Force Motors has officially teased the upcoming 5-door variant of its popular Gurkha SUV. The SUV, which has been under testing for a long time, is expected to go on sale by mid-2024.
The teaser image provides a glimpse of the new design elements over the Gurkha 3-door. The 5-door variant will feature new square headlamps that replace the circular units. However, the two-slat grille will be carried over. The lifestyle SUV will now be equipped with 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels as opposed to the 16-inch wheels seen on the 3-door version4. Front and rear bumpers might also be revised. Apart from these changes and two additional rear doors, no other major exterior changes are expected.
Interior and Features
While the overall cabin layout is expected to remain unchanged, a previous test mule revealed that the Gurkha 5-door will be equipped with a shift-on-the-fly 4WD knob positioned next to the driver’s seat on the centre console. In contrast, the Gurkha 3-door came equipped with separate front and rear diff-lock levers, along with a manually operated transfer case positioned behind the gear lever.
Force could offer the Gurkha 5-door with multiple seating layouts: a 5-seater two-row version, a 6-seater three-row version as well as a 7-seater three-row iteration with two individual captain’s chairs for the third row and a bench seat for the second row. The 5-door iteration will have a 2,825 mm long wheelbase, which is 425mm longer than the 3-door version.
Engine and Performance
The Gurkha 5-door is expected to carry over the Mercedes-sourced 2.6-litre diesel engine that has been on offer with the Gurkha 3-door with a 5-speed manual transmission.
5-door Force Gurkha – Launch Timeline, Price, and Rivals
According to our sources, the Force Gurkha 5-door will be launched in India in the first quarter of the next financial year. The SUV will have no direct rivals in the market upon arrival, but will face some competition from the Maruti Suzuki Jimny. The segment will soon be joined by the highly anticipated Mahindra Thar 5-door that’s also set to be launched by mid-2024. The Force Gurkha 3-door’s last known price was Rs 15.10 lakh (ex-showroom), however, the lifestyle SUV hasn’t been available since the BS6 Phase II emissions norms came into effect on April 1 last year. The Gurkha 5-door could carry a premium of Rs 1 lakh-1.5 lakh over the 3-door version of the SUV.