[MohammedEza]

Finally, this has been something that I was preparing for a long time – An ownership thread on my new Force Gurkha Xtreme. Gurkha is an offroad SUV developed by Force Motors, India’s largest van maker. On paper, the vehicle claims to be one of the most capable offroader available in our country. However, the low volume production and poor sales and service by Force motors means you won’t find many on the road. The decision to buy such vehicles (Thar, Gurkha, etc) is not an easy one, as it means you are probably investing 10-15 lakhs on something that offers no comfort and scores low on safety. But the idea of owning something macho and something that can go anywhere and is a testament of your lifestyle is very appealing. One of the main issues I had while buying this vehicle was to find honest reviews about it. The videos in YouTube looked biased and only a few were there. Also, these reviews won’t cover about the sales and service part. Only TeamBHP provided honest comments about the vehicle and the service, but very few ownership reviews/thread meant I still had to take a leap of faith and jump into an unknown world in terms of reliability, part availability and ASC.
Side note : This is my first post in TeamBHP, Kindly forgive and do point out any errors.

Alternatives Considered :
We own a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and my dad didn’t want to sell it. So after considering cars such as Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue, Kia Seltos and even MG Hector as our second car, we decided to change our mindset. Since we already have a car that gives good mileage, comfortable and reliable, we thought of buying a lifestyle vehicle for weekend fun drives. The obvious candidate that came to our mind was Mahindra Thar CRDe. Dad was really interested in Thar, as my Grandfather owned a MM540 and it was very nostalgic to him. I dug up all the ownership reviews about the Thar on TeamBHP, did a lot of research on web and finally decided to book it. We went to the local Mahindra showroom, Pothens Mahindra in Kollam on 15th August 2019 and paid Rs 5000 to book the vehicle. We stressed that we wanted Black color and will take delivery on November 2019. The sales man assured us black color was available and if there was any shortage, he would call us. Upon leaving I again informed him that we were ready to prepone our delivery if there was a shortage of vehicle(I knew the production had stopped due to BS6) and he assured that there won’t be any such problem. The next few months were really busy for me as I was busy with my final semester exams. My dad was also busy because of my sister’s wedding in December. In the month of October, called Pothen Mahindra to check the status, the sales person who took our booking left, Black color was not available and the only color available was silver and white. I had never seen a silver Thar in my place and when asked if I could see one in real, they denied it. It was already hard to convince my mother and sister to buy a Thar, they finally agreed since the black looked really charming. And as predicted, when we informed them this, they didn’t like it at all. The sales person was apologetic and told us that they would give discount if we agree to go with the silver model or will give priority booking for BS6 Thar. Since we weren’t interested in both, we decided to call other showrooms. It was the same case everywhere. Spend the next month looking for a second-hand Thar and couldn’t find a good one. One day while driving back from college, I was shocked to find a temporary registered Black Thar passing by. I was really disappointed as the Mahindra people claimed there were none available in our state. Few days after one of my friend said that he also saw another newly registered black Mahindra Thar. Since, im not sure about when these cars were booked and all, im not putting the blame on Mahindra guys. But, that was the point when we decided to stretch our budget to buy Gurkha Xtreme.

During my research about Thar, I did look into Gurkha Xtreme, saw Faisal Khan’s review and was pretty impressed about it. But the cost was bit too much. But now, with not much options left, decided to give it a try. Called Vanchinad Motors, Trivandrum and took a test drive. The car was really tall and the 3 inch lift kit exposed the entire suspension system. Being a mechanical engineer, I found it really cool to see all those complex systems. During, test drive I passed a Thar, the Gurkha was much taller than Thar but I have to admit that lookwise, Thar is better. It was at the end of the test drive that I found out that the vehicle used for the test drive was the one sold to the customers. Plus, the car had 2400kms on odometer and that was because it was driven from plant in Pune to showroom. The on road quoted price was 15.5L and I left the showroom with an even bigger dilemma.

