CD Speak: Mahindra Should Name 5-Door Thar The Armada & Here’s Why

At a time when carmakers are dipping into their heritage and reviving classic monikers, Mahindra could do the same with its latest off-roader

Renders by Samyak Bothra

The Mahindra Thar lineup is meant to grow beyond its current three-door avatar. Its upcoming five-door iteration has been spied on numerous times ahead of its possible 2023 debut. The more practical Thar has only been spotted heavily camouflaged, a measure done to hide its details among which a new name badge’s presence is likely.

Mahindra is definitely not going to introduce the five-door Thar as a variant or with a rudimentary suffix like “Plus” or “XL.” These are too mundane for this vehicle, aren’t they? Instead, the Indian carmaker would give it a whole new identity and has several historic trademarked monikers to choose from. We believe Mahindra will name its new family friendly off-roader the ‘Armada’ – Mahindra’s first upscale attempt based on a jeep chassis. 

In anticipation of the new Mahindra SUV’s reveal, we even acquired this exclusive rendering to show what we think the final product will look like. 

Roots Of The Name

The Armada nameplate was introduced by Mahindra in the early 1990s as a larger, hardtop utility vehicle based on the original Jeep. Like most SUVs back then, it was quite a bare vehicle with next to no creature comforts. That said, it was an alternative to Mahindra ‘jeeps’ of that era and was targeted at urban buyers. It was discontinued in 2001 after a brief stint and was the spiritual predecessor to the now iconic Bolero.

Given that the Thar nameplate was applied to the modern iteration of the three-door jeep, it would be fitting if Mahindra revived the Armada moniker for the five-door iteration of the same. The different names would also help the three-door lifestyle off-roader maintain its distinctive identity as the Thar, and would allow the new SUV to make its own name in the lineup.

Hints Of A New Name

Among the various spy shots of the five-door Thar test mules, any areas that would disclose its name were also covered in camo wrap. Even the backrests of the front seat that could otherwise state the ‘Thar’ moniker in the current three-door off-roader were covered.

What Is Known About The New Armada?

Many details of the upcoming five-door iteration of the Thar have already been spotted or revealed, but specifications remain unknown. It will share its stiffer underpinnings and more advanced rear suspension with the Scorpio N while retaining the overall exterior design essense of the regular Thar.

Also read: The 5-door Mahindra Thar Be Based On The Same Platform As The Scorpio N: R Velusamy 

It will get a version of the Thar’s 4x4 drivetrain too, but Mahindra could also introduce a rear-wheel drive only option of the five-door Thar’s more affordable variants. The Armada will be powered by retuned versions of the same 2-litre turbo-petrol and 2.2-litre diesel engines found in all of Mahindra’s newest SUVs like the three-door Thar, Scorpio N and XUV700. Both engines will get the choice of six-speed manual and automatic transmissions.

The Armada is expected to offer more creature comforts than the Thar while retaining the rugged qualities like washable interior floor and removable doors. Additional features could include auto AC, rear AC vents, six airbags, ESC, LED lighting, connected car tech and a rear parking camera. 

Related: 5-Door Mahindra Thar Spied From Above, Seems To Have A Removable Roof Panel

When Is The Armada Due?

As stated earlier, Mahindra did confirm that the five-door version of the Thar will debut in 2023. However, it has not revealed the exact timeline of the SUV’s market launch. It could make its production debut on August 15, 2023, like the three-door Thar did in 2020. However, the market launch may happen a few weeks after, in the final quarter of that year.

The five-door Thar, i.e. the Armada, is expected to be priced from around Rs 15 lakh (ex-showroom). It will be rivalling the upcoming five-door iterations of the Suzuki Jimny and Force Gurka.

Also read: All The Upcoming 5-Door Off-Roaders You Can Have For Less Than Rs 20 Lakh

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