New Force One EX review, test drive

Force Motors recently launched a base version of the Force One that comes for Rs 8.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). This price, for a full size SUV represents a whole lot of car for the money. What Force is aiming to do here is expand the Force One range. When it was launched back in August 2011, there was just one variant on offer -- a fully loaded One that cost Rs 11.71 lakh. Now, there's this EX (that has less power and less equipment) and a variant called the SX (which offers ABS and is BSIV compliant) in a addition to the soon to be launched four-wheel drive LX. We drove the EX briefly to see how good it is.

The big difference with the EX is that it is powered by the 2.6-litre common rail diesel from the Gurkha off-roader. So, that's 81bhp and 23.45kgm of torque as against the 139bhp and 32.9kgm of torque that the 2.2-litre common-rail diesel makes in the SX.

Importantly, the EX is currently BSIII complaint and Force Motors is aiming it at rural markets where it could, thanks to the voluminous interiors, act as a more upmarket taxi or maybe even a personal car. Continued..