The upcoming Force Gurkha 5-door version has been recently spotted undisguised ahead of its launch in India. It will soon be India’s first hardcore offroader with 5 doors and a hard top.
When the iconic British manufacturer, Land Rover, unveiled its Defender 130 offroader with 8 seats a few months ago, it stated that the SUV will help people in groups enjoy epic all-terrain adventures together, as such shared explorations are becoming popular around the world.
Force, our desi manufacturer, is now ready to fulfil that same desire, albeit at a desi price. This news comes at a time when Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki are still working on 5-door versions of their Thar and Jimny, respectively, with no release date set for this year.
In terms of appearance, the 5-door Gurkha does not resemble the ugly Trax commercial vehicle, which has disproportionate proportions. The windows are all the same size, and the attention to detail is good, if not exceptional. Even Force has designed the water channel with care.
While nothing visually differs from the existing short wheelbase Gurkha, the new diamond-cut dual-tone alloy wheels are 18 inches in diameter and have 255/65 tyres compared to the standard Gurkha’s 245/70-R16 tyres.
The upcoming five-door Gurkha will have slightly higher ground clearance and third-row side-facing seats. The engine’s tune may be altered, resulting in increased power and torque.
The Gurkha’s FM 2.6 CR CD BS VI 4-cylinder diesel engine paired with a 5-speed synchromesh transmission produces 91 HP at 3200 RPM and 250 Nm between 1400 and 2400 RPM in its current short wheelbase configuration.
While the front axle is a live independent axle, the rear axle is a live rigid axle. Manual differential locks are installed on both axles. The front suspension is an independent double wishbone with coil springs, while the rear suspension is multi-link with pan hard rod and coil springs.
