The Force Gurkha 5-door adds space and practicality over the 3-door. Here’s an honest test of whether bigger actually means better.
Force built the 5-door specifically to answer the same complaint that’s followed the 3-door Gurkha since it launched: nowhere to put a family, and nowhere to put luggage once you did. So the pitch is straightforward. Bigger body, more doors, actual second-row usability, all while keeping the mechanical toughness that’s made the Gurkha a cult favourite among serious off-roaders.
That’s a testable claim, not just a tagline, and it’s worth actually checking whether “bigger” delivers “better” once you get past the extra doors, or whether Force just stretched the same set of trade-offs into a longer body.
What “bigger” actually adds
| Version | Ex-showroom price | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Gurkha 3-door | ₹15.10 – 16.75 lakh | Shorter wheelbase |
| Gurkha 5-door | ₹17.27 – 18 lakh | 4,390mm |
Both versions run the same 2.6-litre diesel engine, making around 138 bhp and 320 Nm, paired exclusively with a 5-speed manual gearbox and 4WD with manual locking differentials, factory-fitted rather than added later. The 5-door adds roughly 2 to 2.5 lakh rupees over the 3-door for a longer wheelbase, genuine rear doors, and more usable cabin space, while keeping the same running gear underneath. Ground clearance stays a genuinely serious 233mm across the range.
On-road prices push the 5-door to around 20.56 to 21 lakh rupees in Delhi once RTO and insurance are added, which puts it in an interesting spot. As one recent owner review put it plainly, this lands in roughly the same bracket as a Safari, Harrier, or Compass, and even undercuts a well-specced Thar Roxx in places. That’s the real context worth keeping in mind as you read the rest of this review.
Does bigger actually mean better?
Here’s where the honest answer gets complicated. The extra doors and length genuinely do improve entry and exit for rear passengers, and Force’s revised suspension setup on the 5-door absorbs bad roads noticeably better than the older Gurkha did. That’s real, measurable progress, not marketing spin.
But several of the Gurkha’s longest-standing complaints haven’t gone anywhere, even in this larger body. Cabin quality and ergonomics are still consistently described as outdated, falling well short of what buyers expect at this price point in 2026. Second-row seat comfort remains a specific weak point even in the 5-door, which is a genuinely important finding, since improved rear-seat comfort was the entire reason this version exists in the first place. Highway overtakes still take real time given the engine’s modest output relative to the vehicle’s weight, and handling remains a defined weakness, with significant body roll, slow and heavy steering, and brakes that reviewers consistently describe as lacking bite.
In short, bigger solved the space problem. It didn’t solve the character problems that have always come with choosing a Gurkha over almost anything else in this price range.
Where the Gurkha genuinely earns its reputation
To be fair to the vehicle, its actual strengths are real and increasingly rare in this exact form.
- Factory-fitted 4WD with genuine manual locking differentials and low-range gearing, not a badge-engineered SUV pretending to be an off-roader
- A ladder-frame construction built specifically to take serious abuse on rough terrain, described consistently as tough and solid over broken surfaces
- 233mm of ground clearance, genuinely class-leading and immediately useful the moment roads stop being maintained
- A distinctive, boxy road presence that owners repeatedly describe as unmatched at this price point, closer in spirit to a Mercedes G-Wagen silhouette than anything else sold in India today
- Off-road capability that reviewers consistently rate as the vehicle’s clear strongest suit, exactly where it should shine given its purpose
The value question, honestly
This is really the crux of the “bigger is better” question. At 17.27 to 18 lakh rupees ex-showroom, and pushing past 20 lakh on-road, the Gurkha 5-door sits close enough to a Mahindra Thar Roxx, and even some entry points into the Safari and Harrier range, that it invites direct comparison, whether Force intended that or not.
| SUV | Approx ex-showroom price | Core positioning |
|---|---|---|
| Force Gurkha 5-door | ₹17.27 – 18 lakh | Hardcore off-roader, minimal on-road comfort |
| Mahindra Thar Roxx (AX5L 4WD) | Around ₹21 lakh | Off-road capable, meaningfully better daily manners |
| Tata Harrier / Safari (entry) | Broadly comparable bracket | Family-focused, softer on-road ride |
Against the Thar Roxx specifically, the honest read is that the Gurkha wins clearly on raw off-road hardware, the locking differentials and low-range setup are genuinely more serious than what the Thar Roxx offers standard. But it loses just as clearly on cabin quality, features, and everyday drivability, exactly the areas most buyers in this price bracket actually weigh most heavily for daily use.
