. The gear lever moves as you accelerate as well.

Lots of insulation under the bonnet:

Suspension

Ride Comfort

The Gurkha gets an independent double wishbone suspension with coil springs at the front and a multilink suspension with a Panhard rod and coil springs at the rear. It now rides on 18-inch wheels with 255/65 section tyres. The low-speed ride quality is good for a ladder-on-frame off-roader. The independent suspension is very competent while handling small to medium-sized potholes and bumps. There is of course some side-to-side movement in the cabin, yet in comparison with some of the other off-roaders, the Gurkha was impressive.

Handling & Dynamics

High-speed stability is acceptable. The maximum speed that we could achieve on the roads of Goa was just a little over 80 km/h. The Gurkha didn’t feel nervous at any point.

However, going around corners is a different ballgame. The Gurkha is a tall vehicle and there is a lot of body roll. Do remember that this is an off-roader and not very good at cornering. In the interest of safety, I did not push the car hard through the country roads with multiple blind corners. Anyway, it's not a car that likes to be driven fast.

Steering

The hydraulic power steering is not as light as the electric units in modern cars at parking or crawling speeds. Those who are used to modern EPS systems will inevitably complain. Once the speedometer needle climbs, the steering does feel easier to operate. It also offers sufficient weight on the highway.

Braking

This Gurkha comes with the ubiquitous front disc & rear drum braking hardware. The brakes are equipped with ABS + EBD. We feel that the brakes bite too late. The pedal travel is long and even after the brakes bite, they are not strong. They certainly do not inspire confidence.

Niggles & Problems

While the Gurkha has largely remained the same, Force has added some more electronics to it. And the chances of things going wrong with new electronics are generally high. On one of the test cars, the reversing camera kept getting engaged and the navigation on our test car wasn't working. From experience, I can say that shift-on-the-fly systems are not as robust as manual transfer cases. We highly recommend that you do a thorough PDI and make sure that your car is free of any niggles or issues.

4x4 & Off-roading

The Gurkha was always a very capable vehicle when it came to off-roading. With its four-wheel drive system and manual diff locks, there are not many situations where it would get stuck. Back in 2021, we had driven in on difficult trails around Chakan (Maharashtra) where Force Motors tests its vehicles and the off-roader didn't break a sweat.

For 2024, The updated Gurkha retains the four-wheel drive system and diff locks of the outgoing car. The only difference is that it comes with an electronic 4x4 shifter (shift-on-the-fly) instead of a manual shifter. Like before, the vehicle has a gradability of 35 degrees, a ramp-over angle of 28 degrees, and a departure angle of 37 degrees. It has a water-wading capacity of 700 mm. Force Motors had curated an off-roading track, which was a walk in the park for the Gurkha after the Chakan trails. After putting the vehicle in 4L and engaging 1st gear, all one had to do was control the steering. The A, B & C pedals were not touched.

The first obstacle was the gradient test. 35 degrees uphill...


...and 30 degrees downhill:


That was followed by a side slope of 20 degrees:


Next was a ramp-over test:


The Gurkha 3-door has a turning radius of 5.5 m, which is lesser than the outgoing car (5.65 m):


A test of the articulation followed with the car tackling some potholes:




The last test was a pit with a downward grade of 30 degrees and...


...an upward grade of 20 degrees:




The 5-door version went through an identical course. 35 degrees uphill:


30 degrees downhill:


20 degrees side slope:


As you can see, due to the longer wheelbase, the ramp-over test was a much closer affair than the 3-door:


Articulation potholes:


Down grade of 30 degrees


Up grade of 20 degrees:


Disclaimer: Force Motors invited Team-BHP for the Gurkha test drive. They covered all the travel expenses for this driving event.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[Slushmaster]

How is the new suspension setup in the off road scenario? The outgoing model suffered with very less articulation of the wheels, have they improved it on that aspect? I am keen to know it along with information on DEF/ Ad blu usage.

Thanks,
Slushmaster

[Amrit@wheels]

I might be in the minority but I feel that the engine response should not be considered a disadvantage. Gurkha is a heavy and tall SUV focused on hardcore off-roading, it has enough grunt in the low to mid-range. It has no business cruising at triple-digit speeds on our highways. Poor brakes, lack of EPS, and hill-descent control are very very serious omissions in my view.

[nsbhagwat]

For this long throw gearbox, will a short shifting mechanism work?

[Mitadru]

It's good to see that Force has updated the power of their 2.6 L engine . Now that the DPF system is added ,did you face any issues with that ? Though I like the new instrument cluster ,the infotainment system seems like an aftermarket addition. It's basically an Android tab stuck onto the fascia. The earlier unit looked a lot better . And the car graphic on the infotainment system is just silly. It shows a low slung race car, not even a SUV type vehicle. Of course, people who buy these cars will be true blue offroad enthusiasts, so they won't care about this much. The added engine power should help in tackling tricky situations better. Overall a nice upgrade from the previous version. Hope the market recieves this a bit more warmly. And when do the deliveries start ?

[vshankarhere]

While am not in the market for a proper 4x4 and has no intention to buy one in the foreseeable future, I find the fit and finish to be questionable from the photos and many of the features(eg roof AC system,USB ports, etc) look like an afterthought purchased from the local market. Exterior looks macho and butch, especially in that fiery red!

