2024 Force Gurkha: 5-door Vs 3-door Compared

Force Motors has revealed the Gurkha 5-door with an upgraded cabin, new features and a more powerful engine. That being said, Force has not compromised on the existing 3-door version, as that now gets all the updates that the longer wheelbase version of the Gurkha gets. In this report, we are going to take you through the differences and similarities between the two versions of the Gurkha:

Design 

Viewing it from the front, both the Gurkhas have an identical design language and will be difficult to differentiate between the two. Both get round projector headlights with LED DRLs and the bumper housing the fog lamps.

View it from the sides and you will notice the major difference between the two. The 5-door version gets a longer wheelbase to accommodate the extra doors. Apart from the extra length, both the SUVs get the same boxy silhouette and a new set of dual-tone alloy wheels.

The rear of both the Gurkhas are identical as well, with a spare wheel mounted to the tailgate and a ladder to access the roof.

Interior And Features

Step inside and you will see that both the 5-door and 3-door versions of the Gurkha get the same cabin design and feature updates. Both get the new 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system and digital driver’s display. 

The 5-door version, with the longer wheelbase can accommodate a third row as well. The third row gets 2 captain seats making it a 2+3+2 seating layout (with a bench seat in the middle row) for the 7-seater Gurkha. Since the last row has captain seats, they can be accessed from the boot as well.

The features list on both the Gurkhas doesn’t look very fancy, given their utilitarian nature. However both get all basic stuff including a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a digital driver’s display, manual AC, tilt and telescopic steering adjustment, and all powered windows.

Safety is taken care of by dual front airbags, ABS, rear parking sensors, and a tyre pressure monitoring system. Both the SUVs miss out on 6 airbags, which some car brands have started to offer as standard these days. 

Powertrain And Specifications 

Both the Gurkhas get the same Mercedes-sourced 2.6-litre diesel engine that now makes 140 PS and 320 Nm paired with a 5-speed manual transmission and a four-wheel-drive system. The 3-door version prior to the update got the same engine but in a lower tune making significantly lesser power. 

Replacing the stick selector for the 4-wheel drive transfer case, you now get a rotary dial selector to choose between the drive mode functions that can be shifted on the fly. You also get a snorkel for wading through water and a manual locking differential for the front and rear axles. 

Price and Rivals 

We expect the updated Gurkha 3-door to be priced slightly higher than the outgoing Gurkha which was priced at Rs 15.09 lakh (ex-showroom). For the 5-door version, we can expect Force to price it at a premium over the 3-door Gurkha. Both the versions will be a larger alternative to the Maruti Suzuki Jimny. The 3-door Gurkha will rival the 3-door version of the Thar, while the 5-door Gurkha will directly compete with the upcoming Mahindra Thar 5-door