Mahindra Thar ROXX

The Mahindra Thar was THE off-roader in the country for a long time and one of the few complaints people had with the SUV was its lack of rear doors. The fix came in the form of the 5-door Thar, known as the Thar Roxx, which offers much more than just two additional doors. With a premium cabin, modern features, and improved off-road capabilities, the Thar Roxx presents itself as a blend between adventure and family needs, but can it mix them properly?

• The Thar Roxx is not just longer than its 3-door sibling, but also wider. The bigger stance adds to its road presence and makes it stand out from the crowd of SUVs.

• Its design is just as rugged as you’d expect it to be, but at the same time, you get many modern elements like its C-shaped LED DRLs, C-shaped LED tail lamps, and sharp 19-inch alloy wheels.

• The face has a new 6-slat grille, split into two sections, and the rear end looks even more muscular due to the chunky wheel cover. 

• However, I feel the door handles could have been executed better. The positions of the front and rear door handles do not match, and in my opinion, flush-fitting handles would have looked better.

• The Thar Roxx comes with two cabin themes, and most variants get the white one. This does make the cabin look airy, but it can easily get dirty, especially when you’re off-roading.

• The brown theme which is available only with the diesel four-wheel-drive variants looks much better, and is also more suitable for rough-road conditions.

Driving position

• Thar Roxx’s driver seat is 6-way power adjustable, which meant I could conveniently adjust and get to my driving position with ease. 

• The seat is wide, supports people of wider frames, like me, and can easily accommodate taller drivers.

Passenger comfort

• Thar Roxx’s seats have soft cushioning which provide comfort during both short and long journeys. There is no shortage of space in the front, and seats offer good support, even when going off the road.

• Two passengers can sit comfortably in the rear seats, but accommodating 3 is a stretch. I am 5 '8, and for me the seats offered good underthigh support and the recline angle kept me comfortable in a relaxed position. Headroom is enough for taller passengers, and there is no compromise in the leg and knee room.

• If you seat three, the middle passenger won’t have any issues with leg room, headroom, and underthigh support. However, due to the width of the seat, shoulders will overlap, which will make longer journeys a little uncomfortable.

Storage options

• The boot space you get in the Thar Roxx is more than enough. It has a flat floor, on which you can keep an entire suitcase set (small, medium, and large), and a 2-3 soft bags depending on their size.

• There is enough storage space inside the Thar Roxx to keep your stuff during your regular drives. The front doors have 1-litre bottle holders, there is storage in the front armrest, and you get a glovebox with a cooling function.

• The front passengers further get cupholders in the centre console, and a tray which doubles as a wireless phone charger. In the rear-wheel drive variants, the 4X4 shifter’s absence creates space for a large storage pocket.

• The rear passengers, however, do not get much in terms of door bottle holders. Instead, they get small slots in the doors. I tried fitting a 500ml water bottle, and failed.

• But, rear passengers get cupholders in the centre armrest, and seat back pockets with slots to keep their smartphones.

• For charging options, the Thar Roxx offers a wireless phone charger, a type-A port, and a 65W type-C port in the front. The rear passengers get just 1-type C port placed below the rear AC vents.

Features

Safety

• In terms of safety, it gets 6 airbags, electronic stability control (ESC), hill hold and descent control, and rear parking sensors as standard equipment.

• Higher variants are equipped with a 360-degree camera, and Level 2 ADAS features like lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and autonomous emergency braking.

• It also has a 5-star crash test safety rating from Bharat NCAP, which acts as a cherry on top of its extensive feature list.

Convenience

• Mahindra is positioning the Thar Roxx as a modern off-roader due to the features it offers. You get a 6-way powered driver seat, ventilated front seats, automatic climate control, a 9-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, a wireless phone charger, and a panoramic sunroof. 

• However, it misses out on basics like keyless entry. 

• It also comes with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and it’s also equipped with a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display.

In Thar Roxx, you are not only getting improved features, but better safety features as well. Right from the base variant you get 6 airbags, electronic stability program, 3 point seat belt for all passengers and a brake-locking differential. The higher variant get front parking sensors, a 360 degree camera and level 2 ADAS. 