Advantages of Gurkha over Thar :
1. More power and torque
2. Factory fitted hardtop and snorkel
3. Diff Locks - front and rear
4. Wider stock tyres
5. More ground clearance
6. More spacious and better driving view
7. Better approach angle
8. Factory fitted suspension lift kit allowing addition of 17inch tyres without any modification
9. Gurkha comes with coil spring at the rear ( Thar has leaf ) making it more comfortable
10. Live front axles means more offroad capability
11. Better seats

Advantages of Thar over Gurkha
1. Cheap compared to Gurkha
2. Better service and part availability
3. Looks better than Gurkha and better fit and finish (Just my personal view)
4. Better dash board and instrument cluster

The 'Test Drive' Vehicle


From then I started my extensive research about Gurkha, I looked for posts on instagram to find the profile of those who owned one and inquired about the vehicle and service. Did a research about Force motors, their relationship with Mercedes, ASC,etc. At the end of the day, all I could conclude was that the vehicle was highly capable, and the service was not upto the mark. There will be issues here and there that needed to be solved. From test drve, I knew the vehicle is a joy to drive, but it required attention. There will be leaks, rusting, squeaky sounds, and you have to adjust with it (same with Thar too). Even with all these negatives and impracticabilities, My dad and I really wanted it. The only demand was that we were not ready to buy a test drive vehicle. While my research I found out that all Force Motors vehicle in my state were driven from plant to showroom. The service people will service it and change the oil and air filter before selling it. That seemed acceptable, but we were not ready to buy a test drive vehicle. Called the showroom and informed them our demand, they said only this vehicle was available and the production was stopped few months ago. And when I thought that that was it, the final nail in the coffin, I received a call after few days later from the showroom. They said that one black model was available, The vehicle was on transit from the plant upon request of an earlier customer. But now, the customer changed his mind and if we book it right away, we can have it. We jumped at the opportunity and paid 2L as advance, the delivery was set for end of December. And finally, my search for a vehicle, that started with Tata Nexon finally ended in Gurkha Xtreme.

Delivery :
The delivery date was just one day before my sister’s wedding. This was due to a delay in release of money from our finance company. Since I knew I will not be able to take delivery, I went to the showroom few days before delivery to do the pre-delivery inspection. I found few issues such as differential lock warning not working, minor scratches here and there, and some rusts in the underbody. They promised to solve it at the time of delivery and I left. On 28th of December, one of my friend went and took the delivery, and as expected none of the issues were fixed. The overall booking experience was good. The sales person, Mr. Sreelal felt really genuine, unlike most of the sales person. One week after the delivery, took the car to the service and got all the issues fixed. All the paper works were completed and registration process was issued. No special ceremony or sorts, I like to keep it simple. Also did underbody coating(provided by service center) for Rs 2500.

At Delivery


On-road price and discount :
15.55L was the initial quoted price, but this being the last model and BS4, 35k discount was offered. The final on road price was 15.20L with 3 year insurance ( 1 year B2B + 2 year 3rd party). No accessories were offered. Rs 500 coupon was given for diesel.

Extended warranties/Service packages :
No extended warranty was offered. The standard warranty of 1.5 years was applied. First 5 services are labour free and the interval is 10,000kms

Variant :
Gurkha Xtreme ABS – Fm 2.2 cr engine

Likes :
1. Power, power and lots of power. The engine never runs out of breath and lag is very less.
2. Immense road presence and head turner.
3. Commanding view of the road.
4. Coil springs on all 4 wheels makes it the most comfortable in its category.
5. Even without any modification, it can literally go anywhere. 320Nm of torque plus low range combined with bosch programmed crawl mode means the driver doesn’t have much to do, even in toughest of terrains.
6. Differential locks both front and rear.
7. Hard top, factory fitted snorkel.
8. 3 inch lift kit means increased ground clearance, approach and departure angle.

Dislikes :
1. No safety features other than seatbelts and ABS.
2. Bouncy ride, not recommended for elder people.
3. Steering not adjustable, angled slightly like a truck. Therefore cant rest my back properly while driving.
4. Lack of steering feedback
5. Always there will be some minor issues. (Detailed later)
6. Not smooth gear shifts. Infact, all the levers (Gear, 4x4, and difflocks) are not smooth. However, once you are used to it, it will be fine
7. Lots of body roll, means overtaking is a pain even with good amount of punch from the engine.
8. Rust here and there even after underbody coating.
9. Back seats are a nightmare if you are used to the comfort in normal cars.

Safety wise, nothing to talk about, just seatbelts and ABS .
Presently the vehicle completed 3300kms. Out of which 2200kms was driven during transport and the rest 1100kms by us.

Usage pattern :
Weekend drives. Not a daily commuter, Ertiga is still doing that job for now.

