Force Motors has teased the Gurkha again, but this time, along with the five-door model, the brand has stated that it will also bring back the Gurkha 3-door; the 3-door was discontinued with the start of BS6 Phase II norms in April 2023. While both models are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks, the teaser video only shows design details of the larger SUV.
- Gurkha 3-door and 5-door to have similar design with unique touches
- Gurkha 5-door has a 425mm longer wheelbase than 3-door
- Both expected to share the Mercedes-sourced 2.6-litre diesel engine
New Force Gurkha: design highlights
While some spy shots of the Gurkha had shown that the five-door model will have square headlamps, the latest teaser confirms it’ll have the same circular units as the Gurkha 3-door. In addition, the two-slat grille with the Gurkha nameplate is also expected to be shared between the two. There may be some differences in their front and rear bumper designs.
Major differences will be seen at the sides – to incorporate the rear doors, the Gurkha 5-door has a wheelbase that is 2,825mm long; 425mm longer than the 3-door. The teaser also shows new-design alloy wheels, though they look to be 16 inchers, shod in similar 245/70 R16 tyres. The video released by Force Motors also shows a number of accessories, like a rear ladder and a roof rack with a jerry can holder.
New Force Gurkha: interior details
Naturally, the biggest difference on the inside of the two SUVs will be the seating configuration. While the Gurkha 3-door is a strict four-seater, the 5-door may get multiple seating layouts – a five-seater, two-row version; a six-seater, three-row version; and a seven-seat three-row iteration with two individual captain's chairs for the third row, and a bench seat for the second row.
In addition, spy shots of the Gurkha 5-door’s interior showed that it’ll come with a shift-on-the-fly 4WD knob positioned next to the driver’s seat on the centre console. The Gurkha 3-door had separate front and rear diff-lock levers and a manually operated transfer case positioned behind the gear lever.
New Force Gurkha: powertrain
The Gurkha 5-door and 3-door are expected to carry over the Mercedes-sourced 2.6-litre diesel engine and the 5-speed manual transmission. No details on the engine’s output figures have been revealed yet, but the older Gurkha 3-door had it in a 91hp, 250Nm state of tune.
New Force Gurkha: launch timeline, price, rivals
According to our sources, the Force Gurkha 5-door and 3-door will be launched in India in the coming weeks. While the 3-door will continue to rival the Mahindra Thar, the 5-door will see competition from the upcoming Thar 5-door, which may be called the Thar Armada when it arrives by mid-2024, and the Maruti Jimny.
Before it was discontinued, the Gurkha 3-door was priced at Rs 15.10 lakh (ex-showroom). Considering this price point, the 3-door may be priced at a slight premium over its predecessor, while the Gurkha 5-door could be priced about Rs 1 lakh-1.5 lakh higher.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
