On Thar Roxx

The five-door iteration of the Mahindra Thar has been a part of the industry chatter for longer than I can remember. Its absence robbed Mahindra of the possible chance of positioning the SUV as a more complete product, and although momentarily, it gave the rivals a bit of an advantage. The arrival of ‘The SUV’, as Mahindra likes to refer to the Thar Roxx, changes everything. We got the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the SUV during the first drive organised by Mahindra this Independence Day in the wonderful city of Kochi. But isn’t the Thar Roxx an off-roader, and wouldn’t it be better to have a more outdoorsy setting? Well, yes, but Mahindra had a lot to showcase with the car not just limited to its off-road prowess, as we learnt soon after getting behind the wheel.

Let’s start with the platform. Before you think of it as just the longer version of the Thar, it’s based on a new platform underneath. It has two extra doors and that just means you don’t have to repeat your gymnastics routine to get to the rear seat as you’d have in the standard, three-door Thar. When inside, you’d also notice that the cabin is more spacious at the back, even with the presence of a massive panoramic sunroof. This also makes the interior a fair bit brighter and roomier than the 3-door model’s darker and relatively cramped cabin.

There are two 10.25-inch screens, one of which is the instrument panel, bringing the Thar up to date with other SUVs — and ahead of its off-road rivals

The cream-coloured upholstery mightn’t be the ideal choice for an off-road vehicle, but the improvement in overall fit and finish is discernible. There are two 10.25-inch screens, one of which is the instrument panel, bringing the Thar up to date with other SUVs — and ahead of its off-road rivals. The top of the dashboard has a soft-touch material and even the power window switches have been moved to the door cards. The dashboard also hasn’t gone entirely button-free, either; it feels good to have tactile buttons and not a touch-sensitive panel or useful functions hidden behind menus on the touchscreen infotainment system.

Straight-forward design

On the outside, it’s a pretty straight-forward design: an unmistakeable Thar but with five doors. The rugged appearance that we’ve come to associate with the Thar is very much there, only made better with the larger 19-inch wheels, a brand-new grille, and an imposing stance thanks to its muscular profile. It grabs attention astonishingly quickly and if you’re looking for a stylish SUV that looks like it can take on anything, the Thar Roxx is going to be the definitive choice. The smaller details aren’t left untouched, either: the new headlights and taillamps look great, the exposed hinges accentuate the car’s go-anywhere nature, and rounding off the distinctly SUV appearance is the tailgate-mounted spare wheel.

The rugged appearance that we’ve come to associate with the Thar is very much there, only made better with the larger 19-inch wheels and an imposing stance thanks to its muscular profile

more powerful options

There are two engine options: a 2-litre turbocharged petrol and a 2.2-litre diesel, both familiar units, but now made more powerful. We drove the diesel-engined Thar and it’s easy to see why diesel still has solid demand, especially in a vehicle like the Mahindra Thar Roxx. The mHawk diesel engine makes 173 bhp and 33.65 kg-m, ensuring that it never felt powerless. Mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, the engine catapults the Thar quite strongly, but at the same time, it’s surprisingly smooth and quiet.

One would expect an off-road-focussed vehicle to be a bit unwieldly on the road, but the Thar Roxx proves everyone wrong. The gear shifts are smooth, the clutch feels well-weighted but never tiring, the steering too isn’t disconnected — in fact, it feels more precise than before. On the highway, the Thar Roxx shines, with effortless overtaking ability and an overall balance that’s distinctly more civilised than the three-door Thar. Maintaining high speeds isn’t a problem, either, and even off the line, the Thar seems eager to move, thanks to the engine’s low-end torque.

Off-road activity

Among other modern cars, the Thar Roxx is more likely to be driven off the road, too, and if you too decide to take yours for a spin in the slush, we can comfortably say that it won’t disappoint. As a part of the first drive, Mahindra had also prepared an off-road course to help us understand the Thar Roxx’s innate off-roading abilities. This included steep inclines, rock crawling, water wading, and even a slushy pit, all of which were handled by the Thar Roxx without breaking a sweat. Of course, we’ll need the car for a longer time to judge it better, but the off-road activity did allow us a glimpse into what the Thar Roxx can actually do. The car’s wheel-lock differential, which allowed the Thar to sharpen its turning radius by locking the rear wheel on tight turns quickly became our favourite feature. The Thar Roxx also gets disc brakes at the rear; this makes the SUV’s braking performance better than expected, enabling it to stop quickly without losing composure.

Safety features

In terms of safety, Mahindra hasn’t skimped on features. Apart from six airbags, ESC, and even a 360-degree camera, the Thar Roxx comes with ADAS features like adaptive cruise control and a lane-keep assist. Its official crash-test ratings aren’t out yet, but Mahindra has a proven track record in that regard and we expect the Thar Roxx to be no different.

At prices starting from just ₹12.99 lakh, ex-showroom, Mahindra has proven that solid, off-road-ready vehicles aren’t just a dream for buyers. While this price is for the base RWD model, the Thar Roxx has a lot to offer to its customers. It’s not just great looking, but comes well-equipped, too. It is a brilliant combination of rugged charm with modern features, its ability to tackle challenging off-road situations is commendable, and the powerful engine range covers just about every possible need for the buyer in this segment.

Some of the things that we didn’t like include the occasional cheap bits inside, the awkward design treatment of both the B and C pillars, the heavy tailgate thanks to the spare wheel mounted there, and the lack of under-thigh support at the rear. We drove pre-production models and there were some teething issues, which Mahindra personnel acknowledged would be sorted out in the final cars.

The Thar Roxx is much more than just a longer version of the standard Thar. It’s decidedly more premium, it has more power, better ergonomics, easier access to the cabin, a larger boot and a comprehensive list of features. Prices for the 4x4 model aren’t out yet but the Thar Roxx RWD looks to be priced quite well — ranging between ₹12.99 lakh and ₹20.49 lakh, ex-showroom. On the whole, it’s an extremely likeable SUV, and it wouldn’t be wrong to expect the wait time to climb up rather quickly. So if you are in the market for one, we won’t suggest wasting any time