Maruti Jimny vs Mahindra Thar: In Pics Comparison

Does the Jimny – in its 5-door version – have what it takes to turn more heads than its arch rival?

The Maruti Suzuki Jimny is on the verge of being launched in India in its 5-door avatar. It will be another option as a lifestyle off-roader in our market following the already popular Mahindra Thar. While we will surely compare the two off-roaders in detail, here’s the comparison of the duo’s exteriors, interiors and features in the image gallery below:

EXTERIOR

Front

One look at the face of Maruti Suzuki’s off-roader is all it takes to instantly make out that it’s the globally popular Jimny, though the India-spec model has chrome surrounds for the grille. Where the Jimny’s front fascia gets simple and straight lines, the Thar’s bonnet curves down towards the bumper. The Jimny’s face has all the basic design aspects done correctly, including a small and plain grille, round headlights and fog lamps, and a thick bumper. Mahindra, on the other hand, has given the Thar a big grille with vertical slats, huge round headlights and a chunky bumper. It becomes immediately noticeable that the Thar is wider than the Jimny.

Headlights

Both the off-roaders have round headlights facing directly forward, positioned at the far ends of their grille. While the Jimny gets auto-LED projector units, Mahindra offers the Thar with halogen headlights. That said, both the SUVs come with halogen fog lamps. While the Jimny’s turn indicators are placed close to the headlight housings, the Thar has them positioned on the front fenders. The Maruti off-roader is also equipped with headlight washers, a segment-first in India.

Side

It’s from the sides that you notice the biggest difference between the two off-roaders. While the Maruti Jimny is a 5-door offering, Mahindra sells the Thar in a 3-door version for now (5-door iteration coming in 2024). Both measure less than four metres in length and have muscular and squarish wheel arches, while those for the Thar’s rear wheels are more traditional in their curved shape. We can also notice the small kink in the front windowline on the Jimny whereas the Thar features a strong shoulder line running from the front to the rear fender.

Also, since the Jimny has rear doors, those rear windows can be opened whereas the Thar has fixed glass panels for the rear section of the cabin.

Related: Maruti Jimny First Drive: 5 Things We Learned About The Off-roader

Roof Options

The Thar gets the choice of a fixed composite roof or a convertible soft top, whereas the Jimny comes with just a metal hard top.

The Exact Numbers

Even though the Jimny is a 5-door offering, it’s as long as the 3-door Thar (3985mm). However, when it comes to the Maruti SUV’s wheelbase, it measures 2590mm whereas that of the Thar stands at 2450mm (-140mm). That said, the Thar takes the lead in standing taller from the ground (226mm) than the Jimny (210mm).

Wheels

Maruti has fitted the Jimny with 15-inch alloy wheels with the same design as the international-spec model. The Thar, on the other hand, comes with alloy wheel sizes ranging from 16 to 18 inches.

Also Read: These Are The Top 3 Family SUVs In India Under Rs 20 Lakh According To A.I.

Rear

The two off-roaders have one common styling element at the rear in the form of a tailgate-mounted spare wheel. The Maruti off-roader also gets the “Jimny” and “AllGrip” badges on either lower side of the tailgate. It also gets a roof-mounted washer while its rear wiper is placed behind the spare wheel. The Thar’s auto-transmission variants get an “automatic” badge on the lower left side of the tailgate. Like the front, the Jimny’s details are rugged but the Thar’s design is chunkier.

That said, the Jimny’s rear windscreen can’t be opened up the way the Thar’s rear section can be opened, i.e. separate from the tailgate. 

Taillights

While the Maruti SUV gets bumper-mounted halogen taillights, the Mahindra off-roader’s LED light clusters are vertically stacked featuring the “Thar” insignia.

INTERIOR

Both the off-roaders feature a rugged design approach inside the cabin while being provided with a few modern touches. They have an all-black cabin with silver accents, while also sporting a grab handle on the passenger side of the dashboard. While the Thar has circular AC vents up front, the Jimny comes with rectangular vents in the centre of the dashboard.

Instrument Cluster And Steering Wheel

The Jimny and Thar’s cabin similarities continue in the instrumentation cluster too as both have been provided with a coloured MID in the centre flanked by analogue dials. While both the SUVs get a tilt-adjustable steering wheel, it’s the Jimny’s modern-looking wheel which also has a leather wrap on it.

Both the SUVs come with steering-mounted audio and calling controls and cruise control. The Jimny’s instrument cluster also has a more distinctive design.

Touchscreen System

While the Thar comes with a 7-inch touchscreen unit only (that too only in the top-spec LX trim), the Jimny has the edge here thanks to its 9-inch display. Not only is the Jimny’s screen bigger than that of the Thar, but it also has a crisper user interface (UI). It even comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, which is not available on the Thar as yet. 

However, the Mahindra off-roader’s display can also show crucial offroad-specific information, helping it cover up some of its misses against the Jimny’s touchscreen unit.

Also Read: The Bigger, The Better? These 10 Cars Have The Biggest Displays In The World

Climate Controls And Other Switches

Both the Jimny and Thar come with AC controls in the lower half of the central dashboard, followed by some other switches further below. While in the Jimny these are for the traction control and hill-descent control, the same panel on the Thar houses controls for the passenger side airbag and the hazard lights.

Centre Console, Transmission Lever And 4X4 Transfer Case

Although there’s no centre console tunnel on the Jimny, Mahindra has provided it on the Thar, giving it a more premium feel. It houses the front power window switches on the Mahindra SUV along with a set of cup holders (available on the Jimny too) and the parking brake.

Just above the power window switches, there’s the transmission lever and the transfer case pair on the Thar. While in the Mahindra off-roader, the two levers are placed closely next to each other in the console, Maruti has placed the transfer case behind the gear shifter and much closer to the driver’s seat. While the Jimny comes with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed AT, the Thar gets 6-speed MT and AT options. That said, it’s only the Maruti off-roader which comes with a 4x4 transfer case as standard, while the Thar is also sold in a 4X2 (rear-wheel drive) version.

Front Seats

Both the SUVs come with fabric upholstery, with the Jimny’s USP being the ability to flat-fold down its front seats (and recline them too). The Thar, on the flip side, comes with height adjustment for the driver seat.

Rear Seats

Since the India-spec Jimny is a 5-door offering, it has separate doors to access the rear seats, unlike in the Thar where you need to slide the front seat forward to enter the second row. However, both are strictly four-seaters. While neither of the two off-roaders come with rear AC vents or USB sockets, it’s only the Thar that offers reclinable seats at the back. 

Boot Space

Maruti has cited that the Jimny comes with 208 litres of boot space with the second row seats in use but the same figure for the Thar is undisclosed. That said, both SUVs get 50:50 split-folding rear seats, opening up more space for carrying luggage (332 litres in the Jimny).

Final Thoughts

The Jimny -- even in its 5-door iteration – is as long as the Thar, That said, its compact proportions will be appreciated by both urban and off-road buyers for exactly the same reason: manoeuvrability. While each car has its pros and cons in terms of the exterior or interior, you can check out our first impressions of the Jimny from our first drive report.

Do let us know in the comments which off-roader of the two stole your attention the most overall, and why.

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