Force Motors started selling the Gurkha in non-metro cities late last year. The company has been testing a BS4 compliant model to be able to sell the vehicle in major cities.
Force Motors released the current Gurkha in the year 2013. But, after receiving a lot of negative feedback from the ones who tested the car, it held back from launching the vehicle. The company worked on the vehicle for more than a year to make it more suitable for the market and tried to incorporate the suggestions given by media and other Gurkha owners. This helped it iron out most of the issues and the capable off-roader was launched in late 2014. However, since the car wasn’t BS4 compliant, it couldn’t be sold in big cities where BS4 standards have been implemented.
Now, in order to increase the market of the Gurkha, the company is testing a BS4 compliant model of the same. Our reader Amit S Takalkar recently spotted two vehicles being tested on the outskirts of Mumbai showing that the company is indeed serious about the major cities. The vehicles on test were the fully loaded 4×4 variant which is what the SUV is known for. At the price point it sells, nothing comes close to it in sheer off-roading capabilities due to the hardware available. With looks inspired from the legendary Mercedes G-Wagen, the vehicle looks the part too. The launch of the car would give tough competition to the Mahindra Thar which currently has no competition in many parts of India.
The Force Gurkha comes with 2.6-litre turbo-diesel engine which has been sourced from Mercedes and it produces 81 BHP of power and 230 Nm of torque. While the power figure doesn’t look too good, it is the high torque figure which matters more in the terrain it is meant for. Front and rear differential, snorkel kit and a transfer case make it an extremely capable off-roader. Ground clearance of 210mm and 16 inch alloy wheels add to the look and practicality. Available with a hard top as well as a soft top, the Gurkha 4×4 should sell in decent numbers if launched at a good price. A launch date hasn’t been announced but we expect the Gurkha BS4 to debut within this year.
