India, April 29 -- When I told my father that I would be driving the latest Gurkha, he had no idea what I was talking about. When I told him it was an SUV from Force, the same company that previously offered the iconic Matador, his eyes twinkled with nostalgia. Although just one example, the bane for the Force Gurkha SUV all these years has largely been the lack of awareness around the brand, the model and its capabilities among people outside of a niche, adventure-seeking car-buying audience.

For the absolutely uninitiated, Force Motors traces its roots back to 1958 and is a formidable player in the commercial vehicle space. While the Matador light-commercial vehicle was a common sight on Indian roads decades ago, the Force Traveller ma...