Here’s A Look At The ‘Stretched’ Force Gurkha Sans Camo For The First Time

• Visual changes include a significant increase in length, more conventional headlight setup and minimalistic steel wheels.

• Earlier images hinted at a 6-seater variant with captain seats in all three rows. Earlier RTO documents also hinted at an 8-seater option.

• Will likely retain the 3-door Gurkha’s 91PS 2.6-litre diesel engine, 5-speed manual gearbox and 4x4 drivetrain.

• Will rival the upcoming five-door Mahindra Thar and possibly a five-door Maruti Jimny. 

Force has been working on giving the Gurkha a five-door avatar for some time now, with models being spotted testing in the country. Now, the ‘stretched’ Gurkha has been spotted for the first time without a disguise. 

At a glance, it doesn’t seem like anything has changed in terms of design aside from the significant increase in length compared to the three-door model (4,116mm). But a closer look at the front shows there are no circular headlamps. Instead, it's more of a conventional setup. Also, the ‘Gurkha’ lettering is missing on the front grille, with the wheels looking quite minimalistic, suggesting this is not the final model just yet, with some changes likely planned in these areas to give the five-door Gurkha its own identity.

While we still haven’t gotten a proper look inside, earlier images teased captain seats for the third row for a possible 6-seater variant, supporting information from an earlier RTO document. It might get an 8-seater option too as per the same RTO document. 

The features onboard will likely remain largely unchanged from the three-door model with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, manual air conditioning, and front power windows. The rear windows for the five-door might be manual-only.

The five-door Gurkha is expected to retain the three-door Gurkha’s Mercedes-derived 91PS 2.6-litre diesel engine. It is paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 4x4 drivetrain with off-road cred including a low-range gearbox, snorkel and manual-locking (front and rear) differentials.

Expect the five-door Force Gurkha to be introduced around Q2 2022 at a premium over its three-door counterpart that retails at Rs 14.10 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). It should have the five-door Mahindra Thar for company that is expected to arrive in 2023.

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