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According to Force Motors they have voided the need for needing Ad Blue through the use of another technology to meet BS6 standards.

"The new power train meets the BS6 norms using Lean NOX trap thereby eliminating the need for Ad Blue." -taken from the Force Motors Press Release.

So if they are using a different way to clean the exhaust gases and have eliminated the need for Adblue i am guessing even a Diesel Particulate Filter may not be installed.

This would be excellent as it would bypass all the complications associated with DPF systems.

LNT filter does not do away with the need for a DPF. Infact both would need to be regenerated from time to time.

This would be a DPF+LNT set up. Can't do away with DPF. No Ad Blue means there's no SCR a.k.a Selective Catalytic Reduction. LNT is an alternative to SCR and deals with Nox. DPF takes care of soot. It's either DPF+LNT or DPF+SCR(Ad blue/DEF). DPF is a must.

Cars like Seltos, Creta etc has a DPF+LNT set up and Innova, Endeavour, new Thar etc employ DPF+SCR. LNT is not as effective as SCR treatment. Gurkha being a high capacity 2.6 litre engine, it's surprising that they've done away with SCR.

Heavy duty trucks will have all three - DPF+SCR+LNT.

You can say that again , you should see the powerdrift review of the thar by someone on this forum and closely associated with the previous gen thar. It’s a joke , he doesn’t even touch upon the key differentiator- the manual locking diffs or the off road capabilities . I have never been a fan of the gurkha but this one deserves credit, they have put in a lot of work .

Any thoughts on why they didn't provide 3 point seat belts at the back. Is it possible to put aftermarket belts on? I have two very young kids, I am afraid my wife sign off on a vehicle with lap belts.

I dont see an fastening points for the seat belts with the wide glass screen at the rear. I guess without a C pillar at the exact right position just behind the rear seats, a 3rd attachment point would not meet any safety norms.

HCV driver's seats are provided with the third anchor point on the upper corner of the seat frame. Luxury coach passenger seats can also be provided with that third anchor point as an option. Pinnacle industries Ltd is a leading seat manufacturer.
https://pinnacleindustries.com/
Mr. Sudhir Mehta, director at Force Motors, is Chairman and MD at Pinnacle. My guess is that all Force vehicles seats are supplied by them. No harm in checking if seats with three point anchoring could be supplied.

Regards,

Anwesh

I can just suggest that the Force Gurkha is NOT the right vehicle for you to carry very young kids ?-at least not the primary car. It is not family vehicle in the traditional sense, but it is meant for taking 4 adults/young adults on off-road trips. Young kids, not properly strapped in, will be tossed about and it will be a handful to worry about them as well as control the vehicle in tight situations.


PS: Nor is the Mahindra Thar.

Agree with you on both points. Having used the new Thar CRDe extensively I dropped my idea to buy one for the main reason that it would be my daily work car. This means atleat 4 people need to sit in reasonable comfort with reasonable ingress to the back seats. The two jump seat accessories at the back will be okay for another two to sit for short distances.

Besides it comes with a metal top that takes an expedition rack to hold additional luggage/cargo.

Given these points, I find the Gurkha to be much more practical vehicle than the Thar except for the sore/sticking point below.

This is a major omission/flaw done by Force. I hope they realize and try to rectify it asap.

The Torque characteristic required of a commercial vehicle is different from a passenger vehicle. These travelers need luggability, i.e all bottom end torque and are geared very short. Even a low revving engine will do fine. A lifestyle passenger vehicle needs a better balance between bhp/toque and also the revability of the engine. This engine caps out at 3500 rpm which is waaay too low for a passenger vehicle in this damn day and age. ideally they should increase the rev-limit to minimum 4k rpm.

The more I think about it, I think it has to do with emissions. Especially the fact that Force has avoided ad-blue. This could have been done by keeping the engine in a mild state of tune to reduce emissions. Just like Mahindra would keep making the gearing taller and taller to meet emissions. Either way, I think this engine has potential for a remap to bring it up to relatively modern numbers.

Nowadays the mileage requirements put by the manufacturer for service to meet the warranty norms is ridiculous. It has mostly become a scam. How many people will run the Gurkha 10K kms every 4 months? A forced oil service every 10 months is also an environmental waste. I think someone should tweet Mr. Gadkari to rationalize the service norms. It should be kilometer bound and not time bound. Modern oils will not degrade in 4 months. This is purely a scam by by manufacturers.

While most people recommend/state the Gurkha should’ve been priced less, I’ll take a slightly contrarian view. If they wanted to position it as a genuinely viable alternative to the Thar or even as a niche but appealing product, they could’ve gone the other direction - offered an automatic gearbox and an engine in a different (more cruising oriented) state of tune at a premium of even 2-3 more lakhs. As a player who is not volume oriented, this would still have opened up the funnel to customers who are not just based in farflung rural areas, but those who live in the city but genuinely want to (and often do) get off the beaten path. This seems great once you’re off-road but getting to that point in this seems like a painful exercise.

Currently there is nothing below 25L for such usage, other than the Thar. And I for one just downright hate the Thar from its design (ripoff) to its silly seating config of two people plus two kids/big backpacks/midgets. Great engines in a package I truly abhor. I’d have seriously considered the Gurkha if it had an auto version. Can’t dream of working that gearbox in Bangalore traffic though.

Oh well, guess I’ll have to rejoin the legions of people waiting for the Jimny for the last decade.

It appears the Gurkha is equipped with ISOFIX anchorages, I believe your only option is to switch from child restraints with a seatbelt installation to ISOFIX restraints. Do check for compatibility before purchase. Also, don't consider aftermarket safety belts. Safety belts are required to meet a certain regulatory standard (AIS-015) so if the vehicle is not designed to accommodate it, it is highly unlikely that an aftermarket solution when fitted to the vehicle will meet this standard.

Yes, I totally understand that. I don't intend to use it as my primary vehicle. It's meant for touring to remote beaches. Kids are 5 & 7 so I dont think they are too young for it. But yes would need to have them strapped in tight from a safety perspective. Especially when on the highway.

A forum is meant to hold divergent views, agreed. However, for those who seek a no nonsense off-roader, please check this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78R-1fvffe4
on youtube of a Gurkha towing a Isuzu can be seen along the Shinkula pass.
The utilitarian interiors can be overlooked for the capabilities it has to offer, if one seeks a serious and capable off roader south of 15lakhs

That color looks really good..! Still think the Jeep Compass Green is the standard here( let's leave mini and jag out of this conversation)The orange colour that was reviewed looked terrible. Don't understand why Force would want pictures of its Orange tone Gurkha splashed across the media when they have this.. Anyway must be my terrible taste..

Had seen this video a while ago and was hugely impressed! For most vehicles it would be a real task to go up that slippery uneven slope on their own but to actually tow a 2 tonne vehicle up that slope at high altitude shows how capable a vehicle the Gurkha is.

The low end torque by that 2.6 liter motor must have been a huge boon in those conditions.

The best part is one gets the same 2.6 liter engine with much better interiors, combined with better fit and finish all around in the new Gurkha.

I feel its an amazing combination and real value for money. That is the reason i am getting one even though i have a 4x4 already.