2024 Force Gurkha 3-door Vs Mahindra Thar 3-door: Off-roading SUVs Compared

Force Motors has given the Gurkha three-door SUV a much needed set of upgrades. It now comes with more features and a more powerful 2.6-litre diesel engine. But how does all the updates work when pitched against the reigning leader in this segment, the Mahindra Thar? Let’s put them in the pitch and find out: 

Design 

It’s clear that both the Mahindra Thar and Force Gurkha take inspiration from premium off-roaders like the Jeep Wrangler and Mercedes-Benz G-Class, respectively. But they both have charm and it really boils down to which design you like. But one place where the Gurkha beats the Thar is its tall height, which makes the Thar look a tad smaller.

Interior and Features 

Inside, the Thar clearly takes the lead over the Gurkha when it comes to dashboard design and outright quality. It looks a whole lot more modern and packs in more features as well. The Gurkha, on the other hand, has a more ancient dashboard design and the aftermarket infotainment system doesn’t make things any better when it comes to sense of occasion. 

Ingress for the rear seats, though, is better in the Gurkha. The captain seat layout and the access from the boot makes things a whole lot easier for ingress and egress. In the Thar, you would have to enter the rear seats via the left-side front seat, making ingress and egress for elderly occupants a bit tough. 

That said, the Thar clearly beats the Gurkha in terms of features, details of which can be found in the table below:

Powertrain 

The Thar gets the option of two diesel engines and a turbo-petrol engine, while the Gurkha only gets a single engine. Here’s a look at the engines and transmission options offered on the two offroaders: 

The Thar turbo-petrol, with its automatic transmission, is the most powerful one of the lot. But taking second place is the Gurkha 5-door, which has a tad more power and torque than the Thar diesel. 

In the Thar, you also get both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive options, while on the Gurkha you only get a four-wheel drive setup. The Thar clearly emerges as an option which provides more combinations and choice.  

Off-road Capabilities 

As we can see in the table, the Gurkha has a slight edge over the Thar in terms of off-roading prowess for departure and ramp breakover angle.

The Gurkha gets a manual front and rear differential lock, and a factory-fitted snorkel, which clearly results in much superior water wading capabilities. The Thar gets optional rear auto locking differential and brake locking differential which works for both the front and rear axles.

Price 

The Mahindra Thar is priced from Rs 11.25 lakh to 17.60 lakh (ex-showroom), while the Force Gurkha is priced at Rs 16.75 lakh lakh (ex-showroom). Both these SUVs also prove to be a larger alternative to the Maruti Suzuki Jimny.

The enhancements in the Force Gurkha 3-door are welcome as it makes the product more rounded. But if we had to pick a winner, it’s the Mahindra Thar, as it packs plentiful features, gets more powertrain options and is almost equally impressive as the Gurkha in terms of off-road capabilities.