Force Gurkha: One Month Of Ownership Review

[mps.khatraw]

FORCE GURKHA

​

A – ONE MONTH OF OWNERSHIP

Hello friends, this is my first ownership thread and I request group members to kindly ignore any mistakes that I may have committed in writing the review and your guidance will be highly appreciated by myself.

Hi, I am from Shimla

And I have just completed one month of ownership of “Force – Gurkha HT” which I endearingly call “Iron-Horse” yesterday.

Have driven it for around 2000 kms during the first month of ownership and the oddo now reads at about 3200 kms.

Well the journey with Ironhorse during this short span of time has been quite varied with extreme feelings cropping in randomly through out this time. However, off late, the iron horse is giving in slowly to the reins and has settled in to a reasonable extent, where one can proudly ride it anywhere.

A picture to begin with




Buying Decision

I am working in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh and have to visit interior areas regularly and extremes like Kinnaur/ Lahaul & Spiti occasionally (once a year or so). So, my vehicle used to be subjected to bad roads and I wanted a vehicle like that only.

However, I was owning a 2011 Verna Fluidic CRDI, a very good vehicle which in my opinion comes with the best diesel engine both in terms of power and efficiency. People complained about its limited handling abilities, rightly so in their own domain, but I took the same as a blessing in disguise, as I found it good enough till the speeds of 100-110 KMPH or so and beyond which I believe that one should not venture on Indian roads. I purchased the vehicle when I was working in plains before shifting to the hills. Here, the biggest issue was the limited ground clearance of the vehicle and the front overhang which will not only smell but also touch everything which came on its way.

So, basically, I was looking for a tough vehicle with good ground clearance that can sustain hardships which the terrain would offer and my budget after stretching to maximum was Rs. 10 lakhs at max. Few contenders which I had shortlisted for my requirement were pre-owned Pajero SFX, Bolero LX 4x4, Mahindra Thar and lastly Force Gurkha.

A pre-owned Pajero SFX
I was fascinated by Pajero SFX for long, as the vehicle has decent off & on –road capabilities coupled with Japanese reliability (biggest plus) and continued to search for a decent pre-owned vehicle. However, among the Pajeros I tested those within budget were badly maintained and decent ones were way overpriced, way beyond my budget. I think during the last couple of years, prices of pre-owned Pajeros have appreciated rather than coming down. Also, the short gearing also dissuaded me from going for one.

Bolero LX 4x4

Bolero is a proven and time tested vehicle for rough roads, and it seemed to be the most suitable vehicle among the other contenders for reasons such as tough vehicle for harsh terrains, cheapest among the lot and the availability of local mechanics in the interiors. However, less GC, bouncy ride courtesy leaf springs all around, lack of Air Conditioner were few negatives. The biggest negative for me, however, was the lack of commitment from the dealership about the date of delivery.

Thar CRDi

Thar stands out from the lot or any other vehicle available in the market, with its iconic JEEP looks and gem of an engine. However, I felt like that it will take a lot of efforts in customization to make it a comfortable family ride which can accommodate 4 people with luggage. Also, there were doubts about the reliability of non-OEM hard tops and the attitude of Mahindra dealers related to warranty issues. Still, I loved the vehicle for its looks and the feel it gives. Almost zeroed on it as I was also getting a good deal including free insurance and Rs. 10K cash discount, until I did a test drive of Gurkha on 27th December 2014.

Gurkha 4x4x4….

I was in Chandigarh for some personal work and happened to pass by the Force motors showroom and saw a Gurkha inside showroom. Well, the looks of the vehicle in matte black colour impressed me to the core and I decided to check it further. Earlier, I had read a lot about this vehicle on the online forums and saw its pics over there and just like the Thar reviews, left me with a feeling of mixed bag and dissuaded me to park my hard earned money in these vehicles. Gurkha reviews were a bit more extreme in comparison to the Thar ones, I must pertinently mention here.

