[karthikd21]

My Pre-worshipped 2016 Force Gurkha Explorer 4x4 3 door

Love for SUVs

My love for SUVs started almost 7 years ago when I bought my first SUV, a Mahindra Bolero ZLX. It proved to be an amazing workhorse and was able to take my family in decent comfort for 15000 kms. With heavy heart I had to let it go as I had to work in the USA for about 3 years.



With the contract being in US for 3 years only, I had to limit my budget. Within my budget, I picked up a Used Toyota Highlander 3.2 ltr Petrol 4wd. It had run only 55k Genuine Miles in 10 years of ownership. It was super reliable, very comfortable, had ample power on tap and we clocked 50k miles in 3 years and drove across the length and breadth of the USA



Fast forward to 2018, we were back in India. I had saved some money for building a house and initial thought was to just use cabs when needed and focus on building our dream house. But, not having the convenience of a car at home and cabbies cancelling trips at the nth moment bit us hard. Now, the challenge was that the budget was limited and yet I did not want to settle for a small car. With the budget set at 3 laks, I started my search. I was always a fan of Hyundai Getz. But, we pack a lot of luggage. So, extended my budget and we bought home a used 2009 Hyundai Verna(This has always fascinated me with its locomotive like 1.6 ltr crdi engine). The car had run about 30k(could not verify the detailed serviced records, but the seller was a retired person and felt very genuine). The car was maintained very neatly inside out. We have covered over 20k kms since last 3 years and it has never let me down other than regular services.

Buying the Truck

2020 - We finished the construction of our house and moved in. Now, the love for SUV started to resurface. I had been following the new Thar thread and was really looking forward to it. My wife never liked vehicles that look like "Jeeps" and had also hated my decision to buy the Bolero back in the days. She was clear this time, "Do what you want, but Verna stays " she said. I still had a hope that I would convince her with the new Thar and its promises of good interiors with AT. However, all the dreams got washed away when they launched it and made it a 4 seater! Come on Mahindra!

So, my dreams of owning a Thar got pushed by maybe 4-5 years as there is confirmed news about 5 door Thar. I got to thinking. The 3 door is 16 big ones OTR and the 5 door would be around 2 Lakhs more. With me developing hatred towards the IT career and the associated mechanical life, I dreaded at the thought of having another big loan. This started a new chapter in my search to own a 4x4. "Used" car it is!

Requirements

- 4x4 a must, maybe not for hardcode off-roading, but I should not be limited in the ability to explore the unexplored
- Lots of TORQUE. Driving mostly diesels in my ownership, this is a must for me.
- Sturdy
- Reliable
- Not much Electronics, I am old school!
- Budget 6-7 Lakhs
- Factory finished Hard Top
- Space for 5 with Forward facing seats.
- If not ready made seat belts, must accommodate room to fix them. I can live without Airbags, but not without seat belts for every passenger. This is a good lesson I learnt from my stay in the USA
- Good bootspace - a Must. I am not a big fan of Roof top carriers
- Last but not the least, the car must be after 2015. I need at least 10 years of peace of mind before going to RTO to get FC

With this in mind, I started looking and considered below cars:

Mahindra Thar

This was first on the list. I have always loved the Thar. Knowing that there was no factory built Hard-top, I still did not want to let it go. So, I looked at a lot of Modified Thars with hard tops, modified forward facing seats etc. None of them met my requirements. I guess the width of Thar cannot accommodate forward facing 3 seats at the rear. Thar in the older avatar needed heavy modifications from my side in order to meet my requirements. So, Thar was out of my list!

Mahindra Scorpio 4wd

Next on the list was Mahindra Scorpio. However, could not find good ones in my budget. There were a few available for around 12-13 Lakhs. Going for this meant, another loan! So, Scorpio was off the list too.

Mahindra Bolero 4wd

Could not find any in Karnataka as I guess the 4wd LX version was sold long time ago and was discontinued. I was ok to get one from Kerala. But, all were very old, ~2005 models. So, Bolero was also off the list.

