Arguably, one of the best off-road vehicles in its class, the Force Gurkha just received a new update. The Xplorer and Xtreme variants of the Gurkha now come with disc brakes on all four corners which are governed by an ABS module. This replaces the regular front disc and rear drum brake set up these cars had earlier. The Xplorer comes in both, 3-door and 5-door variants while the Xtreme is sold only in the 3-door guise. With this minor update comes a small bump in price. The Xplorer version now coming in at INR 11.05 Lakh for the 3-door variant and INR 12.55 Lakh for the 5-door variant. The more potent Gurkha Xtreme is priced at INR 13.30 Lakh. All these prices are ex-showroom and are about INR 30,000 more when compared to the non-ABS models they replace.
The Gurkha Xplorer uses a 2.6-litre diesel motor which pumps out 85 hp @ 3200 rpm and 230 Nm @ 1400 – 2400 rpm. Paired with a 5-speed stick shifter, the Xplorer presents itself as more of an entry-level off-roader. The car comes with a ground clearance of 162 mm, approach angle of 39 degrees and a departure angle of 27 degrees. The Xtreme, as the name suggests, happens to be a more potent version, which comes with a smaller yet more powerful power plant. The Gurkha Xtreme uses a Mercedes-sourced 2,149 cc motor which generates 140 hp @ 3800 rpm and 321 Nm @ 1600 – 2400 rpm mated to a 5-speed stick shift. The Xtreme comes with a ground clearance of 210 mm, approach angle of 44 degrees and a departure angle of 40 degrees.
Also Read: Force Gurkha Xtreme Powered By A 140 PS Engine Launched At INR 12.99 Lakh
The upcoming safety mandate will soon enforce manufacturers to not only provide ABS but even more safety aids, including at least one airbag, rear parking sensors, seat belt reminders, high-speed alert and some more as standard equipment on all variants. Expect a further hike in the prices when these safety aids are added to the Gurkha family. Currently, only the base variants of the Gurkha, the 3-door and 5-door Expedition models do not come with ABS, which again, can be expected to be updated very soon. Deliveries of the ABS-equipped Gurkha Xplorer and Xtreme are expected to begin from mid-2019.