A red soft-top and a matte black Gurkha were parked inside the showroom. Talked to the showroom representative, Mr. Avnish Sharma and asked for a test ride. We took it for a test ride, initially, the hard clutch and very hard to operate gear lever, reminded me of the first vehicle that I drove in my life, which was a Mahindra 295-B DI tractor, almost 15 years back. Among the first things, I noticed in the vehicle was “defogger” setting of AC, which I believe is the biggest plus over AC Bolero/ Thar while driving in foggy conditions of North Indian winters. We took it to an off-road track near the railway station and subjected it to various tests, well once again I would state that my requirement was not for an off-road vehicle, but any delights that come your way, should be welcomed. Tested its descent, crawl function, mud bashing and also the rear bench comfort, where my wife was sitting. I was hugely impressed by the Gurkha’s ability to take on slopes courtesy the approach and departure angles. However, coming back to Verna, I realized how hard Gurkha’s clutch was. The showroom guy continued to repeat that clutch & gearbox will be light on new vehicle.

Well, the only immediate effect of test-ride was to postpone the purchase of Mahindra Thar.

The final buying decision….

I undertook a detailed analysis among Gurkha and Thar and concluded that Gurkha suits my requirement the most and certainly suited better than Thar, my analysis was based on the following premises.

1. Engine: The bullet-proof & time tested DI engine of Gurkha beats the modern CRDE of Thar in the conditions which exist here, where one requires high amount of torque at lower RPMs to counter the steepest slopes with ease from stand still and also one can roam around at comfortable speeds without the need of gear shifts to keep a crde engine happy in its torque band, already had an experience of this from Swift and Verna, which were comparatively much lighter vehicles, thus one can enjoy the ride without being concerned about stalling of the vehicle when speed reduces over the sharp curves or the steep sudden inclines. The conditions may be totally different on plain roads or good hill roads and accordingly the choice may also differ.

2. Hard Top:

The Hard Top gives its biggest advantage over THAR, Hard Top is a must here to save oneself from the freezing cold conditions that exist in higher reaches and during winters. And also from dust which is omnipresent on all roads except for the major highways.

3. The Ride:

Gurkha offers a very good planted ride unlike Thar and offers ZERO body roll. This was a major deciding factor in going for Gurkha over Thar. Met a few friends and acquaintances who were the owners of Thar and almost all were complaining about the bumpy ride offered and especially on the back seat.

4. Other Goodies:

Gurkha is a vehicle which in stock form can take it to off-roading just with a change in stock tyres. The Differential locks, ample ground clearance which can be further improved by change of tyres, heavy tubular chasis, snorkel and the off-road enthusiasts can count or counter many more points about this vehicle also provide a reason to go for this vehicle. Even though I did not purchase the vehicle for off-road purpose, but here roads are so bad that they can be compared to off-road tracks itself. So, in these points again, it scored over Thar.

5. Calendar year:

With the change of year, Mahindra guys even refused to reveal the new price of Thar till about mid-January and there came the shocker, it was revised almost by 40 K here and here monopoly is such that they were charging increased price for existing vehicles itself, which were earlier available with cash discounts and free insurance were now coming with increased price without any benefits, so in effect there was a loss of about Rs. 80 K. Thus, suddenly Gurkha seemed a value for money proposition in comparison to Thar. The behavior of Mahindra dealership simply decimated one of their potential customer I would say.

Buying experience

After finalizing the plunge for Gurkha, contacted dealership and they assured delivery within a week of booking amount. I also applied for vehicle loan with my employer and it was soon approved. So on the day of Holi, 6th March 2015, I joined the league of Gurkha owners and was soon to discover what the vehicle would offer and what it would demand!

Reached dealership around 09:30 am as I had some other appointments later in the day. Checked it thoroughly again and again. Well the workmanship of Force motors is pathetic, being a mechanical engineer myself, I was only wondering what sort of machining they would have done inside the engine, if the apparent one was so horrible, I wondered if they knew about the honing process at all forget about the micron finish of ovality and other tolerances. But the 3 lakh km engine warranty assured me, that howsoever bad there workmanship and machining was, the engine design ought to be perfect to take care of any such flaws. The necessary tolerances must already have been accounted in the engine design.

