Indians love their SUVs. We are big fans of the brute good looks and the road presence of an SUV. What most Indians look for in an SUV is the ‘No one messes with me’ looks. That was one of the reasons for the success of the Toyota Fortuner. This Indian fetish for SUVs is much like the Americans who are fond of huge gas-guzzlers that look menacing but actually cannot match any of the products from Europe in terms of performance or handling. But unlike America, where gas still remains relatively cheaper than in India, we Indians do place a high importance on fuel efficiency and performance, along with a reasonable handling and safety.
Force One
The latest contender in the sports utility segment is the Force Motors’ Force One SUV. The Force One was spotted numerous times during its development. The SUV was also been driven to Leh across the world’s highest mountain roads. Indian road conditions do take a toll on the vehicle’s suspension and this is what probably prompted Force Motors to put it to actual rigorous test conditions. The Force One is based on a Chinese SUV called Guangdong Foday Explorer III. However, the chassis and suspension has been specifically designed for India. Force Motors imports the body panels and assembles the SUV at their plant in Madhya Pradesh.
The suspension and chassis was tweaked by Lotus, UK. Most of you would agree that, the Lotus Exige is one of the best handling sports cars and is known for its close to perfect cornering abilities. The SUV was also put to test in the UK after fine-tuning its chassis and suspension. Despite all of this, those who have tested the car in India feel that the Force One pitches disconcertingly under hard braking, which is something characteristic of softly sprung cars. That said, we will reserve our opinion on the handling and performance of the vehicle until we test it ourselves.
Force One SUV launch
Now let us talk about the exterior, shall we? As I’ve explained earlier, looks is what matters the most in India. The Force One has the presence of a full size SUV. It is more like the Ford Endeavour with a high seating position to complement the commanding looks. But some how, the design just seems out of place. The front and the rear looks as if two separate people designed them. The front end has the enormous grille with the new Force Motors logo flanked by to big headlights with projector lamps and day-time running lights which are a segment first.
In profile the SUV has a roof line that curves down towards the boot which is an attempt to make the car look appealing and less boxy. The biggest design disasters though, are the tail lamps which seem more of an afterthought. It seems like the designers at Guangdong manufactured the chassis, suspension, interiors, etc, and then went on attaching body panels to cover the interior elements. Enter the car and you find more out-of-place bits. The steering wheel for instance, looks cheap and the buttons tacky.
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