How Mahindra Thar 5-door will fare against Maruti Suzuki Jimny
SUV specialist Mahindra has confirmed the debut of the Thar 5-door version in India in 2024. To recall, a near production-ready mule of the off-roader was spotted doing test runs in a camouflaged avatar on our shores. Thar's biggest rival—Maruti Suzuki Jimny—is set to be launched on June 7. How will the former fare against the latter?
Why does this story matter?
Successor to the iconic MM540 model, the Thar is one of the best off-road-biased SUVs in Mahindra's portfolio in India. It dominates the lifestyle SUV segment on our shores with its tech-forward cabin, capable powertrain options, and a four-star rating in the G-NCAP's crash test. However, with the imminent arrival of the Maruti Suzuki Jimny, the company is planning to introduce a five-door variant.
Maruti Suzuki Jimny gets capable off-roading hardware
Maruti Suzuki Jimny has neo-retro appeal with round LED headlamps, flared wheel arches with black cladding, rugged-looking alloy wheels, a tailgate-mounted spare wheel, and bumper-mounted taillights. Inside, it has a practical five-seater cabin with an all-black dashboard, premium fabric upholstery, connected car technology, and a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment panel. It is powered by a 1.5-liter K-series petrol engine (103hp/134Nm) with an "AllGrip" 4WD system.
The Thar 5-door will feature all-LED lighting and alloy wheels
The upcoming Mahindra Thar 5-door will retain the overall silhouette of the standard model. It will feature a clamshell bonnet, a vertical-slatted grille, round LED headlamps, fender-mounted DRLs, redesigned bumpers with silvered skid plates, large ORVMs, flared wheel arches with black cladding, and rugged-looking alloy wheels. The SUV will flaunt a tailgate-mounted spare wheel and squared-out LED taillights at the rear end.
It will get a spacious five-seater cabin
The interiors of the all-new Thar 5-door are under wraps. However, we expect the SUV to get a spacious five-seater cabin with a minimalist dashboard, fabric upholstery, automatic climate control, removable roof panels, a semi-digital instrument cluster, and a water-resistant touchscreen infotainment system with connectivity options and off-roading telemetry. The safety of the passengers will be taken care of by multiple airbags and ESC.
It will be offered with capable powertrain options
The upcoming Thar 5-door will likely retain the 2.2-liter diesel engine that churns out (128hp/300Nm) and a 2.0-liter turbo-petrol unit (147.9hp/320Nm) from the standard model. The mills would be linked to either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic gearbox with a four-wheel-drive system.
How will Mahindra Thar's 5-door version fare against its rivals?
The Mahindra Thar 5-door is expected to arrive in India next year. Once launched, it will offer a practical and spacious cabin over the standard 3-door model. The upcoming SUV will face tough competition from the Maruti Suzuki Jimny and the upcoming Force Gurkha five-door version. However, we believe that the popular off-roader will be able to make its mark in the lifestyle segment.
