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Force Gurkha drive impressions from a Ford Endeavour owner

The Force Gurkha offers a surprisingly high driving position, even for someone who drives a Ford Endeavour.

BHPian Manuuj recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I've already posted my initial impressions about its features and looks so I will not touch upon them now

Let's talk about the drive. Once you climb inside the first impression is about how high on the ground you are. I drive a Ford Endeavour and was still surprised by the position. It's a very clear view all around with no blind spots.

The door shut with a thud rather than a clang. Upon starting there were a slight shudder and muffled hum from the engine.

First gear was engaged very easily and one took off surprisingly smoothly. It's a short gear and required a quick change to 2nd as I got on the road. This gear takes us to 30 km/h and one quickly changes to 3rd and then 4th.

Gear changes were very smooth and the clutch was light.

I was mostly in traffic for the first ten minutes and stayed in 2nd and 3rd gear moving quite effortlessly.

Then I came to a Jam where I needed to make a right turn and the Gurkha muscled its way through the stubborn traffic.

Visibility was really good all around and even though it was my first time driving it I felt very comfortable squeezing it through traffic.

Once the Jam was negotiated I accelerated onto the highway and was slightly underwhelmed.

There isn't much boost or that feeling of being pushed back into the seat.

But then I reasoned that I had just got off the Endeavour which is 200 bhp and into a 90 bhp machine.

Speed was picked up in a linear manner and very soon by going through the smooth gears I was at 80 km/h and felt that in 5th I could take it to 100 and cruise all day. Speed cameras on the stretch necessitated me slowing down to 60 and driving in 4th.

I saw an uneven broken section on the side of the road and drove through it in 2nd gear at about 20-30 km/h without getting thrown around.

When I got back to the dealership I got of from the main road onto the area outside the dealership from a part that had a 6-inch drop-off and not the main ramp that led to the gate.

The extra bash plate underside for the transmission scraped here which I expected since I've already said it placed too low.

Will have to change it soon after getting my Gurkha.

I was quite pleased with the NVH and AC.

The seats were very comfortable and the Gurkha felt easy to drive. At one point I changed from 3rd to 4th gear with one finger.

Brakes were normal and did not feel mushy.

Around town, this will not be any trouble to drive at all. I have not driven a Manual since April 2019 and felt very comfortable driving this.

Offroad in extreme conditions and badly broken roads this car will rock.

On Highways, it will be a leisurely cruiser. Slot it into 5th and cruise along at 90-100 km/h in the centre lane all day long if one likes.

Booking will be done in the next couple of days.

Cold Starting Kit is not available for the 2021 Gurkha. It cannot even be retrofitted.

The vehicle comes with Glow Plugs which will aid in cold starting down to temperatures of -10C°.

For temperatures lower than that the owner must take adequate precautions like good quality fuel and antifreeze like with all other vehicles.

There was a new Gurkha ready for delivery at the showroom also. It had been fitted with a rear camera by the dealership prior to delivery.

Uploading these since one can never have enough pics of our Indian G.

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