The new Force Gurkha has finally launched in India – the new Gurkha 5-door is priced at Rs 18 lakh, while the updated Gurkha 3-door costs Rs 16.75 lakh. Bookings had commenced on April 29, though the brand has now specified that an amount of Rs 25,000 is required. Force Motors says despatches to dealers shall commence this week and test drives and deliveries to customers shall start from mid-May.

1. New Gurkha 3-door priced Rs 1.75 lakh higher than entry-level Thar diesel 4WD
2. Gurkha now more powerful than Thar diesel
3. Gurkha gets more features than entry-level Thar AX OPT

New Force Gurkha price, rivals

The Gurkha's only rival in the Indian market is the Mahindra Thar, which, for now, is only available in three-door form. However, Mahindra's lifestyle SUV gets a petrol engine option, 2WD options, and automatic gearbox options, whereas the Gurkha is only available in diesel-manual form, with 4WD as standard.

Considering its Rs 16.75 lakh price point, the Gurkha 3-door costs Rs 1.75 lakh more than the Thar AX Optional 4WD, which is the entry point to the Mahindra SUV's diesel 4WD lineup. Meanwhile, the Gurkha 5-door is currently without a direct rival, at least until the Thar 5-door, likely to be called the Thar Armada) arrives.   

As we've reported before, both versions of the Gurkha get the same 2.6-litre Mercedes-sourced diesel engine, which has been upgraded to churn out 140hp and 320Nm, which is a big increase from the 91hp the unit used to put out. This also means that the Gurkha is now more powerful than the Thar – the Mahindra is powered by a 132hp, 2.2-litre diesel mill.

With features such as a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a digital instrument cluster, powered ORVMs, tilt and telescopic sterring adjust, and a rear camera, along with a tyre pressure monitoring system, the Gurkha is better equipped than the previously mentioned entry-level Thar, which should help justify the Rs 1.75 lakh asking price. 

All prices, ex-showroom, India