Interior:
Again noting much to talk about, Spartan interiors. However, Im not used to all those fancy electronics, rear view camera and sensors. Therefore it wasn’t such a big deal to get used to the retro design in the Gurkha. The only comfort feature you will find in the interior is the AC and it works OK, cools the front seats quickly but not very effective at the rear. Seats are adjustable at the front and quite comfortable(much better than the Thar). Dual tone interiors – poor plastic quality. There are enough storage places and lots of space. There is no particular boot, the rear seats can be raised and you will have lots of storage area. But with the rear seats, the storage space is less. No power windows and the rear windows are sliding type. The instrument cluster is very basic with odometer, fuel gauge (not working properly) and coolant temp. There are indications for 4 wheel drive and diff locks on the cluster. One thing to note is, you do get a 12v socket and a dead pedal.

Exterior :
From outside the vehicle looks really macho and bold. The exterior styling is similar to that of G-wagon and Land Rover Defender. The boxy design works well in this vehicle. The wide wheel arches, metal bumper, all makes it a very impressive vehicle to look at. The chrome on the snorkel is not something I like and the steel rims needs to be changed. But other than that, not much modification are required. Cleaning the vehicle is a task due to it height.

Overall build quality, fit and finish, panel gaps :
Overall built quality is not upto the mark, the bonnet is really well built and heavy. Other than that, rest of the body shell is not very strong. There are lot of panel gaps, interior plastic quality is pathetic. The fit and finish is also not impressive, tiny dents present here and there.

Wheels and tyres :
Stock – Apollo 245/70/R16 steel rims.

Mileage :
10-12 kmpl

Adding a few Images for your reference.









Interior layout



G wagon inspired bonnet mounted indicator


3 inch lift means lot of exposed bits.


Chrome Snorkel



Real Head turner


I guess the Force people forgot about the tachometer at first.


Engine bay (Its an effort to rest the bonnet on the support)



Issues encountered so far and their status ( Will keep updating ) :
1. The differential lock indicator was not working properly. And annoyingly, it gets activated while driving. The vehicle had to be stopped and the diff lock had to engaged and disengaged to stop the beep. STATUS : Problems was solved by the service team free of cost, they said the changed the switch. It never reoccurred so far.
2. Rubbing noise in the gearbox in 5th gear. STATUS : Service team claim they put a ‘Distant washer’ to reduce it but I don’t feel any change. They claim that it is normal.
3. Growling noise in the snorkel particularly while accelerating. STATUS : Need to be checked at next service
4. Thick black smoke from the exhaust when revving past 2000rpm. Opened the hood to check the intake system and found spots of rust around the injector. STATUS : Need to be checked at next service.

Rusting in the injector


5. Suspected oil leak. STATUS : Need to be checked at next service

Here is few images, Is it an oil leak?



6. Faulty fuel gauge. I presume the problem to be with the sender unit. STATUS : Need to be checked at next service.

Engine performance :
The FM 2.2 CR is an OM611 derived Mercedes sourced engine, its Mercedes’s first common rail engine and a very popular one. The performace of this engine is very impressive. The low end torque is more than adequate for this SUV even after weighing 2 tonnes. In city, the heavy clutch gives you a proper leg workout, but other than that nothing to complain. The engine is really refined and it revs quickly. Slot in to first gear and tap the accelerator and you are already near the redline. Turbo lag is also very well contained and there is always power available. The gear shifts are not smooth, it has got a rubbery feel but will get used to it quickly. The highway performance is also very good. Gurkha can hit triple digit speeds comfortable and stay there all day. Overtaking is easy on highways, but not in narrow roads due to body roll.

Handling and ride quality :
Bouncy ride for the rear passengers but throw whatever you want and Gurkha will simply go over it. Nothing can stop this beast on road (not literally), and you will appreciate its suspension system once you hit a bad road. The handling of the vehicle is pretty good considering its size. Obviously there is a lot of body roll, but its predictable and the grip levels are good. At 120kmph, the vehicle felt really glued to the tarmac. But while cornering you will wish that the steering had more feedback. The suspension is very soft ( as it should be) and the travel can be felt when you get in and out of the vehicle. The braking of the vehicle is fine. There is lot of nose dive due to soft suspension, but the brakes works well and gives confidence.

Offroadability :
With all these negatives and high price, there will be lot of people who will criticise the choice of vehicle. The best way to shut them is to take them to an offroading place. This is where the Gurkha impresses everyone and justifies all its shortcomings. Im a newbie to offroading, but the Gurkha with all its capabilities gives me good confidence to take it to any tough terrains( in stock form itself). I have taken it to many nearby offroad places and the Gurkha simply goes over the terrain without any stress. The crawl mode in the Gurkha is very capable and helpful. So far, I didn’t get a chance to take it to extreme offroading, but soon I will and keep you posted on it.

