Force Gurkha Review: Kukri, And Not A Swiss Knife

The Force Gurkha has long been pegged as one of the best off-roaders in India. However, its popularity has remained limited to the off-roading community. Force wants that to change with the 5-door. 

With hardcore SUVs gaining popularity among the masses, Force wanted regular buyers to take into consideration - what is among the most capable off-roaders in India - the Gurkha. And in order for this to happen, the Gurkha has been given a few new features, two more doors and seating space for 7 occupants. Does that mean the dedicated hunting knife is now a multipoint tool?

Looks

The Gurkha is massive. It dominates the road with its size so much that even the Mahindra Thar drivers have to look up to see the Gurkha, and most hatchbacks only come up to its window line. It's taller than the Land Cruiser, Range Rover, Defender and even the G Wagen! This time around, the all-terrain tyres are wrapped in 18-inch alloys and not 16-inch ones, which helps the SUV look a lot better proportioned than before. 

Once you get over its size, the old-school SUV charm is evident in the design. The round LED headlamps, top-mounted indicators and the snorkel are all old-school basics and the accessories like the ladder and the roof-rack complete the rugged look. Special mention to the G-Wagen-inspired door handles which have a lever inside them to open and don't move out or up like conventional handles.

It's very easy for the Gurkha to dominate the road and win your heart from the way it looks. However, the moment you open the door, the attraction starts to fade. 

Interiors

The interiors are still from the Trax and Toofan taxi, with a few added bits. They feel dated and out of place for any modern passenger car. Yes, they can be called rugged and off-road focused but that would be justifying what is easily parts scavenging from other commercial vehicles on Force’s end. The steering, especially, with its size and finish, feels completely out of place for a passenger car and suits a truck / traveller more. Moreover, because of its size, it interferes with the legs of the driver. Especially for taller drivers, while the Gurkha might seem like a spacious cabin, the seating position makes it challenging. Other bits like the AC vents and the lever to adjust the armrests have sharp edges and feel unfinished. These interiors are definitely the most dated ones on sale currently in India. 

The silver lining is the seating position. You sit tall, very tall! This offers a very commanding view of the surroundings and makes you feel like the king of the road, you're still in a cabin fit only for the king’s least needed help. The armrest is fully adjustable and does add a layer of comfort to the seat, which in itself is well cushioned. Just don't expect it to sit comfortable on long journeys as the driving position is still a bit awkward with limited adjustability of the steering, the large wheel and tall seating. 

In an effort to make the cabin feel more premium, Force has added a digital instrument cluster and a new 9-inch touchscreen. Out of these, the digital instrument cluster is the one which is the highlight. It's clear, information is well laid out and the TPMS is always on on the door ajar diagram. It has no customizability apart from changing the trips and a small colour change when you change the drive mode. 

The touchscreen, on the other hand, is an aftermarket tablet running Android OS. It supports Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and phone mirroring via a third party app. The two speakers of the 2-speaker sound system are placed in the third row so sound quality is out of question and the overall experience is quite disappointing. The screen also shows no off-road information like gradients, drive mode or pitch and yaw angles. 

The criticisms here may seem strong but it’s because the Gurkha is now looking to evolve for an urban audience and when you are adding new features, they should, at the very least, match rivals in terms of experience, if not push the envelope. Other features include a manual AC, manual day/night IRVM, electronically adjustable ORVMs, all-four power windows and one-touch up/down window for the driver. 

The cabin practicality, however, is well managed. The large centre console has a small storage area for keys, a larger storage box for wallets and other items, a dedicated cellphone slit and 2 cup/bottle holders. The glove box is also well shaped and the door pockets can accommodate cleaning cloths and paperwork. You get 2 USB chargers and a 12V socket in the front and 2 USB chargers at the end of the centre console for the rear seat passengers. 

Rear Seats

The most important aspect of the Gurkha 5-door has to be the middle row of seats. These are the ones which are supposed to make the Gurkha more practical, usable and adaptable by the family. While the addition of more doors is welcome, the seat itself is quite disappointing. Despite the XXXL headroom, the seats are placed low to the ground which means even average height adults (5’8”) sit in a knees-up position. And because Force decided to add to seats in the third row as well, this middle row now compromises on knee room and recline angle of the backrest. As a result, the seats are not comfortable. They can be used for small city journeys easily, but it feels like the purpose of a 2nd row of seats in a 5-door car hasn't been truly achieved.

You do get a middle armrest with cupholders which adds a bit to the comfort along with dedicated power window switches which aid convenience. The view out of the windows is excellent and with the massive headroom, the seats feel quite airy and open. Plus, Force has added recirculation vents on the roof for better cooling of the second and third row and they work well. However, their quality is again quite disappointing, with creeks and sounds, and even the colour is a complete mismatch with its housing and the rest of the car. 

3rd Row

The captain seats which made up the 2nd row of the 3-door Gurkha now make up the 3rd row of the 5-door Gurkha. They are very comfortable, well cushioned and have better space than the 2nd row.  However, if you have luggage, then getting in and out of the third row seats will include fitness training as you will have to manoeuvre over the luggage. 

Boot Space

The Gurkha gets no traditional boot space. The rear seats, both in the 3-door and the 5-door, take up the conventional boot space. Luggages has to be kept around these seats. However, the said luggage will hinder the movement of passengers from the said seats. The only other option is to have the seats permanently removed or load the luggage on the carrier.

Drive Experience

The Gurkha has gone back to its 2.6-litre diesel engine that now makes 140PS and 320Nm. And while Force claims that they have worked quite a bit on reducing noise and vibrations, they are still quite evidently there. The Gurkha makes most of its torque at the lower RPMs and that aids its drivability. Add a light clutch and a smooth-shifting gearbox, and the Gurkha feels easy to drive in traffic. However, the outright performance takes a back seat. The 5-door will easily take over 20 seconds to get to 100kmph and that limits its highway usage. The 3-door, with its lower weight, feels peppier to drive. 

Handling

Force has worked on making the Gurkha a lot more stable by revising the suspension setup and adding much larger 18-inch wheels – and this has worked. The 5-door has considerably less body roll than the older 3-door. While turning and even while changing lanes on the highway, the Gurkha no longer scares you and lets you feel in command. The 3-door has more roll still due to a softer suspension setup, but that too is far better controlled than before. 

Comfort

The Gurkha, despite being a hardcore go anywhere vehicle, has very civil manners on broken roads. It still is a very comfortable SUV and absorbs bad roads, potholes and speed breakers well. The new suspension tune means that the rear does kick a bit in rebound, which will make it uncomfortable for 3rd row passengers, but the driver and passenger remain well cushioned. The 3-door is more comfortable than the 5-door Gurkha and offers better bump absorption . 

Verdict

Let's start with the prices. The 5-door will cost you Rs 18 lakh and the 3-door will now cost you Rs 16.75 lakh (both introductory and ex-showroom). Currently, and especially at these prices, the Gurkhas are far from being family SUVs. Even the 5-door is a hard core off-roader with an added dose of practicality. The disappointing aspect is that it has a lot of potential to become a family-acceptable SUV with minor improvements like better seats, better cabin and ergonomics, but Force has not managed to reach there yet.

If you are looking for a weekend lifestyle vehicle that you can take the family around in when the urban SUV is parked, the Gurkha will still ask for a lot of compromises. However, if you were looking to buy a hard core off-road monster, the 5-door Gurkha has made the package more approachable, versatile and practical.