Off-roading has always been an adventurous sport for auto enthusiasts, and cars like the Mahindra Thar, Maruti Jimny, and Force Gurkha have made it more popular among a wide audience. In the coming months, we will have two new capable contenders in this segment – the Mahindra Thar Armada (5-door Thar) and the Force Gurkha 5-door. While the former is slated to make its debut on 15th August 2024 in a media event in Australia, the latter was recently teased ahead of its imminent launch. Let’s take a look at the key details of both forthcoming off-road SUVs.
Upcoming Off-road SUVs
Mahindra Thar Armada
The Mahindra Thar Armada will surely be bigger and more upmarket than its 3-door version. The spy images reveal that the SUV will have a massive road presence. Upfront, it will feature a newly designed grille, slightly tweaked bumper with integrated fog lamps, and LED headlamps. The higher trims will get LED side indicators on the front fenders and LED taillamps at the rear. It will carry differently designed rear door handles, and the rear quarter glass will share resemblance with the Thar EV concept. Inside, the 5-door Mahindra Thar will have a dual-screen setup – one 10.25-inch for the infotainment system and one 10.25-inch for the instrument cluster. It will also get some additional features such as leatherette seat upholstery, rear AC vents, a sunroof, front and rear center armrests, and more. Specifications of the 5-door Thar are yet to be revealed, though it’s expected to source its powertrains from the Scorpio N.
Rendering Source
Force Gurkha 5-door
Compared to the Gurkha 3-door, the Force Gurkha 5-door will have slightly different styling with features such as newly designed squarish headlamps, 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, and tweaked front and rear bumpers. The SUV will come with a shift-on-the-fly 4WD knob placed next to the driver’s seat on the center console. It could be offered with multiple seating configurations – 5-seats, 6-seats, and 7-seats. The 7-seater version will have a bench seat for the second row and two individual captain’s chairs for the third row. The SUV’s 5-door version will sit on a 2825mm long wheelbase. Under the hood, the Force Gurkha 5-door is likely to feature the same 2.6L diesel engine that does duty in its 3-door version. This Mercedes-sourced oil burner will be paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox.