The competition among rugged off-road SUVs will soon intensify with the price announcement of the new Force Gurkha on 27 September, 2021. On the other hand, the new Mahindra Thar that was introduced in the country last year continues to be a popular choice in this segment. To learn more about the key feature differences, read below.

Exterior

The new Mahindra Thar is now taller, wider, and longer than its predecessor. The Thar is available in six colour options – Rocky Beige, Aquamarine, Mystic Copper, Red Rage, Napoli Black, and Galaxy Grey. The vehicle is available in both convertible and hardtop options. The Thar offers a water wading depth of 650mm along with an approach and departure angles of 41.2 degrees and 36 degrees, respectively. In terms of dimensions, the vehicle has a length of 3,985mm, a width of 1,820mm (LX variant has a width of 1,855mm), and a height of 1,920mm (hardtop height 1,844mm). The vehicle has a wheelbase of 2,450mm and a ground clearance of 219mm.

The new Gurkha gets full LED Force Pro Edge headlamps, which include pilot lamps, low beam, and high beam. The company claims that the jewel-like broken circle DRLs and fender-mounted LED indicators will offer superior night-time visibility. This time around, for freshness the F-Logo has been replaced by the Gurkha badge. In terms of dimensions, the Gurkha has a length of 4,116mm, a width of 1,812mm, and a height of 2,075mm. The vehicle has a wheelbase of 2,400mm.

Interior

As compared to its predecessor, the new Thar gets modern styling and convenience features. Depending on the variant, the Mahindra Thar offers features such as a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment screen with navigation, cruise control, height-adjustable driver seat, reclining rear seats, steering controlled audio and phone controls, USB charging port, tyretronics, tyre direction monitoring system, coloured MID display, and more. The standard feature list includes a centre roof lamp, dashboard grab handle for the passenger, illuminated key ring, 12V accessory socket, a lockable glovebox, central locking, manual day-night IRVM, one-touch lane change indicator, and power windows on front doors. The AX variant gets vinyl seats, while the LX variant offers fabric seat upholstery.

Similarly, the Gurkha also gets modern features such as touchscreen infotainment with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and navigation. As stated by the company, the new model will offer the best-in-segment legroom, headroom, and elbow room for the occupants. The SUV offers captain seats for all four occupants. As for features, the Gurkha offers cornering lamps, one-touch lane change indicator, speed sensing auto door lock, power windows, 12V accessories socket in the dashboard, dual USB socket in second, central locking, and more.

Engine

Mahindra Thar is available in petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol engine is available in four trims - AX Standard, AX, AX Opt, and LX. The diesel engine option is available in three trims – AX, AX Opt, and the LX. The 2.0-litre mStallion 150 TGDi petrol engine produces 150bhp at 5,000rpm and 300Nm of torque between 1,250-3,000rpm. The automatic option produces 320Nm of torque between 1,500-3,000rpm. Customers can choose from the six-speed manual transmission and six-speed torque converter options. The diesel version gets a 2.2-litre mHawk 130 engine that generates 130bhp at 3,750rpm and 300Nm of torque between 1,600-2,800rpm. This engine comes mated to a six-speed manual and a six-speed torque converter option. A four-wheel-drive system with high and low reduction gear is standard across all variants in both petrol and diesel guise.

The Gurkha is powered by a 2.6-litre Mercedes derived common rail, direct injection, turbocharged diesel engine that generates 91bhp and 250Nm of torque between 1,400-2,400rpm. This engine comes mated to a five-speed Mercedes G-28 transmission with cable shift and a hydraulically activated clutch with a booster to offer smoother gear changes. The new power train meets the BS6 norms using the Lean NOX trap thereby eliminating the need for Ad Blue.

Conclusion

Based on the key feature differences, prima fascia the Thar emerges as a better prospect. The Thar also scores additional brownie points in terms of performance and variant options to choose from. That said, the Gurkha is also a tried and tested product in the Indian market and is also known for its impressive driving dynamics, particularly in the off-road terrain. This time around we leave the winner open-ended as the prices and the variant details for the Gurkha are yet to be announced.

We have driven both the SUVs and you can watch the following videos to learn more about them.