New Force Gurkha Spotted in Near-Production Guise

One year ago, the new-gen Force Gurkha made its first appearance at the 2020 Auto Expo. After that, the new off-road vehicle has been spied on a few occasions. However, Force has yet made any statement regarding the launch of the Force Gurkha. Recently, Force Gurkha was spotted again, this time, under the near-production form. These new images of the Gurkha have revealed some important updates that were not seen on the model displayed at the 2020 Auto Expo.

Exteriorly, the Force Gurkha remains the identical design of the showcased version. It features the same rugged and offroad-ready design with roundish headlights, bulky bumper slatted grille, pronounced wheel arches, boxy silhouette and upright stance. The butch appeal is accentuated by other styling elements like heavy body cladding, 16-inch tyres with chrome-garnished alloys. Other accessories like roof rake, snorkels, and windshield light bar enhance the tough image of the SUV as well as improve the offroad capability of the car.

On the inside, we can pinpoint some notable updates compared to the version showcased at the Auto Expo last year. For example, Force has added some accents to the dashboard by inserting gloss black trim around the AC vents. Instead of the black-brown interior colour scheme, the production version gets an all-black cabin. The touchscreen of this model is an aftermarket unit. The offroad SUV offers two captain seats for the second row and jump seats for the third row.

In terms of features, it offers some basic features, including a front power window, remote locking, and multi-info display. As for the safety, the Gurkha comes with standard goodies like dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, and rear parking sensor. Air conditioning is available but with manual operation. Overall, the Force Gurkha still retains the utilitarian design of the previous-gen model with minimal features and functions. On the contrary, Force Gurkha’s biggest rival, Mahindra Thar has made huge progress in this regard with its latest generation updates.

About the powertrain, the Force Gurkha will derive power from the 2.6-litre diesel engine which generates a top power of 90 BHP and a maximum torque of 260 Nm. This engine will be mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox with low-range transfer case. Moreover, the Gurkha will be offered with manual-locking front and rear differential which is missing on the outgoing Thar. Apart from this engine, Force is likely to include another 2.2-litre diesel engine with 140 BHP/321 Nm at a later stage.

The previous version of the Force Gurkha was available from Rs 9.75 lakh (ex-showroom). After receiving the update, Gurkha is expected to get a price hike. Recently, Force Gurkha is absent in the market and the only off-roader option is the Mahindra Thar. However, it is expected that the competition within this space will get more intense with the launch of the new Force Gurkha as well as the Maruti Jimny.