The boot is much better than the 3-door. If we talk about the official rating, then it gets 447 litres of space. Which, on paper, is more than the Hyundai Creta. And because there is no parcel shelf here, you have more freedom to stack luggage the way you want. You can keep the big suitcases straight up here and even stack one on top of the other. You can stack these suitcases sideways as well because the boot floor is wide and flat. 

• Mahindra offers it with the same 2-litre turbo-petrol and 2.2-litre diesel engine options as the standard Thar, but in higher states of tune. It also gets both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive options, just like its 3-door counterpart.

City performance

• I would suggest the turbo-petrol engine if you drive in the city a lot. The drive is effortless and overtakes don’t need to be planned. Acceleration is quick and getting to high speeds doesn’t take time. Its cabin is well insulated, which keeps the sound out, and the engine refinement is excellent.

• Thar Roxx’s diesel engine also has a lot of power and overtakes are effortless in the city. Also, if you want a 4X4 Thar Roxx, then the diesel engine is your only option. 

• The torque convertor automatic transmission delivers the power smoothly and the gear changes are not jerky. We would recommend it over the manual.

Highway performance

• During my drive, the turbo-petrol felt just as effortless on the highway as it did in the city. Overtakes don’t need planning and getting to triple digit speeds was easy.

• The diesel engine, on the other hand, is not as quick with power as the petrol. You can go to high speeds and take those overtakes, but it will take a little more time than the petrol.

• Overall, both engines have more than enough power for your needs, and you won’t be disappointed by either one.

Mileage

• With the diesel engine, you can get a fuel efficiency of 10-12 kmpl, while the turbo-petrol will return around 8-10 kmpl. These figures will vary depending on your driving style.

Suspension & Ride quality

• Mahindra updated the suspension setup to make the Thar Roxx’s ride quality more comfortable than the 3-door Thar. But, even after this change, the difference isn’t that much.

• On smooth roads, the Thar Roxx provides a good ride quality, like any other car. But, as soon as I encountered cracks and potholes, me and the passengers started to experience a lot of movement inside the cabin. This movement is more apparent in the rear.

• On highways, level changes and expansion joints on flyovers result in the same, and the passengers get tossed around in the cabin.

• Someone who has driven the 3-door Thar will definitely consider this ride quality as an upgrade. But if you’re coming from a traditional hatchback or SUV, it might take a little getting used to.

Off-road & Braking

• The Thar Roxx carries forward all the off-road capabilities of the standard Thar, and mixes them with modern tech. While the 3-door Thar is still the better off-roader, the Thar Roxx’s modern features makes it easier for even a newbie to go off the road.

• Apart from having torque-y engines and good approach, departure, and breakover angles, the Thar Roxx also gets features like CrawlSmart and IntelliTurn, which makes off-roading slightly convenient.

• With CrawlSmart, you can set a speed on which the car will move without your intervention. This is useful when you’re on an off-road patch and need to climb.

• IntelliTurn locks the inner wheels when taking a turn which reduces the turning radius significantly. This is  useful when you need to take a turn in a tight space.

• It has a fairly strong braking performance with a 100-0 kmph stopping distance of 42.12 metres. But for reference, the 3-door Thar did the same in 40.27 metres.

• The difference between both isn’t that much, and that’s partially because the Thar Roxx gets both front (ventilated) and rear disc brakes, which help improve braking performance.

If you love adventure, off-roading, and want a car with an unbeatable road presence, but also need to keep your family happy, then the Mahindra Thar Roxx is worth considering. It proves to be a neat blend of ruggedness and technology, and makes you feel invincible when going off the road. The only major flaw is its ride quality, which is something you and your family will have to adjust to.

Other cars to consider instead of the Mahindra Thar Roxx

Maruti Jimny

Reasons To Consider

• Better ride comfort

• More affordable

Reasons To Ignore

• Less features

• Not as spacious

Force Gurkha 5-door

Reasons To Consider

• More space

Reasons To Ignore

• Bare minimum features

• Less powerful engine