There are many more alternatives like Pajero, Fortuner etc. However, I did not even bother looking at them as they would be way out of my budget. With this, I was very disappointed.

Force Gurkha was not on my mind until I stumbled upon @trojan's review of his Force Gurkha and it impressed me! A big shoutout to @trojan.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...-2-6l-4x4.html

I started reading about the Force Gurkha. There were a lot of rants about its negativities mostly around after sales service. However, I always felt that Force Gurkha did fit all my requirements. I am a fan of Force vehicles for their engines as I used see plenty of them throughout my growing days in the northern part of Karnataka. The drivers always vouched for the reliability. Only concern was the service network. For me, that was not a problem as I have one service center within 4 kms from my home. So, the decision was made and I started searching for a used Gurkha. No surprises here. There was only 1 available in Bangalore! a 2016 model that had run 72k kms. I kept an eye on it as I wanted to check some more samples before taking the plunge. However, I could not find any during the lockdown in 2021.

Buying experience
The day lockdown 2.0 was lifted, I went into to check the vehicle with Classic Automotives, Mekhri Circle, Bangalore. I was blown away! Took two test drives, successfully engaged 4wd equipment, negotiated the price from 6.45 Lakhs down to 6.05 Lakhs and closed the deal. The General Manager Mr Srinivas is a very humble gentleman. He made sure I had a pleasant experience as a customer.

So, presenting you - The Force Gurkha Explorer 4x4 3 door!

[karthikd21]

Experiencing the Truck

Likes
- Street presence. In my owning period of 2 months, I have a had number of people come and enquire about the vehicle and express how much they love the way it looks
- Towering seating position. Visibility of road and surroundings is superb
- Lockable glove box
- Comfortable driver's and Passenger's seats
- Wonderful AC with effective cooling
- Loads of torque. I can drive in 3rd gear all the time in the city and can go up the slopes in 2nd without accelerator inputs
- Go anywhere capability. 4x4 works like a charm!
- Humongous 210 mm ground clearance
- Unlimited options to modify

Dislikes
- Spartan interiors even in the 2016 model
- Touch and feel of plastic is not even satisfactory. Maybe at par with Public transport buses.
- Very limited storage options in the cabin. Not even a bottle holder for the driver.
- No Audio system provided by OEM
- No ABS, Airbags even in the 2016 model
- Build quality is satisfactory at best
- Poor fuel efficiency
- very limited service network

The engine
Its a Mercedes derived 2596 cc Engine capable of producing 80.9 BHP @3200 RPM with 230 nm of torque @1800 rpm. Start the engine and it very quickly comes to life and settles down at an rpm of ~1500. With the torque rating of 230 nm @1800 rpm, there is loads of torque available at low RPMs. Inside the city with moderate traffic one can easily keep running without engine stalling in even in 4th or 5th gear. Bumper to Bumper traffic can be managed in the 2nd gear with a breeze. 1st gear is only needed to be engaged once in the drive time. This is the plus point of Gurkha.

This is not a free revving engine. After engaging each Gear from 1 to 5, engine is fine till around 2400 RPM and starts feeling strained anything beyond that. This engine is best driven between 1800-2200 RPM. On the highways, speeds of 90-100 kmph could be achieved in the 5th gear at ~2200 RPM and the engine can keep running all day long at these speeds without breaking a sweat. From a comparison stand point, even with power rating at 80.9 BHP, I felt the engine is not as peppy as my 2014 Bolero(2523 CC 63 BHP M2DiCR engine). Its probably the weight of the Gurkha which is causing this. For reference, Gurkha's weight is ~2500 Kgs and Bolero's weight is ~1600 Kgs.

