The Mahindra Thar is arguably one of the most popular nameplates in the country, as far as SUVs go. The first generation Thar, while nothing great on tarmac, was a huge hit with off-roading fanatics. The second generation Thar, had Mahindra widen the Thar’s appeal by making it bigger, more butch-looking and modern, while also making it more comfortable. And now, the SUV manufacturer wants to explore the Thar’s potential further and has just launched its 5-door version, christened the Thar ROXX in a bid to position the hardcore SUV as a more lifestyle offering that’s also bigger, more spacious and better-equipped on the features front.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say this new Thar has been one of the most hotly anticipated launches this year. Because any and every post on social media about it has gone viral, and after months of speculations, teasers, spy shots, renders and what not, the Thar ROXX, is finally here! Mahindra also tells us there’s more to it than just the two extra doors and we spent a day behind its wheel in the city of Kochi in Kerala, on the occasion of the country’s 78th Independence Day. Since 2020, Mahindra has turned August 15 into an occasion for it to launch new products or showcase future plans and technologies and it all started with the launch of the second generation 3-door Thar four years ago.
And this year, the Thar ROXX broke cover in grand fashion on the eve of the Independence Day and admittedly, the very first glance was enough to help me distinguish it from the 3-door version. That’s thanks to the changes and updates to the design, beginning with the grille, because the grille on the ROXX (on the ROXX just sounds cool, doesn’t it?) is a new, six-slot unit that Mahindra likes to call the ‘six-pack’ grille. The grille also integrates a camera for the 360-degree view system, a new addition. The DRLs are C-shaped, adding further to the distinctive identity, but just like the 3-door Thar, while the Mahindra name sits on top of the grille, the twins peak logo is missing.
Move to the sides and of course, the first thing you’ll notice are the rear doors, besides which there’s a lot of design details, like the fact that there’s a cut above the rear door that continues in a slanting manner onto the C-pillar. It makes for a very interesting looking appearance from the sides and Mahindra tells us the slanting line of the C-pillar is also meant to give the Thar ROXX the appearance of a pick-up truck. But the roof on the Thar ROXX cannot be detached, like, say, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. I understand that would have added to complexities and also driven prices up. Another interesting design detail are the rear door handles sitting on top and not being positioned conventionally – an attempt to make the SUV stand out further, me thinks.
What’s more, while lower variants use 18-inch wheels just like the 3-door Thar, higher variants of the ROXX run on bigger, 19-inch wheels. Of course, this is also in the interest of portraying the Thar Roxx as a more lifestyle SUV and an SUV that’s not just a hardcore off-roader. There are a few similarities and a few differences at the rear too, like the fact that the lines at the top will help you distinguish this one from the 3-door Thar. But at the same time, in keeping with its positioning as a butch and a hardcore SUV, the spare wheel sits mounted onto the tail gate, just like the 3-door Thar. Another difference to note is that the tail lights are C-shaped, in keeping with the C-shaped design of the DRLs at the front. Above all else, the Thar ROXX boasts a highly commanding road presence, helped further by its larger dimensions (L x W x H: 4,428 x 1,870 x 1,923mm) and 2,850mm wheelbase and stating that it was an attention magnet on the roads of Kochi would be a gross understatement. The larger size also means that the boot, which opens just like the 3-door Thar’s in two parts, is far larger and boot volume is a very impressive 644 litres.
The interiors offer a plush and very premium vibe, which is a pleasant surprise, but then, this is also in keeping with the positioning of the Thar ROXX as an SUV that’s trying to strike a balance between being a hardcore off-roader and a lifestyle SUV. This also explains the soft-touch dashboard, along with fit-finish levels I would term as excellent, as also the two 10.25-inch screens – one for the infotainment system and one for the instrument cluster display. Mahindra has also gone in for white interiors – white seats and a two-tone black-white finish on the dashboard! It’s a little surprising to see white interiors in an SUV that’s positioned as a butch, hardcore SUV also meant to go off-roading, but Mahindra says the seats are covered in leatherette and not leather, enabling wiping them clean with a wet cloth.
The instrument cluster display and steering wheel are straight off the XUV700, and that’s again, another nod to its more premium positioning as compared to the 3-door Thar. You also get a split arm rest and the driver’s side of the armrest can slide forward too. Power window switches have been moved to the door pad, thankfully, but if there’s one thing I could complain about, that would be the lack of enough storage spaces, as there’s just two rather shallow cup holders behind the gear lever, besides a not-so-large storage box under the armrest. Front door pockets are not large enough to hold one-litre bottles either. Seats are comfortable and as you would expect, the Thar ROXX offers a commanding view of the road ahead.
The second row is quite the place to be as well – I’m just an inch under six feet tall but even with the driver’s seat set to my height I had ample legroom and kneeroom on moving to the second row. You can even tuck your feet under the front seat fully, which adds to comfort further. There’s a dedicated grab handle for all occupants – including the driver – which not only helps while climbing into the SUV but will also help during off-roading sessions. Rear occupants also get dedicated AC vents and a type-C charging port. What’s also impressive is the fact that the rear seatback can recline, helping make it more comfortable, besides which there’s an armrest you can pull out, with cup holders.