At the time of delivery


Ownership experience : Day 1

After completing the formalities, we left the dealership by 1130 am to reach Jalandhar, which is around 125km from Chandigarh. The highway is partly four laned and partly two laned but entire stretch provided excellent tarmac with moderate traffic, considering it was a holiday. Soon, the gurkha welcomed with its first niggle, which continues even till date. The bonnet lock disengaged and it became partially open. Though the design is such that, it is a double lock mechanism, where if the primary lock fails, the secondary lock system will engage the bonnet. We checked a few mechanics/ denters on the highway, they tried with the spring, but to no-avail, confirmed it with the service centre guys and they assured that the secondary system will continue to hold bumper for good. Still, adhering to precaution, did not cross the speed of 80 KMPH after this. Earlier did a few speed-runs till about 90-95 and the vehicle felt capable of doing speeds like that for hours together.

Ownership experience: Month 1

So far, I have “successfully” completed one month of Gurkha’s ownership during which I have completed around 2000 km of driving as the oddo now reads 3174 KM, and the initial oddo reading at the time of delivery was 1250 km.

here goes oddo pic

 

[TSIVipul]

Re: Force gurkha: One month of ownership

Have I read Gurkha? I guess its's the second one on TAI and first of new model.
Many many congrats sirji for owning this off-road king.

Bring in some more pics, many indeed. Especialyl one in the true environment Gurkha is made for; off the road!

 

[mps.khatraw]

Re: Force gurkha: One month of ownership

My experiences with Gurkha during this period summed up in the following points:

Engine:

In a single line, the engine is from ancient age and seemed to be underpowered for taming the hills. My previous experience with fluidic verna’s modern crdi further accentuated this feeling. However, after soon after a couple of long drives, the engine started to behave more orderly and I also got adjusted to the virtues of DI engine.

Engine per se is not itself bad, but perhaps it was a combination of factors that made me initially think so, these factors include heavy weight of vehicle, my experience with more nimble crdi’s, Gurkha was driven mostly in steep terrain as exists in mountains, and the intrinsic characteristic of DI engines, which need a proper running-in before reaching their true potential.

Now after 3100 kms, the same engine feels much better, humongous torque available on tap always as and when required, makes it delight to ride in the hills. Experts on our forum and facebook pages have also guided me to change the engine oil from the company recommended HP to Delvac and also addition of 2T oil in the diesel fuel for better running. Though, I am yet to adopt any of these measures due to busy schedule, but plan to implement the oil-change soon.

Patience seems to be the key to get the best out of the engine, already it is showing results.

Gearbox:

If the engine is ancient, then the only term apt for gearbox is “pre-historic”. Engaging the first gear is a herculean task in this vehicle, reminding me of my school days, when the first vehicle I could lay my hands on was a Mahindra 295B DI tractor, well DI in those days was a modern technology, I am talking about mid-nineties for a time reference.

The resemblance to agricultural machine is fortunately limited to the first gear only and the rest of gear shifts are smooth, though nothing like slick shifts of modern gearboxes.

Before the purchase of Gurkha, the acute angle of gear lever with reference to the driver’s position and the awkward gear positions, seemed like a big problem. However, during ownership, never ever felt the acute angle position of gear lever a problem and after the first day of ownership, got used to the different gear positions.

On the plus side, the engagement-disengagement of 4x4 system, is much smoother in comparison to Thar and without any k-r-r-r-r-r sounds that are usually accompanied in Thar at times on using 4x4 system. Also, the shift from low to high or vice-versa is much smoother.

Differential-locks, the so-called forte & USP of Gurkha is yet to be tested by myself.

Ride:

Ride is the biggest plus of the vehicle in my opinion and I am talking about the on-road ride-behaviour of Gurkha. The default HT tyres provide a good grip and comfortable ride from day 1, considering the fact that some lunatics in Force Motors have filled those with 70 psi, which I checked later. On reducing the air pressure to about 35 psi, the ride improved much more and ride experience is even better than my Verna and almost like Swift.