A quick note on the CNG confusion
Some listings claim the Gurkha 5-door offers a CNG option. This appears to be inconsistent or templated data rather than a real, currently available configuration, since every detailed spec sheet and review consistently describes this as a diesel-only vehicle with a 63-litre fuel tank. If you’re specifically shopping for a CNG option, confirm directly with a Force dealership rather than trusting a single listing site’s FAQ answer, since this is exactly the kind of spec confusion that’s easy to accidentally propagate.
Before you book
- Sit in the second row for a genuine extended period, not a thirty-second showroom check, given that rear-seat comfort remains a flagged weak point even in this larger body
- Test drive on both a highway stretch and a rough or unpaved road, since the Gurkha’s character shows up very differently depending on which one you prioritise
- Compare on-road pricing directly against a Thar Roxx AX5L or AX7L in your city, given how close these two vehicles land once taxes and insurance are added
- Confirm current fuel type and configuration directly with your dealer, given inconsistent CNG claims floating around online
Verdict
If genuine off-road capability is your primary requirement, and you’re willing to trade cabin polish, on-road refinement, and highway manners for a factory 4WD system with real locking differentials, the Gurkha 5-door is honestly one of the most capable options at this price point in India, and the added practicality over the 3-door is a real, meaningful improvement for that specific buyer.
If you’re cross-shopping this primarily as a family SUV or a comfortable daily driver that occasionally goes off-road, the Thar Roxx or a similarly priced Harrier will serve that brief considerably better, and the Gurkha’s persistent cabin quality and handling weaknesses will likely wear on you faster than the character charm does.
If you’re deciding between the 3-door and 5-door specifically, the 5-door’s extra practicality is worth the roughly 2 to 2.5 lakh rupee premium if you regularly carry rear passengers, but know going in that it doesn’t fully solve rear-seat comfort, just rear-seat access.
FAQ
Is the Force Gurkha 5-door actually better than the 3-door? For practicality, yes, genuinely. Entry and exit improve noticeably and the revised suspension absorbs bad roads better. Core weaknesses like cabin quality and rear-seat comfort persist in both versions, so “bigger” solves access more than it solves comfort.
How does the Gurkha 5-door compare to the Mahindra Thar Roxx on price? The Gurkha 5-door starts lower, around 17.27 to 18 lakh rupees ex-showroom against the Thar Roxx’s 21 lakh-plus for a comparable 4WD variant, but the Thar Roxx offers meaningfully better on-road manners, cabin quality, and features for that difference.
Does the Gurkha 5-door come with a CNG option? This appears inconsistently across listings and looks likely to be incorrect or templated data. Every detailed spec sheet describes it as diesel-only. Confirm directly with a dealership if this matters to your decision.
Is the Gurkha 5-door suitable as a daily driver? Not ideally. Reviewers consistently flag it as poorly suited to daily use, citing weak highway manners, heavy steering, significant body roll, and brakes that lack bite. It’s built and best suited for genuine off-road use, with daily driving as a secondary consideration.
What’s the Gurkha 5-door’s real strength? Off-road capability, unambiguously. Factory-fitted manual locking differentials, low-range 4WD, and 233mm of ground clearance make it genuinely more serious off-road hardware than most rivals near this price point offer.
What mileage does the Gurkha 5-door give? Claimed figures vary across listings, from around 12.4 to 15 kmpl on the 2.6-litre diesel. Given the vehicle’s weight and off-road-focused gearing, expect real-world figures toward the lower end of that range in mixed driving.
Bigger genuinely is better here, but only for the specific thing it was meant to fix, getting people in and out of the back seat. Everything that’s ever defined the Gurkha’s character, the strengths and the compromises both, made the trip into the longer body completely unchanged.