The Thar ROXX also comes loaded to the gills as they say with features and equipment. There’s a 9-speaker Harman Kardon audio system that plays crisp notes, besides Mahindra’s AdrenoX system for the infotainment unit which lets you download a host of apps for news, weather and more. Both front seats are ventilated and the driver’s seat gets electric adjust and both front occupants also get seatbelt height adjustors – effectively, you’re talking features you only see in premium SUVs! There’s a 65W Type-C USB port for fast charging, besides the regular, Type-A port, though you don’t need it to connect your smartphone as the Thar ROXX supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and also has a wireless charging pad with a rubber base. And then there’s Indian car buyers’ favourite, a really large panoramic sunroof that has a massive opening.
The Thar ROXX is also equipped with Level 2 ADAS and gets 10 features as part of the safety package, including forward collision avoidance, emergency braking and more. Mahindra also tells us the ADAS on this SUV has been tuned and tweaked specifically for Indian driving conditions. Six airbags are standard across variants, besides which there’s a tonne of tech to aid drivers, including an electronic locking differential and a brake locking differential as well. It also gets what Mahindra calls the ‘Intelliturn’, which essentially locks the inside wheel when taking turns to reduce the turning radius, though this is obviously meant to be used off-road only.
Expectedly, the Thar ROXX is on offer with petrol and diesel engines both. The petrol is Mahindra’s now popular, 2.0-litre, four cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine from its mStallion family and offers 160PS and 330Nm or 174PS and 380Nm depending on the variant you’re looking at. The diesel engine is the 2.2-litre, four cylinder unit from the mHawk family and offers 150PS and 330Nm or 172PS and 370Nm depending on the variant. Both engines can be had either with six-speed manual gearboxes or six-speed torque converter automatics. If you want the 4×4 version, you can only have it with the diesel engine, either as a manual or automatic.
We only got to drive the diesel manual version, with the 4-wheel drive system. The powertrain impresses with its strong performance and linear torque delivery and I can imagine the automatic version impressing even more thanks to the additional 40Nm it offers. Turbo lag is minimal and acceleration is quick, though quality of gearshifts could have been better I felt, besides which clutch pedal travel was too much. What also shines in the diesel version is the excellent engine refinement – NVH levels inside the cabin are so low, it was almost hard to believe I was driving the diesel version initially! The excellent cabin insulation helped as well and overall, the powertrain’s refinement and smoothness are in keeping with the SUV’s positioning as a premium, lifestyle SUV.
The strong bottom end grunt means low speed acceleration is good besides which the engine also impresses on open roads, by feeling unstressed even above 100kmph. What’s also noteworthy is the fact that Mahindra hasn’t gone in for a switch to shift from 2WD to 4WD Low on the fly, as the Thar ROXX uses the traditional stick to shift to shift to four wheel drive. That said, even the manual version of the Thar ROXX uses an electric parking brake, which was a little confusing admittedly. Overall, the Thar ROXX feels very sorted on the powertrain front and I reckon it is more than willing to take on bumper to bumper traffic in metros with aplomb and also conquer highways with equal ease.
But while its powertrains are as impressive, just like any other new-age Mahindra SUV, the Thar ROXX impresses all the more with its ride and handling, courtesy Mahindra’s new M_Glyde chassis. The SUV uses frequency selective damping at both ends, along with an independent suspension setup at the front that integrates a double wishbone with coil springs and a rigid axle at the rear in addition to coil springs and a Watt’s Linkage. More importantly the Thar ROXX uses hydraulic rebound stoppers at the rear, which is a segment first. The result of this set up is a ride quality that’s a pleasant surprise in what is meant to be a hardcore SUV, as the Thar ROXX soaks up undulations very nicely. At the same time, it also feels composed at highway speeds and stays planted, adding to driver confidence, while the steering offers good feedback while also feeling well-weighted. In fact the kind of balance the Thar ROXX is able to offer between an excellent ride quality and confident handling, is almost surprising.
Unfortunately, the paucity of time and super-tight schedules meant we were unable to go off-roading in the Thar ROXX, despite Mahindra setting up a dedicated off-road course for us. That means we weren’t able to put the SUV to the ‘acid test’, though I am confident of it impressing as much as its 3-door version if not more, despite its longer wheelbase and increased weight. That’s a confidence that also stems from its approach angle of 41.7 degrees, departure angle of 36.1 degrees and water wading depth of 650mm.
With so much on offer and so much going for it, the Thar ROXX is a very compelling package. But more importantly, it’s the pricing that will really shock you. The base petrol version (manual, RWD) retails at Rs 12.99 lakh ex-showroom, while its diesel equivalent, with a manual gearbox and RWD retails at Rs 13.99 lakh ex-showroom. Mahindra is yet to announce prices for the entire variant line-up, especially the 4×4 versions, but these starting prices are so good, a lot of buyers are sure to sit up, take notice and even consider the Thar ROXX as a family SUV. I’m talking people who are probably looking at compact SUVs and more importantly, midsize SUV buyers who have SUVs like the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and more in mind. So while I at the start that the Thar ROXX is the most hotly anticipated launch of this year, I’d like to end this review by saying it is also probably the biggest disruptor of 2024! Mahindra has a clear winner at its hands, and one can expect massive waiting periods for the Thar ROXX, like we have seen for the XUV700 and Scorpio-N in the past.
