Force Gurkha 5-door spotted on Indian roads: Will rival Maruti Jimny & Mahindra Thar 5-door

When Force launched the Gurkha in the Indian market, they also confirmed that they will be launching the 5-door version of the Gurkha. There have been a number of spottings of the upcoming SUV. It will be going against the Mahindra Thar 5-door and the Maruti Suzuki Jimny. Here, are the new spy shots of the 5-door Gurkha.

The manufacturer knows that the 5-door vehicles are simply more preferable and more practical than the 3-door SUVs. So, it makes sense why most of the manufacturers are also working on a 5-door version of their off-roaders. Force could launch the 5-door Gurkha by the end of this year considering that the 3-door Gurkha was launched in the fourth quarter of last year.

The side profile of the SUV does look very similar to the Trax, which is sold as a commercial people mover. However, the 5-door Gurkha will come with a different front fascia and most importantly a snorkel. We can see that there are side steps that make it easier to get in or out of the SUV. There are wheel arch extensions and the SUV is running on steel wheels.

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At the rear, there will still be a side-hinged door and front-facing seats for the third row. A test mule was spotted with a six-seat setup in which the second row had captain seats. It is expected that if there is a 6-seater version then Force will also offer a 7-seater version of the SUV which will come with a regular bench-type seat.

The design of the SUV is still very butch and Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen inspired. So, it has a boxy shape with round LED headlamps with LED Daytime Running Lamps, The turn indicators are placed on the top of the front fenders. There would be alloy wheels on offer and they are expected to be the same ones that are found on the 3-door Gurkha. Because the SUV was camouflaged, the exterior was not properly visible and all the badges are also covered.

The interior is still expected to be pretty barebone. So, it will come with an analogue instrument cluster with a multi-information display, manual air conditioning, power windows, central locking, dual airbags, rear parking sensors, a touchscreen infotainment system etc.

Engine and gearbox

The 5-door Gurkha is also expected to come with the same engine as the 3-door Gurkha. So, it is a 2.6-litre diesel engine taken from Mercedes Benz. It produces 91 hp of max power and 250 Nm of peak torque. It comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox that drives all four wheels. You get 4×4, a low range gearbox and manual locking front and rear differentials. In the spy shot, we can also see a snorkel that helps the engine to breathe better and increases the water wading capacity.

Via Rushlane

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