The 5-door Gurkha will come with captain’s seats for both second and third rows, giving it a unique 6-seat configuration in its class.
While it is already known that a five-door Gurkha is under development, fresh spy shots on the internet have revealed new details about the new rugged SUV. Price announcement and market launch for the five-door Gurkha are expected to take place around the festive season. Â
- 5-door Force Gurkha will get captain seats on both second and third rows
- Will be based on a stretched version of the 3-door Gurkha platform
- Expected to carry forward the same 2.6-litre diesel engine
5-door Force Gurkha: unique seating configuration expected
One of the most interesting details revealed by these new spy shots is that the longer-version of the Gurkha will get captain’s seats for the third row. The 5-door Gurkha is expected to be offered in both 6- and 7-seater versions. This should give the Gurkha quite a unique seating arrangement, with bench seats in the middle row and captain’s seats in the third row for the 7-seater versions or captain’s seats for both second and third row for the 6-seater version. Â
It remains to be seen how Force Motors gives access to the third row. We do not expect any other significant changes to the dashboard design or to the equipment list. It is expected to continue with features such as a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, power windows, central locking, dual airbags, rear parking sensors and more. The Gurkha, however, is still pretty barebones when compared to other, more modern SUVs.
5-door Force Gurkha: fresh exterior design
The five-door Gurkha will be based on a stretched version of the regular Gurkha’s C in C ladder-frame architecture. And while the overall design of the five-door Gurkha will not be markedly different from the three-door version, the new spy shots reveal that the body of the SUV post the B-pillars has been completely redesigned.
The most obvious update is the inclusion of two new doors, but apart from that, the rear-quarter area and glass house have also been completely redesigned. It is only in profile that the changes over the three-door model are most evident. The five-door Gurkha is expected to have a wheelbase of around 2.8m, which will be around 400mm longer than the three-door version. The front and rear fascia of the SUV, however, remain unchanged.
5-door Force Gurkha: engine and off-road gear
Under the hood, the five-door Gurkha is expected to be powered by the same Mercedes-sourced 2.6-litre diesel engine. While the three-door Gurkha produces 91hp and 250Nm of torque, it remains to be seen if Force bumps up the numbers for the larger and heavier five-door Gurkha. The engine will come paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox, with power being sent to all four wheels via a four-wheel-drive system.
Just like the regular Gurkha, the five-door is expected to share similar off-road gear such as a low-range transfer case, manual locking front and rear differentials, independent front suspension and multi-link rigid live axle suspension at the rear. However, the suspension will likely have to be tuned uniquely to suit the new frame.
5-door Force Gurkha: will come before 5-door Thar, Jimny
Following on from a niche, three-door, ladder-frame off-roader, the five-door Gurkha will of course have a lot more mass appeal. In a similar fashion, Mahindra will be introducing a five-door version of the Thar and Maruti Suzuki has also been specifically developing a five-door version of the Jimny for India, just so that it can have the mass appeal over a three-door model. Both these SUVs are expected to launch in a couple of years and will be future rivals to the five-door Force Gurkha.
5-door Force Gurkha: expected launch and price
The Force Gurkha will be the first of these five-door, ladder-frame SUVs to arrive. It is expected to launch around Diwali 2022 (October-November), just a year after the three-door model went on sale in September 2021. As for the five-door Mahindra Thar, it’s expected to launch in India by 2023-2024. Meanwhile, there’s no confirmed timeline for the launch of the five-door Jimny in India.
The five-door Gurkha will likely command a premium of around Rs 1 lakh over the three-door model. The regular three-door Gurkha is currently priced at Rs 14.10 lakh (ex-showroom, India).
What are your thoughts on the upcoming five-door Force Gurkha? Let us know in the comments below.Â
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