Where it belongs


So that’s it for now, so far I am really satisfied with my Gurkha. I will keep on adding to the thread and will address your queries to my best. Lots and lots of places to be explored with my Gurkha and still a lot of unknowns in terms of service and reliability. Right now, I hope that Gurkha will be there in my garage long enough so I can one day tell my grandchildren some really cool adventure stories. Thank you for your valuable time and do post your views.

Good day,
Mohammed Eza

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

Talk about entering Team-BHP in style . A superb review of a highly desirable vehicle (despite its many faults). Your car is going straight to our homepage.

Your thread is especially important because of the lack of ownership reviews, we haven't officially reviewed this car and whatever else is there on the internet is biased junk.

These cars have CHARACTER. Enjoy your offroading beast. Its highly customisable and I hope you plan to add some aesthetic enhancements soon. Your beast is begging for custom rims & thicker tyres.

[livetodrive]

Such a nice, easy to read and interesting review. Rated 5 stars. And the beast is just awesome. Put up some videos with some tips on off roading once you master it with your Gurkha Extreme. As GTO mentioned keep updating this thread with your custom mods. I am sure I will get in touch with you once I do more research and plan to buy this one day.

[Stribog]

Lovely review, only feedback on this would be, maybe break up the larger paras into smaller chunks.

That said, am shocked at the quality levels put out by Force - they are not some new kid on the block automaker, with their TT series they have been around for decades (and quite frankly the TT is so dominant that it is used as a generic term for a paper mover like we might say use Xerox for photocopying) and should have organisational expertise and experience....for such an org to push out such a shoddily finished vehicle is shocking.

Once these are fixed though, you seem to have a proper beast on your hands, while we wannabe tourers in our Seltos' and even the more butch Harrier's might have our creature comforts, you can go anywhere at anytime, and the snorkel might definitely come of use even in our cities when the monsoon starts. Please do post photos and do a travelogue of your offroading, even for an autonut forum like ours, these are relatively rare.

[MaddyCrew]

That is a comprehensive review. Rated 5 stars!!
I hope you put her to some real use - since most of the thars is my network get used for road going duties and some mild offroading at the best. And I echo what GTO said, this one has immense visual mod potential - get ready to spend some money. Good luck!!

[anoopGTkrish]

Congratulations on the ride buddy. I'm sure there would be mods on the way especially considering you are in Mods Own Country.

[sharc_biker]

Congratulations on your buy! The 2020 Gurkha showcased in the auto expo comes with a 90bhp engine and an IFS. It is not clear if Force will launch the updated Xtreme variant with the OM611 engine and solid axles at the front. If they don't, yours will always be special!

Regarding the growl you hear from the snorkel, IMO it is very common in vehicles with Snorkel. I hear a growl from my Thar's snorkel too and I've seen other Thars with the same issue as well. The snorkel strongly pulls in a lot of air on acceleration. The large volume of air going through the hollow pipe probably causes that growling sound. You can notice the strong pull of air by gently blocking the snorkel head grill with your palm and then rev the engine (when stationary).

[Sankar]

Gurkha is a special vehicle and one very close to my heart. I believe this is the best version they have produced till now 2.2L with solid front axles and coil spring suspension on both axles. Does the new BS6 version get sold axle front?

Originally Posted by MohammedEza

3. Growling noise in the snorkel particularly while accelerating. STATUS : Need to be checked at next service

4. Thick black smoke from the exhaust when revving past 2000rpm. Opened the hood to check the intake system and found spots of rust around the injector. STATUS : Need to be checked at next service.

3 and 4 could be related. Check for any restriction in the air intake system. Surface rust on the injector body will not contribute to this, but it does not look good on a new vehicle.

Originally Posted by MohammedEza

5. Suspected oil leak. STATUS : Need to be checked at next service

Here is few images, Is it an oil leak?
Attachment 1968571
Attachment 1968573

Thats a minor oil leak from the oil separator unit (the part in black) of the PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) system. The leak is probably between the engine valve cover and the oil separator unit. A change of gasket/oring will probably fix the issue. If the one way PCV valve is faulty that can cause an excessive build up of pressure within the engine, so it would be ideal to check and replace the PCV valve as well.

Gurkha is rough around the edges even when its sold new from the factory. Finishing it up really is in the hands of the owner. If you like that sort of thing it will keep you entertained for years to come. When Force is trying all permutations and combinations on the Gurkha over these years I wish they put a 5 or 6 speed auto in there, keeping rest of the hardware as is, and if that happens I will be the first one to pick that up.

