2021 Force Gurkha First Drive Review

Some cars are like urban legends. They are much talked about but no one has ever seen them for real. Force Gurkha is one such capable off-roader which we never saw on the roads, ever! But at the 2020 Auto Expo, the orange brute at Force stand grabbed some serious attention for its comprehensive update. These updates in the new-gen Gurkha transform its on-road dynamics, making it a lifestyle SUV that will be equally at home scaling a mountain as it will be while climbing an office parking ramp. Gone are its utilitarian roots which are replaced with higher levels of safety, refinement, and livability.

It still can conquer tough terrains, wade rivers, crawl rocks, and trudge through slush without breaking a sweat. Retaining this very 4x4 charm, the update to the new-gen Gurkha still has a scope of ironing out a few crumples here and slight creases there. But we hope to see the new Gurkha more often on the streets as it’s now very much capable of taking you to work on weekdays and across the wilderness on weekends.

One of the aspects that should have been improved with the newer chassis and enhanced body shell is ride quality. It’s a ladder-on-frame SUV and so the ride is expectedly well-absorbent. But it’s jittery too and spending long hours on broken road surfaces would send the passengers in dizzy. On smoother surfaces, the ride is improved significantly and cross-country travel over well-paved tarmac should be fun in the new Gurkha. Moreover, there’s no need to slow down over the occasional crevasse, broken patches, and large potholes. On the flipside, suddenly chucking the Gurkha is unnerving.

There’s loads of body roll and at higher speeds, the tyres would also lose grip unsettling the 4x4 even more. Under heaving braking, there’s nose dip too. And even the side-to-side and up-and-down movements at higher speeds are considerably high – a trade-off for 4x4 capability and it certainly is liveable.

As for the steering, there’s a huge dead-zone off-centre. Past that, the steering is heavy and there’s little feedback from the tyres – especially driving on the roads. Quick three-point turns in the Gurkha could be considered an extreme sport and would be a favourite amongst gym buffs. Thankfully, the claimed turning radius is just 5.65m. But, as mentioned earlier, the steering plays a vital role when off-roading in extreme conditions and there’s nothing we’d change in the Gurkha’s steering except that it was less vague for on-road driving. Lastly, the brake feel could be improved as it felt vague at times with unnecessarily long travel before the real action happens. But it can stop the relatively heavy Gurkha with confidence.

Taking a look at the older Gurkha and climbing in the new one, one could notice the improvements inculcated with the new generation. First-up, the quality of plastic used all-around has seen some improvement, albeit it is still more on a rugged side compared to your modern-day pseudo SUVs. A welcome addition is a seven-inch touchscreen sourced from Kenwood. And instead of the opposite facing bench, the new Gurkha is a four-seater with individual bucket/captain seats.

Out goes the sliding window for the rear passengers and in its place is a single-piece glass pane on either side. Interestingly, accessibility for the rear two passengers is through the rear door only by walking between the two seats. It’s not graceful, but works.

The practicality of the newer cabin is up too. Apart from two cup holders, the centre console and dashboard have a few nooks and recesses to store your knick-knacks. The door pad has space for stowing few papers too. The air-con controls are easy to reach. The inclusion of a 12-volt supply and USB ports make the Gurkha slightly more modern. The steering wheel is large and simple with no gimmicks. Behind it, there’s an old-school analogue dial with a small digital screen reading out bare minimum details. Another new and modern addition is a TPMS reader sitting atop the right-most corner of the dashboard.

We liked the new screen’s touch response and speed, but its interface leaves much to be desired. On the upside, it has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity with the four speakers not sounding half as bad either.

The upright dashboard lends a commanding view all around. Even the massive rear glass helps with the visibility all around the vehicle, especially on an off-road trail. We liked the improvement in the seats over the previous generation. It’s got cloth upholstery which should be easy to clean after off-road expeditions. All four seats offer good support. But the driver’s seat is not adjustable for height and the rear seats don’t get a fore-and-aft adjustment, just the recline. So, the legroom and headroom for rear passengers are fixed, which is decent for my frame (I am 5’5). Spending long hours in any of the four seats should be comfortable too.

But the hard roofline is a reason to complain. While getting off the seat suddenly, smacking head on the roof will surely hurt. And the rear passengers have to make do with lap belts. The armrest for the rear two seats is straight out of a Force bus seat. There’s ample space behind the second set of seats, and you can also opt for a roof-mounted carrier with a dedicated jerry can. Overlanding is one of the important aspects of the Gurkha’s personality after all.

Compared to the utilitarian previous-gen, the new 2021 Gurkha has a decently long feature list. It includes new circular LED headlamps with integrated LED DRLs, a grille with the Gurkha lettering, front fender-mounted turn indicators, a snorkel, cornering fog lights, and new vertically-positioned tail lights. The rear door-mounted spare wheel and a rear tow-hook is a nice touch while there are loads of customisation and personalisation potential in the new Gurkha.

Some accessories offered include new 16-inch steel wheels, a roof rack, bull bar on the windscreen, jerry can, rear-mounted ladder, and five flashy colours – red, green, white, orange, and grey. Safety features include dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, TPMS, a speed alert system, seat-belt reminder, and a speed-sensing auto door lock function.

The new Force Gurkha has indeed come a long way. It’s not one dimensional anymore. This means the new Gurkha is now capable of taking you to work through the week, while also carrying your friends and family to picnic on a mountain top, in the jungle, or beside a far lakeside on the weekends. With an increase in demand for vehicles with intense off-road credibility, buyers looking for a 4x4 with all the essential hardware but not so eager on spending a bomb for Defender or Wrangler now have one more option to look at.

But Force Motors first needs to get the pricing right for the updated Gurkha to get people talking. They need to introduce an exciting introductory price (perhaps undercut Thar’s pricing first) to create a buzz. Then back it up with proper sales and aftersales network to keep the momentum rolling.

Its only nemesis, the Mahindra Thar, still has better on-road dynamics, a more versatile line-up, and better sales/aftersales service. But the Gurkha’s ace-up-the-sleeve to attract the off-road aficionados remains in its off-road dexterity, old-school mechanical approach, and a gazillion choice in personalisation.

Pictures by Kapil Angane