Force Gurkha is all set to get a new 5 door version later this year – Latest spy shots reveal more details
2020 saw the launch of the new generation 3 door Thar while in 2021, the Indian market got the much delayed new generation 3 door Force Gurkha. Over the past few years, interests of customers in these off-roading capable life-style vehicles have gone up considerably.
Addition of 2 doors in these machines could further help them become suitable for a wider segment of buyers. More and more people are aiming to buy cars that they can use in the city for their day jobs on weekdays and plan on off-roading excursions on the weekends.
Upcoming Force Gurkha 5 Door
Spy shots now confirm that Force should be launching its 5-door Gurkha sometime later this year. It must be noted that this is not the first time that 5-door Gurkha spy shots have surfaced on the internet. But the latest spy shots are also the clearest till date, credit to Howler / Team-BHP.
2022 Force Gurkha 5 door test mules looked almost production ready, indicating that the launch should be imminent. The 5-door model will resemble the 3-door model in all aspects. However, it will be partially longer. Its wheelbase could be around 400mm longer than that of the 3-door model.
Other components like the headlamp assembly, front grille, roof-rails etc are expected to be carried over from the 3-door variant. Only major change would be in terms of length of the frame on which the chassis would be mounted and minor design changes on the side panels to accommodate additional doors.
5-Door Gurkha Key Features
Under the hood, we don’t think that Force will be bringing in any new update. In all probability, it will continue to feature the same 2.6 litre diesel motor which is capable of dishing out 91 hp and 250 Nm of peak torque. Transmission duties will be taken care of by a 5-speed manual gearbox which would be distributing power to all the 4 wheels.
Off-roading features like manual locking front and rear differentials, low range transfer case, multi link rigid live axle suspension at rear, independent front suspension are expected to be carried over from the 3-door model. Suspension tuning will however be re-done to suit the larger frame of the 5-door variant.
The current 3-door model offers seating space for 4. This includes 2 captain seats on the second row. The 5-door model will most probably get front facing bench seating on the second row and could include some additional legroom. In the 3rd row, it could get side facing seats, similar to the ones we have seen on the TUV300/Bolero Neo.
Competition and Pricing
Initially, competition of the 5-door Gurkha will be primarily limited to the 3-door Thar. It is a well known fact that a 5-door Thar too is being worked upon by Mahindra’s team, however, it might take another year for it to make its market debut. Other contender for the Gurkha will be the much talked about Maruti Jimny 5 door version.
The introduction of Jimny in the Indian market has been under consideration for the last 2-3 years. Launch could take more than 12 months. This gives Gurkha 5 door a kind of monopoly in the segment upon launch. In terms of cost, Force Motors will be charging a premium of around INR 1-2 lakhs, which would be justified against the increased practicality offered by the 5-door version of the Gurkha.
