The ‘Stretched’ Force Gurkha Has Been Spied With Third-Row Captain Seats

• Styling should remain largely unchanged aside from the significant increase in length.

• An earlier RTO document also hinted at an 8-seater option.

• Should retain the 3-door model’s 91PS 2.6-litre diesel engine and 5-speed manual gearbox without any changes.

• Will take on the upcoming five-door Mahindra Thar. 

In November 2021, an RTO document hinted that the Force Gurkha off-road SUV could soon be offered in a five-door body style with a test mule also making its spy debut soon after. Fast forward to the end of January 2022, and the five-door Gurkha has been spied again, this time, giving a closer look at what’s changed compared to the current three-door, 4-seater layout (captain seats for rear occupants).

While the model spotted was draped in camouflage, it is clear to see the significant increase in length compared to the three-door model (4,116mm). Aside from that and the steel wheels, the design seems to be largely unchanged from its smaller counterpart.  

But if you look through the windows, you’ll notice that there’s captain seats on the third row, which going by the earlier document could be the 6-seater variant with captain seats for all three rows. Force Motors could also add an 8-seater option as per the RTO document. 

As for the features on offer, expect bits like a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, manual air-conditioning, and front power windows from the three-door Gurkha to be retained. 

Also expect things to remain unchanged under the hood for the five-door Gurkha. For reference, the Gurkha is powered by a Mercedes-derived 91PS 2.6-litre diesel engine, paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 4x4 drivetrain. A low-range gearbox, snorkel and manual-locking (front and rear) differentials help the SUV navigate challenging terrains.

This isn’t the Force Gurkha’s first rodeo with a five-door body style, as its predecessor had  seating options from a 4- to a 9-seater and was offered in three broad trims: Xtreme (3-door), Xplorer (3- and 5-door), and Xpedition (5-door).

We can expect the five-door Force Gurkha to be introduced sometime later this year at a premium over its smaller counterpart that retails at Rs 14.10 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). While there’s no direct rival at the moment, it will soon have competition against Mahindra’s upcoming  five-door Thar which is slated to arrive by 2023.