2024 Force Gurkha vs Maruti Suzuki Jimny: Off-roaders Compared

Force Motors recently launched the new Gurkha 5-door and the updated Gurkha 3-door. Along with the introduction of these cars, Force has also updated it with new features and a more powerful diesel engine. Talking about rivals, we have the Maruti Jimny which in comparison to the Gurkha looks smaller, but provides a better cabin experience with more features on offer. Let’s find out how these two off-roading SUVs are different on paper:  

Design

Both the Maruti Jimny and the Force Gurkha have their own charm in terms of design, and yes we can say that these SUVs do take inspiration from the G Wagon. The Jimny looks much smaller in size compared to the Gurkha, but smaller isn’t necessarily bad because it makes maneuvering through city traffic and parking a much easier task. The Gurkha on the other hand is much taller making it look like a typical robust and muscular offroader. 

Do note that the Jimny in India is available only as a four-door model, while the Gurkha can be had either as a 3-door or a 5-door version. And the taller height and wider dimensions make the Gurkha 3-door larger than the Jimny. The five-door Gurkha, clearly, is the largest in this test.

Interior and Features 

Coming to the interior, the Maruti Jimny’s cabin feels more sophisticated and upmarket compared to that of the Force Gurkha, which looks a bit outdated. However, the Gurkha with the recent updates did get a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a digital drivers display which does help in keeping the Gurkha’s cabin a bit relevant in its segment.  

That said, these feature updates don’t help the Gurkha as it still lacks in features when compared to the Jimny:

Powertrain

The Maruti Jimny gets a sole petrol engine, while the Gurkha gets a single diesel engine. The Gurkha only gets the option of a manual transmission, while the Jimny also gets an automatic gearbox option. Let’s take a look at the figures:

The Gurkha clearly gets the more powerful and torquier engine of the two. Both the offroaders only get a four-wheel-drive option.

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

Off-road Capabilities 

As we can see in the table, the taller Gurkha has a much better ground clearance of 233 mm, while the Maruti Jimny excels in departure angle. In other aspects, both the SUVs are almost equally capable offroaders. 

The Gurkha features a manual front and rear differential lock, and a factory-fitted snorkel, which  results in much better water-wading capabilities. The Jimny gets brake locking front and rear differentials. 

Price

The Force Gurkha is priced from Rs 16.75 lakh to Rs 18 lakh (ex-showroom), while the Maruti Jimny is priced between 12.74 lakh and Rs 14.79 lakh (ex-showroom). Both the SUVs rival the Mahindra Thar, which is the segment-leader. 

The updated Force Gurkha, does prove to be a tougher competitor in its segment. But, our pick here would be the Maruti Jimny, which offers a much better cabin experience, is more city-friendly, and an equally capable off-road at a much lesser price.