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.
