A 91-hp ten-seater SUV: European hell, Indian’s dream

Driving in India is very different than in Europe. First of all, you simply need an all-terrain vehicle there, which most have never heard of asphalt and which regularly changes direction and width due to landslides after monsoon rains – mainly due to high ground clearance and ballooning tires. In fact, it doesn’t even matter that the new product from Force Motors, the traditional Indian manufacturer of off-road vehicles, has only rear-wheel drive.

The Citiline model is also over five meters long and offers space for up to 10 passengers in an unconventional 2+3+2+3 layout, befitting a country of over a billion people. That’s why they prefer to call it MUV (Multi-Use Vehicle) rather than SUV, because it’s certainly not sporty from any point of view.

Also for the reason that it’s powered by a 2.6-liter turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine with 91 hp and 250 Nm of torque that shifts the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. These values ​​seem strange for such a large car loaded with 10 people, but the average speed on Indian roads is only about 30 km / h, and the driving style is much more fluid – once you start moving, you don’t accelerate so much (and you don’t even brake), you dodge Just.

The two-meter car on a frame structure supported by double wishbone and torsion bar suspension in front and simple leaf springs in the rear is likely to have a little problem with this handling, but the angular shapes at least give a feeling of decent sturdiness for potential collisions with small cars and motorcyclists And holy cows (nothing but sheet metal, ABS and EBD will protect you from a crash).

The latest technology scream here are power windows, central locking and a folding rear row that maximizes luggage space. Funny, isn’t it? But for Indian customers, the powerful air conditioner with vents for passengers in the rear of the interior is much more important. We may pat ourselves on the forehead, but as you can see, Force Motors knows their customers like the back of their hand and serves them exactly what they need.