Also, unlike the other SUV’s, Gurkha has zero Body roll, whether it is just a fluke or there is a design philosophy behind it, is yet to be figured out. However, in this aspect, it stands out among SUVs atleast among all ladder on frame chassis type SUVs.

Drivability:

The first thing that one notices, when one is inside the Gurkha is the high seating position it offers. It is almost fun when you look down upon others even in bigger SUVs like Fortuners, Safaris etc, XUV almost looks like a sedan from inside the cabin of Gurkha.

After getting used to the different gear positions and other ancient wisdoms offered by Gurkha, the vehicle offers a comfortable, stable ride with brakes providing good enough stopping power for higher speeds in the range of 90/100.
Well on the third day of ownership, I drove it in the hills and brought it to Shimla, encountering even extreme conditions of snowfall at night. During such extremes, the vehicle proved its merit, as it had sufficient spread of head-lights and fog lamps, defogger did good work, wipers did good job even under snow, however, they started creating sort of sound when snow continued, stopped them for few minutes and on engaging them again, they worked fine.
Pic from parking after facing snowfall



About its drivability in the mountains, one can engage 3rd/ 4th gear and drive at speeds around 50 kmph, all day long without any unnecessary gear shifts to counter slopes/ turns/ overtaking other vehicles.

However, the biggest issue I faced, is the humongous turning radius of Gurkha, it becomes a problem especially on narrow interior roads. Experts say that all SUVs suffer from this issue, have personally noticed this on Gypsy’s which I have driven in the hills. Dealership guys say that is due to the Independent Front Suspension (IFS) setup that Gurkha comes up with, accommodating which led to the increase in turning radius of Gurkha. The claim of dealership, seemed to be justified as when I test-drove Trax Cruiser over there, it had much better turning radius with leaf springs in front, so was the turning radius of Tempo Traveller, much longer wheelbase, but shorter turning radius.

Fuel Efficiency

I use one app "Fuelio" for calculating and recording the fuel efficiency of the vehicle and normally go for complete tank fills. In the last three tank-fills, I have been getting fuel efficiency of 11.58 KMPL, 11.20 KMPL and the latest being 12.58 KMPL. The average fuel efficiency so far I have been getting is around 11.56 KMPL, which I feel is good enough considering the hilly conditions and the weight of the vehicle. However, at the same time, it pinches, when one compares it with my previous vehicle fluidic verna, which used to return 17-18 KMPL in similar conditions.

A few Good Things:
1. Road Presence: Gurkha has a great road presence, everyone makes way for Gurkha, especially, the costly SUV guys.





2. Spacious Interiors: I am 6 feet tall with a heavy built, the seating position of Gurkha seems to be custom made for myself. Also, Gurkha offers capacious space in rear bench as well.

3. Ride quality: Simply Superb.

4. Go anywhere capability: It offers one a go anywhere capability, which was quite evident during my limited off-road adventure and also when obstacles are there on bad roads.

5. Drivability: Just engage 3rd gear in hills, and enjoy all day long. Also, Gurkha offers excellent all-round visibility, thus taking care of judgement issues.

6. Decent fuel efficiency.

7. Effective AC with a defogger.

Not so good things

1. Impractical design: Has the Force motors forgotten to add windows for the rear bench? Well, I could not find any answers for the lack of rear doors which becomes quite an issue when old persons or heavy persons needs to be accommodated inside.

2. Humongous turning radius.

3. Constant Rattles from rear door.

4. Bonnet still continues to pop out even after a visit to service station. Attaching a pic of the service station guy working upon the bonnet lock mechanism.





5. The most shocking: Water leaks, I have not attempted any water wading with Gurkha, still at the service station, one owner of Trax Cruiser pointed out the problem of water leaks and when I checked floor after removing mats, it was quite wet. Check the images below (sorry for image quality):





Mods/ Changes planned:

1. To change engine oil with Delvac as soon as possible.

2. To plug the water holes and go for a decent anti –rust coat all around the Gurkha.

3. To upgrade horns, as the stock ones seem to be from bajaj super.

4. To go for a decent ICE system.

Suggestions are invited from experts on the above mods

Conclusion:

Gurkha is a good tough vehicle on this side of million bucks with excellent ride and decent drivability, which gives one enough confidence to tread anywhere.

