DESI G

The all-new Force Gurkha retains its hardcoreness and benefits from major updates

- Rivan RS

There’s something to be said when even the most hardcore of vehicles becomes more urbane. A prime example of this is the second-generation Force Gurkha. While Force Motors says the new Gurkha is underpinned by an all-new ladder-frame chassis and gets a re-worked suspension setup, a new body, and modern amenities, just one look at the new model says that Force has done quite a bit to bring the utilitarian Gurkha to the modern age, while retaining the rugged ‘G Wagen for the masses’ kind of image.

There’s a sophistication to the design, especially seen in bits like the Gurkha name mounted prominently on the grille, the traditional round headlights with DRLs (reminiscent of Iron Man’s arc reactor from the first MCU movie), the protruding front bumper, singlepane rear windows, and the neatly integrated footboard. When viewed from the side, the lightly curved bonnet and the new 16-inch alloys wrapped in 245/70 R16 tyres add a degree of sportiness to the stance, not to mention the snorkel for water wading; the new Gurkha is capable of going through 700 mm of water.

Another welcome change is the placement of the rear light units. They’ve moved from the bumper and are now placed vertically on either side of the tailgate on which the spare tyre is mounted. One other eye-catching detail is the tasteful stylised kukri stenciled on the ORVM covers, even if the 4x4x4 badge is a bit confusing. Still, there’s no mistaking this for anything other than a Gurkha and kudos to Force Motors for managing to maintain such obvious links to its predecessor while coming up with this cleaner and more modern design.