Fuel Efficiency
I don't use the Gurkha inside Bangalore city.
- On good National Highways, it delivers 10 KMPL consistently.
- On mix of highways, no roads, light off-roading - it delivers ~9.5 KMPL

Above mileage is achieved with 100% AC and maintaining speeds between 90-100 KMPH. With Gurkha mostly being used for long drives, I might go for a RD diesel tuning box for better fuel efficiency although I am not bothered much with the power increase.

My impressions as a driver
This is one vehicle which is not for people who need modern day features. Visibly, the dashboard is from the stone age, no modern elements like AT, Cruise Control, Steering Wheel mounted control which usually provide a pleasurable driving experience. In addition to this, other than the driver's seat, nothing else is ergonomic. Steering wheel, Gear lever Positioning etc. So, I am not going to talk about any of the missing moderns elements, but will add info on my experience of living with what is available.

Ingress/Egress for the Driver
Driver side door opens wide and stops 90 Degrees to the vehicle. One has to be careful and be watchful for other motorists. Wide opening however, makes it very easy for Ingress/Egress.



Driver seat
Cushioning is good. Backrest is adjustable. But, no Lumbar adjustment. Its not difficult to find the perfect driving position. Under thigh support is a bit lacking. But, not as bad as the Bolero. Bolero did not have any kind of under thigh support. So, I have got a custom Cushion made to increase the under thigh support and its working very well.



Gear Lever and Engaging the Gears
Slotting the gears is not easy and I mean no where near to any modern car. In Comparison, gear shifts were a breeze in my 2014 model Bolero. In addition the gear lever is placed a bit too distant from the driver. When the first/reverse gears are engaged, its almost touching the passenger seat. After few days of driving, I feel its fine. Reference image below:



Clutch is a bit spongy but the throw is not long. Definitely better than my 2014 Bolero but nowhere comparable to my 2009 Verna CRDi. If I engage the clutch of the Verna immediately after a long drive with Gurkha, I felt like it was butter smooth to operate. For reference, I used to complain to my Hyundai SA that the clutch on my Verna has become hard before purchasing Gurkha! However, after driving close to 500 kms in mostly western ghats in a single day, there was no pain in the legs. This might also be because of the fact that there is ample of amount space to comfortably rest the driver's left feet. In general the Driver's compartment is roomier than the 2014 Bolero/2009 Verna. Although there is no dead pedal provided, there is a platform on which all the levers are placed. This helps the driver to rest his left foot comfortably.



Steering Wheel
As seen in the previous mage, steering wheel is B-I-G and the positioning is more truck like and almost perpendicular to the driver seat. Not adjustable in any manner. Yes, it was difficult and did feel weird at the beginning. But, after driving for more than 1000 kms, I believe I am now loving it.

Visibility
The Visibility from the driver seat is excellent and makes it very comfortable to drive



Using the 4x4
This is where the Gurkha shines. I have done 2 trips till date.
1. Involving a muddy, slushy uphill terrain - I had to engage 4L to get me to the top of the hill. On 4L without any accelerator input, the vehicle climbed like a champ
2. 30-40 Kms of no road, rocky, muddy terrain - I was mostly on 4H and it was a breeze with loads on traction
I have not yet had a chance to engage Diff Lockers. But, I am super impressed with the capability and felt every penny spent as worth! I will update this thread more as and when I gain more experience with this.

Mods
Coming to the Mods. Remember, one of my requirements was that of forward facing 5 seats with seal belts for all passengers? When I bought the car 2 months ago, it had side facing row seats on both sides and I got the modification done to make it meet my requirements .

Interior Picture with the Modified forward facing rear seats with 3 point seat belts for all the 3 passengers



Boot space





Boot Space when the seats are folded. They fold around 80% flat. I have added flexibility of 65x35 so that the 35% can be folded to carry my Bicycle after removing its front wheel.









In Summary, Gurkha is not a vehicle which would be likeable by most of the people. It is a heart over head decision if anyone buys it. But, the ones who own one and have made peace to live with its negativities can experience the joys the vehicle provides.

More pictures for your viewing pleasure.































