After revealing the all-new Gurkha earlier this month, Force Motors has now announced the pricing and opened bookings. The SUV is available in just one derivative, priced at Rs 13.59 lakh. While the lack of variants might be a downer for some, the new Gurkha will leave those impressed who owned or even knew about the old one. On paper, at least, the latest version is not only BS6-compliant (Bharat Stage 6) but also has a comfier, more grown-up package.

Under the bonnet is a 2.6-litre turbo-diesel engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission, both sourced from Mercedes-Benz. With 90bhp/250Nm on tap, the new Gurkha isn’t going to break any land-speed records. But it has enough grunt to keep going even when the going gets really tough. Making a case in such circumstances will be the ladder-on-frame chassis and the rough-and-tough four-wheel-drive system. Also in the mix are mechanically actuated differential locks, one at each axle. Besides that, the new Gurkha can wade through water levels of up to 700mm, and it has excellent approach and departure angles.

The real differentiating factor between the old and new Gurkhas is the list of features. To make it more usable as an everyday car, Force Motors has equipped the new Gurkha with stuff like a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual airbags and a tyre pressure monitoring system. In addition, features such as rear parking sensors, four USB ports, one-touch lane change indicator and LED-powered headlamps with DRLs are also on offer. Since it is a three-door vehicle, the entry for the back seat passengers is via the tailgate.

Courtesy of its boxy proportions, the new Gurkha has a luggage capacity of 500 litres. Also, it is available in five monotone colours – red, orange, grey, white and green. As for the standard warranty, it is 3 years/1,50,000km with four free services. Force Motors says that deliveries should commence on Dussehra day, which is on October 15, 2021.

Initially, the automaker will offer the Gurkha in select locations. That said, the footprint will increase but in a phased manner. So, the question is would you buy the new Gurkha over its closest rival – the Thar?