[Reinhard]

I have to confess - I rated your thread 5 stars even before reading a single line of it. Simply because you have done what I always only aspired of. Owning a Gurkha 4x4(x4 as they called it). Congratulations on the brute mean machine bro. Wish you many safe & adventure packed miles / hills / trails with it!

Keep this thread updated regularly please. It will be one hell of a source for other interested folks out there for whom there is hardly any honest and real report on this unicorn of a car! Thanks to its simplistic construction, this is one of the best cars when it comes to DIY work / mods / additions and what not. I hope you spend a lot of time fiddling with the car in your garage too. In the engine bay, under the car, over the roof - the possibilities are endless! Enjoy DIY with this car as much as driving it.

And - welcome to TBHP. See you around.

[Octane99]

There's this beauty about Thar, Gurkha & Gypsy owners.
They always encounter these little issue, like faulty sensor, check engine light, little oil leaking or lack in refinement, not a smooth ride, etc.
But they never get disheartened by these issue.
In-fact they always appreciate their ride and the creativity worm is always on steroids in their head.

These vehicles are like fine wine, stingy sweet, funky smell, bites you in the cerebrum and you know that its not very good for your health.
But
the Kick when you got a taste/drive for one, its just sheer intoxicating and incomparable, and maybe that's the reason why no one complaints.
The grin on your face is way bigger than the niggles of your car.

Superb review..!

[GTO]

Just realised MohammedEza is 22 years old! Whoa man, if only I could have written / understood cars like this when I was 22 .

Originally Posted by livetodrive

As GTO mentioned keep updating this thread with your custom mods.

And just to inspire him, here's something from another Team-BHP thread. Rims & tyres are a MUST!


This is the classiest G-Wagen conversion I have ever seen - link to thread (Force Gurkha: G-Wagen Makeover)

Originally Posted by Reinhard

I have to confess - I rated your thread 5 stars even before reading a single line of it.

Agreed. Rated 5 stars too .

[Aafaq]

Congratulations on your acquisition!
EXCLUSIVITY is definitely the one thing you will enjoy with this vehicle and yes as rightly advised by other members "Tyre and wheel upgrade' is a must.
wishing you happy and fuss free ownership!

[shashi792]

Congratulations. I know that the 'MOD' bug will hit you very soon. I always have admired their road presence or the eyes it attracts when it stops at a signal.

I always wondered, why would a company like Force Motors not think about the interiors. I mean, even a Maruti Alto/Hyundai Eon comes with some basic interior aesthetics fixed. Also, its not like Force Motors is selling them like hot cakes or their targeting that. Then why not fix the interiors from your top of the line TT atleast.

Happy modding and motoring.

[MohammedEza]

Thanks a lot fellow memebers . Really appreciate all your comments and suggestions.

Originally Posted by GTO

These cars have CHARACTER. Enjoy your offroading beast. Its highly customisable and I hope you plan to add some aesthetic enhancements soon. Your beast is begging for custom rims & thicker tyres.

Thank you and yes lots of mods to be done, just waiting for the right time (financially).

Originally Posted by livetodrive

I am sure I will get in touch with you once I do more research and plan to buy this one day.

I will be more than happy to assist you to the best of my knowledge.

Originally Posted by Stribog

Thanks for the feedback, I will keep that in my mind for further posts.

Definitely, Few offroad events around the corner, and I will keep all of you updated.

Originally Posted by anoopGTkrish

I'm sure there would be mods on the way especially considering you are in Mods Own Country.

Haha, True.

Originally Posted by sharc_biker

Regarding the growl you hear from the snorkel, IMO it is very common in vehicles with Snorkel.

Yeah, lot of owners said the same. Maybe I need to remove that from the issues list afterall, all these sounds are part of the package.

Originally Posted by Sankar

I don't think so. It comes with IFS.

That sounds a little serious, should I get it checked right away of wait till next service (3 months) ?. I checked the oil level and its close to the minimum level.

Pardon me if I used the Multi-quote option improperly.

[Highh5]

Congratulations on the acquisition of this outstanding beast and finally we have an ownership thread for this one.*

I was fortunate enough to spot this rare gem of a vehicle on the road during my run to the Bangalore airport. And believe me, from the moment I spot it on the Airport toll plaza adjacent to my lane, I was not able to keep my eyes off this beast. It followed me until departure gate and then I had a proper look. Sheer height of bonnet and stance made me grin ear to ear. I was in so much awe of this vehicle, wish Force motors has marketed it well.*
Will be sharing few clicks I took on the way to airport.

First Glance


In Action




And The Stance