Parting shot of My steeds. They are usually parked inside the compound. Today, they were out on a photoshoot.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Reviews section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[chaksjr]

A 3 door Gurkha reminds me so much of the Defender which was sold during the 90s and early 2000s. It pretty much looked the same and loving it was as hard as it must be loving the Gurkha in these times.
Always lovely to read an ownership thread where the heart has won over the head. Wishing you many more miles with your steed!

[AirWind]

Originally Posted by karthikd21

Buying experience
The day lockdown 2.0 was lifted, I went into to check the vehicle with Classic Automotives, Mekhri Circle, Bangalore. I was blown away! Took two test drives, successfully engaged 4wd equipment, negotiated the price from 6.45 Lakhs down to 6.05 Lakhs and closed the deal. The General Manager Mr Srinivas is a very humble gentleman. He made sure I had a pleasant experience as a customer.

Congrats to the proud owner of the "Himalaya"... at 6L it is a decent price for a car that Classic Auto was asking almost 9L at one point in time.

Wish you many more miles of happy motoring!

[rkw]

Originally Posted by karthikd21

My Pre-worshipped 2016 Force Gurkha Explorer 4x4 3 door

So, presenting you - The Force Gurkha Explorer 4x4 3 door!

Congratulations on your new possession! Looks really well maintained & in shape. True off-roader. With that air intake snorkel & high ground clearance, you can say.... road, no road, mountains, land, water.... who cares? Did you get it from the used car division of the dealer?

[joybhowmik]

Congratulations on your purchase.
You've made the right decision though this platform is somewhat unpopular amongst the masses.
The front-facing middle row is mandatory - especially for a car that has to go anywhere - the last thing you want is for motion sickness to make the offroading less enjoyable.

Are you planning to upgrade your ICE? I noticed a single DIN system - but perhaps on very long drives you may want an Android Auto/Apple Car Play system that provides realtime navigation/traffic inputs as well as music?

Are you considering fitting TPMS on your wheels?

[VigWheels]

@karthikd21, nice article about this formidable beast of a vehicle. Once makes peace with it's shortcomings, one can really reap the benefits of it's unique offerings.

It's on my future wishlist too, in the 5 door avatar.. as then the 2nd row of seats will be more accessible. But I'm not sure if it will be readily available when I actively start looking to buy.

Hence, Karthikd21, I had a query please, after putting in place the much-needed front facing 2nd row of seats, how do you manage ingress/egress to that 2nd row? Is it from the front doors, or from the rear or boot?

And is the easy access enough for an average adult? Or does it involve some amount of acrobatics so only kids find it simple?

[superchamp]

Congrats on your purchase. Its a good deal I think because it was listed at a higher price earlier.
This is also something I have been having in my plans to purchase some day. Waiting for the BS6 version to roll out.
How is the highway ride and comfort? Is it comfortable for a family over long drives.

[Horizon85]

Hi Karthikd21,

Congratulations on getting your Gurkha, that too at a reasonable price in Bangalore. I was just thinking from your initial list, you did not consider the Tata Sumo 4x4. I am not a 4x4 expert at all. So just curious to know any specific reasons to skip that car?

[BlackPearl]

Congratulations karthikd21! The Gurkha is one hell of a vehicle and you seem to have found one in mint condition. Wish you many happy miles on and off the road with it!

Originally Posted by karthikd21

In Summary, Gurkha is not a vehicle which would be likeable by most of the people. It is a heart over head decision if anyone buys it. But, the ones who own one and have made peace to live with its negativities can experience the joys the vehicle provides.

Perfect summary. I have a Bolero 4WD and a Thar back in India and recently got a 2014 Defender and I have the same feeling about them. People don't like them due to their shortcomings especially in the modern world, but I absolutely love them. I wish I can get hold of a Gurkha someday as well.

