The need for more seats has practically become a selling point these days. Whether it’s a small MPV or a large SUV, if it doesn’t have three rows of seats inside, people won’t really consider it as their family vehicle. But there’s this rather curious-looking SUV from India that made us take a second look.
It’s called the Force Citiline, and it manages to squeeze four rows of seats into its, um, classic body. But hold on a sec, what exactly is a Force?
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Force is a brand based in India that specializes in commercial vehicles. But aside from trucks, it also builds passenger vehicles such as the Citiline. The Citiline traces its roots to the Force Trax that was first introduced in the mid-90s. That said, you probably figured that out just by looking at its exterior. Sure, it has composite headlights and a ‘modern front fascia’ (Force’s words, not ours), but there’s no denying that the design is from several decades back.
So, how big is it for it to fit four rows of seats inside? The Force Citiline measures 5,120 mm long, 1,818 mm wide, and 2,027 mm tall. It’s a little bit longer than something like a Ford Everest, but much taller and narrower.
As for the seating arrangements, the Citiline adapts a 2+3+2+3 layout, giving room for ten occupants. Mind you, it doesn’t look like you can stretch your legs in there, but if your goal is to cram as many people as needed in a car, then it should be just fine. The rear seats don’t appear to slide forward and back, but the second row does split for easier access to the third and fourth rows.
The amenities in the Citiline are as basic as it comes. While there is a digital multi-information display on the instrument cluster, you won’t find a touchscreen in there. You don’t even get a radio as standard in the first place. At least it gets a dual air-conditioning system, power windows, and a cupholder. Yes, singular.
Powering this people carrier is a 2.6-liter diesel engine with 91hp and 250Nm of torque. With figures like that carrying two and a half tons of SUV, we reckon it can do the 0 to 100kph sprint, but probably somewhere in the 20-second range. There’s no mention if it’s turbocharged or not, but judging by its output, we’re leaning towards the latter. It does have common rail direct injection, so it’s not a totally old-school design.