A special thanks to Arup ji for guiding me through out and also to Kadumedu for introducing me to Arup.

 

[rajanysvv]

Re: Force gurkha: One month of ownership

Congrats on your Force Gurkha, worth the money compared to Thar or Scorpio.
You mentioned the odometer reading as 1250 Kim's at the time of delivery, isn't this abnormal?

 

[mps.khatraw]

Re: Force gurkha: One month of ownership

Have I read Gurkha? I guess its's the second one on TAI and first of new model.
Many many congrats sirji for owning this off-road king.

Bring in some more pics, many indeed. Especialyl one in the true environment Gurkha is made for; off the road!

Thanks TSIVipul ji,
Added one pic after enduring heavy snow fall, will be posting more pics once I take it to upper Shimla, where there are hardly any roads with proper tarmac.

Congrats on your Force Gurkha, worth the money compared to Thar or Scorpio.
You mentioned the odometer reading as 1250 Kim's at the time of delivery, isn't this abnormal?

Thanks rajansyvv,
Hopefully, the money should be worthnow
Gurkha is manufactured I guess in a plant near Indore, MP and is driven from there to showroom. In my case since delivery was in Chandigarh, so 1250 km on oddo seemed to be reasonable. The showroom people told me that they bring a lot of 6 vehicles at a time which include FORCE CVs like traveller, cruiser etc.

 

[kadumedu]

Congrats MPS Khatraw. Finally the first Ownership review of Gurkha is available for everyone to troll around here :-) keep updating your experience. Also do the much needed Mods to this Beast to have a long lasting lovable relationship.

//I guess its's the second one on TAI and first of new model.// This is Fourth, I think. Major JS from Chennai is the First owner of New Gurkha in this forum, Then Arupji and now MPS Khatraw. Come on Gurkha Boys Cheer up this summer session :-)

 

[Sam***Zlander***]

Congratulations MPS Khatraw for superb SUV. Few months back, I checked this vehicle in Jaipur, and fall in love immediately, however, few of my friends suggested me that I should wait and watch the reviews for this SUV and then decide if I should go for Thar or Gurkha.
There are some niggles and some issues with every vehicle, not even Mighty Mercs are error free. Every car needs care and love and some sort of passion is required for 4x4.
Khatraw ji, I would love to see your SUV personally in Kharar, if you have any trip in near future. My house on the way to Mohali Kharar highway near NCM, and we have lot and lots of roads where you can test the capabilities of 4x4x4.
Regarding the bonnet lock, can't we use our desi brain to implement some juggad and change it with more reliable lock from other vehicle?
Changing transmission oil and differential oil is most recommended for this SUV by Gurus.
What are your suggestions of we can use this SUV for everyday use, talking about driving comfort on city roads with family?
Hope to see more interior pics soon.

 

[generalmax]

Congratulations for the Gurkha! You can add more experience of driving over ice? Please check up those water leaks! Happy ride!!!

 

[Ambylovers]

Hi,
Congratulations on your new Force Gurkha. Wishes to clock many more miles without issues.

 

[vishnu vichu]

That is one heck of an Off Road Monster

Congrats on your new ride. Keep us posted and do pour in more pictures

 

[Iron Rock]

A very warm welcome to TAI - Nice to see you driving in the first ownership review of a Gurkha on TAI. I will be watching your escapades - please keep the thread updated and wish you many a safe miles.

 

[mps.khatraw]

Congrats MPS Khatraw. Finally the first Ownership review of Gurkha is available for everyone to troll around here :-) keep updating your experience. Also do the much needed Mods to this Beast to have a long lasting lovable relationship.

//I guess its's the second one on TAI and first of new model.// This is Fourth, I think. Major JS from Chennai is the First owner of New Gurkha in this forum, Then Arupji and now MPS Khatraw. Come on Gurkha Boys Cheer up this summer session :-)

Thanks kadumedu, and also a special thanks once again for introducing me to Arup ji.