I sincerely hope the prospective buyers of Force see through these and find value in what the vehicle is actually capable and can boast off i.e. its off-roading prowess.

[MotoDrive]

I wish they come up with an AT variant on the 3-door version, it is high time they do so. I can see myself driving one peacefully! Many people would love to drive an automatic Gurkha!

[sachin_cs]

OMG, I’m hooked onto this thread to hear some customer reviews. Just last week, I was driving from airport with my Parents and we saw a GJ registered Gurkha being driven by an Army personnel. My dad asked to deliberately drive slow and observe the car, he loved the presence of it. When I told him that it has far better ride quality than Thar, he got more interested and started asking about the details, now, whenever we pass from the front of the Force showroom, he always takes a look to see what’s parked. As soon as the article was uploaded, I immediately sent him the link. We both agreed that that the 5 door Gurkha in black looks Drop-Dead-Monsterous!

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Mitadru

The added engine power should help in tackling tricky situations better.

I'd bet you couldn't find any owners of previous model here in the threads complaining of any lack of power for "tricky situations". Some exceptions aside, slow and steady is the standard recipe there.

Those complaining have been partly armchair-critics looking at data/figures only, or those wanting to do 130kmph on the highway... which besides being illegal doesn't seem very advisable to me in a vehicle with such high COG.

Not that more power is bad, and I'm glad Force has been listening/responsive, but... reality is reality.

Looks to me like a good all-round vehicle, the upgrades were inevitable and not generally unwelcome, though I'll take the minority view and wish for something as simple/ basic/manual as possible. Shift-on-the-fly was btw available on the oldest Force 4x4's, going back to Gama times. It is also available on our 2013 Getaway. Our 2001 Marshal, Campers, Thar DI can also do it with engaged manual/solid hubs, so we're not talking of something earth-shattering here, and you don't require electronics to do this.

Related 4Low claim means you can turn the selector to 4Low while moving without damaging anything, gears aren't going to actually engage till sensors and ecu decide it's mechanically safe to. So let's be clear that this is idiot-proofing (only of value to, eh, idiots, truly speaking), it is NOT adding any actual capability.

The 18" wheels in an application like this are mainly for show and to satisfy (questionable) customer demands... and yes, these would be the cause of the prominent road-noise from 60kmph upwards, something that should hardly be there in a body-on-frame vehicle. And they're going to be very expensive to replace vs the previous fitment.

I think the outgoing model, with its shortcomings, was purer and more honest in terms of (originally) designed-for uses.

In this milieu, trying for broader market appeal means catering to increasing numbers of people who are not actually very knowledgable, and have less real intentions of using these in the rugged conditions they were supposedly intended for.

All cars are compromises, and that's ok. Older I get, the more I appreciate comfort... buy also the more I am averse to having to hike dozens of km's out of a place because some electronic system failed.

And as one precious-gen Gurkha owner/member here who owned a 4x4 Aria earlier would attest, this DOES happen, generally in proportion to complexity of systems!!!

-Eric

[GTO]

Damn, that 5-door Gurkha looks hot! In fact, I like it even more than the 3-door Gurkha in terms of looks.

Am happy to see Force working on improving the Gurkha. That is clearly a lot of work done on the car. In a market which has very limited "enthusiast" cars, it's great to see one more addition. Among offroaders, we now have 4 serious options under 20-lakhs (both the Gurkhas, Thar, Jimny).

Top on the wishlist would be a good 6-speed AT. They would need that to get a customer like me in the showroom. I'd be willing to overlook most other faults, but AT is a non-negotiable.

[TusharK]

Force Gurkha 5-door bookings open in India

Force Motors has revealed the 5-door version of the Gurkha. The off-roader will be launched in the first week of May, but bookings have already commenced. Customers can place their orders by paying a token amount of Rs 25,000.



Force Motors has made several changes to the Gurkha for the 2024 model year. The 5-door version gets a single-slat grille with ‘Gurkha’ lettering up front. It is flanked by circular LED headlamps that have integrated LED DRLs and fog lights with a cornering function.



The Gurkha rides on 18-inch alloy wheels and is equipped with a snorkel, roof rack, a tailgate-mounted spare wheel, an integrated ladder and a tow hook.

Inside, you will find a familiar-looking dashboard. However, it is now equipped with a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and a digital instrument cluster. The SUV is also equipped with a tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel, dual airbags, ABS with EBD and TPMS. It can carry up to 7 persons.



The Force Gurkha is powered by a 2.6-litre 4-cylinder diesel engine that produces 138 BHP and 320 Nm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and a shift-on-fly 4x4 system.

Link to Team-BHP News

[fawad0222]

I agree with GTO and others who want an AT in the Gurkha. Also I would like to have better brakes including changing from Drums to Discs in the rear wheels. This is a must even for a hard core offroader too because for off roading one has to travel on roads as well.

About desirable changes, I would say that Hill ascent control, better second row seats in terms of leg space, recline and split options would make the car a more all round product. I hope all in good time

All in All, I am happy with commitment the company has shown in improving it's offering.

Regards