BHPian nozzlering recently shared this with other enthusiasts: It’s been a while since I’ve been active on this forum. Last year I got myself a new Force Gurkha 5 door version, and would like to share my experience so far. For context, I’ve been driving my trusty Tata Manza since 2012, and I can honestly say it has been an absolute gem-a true value-for-money vehicle with zero issues over the years. However, I’ve always wanted a big off-roader. There’s just something about that rugged capability and adventure-ready spirit that has always drawn me in. Despite my enthusiasm, I found myself settling for other options in the past, but this time I finally followed my heart! In this ownership review, I’ll be sharing my experiences with the Gurkha over the past months, including its performance, features, and how it stacks up to what I’ve been used to with the Manza. Please bear with me. This is going to be a long one. Search for a New CarI have been silently looking for a new car since 2023. I was heavily inclined towards buying Scorpio N. However there was always some hindrance in getting a TD. This went on till 2024. I could never get to TD one. August 2024, I felt the need to have another car as I frequent between two cities and need a means to travel at both the cities. Initial budget 12-15 lakhsWhile looking for a car, I try my best not to be distracted/ influenced by others. My priorities were:SafetyComfortPrice7 seaterNo Sunroof (Preferably)I test drove Kia Seltos, Hyundai Alcazar. Good cars. Loaded with modern features. But something missing. And then I had to travel to ship. When I came back I wanted to check Citroen C3 Aircross. This was a different car and it ticked some of my requirement boxes.Safety It comes with 6 air bag. Good visibility from driver’s seat.Comfort Comfortable ride. It has nice set of suspensions. And Torque Converter gearbox is smoothPrice Top end coming for about 15 lakhs on road Bengaluru.7 Seater it has 7 seats. Occasional 7 seating is possible. And when not needed last row seats can be easily removed.No Sun roof Since this is a premium feature, missing in this budget carUpdated version was coming in a month or two which had climate control ac, new driver arm rest, folding ORVMs and a few more improvements. Test drove it again and had almost finalized. Just before booking, planned to take my family and brother’s family to the the Citroen show room. That day, saw a youtube short video of 5 Door Gurkha. I have eyed Gurkha earlier too. But it came only in 3 door version, so never pursued. But the new one looks promising. Called Khivraj Force and surprisingly got a TD slot on same day. That brings a twist in the story. Change of Plan Entire family, 5 adults and 2 kids got ready and drove to Khivraj. Plan was to TD Gurkha then go to Citroen and book the car. We had to wait for about 40 minutes before TD vehicle could come. While waiting we saw the display Gurkha. Kids instantly approved the car. They already decided which will be there seats. Desire to have a big car was going to be reignited. Everyone liked the car. Unfortunately we got only 10 minutes TD. The area has so much traffic.. In short drive, my initial impressions:The driver seat has great view. You are sitting on First floor.The car has commanding presence.Driver seat is very comfortable.Middle bench has less leg room, and no head rest for middle passenger.AC is very strong. No Climate control though.Interiors are very basic.At about 23 lakhs on-road price, I will have to stretch my budget.Booking and delivery While I was on ship, I emailed few people in Force motors sales team and studied technical specs of Gurkha. Regarding issues with DPF and stuff related to BS 6.2, I realised, I have been doing this on ships for years, on much larger engines. So I am pretty much familiar with the system. Around this time, the Thar Roxx was getting launched too. So wanted to TD one as well. I came back to India around mid of September. Khivraj still could not offer me a TD. I checked with Poomkudy Force in Kochi and they promptly offered me a TD. Bank finance work was in progress in background. When I went for TD in Kochi, I was accompanied by Regional Sales Manager and Regional Service Manager that day. It was a long TD on tarmac, on dirt road and a bit of offroad. I booked it immediately. Black, 5 door. I would get it within 2 weeks. Next day I came to know that a car is arriving from factory in evening. And the person who has booked has some issues with bank finance. It is Black 5 door. I pushed Sales person to get that one for me. After few phone calls, they agreed. The car was arriving at there service center that evening. I went there and waited. Checked the car. It had done 1847 km (as far as I remember). One interesting thing about Gurkhas is that unlike other cars, they are driven to dealerships from factory in Pithampur. I was aware of this and gave go ahead for registration. Expedited everything. My brother came down to Kochi for taking delivery. Well in the meantime, Mahindra brought a petrol Scorpio N for TD. I took the TD, but I am all set for Gurkha. I got my delivery in 5 days flat. Now that everyone is mesmerized by Gurkha charm, No one seems interested about the ride on Aircross. We went to Citroen showroom, did a TD. But its Gurkha what everyone wants. So I told SA I need some more time and came back without booking. Next day I called Khivraj for another TD. They kept delaying. And again I had to urgently travel to a ship. Continue reading BHPian nozzlering’s post for more insights and information.
