While it's no news that Force has been working on a 5-door version of the Gurkha, for the first time the purpose built off-road SUV has been spotted testing undisguised. Though this may not be the final production-ready form of the SUV, there are some noticeable design changes compared to its 3-door sibling. The 5-door Gurkha is expected to be launched with a stretched version of the 3-door's C in C ladder-frame architecture, and could go on sale later this year.
Also Read: 2021 Force Gurkha Launched In India
The obvious differentiator in the appearance of the upcoming SUV is the addition of the 2 doors. The sides of the SUV also feature split windows between the second and the third row, instead of the long window on the 2 row version, and has a larger foot step between the longer wheelbase of the SUV. The SUV also features squared off wheel arches as the 3-door, but sits on chunkier tyres. There are also horizontal ventilation slits on top of the front wheel arches which are unique to this version, but they may just serve a visual purpose.
Also Read: 2021 Force Gurkha: All You Need To Know
The test mule features squared headlamps, fatter tyres and some design cues unique to the variant.
Photo Credit: Abhijeet Mane
On the front, the design of the bumper looks unchanged, and the camouflaged grille also bears the same shape as the 3-door counterpart. What's changed on the front are the headlamps, as the units spotted on the test mule are square shaped, as opposed to the round headlamps on the 3-door model. The spotted mule also sported blacked out steel rims and didn't have fog lamps, suggesting that this could be a baseline trim of the upcoming off-roader.
Also Read: New Force Gurkha BS6: Top 5 Highlights
The SUV could be offered in 6 seater and 7 seater options, with the 6 seater featuring captain seats on all rows, while the 7 seater could have a bench in the middle row. An 8 seater variant seems unlikely, as the SUV's last row is accessed from the back door.
The rear of the SUV remains largely unchanged compared to its 3-door sibling.
Photo Credit: Abhijeet Mane
The 5-door Force Gurkha could beat the upcoming 5-door Maruti Suzuki Jimny and the 5-door Mahindra Thar to the launch, and this could help the off-road based SUV to build its market in the niche segment. The SUV should continue to be on offer with the same feature list as the 3-door model, and will be paired with the same 2.6-litre diesel engine and 5 speed manual gearbox.
(Source: Abhijeet Mane)
