The Lifestyle SUV is a very fast-moving segment in India. Cars like the Mahindra Thar, Isuzu V-Cross and the Force Gurkha have been popular with off-beat enthusiasts as well as those looking to take their vehicle off-road.
The Force Gurkha is a 2-door, 4-seater SUV that has been on sale since a while now. One of the main criticisms of the car is the lack of a second row – for the family. It looks like Force has heard the customers’ demands, and a new 5-door version of the same is in the works.
As per the spy video, the 5-door Gurkha retains its boxy nature and overall looks like an elongated version of the 3-door SUV. It gets new design alloy wheels and a longer wheelbase as compared to its smaller sibling. Apart from that, the rest of the features remain the same. The car will continue to get the same badging and accessories like the snorkel intake, roof carrier etc.
On the inside, the middle row is the new addition. The bench seat in the middle makes it a seven-seater with 2+3+2 configuration (3rd-row captain seats) or a 2+3+4 (3rd row sideways facing bench seats). The jump seat option is likely to be offered for the rural markets. In terms of features, the middle-row seat gets two adjustable headrests and power windows. There are no additional AC vents for the second and third-row occupants.
This long-wheelbase Gurkha will offer the same 2.6-litre diesel engine from the 3-door model. Due to the bigger size, it is possible that Force could tune the engine differently. In the 3-door guise, the engine develops 91 PS and 250 Nm. A four-wheel drive system is offered as standard, along with lockable front and rear differentials.
The 5-door Gurkha could be speculated to start at INR 16,00,000, although there has been no official announcement yet.
Also Read – 13-seater Force Gurkha – Who will buy it?