The launch of the updated Force Gurkha has been evading enthusiasts for ages now, but we have proof that the launch is drawing close indeed. I say enthusiasts because, they are the only ones eagerly awaiting the launch of the new updated Gurkha. Off-road fanboys have only a few options to choose from, while out in the market, shopping for short wheelbase 4WD SUV’s and the Gurkha not being on sale right now is just making matters worse for them.
The Force Gurkha which was previously sold in India was a BS-III compliant vehicle, but stricter BS-IV emissions norms forced the Gurkha to be pulled out of production, and ever since then, the chaps at force motors have been working on the Gurkha update. The force Gurkha BS-IV has now been spotted on test, in the rugged terrain of the Himalayas, at Khardung-La, the world’s highest motorable road. Force motors has chosen a very apt location to test the Gurkha, as it is a basic, bare-bones, rugged 4WD SUV.
The fact that the update was spotted without any camouflage on it shows that the launch is closer than ever before, and also goes to show that there will be no changes on the exteriors of the 4WD, as seen in the pictures.
The outgoing Gurkha was powered by a 2.6 liter, 4-cylinder Turbo-diesel engine with a Maximum power output of 81 BHP and a Maximum torque output of 230 NM. This engine is actually sourced from Mercedes-Benz, but the design is very ancient, which explains the low power output, and no, Mercedes-Benz does not use this engine in any of their cars anymore.
Force motors is unlikely to replace this engine, but instead might retune it or redesign some of the components/engine internals in order to cope with BS-IV emissions regulations, or even BS-V regulations, and hopefully, they might increase the power output too.
The engine was paired to a 5-speed manual transmission and a proper, rugged 4WD system with a low-ratio gearbox and lockable differentials on both, front and rear axles, and this too would not change on the BS-IV update. We have a picture of the interiors of the BS-IV variant and that too has not changed. Other features of the Gurkha too have been retained and from the looks of it, the changes seem to have been made only to the engine, in order to reduce the emissions.
The launch date of the BS-IV Gurkha has not been confirmed yet, but we expect it to be launched before the end of this year, giving 4WD enthusiasts more options to choose from.
To read more on Force Gurkha, Click here
Also see: Force Gurkha E.O.V shows off what’s it made for…!
Source: Team-BHP
