Anyone who sees the Force Motors Gurkha off-road vehicle from India for the first time feels like being transported back to the 1970s. The car from the subcontinent is extremely suitable for off-roading, looks like the old G-Class from Mercedes and costs only 11.000 euros. The off-road vehicle from India is too small for a Mercedes, but it is amazingly off-road. However, the low price is no accident.
In two versions
Force Motors Gurkha offers its SUV with either three or five doors. The three-door model is 3,99 meters long, while the model with the five doors is 4,34 meters long. As far as looks are concerned, the car emulates its great role model, the Mercedes-Benz from the G-Class. The body was built on a ladder frame with independent suspension and the car is driven with all wheels or only the rear wheels. The all-wheel drive version has a lockable center differential and a five-speed gearbox. The fact that the off-road vehicle only has drum brakes at the rear does not matter, the Indian vehicle with its ancient technology does not have a lot of power under the hood.
Well equipped
Various grilles are part of the equipment, as well as a bull bar and a snorkel, plus 16-inch wheels with rather coarse tires. They form the tools for driving across the terrain. Unfortunately, the off-road vehicle from India is not that fast, because at 2,5 tons it is simply too heavy. The car has a 2,2 liter turbo diesel with 142 hp. The earlier models were even more unusual. In 2013, Force Motors Gurkha needed a diesel on the market that had only 123 hp and was even more reminiscent of a Mercedes from the early 1970s.
No admission
Force Motors Gurkha makes no secret of the fact that the off-road vehicles are strongly reminiscent of old Mercedes models. But if you think about buying such a car at the seductively low price, you should get it out of your head, because it is more than unlikely that the car will be registered in Germany.