[CarNerd]

Some days ago, I read about Sherp ATVs and was thoroughly impressed. I guess Force Gurkha is an Indian version of Sherp When I think of road rage and people who drive carelessly, I think of buying a Force Gurkha and modifying it like a Batmobile and driving like a vigilante

[karthikd21]

Originally Posted by chaksjr

A 3 door Gurkha reminds me so much of the Defender which was sold during the 90s and early 2000s.

Always lovely to read an ownership thread where the heart has won over the head. Wishing you many more miles with your steed!

Thanks so much! For me, nothing beats the look of the legacy Defenders! I am planning several mods in the future to make the Gurkha look more like the defenders and their overlanding mods.

Originally Posted by AirWind

Congrats to the proud owner of the "Himalaya"... at 6L it is a decent price for a car that Classic Auto was asking almost 9L at one point in time.

Wow, I did not know they had quoted 9L. I got the Himalaya stickers removed. There were so many of them that in the beginning, I thought Gukha had a model by name "Himalaya" and tried to find more details. But, later realized, its a sticker job!

Originally Posted by rkw

Did you get it from the used car division of the dealer?

Yes, from Classic Automotives, Mekhri Circle.

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

The front-facing middle row is mandatory - especially for a car that has to go anywhere - the last thing you want is for motion sickness to make the offroading less enjoyable.

Are you planning to upgrade your ICE? I noticed a single DIN system - but perhaps on very long drives you may want an Android Auto/Apple Car Play system that provides realtime navigation/traffic inputs as well as music?

Are you considering fitting TPMS on your wheels?

In fact we went on a test drive to the hills to see if row seats makes sense for kids. If it would have been ok, I was planning to get 5 point seat belts for kids. But, Kids did not like it and had severe back ache. So, I had to change the configuration.

I am not very particular about Android auto/Apple car play. For now, google maps with offline maps is serving well.

TPMS - not right now. Maybe in the future. Right now, I am planning to get a 2 Ton Hydraulic Jack, Air Inflator(received one already) and some recovery equipments.

Originally Posted by VigWheels

after putting in place the much-needed front facing 2nd row of seats, how do you manage ingress/egress to that 2nd row? Is it from the front doors, or from the rear or boot?

And is the easy access enough for an average adult? Or does it involve some amount of acrobatics so only kids find it simple?

Ingress to the rear passengers is by folding the front passenger seat. Yesterday, I met a new Thar owner and he felt its much better and easier than the Thar. I have not seen many so called 7 seaters provide as much wide opening as the Gurkh's front passenger seat. My kids and my Mom(age 62) dont find it a problem at all.

Image for reference here.

Originally Posted by superchamp

How is the highway ride and comfort? Is it comfortable for a family over long drives.

Highway ride and comfort is acceptable. I have done about 1500 Kms now and we have no complaints. Kids are able to sleep in peace.



As I mentioned on my review above, this is best driven between 90-100 Kmph. Anything beyond it, there is engine noise. But, sweet spot is between 80-90 Kmph.

Originally Posted by Horizon85

you did not consider the Tata Sumo 4x4. I am not a 4x4 expert at all. So just curious to know any specific reasons to skip that car?

That model was existing a long time ago and I wanted a newer car so that I need not worry about NGT bans etc for at least 10 years

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

I have a Bolero 4WD and a Thar back in India and recently got a 2014 Defender and I have the same feeling about them.

I have followed your threads and they are impressive. You have been one of the influencers for my growing interest in Off-roading

Originally Posted by CarNerd

modifying it like a Batmobile and driving like a vigilante

Haha. As a matter of fact, the Gurkha teaches the exact opposite. Being Patient! Its like the Elephant in the jungle that keeps to itself and doesn't care what other miniature creatures do around it. I find it very calming to drive the Gurkha than driving my Verna where it begs to be driven hard resulting in stress on a crowded highway on the weekends.

[Yieldway17]

Nice review. If they add front airbags, it will likely attract more buyers. Other things can be easily modified or customized based on need.

[H0RSEPOWER]

Really nice review of a unique car! Hope you would munch lots of happy miles in it.