The fraternal twins

It is perhaps one of India’s most well-known hidden SUVs. Named after a tribe of highly valorous and immensely capable people from Nepal, the Force Gurkha is an SUV with a single purpose - to be the best off-road.

With so much credibility in the art of taking the path lesser known, it only seemed logical for Force to sponsor one Asia’s toughest off-road competitions when it came to India. As if that did not seem enough, Force then decided to get into the fray full-steam by entering two cars. They have dominated both years of the competition by taking the overall first and second place.

To be successful takes effort and to be successful twice in a row involves a slightly different kind of skill and vehicles that are highly capable and that is where our story comes in. When we were given the chance to sample the Force Gurkha RFC, our curiosity got the better of us and we just had to find out what set the RFC Gurkha apart from the standard Gurkha.

1. At first impression, it is pretty obvious that the RFC Gurkha is much larger than the standard car thanks to the raised suspension and large Maxxis Bighorn tyres.

2. While the RFC Gurkha has a trophy truck feel to it, the standard Gurkha appears to be more of an (or rather is) old-school SUV thanks to the boxy lines and forward leaning stance.

3. From the front, the steroid injections for the RFC car are pretty obvious as the standard car gets some plastic cladding and bumpers while the RFC Gurkha is all exposed and looks quite brutish.

4. One of the noticeable elements on the side of the Gurkha are the square(ish) wheel arches. It is present on the RFC vehicle too but does not cover the front of the wheels.

5. The stock Gurkha’s cabin is a bit Spartan. On the other hand, the RFC Gurkha’s gets an array of switches. You feel high sitting in the Gurkha and then feel ‘heavenly’ sitting in the RFC car.

6. If the Gurkha was the young Nepali who left his village to join the armed forces then RFC Gurkha is him after graduation from the military academy.