Force Gurkha Bags An Order Of 2,978 Units From Indian Army & Air Force | V3Cars

The Gurkha is a 4WD vehicle with immensely capable and durable construction to perform reliably in the worst of conditions. We have seen the Gurkha hold its own year after year in the off-road competition called the Rain Forest Challenge.

Currently, the Gurkha is also on sale for personal use and it’s available in 3-door and 5-door format. The 3-door version has seating for 4 occupants while the 5-door variant can accommodate 7 souls.

The smaller Gurkha competes with the Mahindra Thar while the larger one is a direct rival for the bigger Thar Roxx. Unlike the Thar and Thar Roxx, the Gurkha isn’t available with a plethora of powertrain options and only gets a 2.6L turbo diesel engine with a 5-speed manual transmission. Meanwhile, the Thar has the following powertrain options:

• 1.5L turbo diesel with 6-speed manual and RWD
• 2.0L turbo petrol with 6-speed manual and 4WD
• 2.0L turbo petrol with 6-speed torque converter automatic and RWD
• 2.0L turbo petrol with 6-speed torque converter automatic and 4WD
• 2.2L turbo diesel with 6-speed manual and 4WD
• 2.2L turbo diesel with 6-speed torque converter automatic and 4WD

While the smaller Thar is more off-road focused, the Thar Roxx is more luxurious with creature comforts like sunroof, ADAS, ventilated seats and more.

The Gurkha, on the other hand, keeps it simple for hardcore off-roaders who aren’t looking for comfort in their off-roader. The 3-door and the 5-door versions of the Gurkha are both only available in 1 variant with manual transmission and 4WD.

Also Read: Toyota Official: Hilux 4WD Impressed Indian Army

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Indian Military Keeping Their Options Open

It’s worth noting that the Indian armed forces have been ordering other 4WD vehicles as well. Besides the Gurkha, they also have in their arsenal the following:

• Maruti Jimny 4WD petrol
• Tata Safari Storme 4WD diesel
• Mahindra Scorpio Classic 4WD diesel
• Toyota Hilux pickup 4WD

Of course, there are other purpose-built vehicles as well but these are the ones which are more or less similar to the ones you can buy off the shelf and use as your daily driver.

It looks like since the departure of the Gypsy, the armed forces are trying out multiple vehicles and figuring out which one would serve them well and do so reliably in the harshest of circumstances. Once they learn this part, they may decide to place larger orders for one or two vehicles and get better pricing too.

Either way, it’s good that they are keeping their options open and not favouring one brand right from the start — they way they played favourite with the Gypsy for an unreasonably long time.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki, Indian Navy Collaborate For Northeast Outreach Program

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