- Will be launched in India on 15 August
- Will be offered with both diesel and petrol power
Long-anticipated arrival
Almost three years after they had hinted at it, Mahindra is finally bringing out the five-door Thar or the Thar Roxx as they have officially christened it. This will be a huge model for the Indian automaker as it will be their fourth ‘big SUV’ alongside the Thar, Scorpio N, Scorpio Classic, and of course, the XUV700.
The five-door model will be a more upmarket offering when compared to the three-door model aiming to appeal to those who want a Thar but with two more doors, and more luxury-oriented features but wrapped up in the boxy appeal of the Thar moniker.
And that, in our books, is going to create a sales pie-sharing issue for the Indian automaker. Mahindra recently admitted that once the Roxx is launched, it is going to cannibalise sales from the three-door model. However, we believe that it will take sales from the Scorpio N too and here is why we think so…
Taking sales from the Thar
The obvious separation between the three-door and five-door Thar are the size and the feature list. The idea of this higher-spec model is to make the Roxx appealing to family-oriented buyers that want the butch appeal of a boxy SUV and the bragging rights of the Thar brand but with all the comfort touches that the three-door model currently doesn’t have.
It will still have the same underpinnings, engine options (in a higher state of tune), and 4WD technology as the three-door model but with more inside to justify a higher price point.
This means the top versions of the three-door range could get the axe in favour of more hardcore lower-spec models. This will rekindle the appeal of not just the gen-one Thar enthusiasts but also those who were fans of vehicles like the Major and even the MM540.
Taking sales from the Scorpio N
This brings us to Thar Roxx's next target, the Scorpio N. Launched in 2022, it is in its fourth-generation and the most advanced model yet.
For the last two years, the Scorpio N has been filling that market gap for those that want a luxury SUV with butch appeal, space, and features. However, it’s a three-row-only design and that’s been a hindering factor for many who wanted a five-door Mahindra SUV but in a smaller form factor. Ultimately, many of these buyers either settled for a Scorpio N or offerings from other brands.
But now this, the Thar Roxx, will become the package that will fill that gap in the Mahindra hierarchy. The Roxx will get the same feature list as the Scorpio N but obviously put in a smaller and boxier package.
If you look at the expected prices too (Rs. 16 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh ex-showroom), the Thar Roxx is expected to arrive halfway through the N’s pricing and be on par with the latter’s mid-spec models.
What’s more, it is expected to get the 2.0-litre petrol and 2.2-litre in the same state of tune as the Scorpio N. These engines can be had with either a six-speed MT or a six-speed AT. This, of course, being a Thar, will come with Mahindra’s complete gamut of 4WD tools on select models for both petrol and diesel.
Thar Roxx details
Set to arrive on 15 August, the Mahindra Thar Roxx is the five-door Thar. Over its three-door sibling, it will be longer, more powerful, and have a bigger feature list, expanding the appeal of the Thar brand to a much wider audience. This is done and dusted for many legendary SUV names like the Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler, and even the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon range.
Five-door Thar.e
The five-door Thar is also one of the models confirmed for Mahindra's electric future and this was showcased as the Thar.e at their Futurescapes event in South Africa in 2023.