Planning to get the much required mods including oil change and plugging of the water gaps this weekend.

Congratulations MPS Khatraw for superb SUV. Few months back, I checked this vehicle in Jaipur, and fall in love immediately, however, few of my friends suggested me that I should wait and watch the reviews for this SUV and then decide if I should go for Thar or Gurkha.
There are some niggles and some issues with every vehicle, not even Mighty Mercs are error free. Every car needs care and love and some sort of passion is required for 4x4.
Khatraw ji, I would love to see your SUV personally in Kharar, if you have any trip in near future. My house on the way to Mohali Kharar highway near NCM, and we have lot and lots of roads where you can test the capabilities of 4x4x4.
Regarding the bonnet lock, can't we use our desi brain to implement some juggad and change it with more reliable lock from other vehicle?
Changing transmission oil and differential oil is most recommended for this SUV by Gurus.
What are your suggestions of we can use this SUV for everyday use, talking about driving comfort on city roads with family?
Hope to see more interior pics soon.

Thanks Sam***Zlander***,
In case I am around Kharar I will certainly let you know and we can test Gurkha for its abilities around there. Also, the sales people in Force dealership in Chandigarh, located close to Elante Mall, gives one enough leeway with the demo vehicle for testing Gurkha's 4x4x4 abilities to the core, but for the third 4, you will have to wait for the change of seasons as it stands for the four seasons They have identified an off-road stretch nearby and will take you there.

Regarding Bonnet Lock, it is a "problem" created by the dealership guys when they were decorating the Iron horse with ribbons at the time of delivery. During the process, bonnet spring was somehow damaged and when I reached the dealership, they were already working on it. Dealership guys should have replaced the mechanism at that time itself and it was really bad on their part not to do so. Now they have assured me that the same will be replaced at my next visit to the dealership. Meanwhile, I went for a repair job at Patiala dealership as shown in the pic above, but that didn't help for long.

Presently, I am using Gurkha as my primary vehicle as Verna is being used by my better half now. Believe me Gurkha works quite well even for primary purpose in the hills and even for long distances, though on open highways in plains, it is certainly constrained by limited top speeds that one can maintain in this vehicle. Gurkha offers superb ride though seats could have been more comfortable for long distances.

Congratulations for the Gurkha! You can add more experience of driving over ice? Please check up those water leaks! Happy ride!!!

Thanks generalmax,
I have driven a range of vehicles under snowy conditions here in HP, however, among all Gurkha really astounded me with the grip it provided and that too with a 90 psi in stock tyres. The grip was absolutely reassuring that one can take one whatever situation snow will present.
Here I would also like to share that my experience with Gurkha on snowy conditions has been limited to fresh snow, it is yet to be tested over the dreaded “black-ice”.

Hi,
Congratulations on your new Force Gurkha. Wishes to clock many more miles without issues.

Thanks Ambylovers,
I do hope for the same.

That is one heck of an Off Road Monster

Congrats on your new ride. Keep us posted and do pour in more pictures

Thanks Vishnu vichu,
I will continue sharing more pics and experiences with Gurkha on the forum.

A very warm welcome to TAI - Nice to see you driving in the first ownership review of a Gurkha on TAI. I will be watching your escapades - please keep the thread updated and wish you many a safe miles.

Thanks Sir,
I hope that my attempt on writing a review of initial ownership of Gurkha meets the standards of TAI. However, in case of any mistakes, I will try my best to overcome those in future.
I would love to share my experiences with Gurkha on forum and get feedback from the forum. But I don't think my experiences could be termed as "escapades" as those will be normal routine ones under tough conditions though.

 

[MoRa]

Congrats mps.khatraw. Gurkha as read in other reviews also is good offroading monster. keep us updated with more pics of gurkha. click some pics in wild and it will suit better. Thanks.

 

[kadumedu]

Yes Pictures please. also I would like to request Major to add his ownership experience as well here.

 

[mayankdixit]

Sir please post more of your experience with this vehicle along with the latest pictures. All of our community is waiting and watching your reviews and opinions. Thanks for the ownership review.