The Mahindra Thar Roxx makes no pretenses – it’s flamboyant, it’s feature-packed, it’s future-proof, and some of the variants can go anywhere and do anything. The level of tech the Thar Roxx packs in at its price point – Rs 12.99 lakh to Rs 20.49 lakh (excluding the 4×4 variants), will leave many others in the dust.
When Mahindra set out to build a five-door version of the Thar, popular opinion was that it would emerge as a Jeep Wrangler twin and an evolution of the three-door Thar design. But the design team at Mahindra took it a step further, adding design elements to give the Mahindra Thar Roxx a unique look, a design that does draw sharp reactions and makes it instantly recognizable.
Those who follow me, know that I’ve always been fond of SUVs – especially the kind that can go anywhere and do anything. While I have owned multiple Mahindra SUVs over 20 years, I am also probably the brand’s biggest critic.
Before I get to the detailed review – here’s what “Roxx” for me and what doesn’t, in other words, the pros and cons of the Mahindra Thar Roxx.
| Mahindra Thar Roxx: What I like | Mahindra Thar Roxx: What I don’t like |
| Ample space for 5 adults | Design is polarizing, seems overdone |
| Benchmark in off-road capability | Wiring loom covers on doors, rear glass, could have been tucked away |
| Refined engine, silent cabin | Second-row entry a bit narrow, despite 90 degree opening doors |
| Safety feature list including ADAS | No option of 4×4 with petrol engine |
| Easy to drive, ample power | No full keyless entry with request sensors |
Mahindra Thar Roxx Review: The Design
Mahindra didn’t just stretch the chassis and add two more doors to the three-door Thar (which would have been the simplest thing to do). Instead, it rebuilt the Thar Roxx almost ground up. The chassis is a modified version of the chassis in the Scorpio N, with further weight savings and rigidity. The rear suspension is a penta-link (Watts linkage) design, like the Scorpio N.
The wheelbase is even longer than the Scorpio N by 100 mm at 2850 mm, while the length has gone up by 443 mm compared to the three-door Thar at 4428 mm, yet shorter than the Scorpio N (4662 mm). It is 50 mm wider than the three-door Thar at 1870 mm, but slightly narrower than the Scorpio N (1917 mm). The Thar Roxx is taller than the Scorpio N by 66 mm. It’s a good 225 mm wider than the Maruti Suzuki Jimny and 80 mm wider than the Hyundai Creta. The AX7 variants drive on 19-inch alloy wheels with 255/60 R19 all-terrain tyres.
| Mahindra Thar Roxx | Mahindra Thar (3-door) | Mahindra Scorpio N |
| Length: 4428 mm Width: 1870 mm Height: 1923 mm Wheelbase: 2850 mm Ground clearance: 220 mm* (estimated) | Length: 3985 mm Width: 1820 mm Height: 1855 mm Wheelbase: 2450 mm Ground clearance: 226 mm | Length: 4662 mm Width: 1917 mm Height: 1857 mm Wheelbase: 2750 mm Ground cleareance: 187 mm |
This has translated into the Roxx being a spacious vehicle, yet it doesn’t seem that large due to the design. Three people can easily sit side by side on the rear split bench seat. The white interiors and the panoramic sunroof on the top-spec AX5 and AX7 variants lend to the feeling of space. And because the driving position is pretty high, you get a good all-round view and can dominate traffic.
The Thar Roxx has a full metal body, even though it looks like it has a separate top due to the dual tone body colour (that looks like the 3-door Thar’s FRP top). To highlight the rear doors, Mahindra has given it a kink that extends into the roofline, along with a slanting, thick C-pillar and a trapezoidal quarter glass for the boot area. The door handles for the rear door are on the C-pillar. It’s an interesting design because it looks like the roof is a separate entity (like a convertible), but it’s not.
The boot continues to have a split tailgate design – with the boot door swinging outwards and the windscreen lifting upwards. I like the way Mahindra has neatly integrated a rear wiper on the screen and a rear washer tucked away into the panel above. The Thar Roxx has plenty of boot space at 447 litres standard and 644 litres with the rear 60:40 seats folded.
What’s not all that nice is the way the cabling has been done, tucked into a cloth cover, but left dangling. Even on the doors, the cloth cover is visible in the cabin, while in most other vehicles this gets tucked away into the frame, away from sight. Sure, it’s a throwback to the convertible origins of the design, but it could have been done away with.
Mahindra Thar Roxx Review: The Features
Mahindra has packed in more features than one would want in the Thar Roxx. It literally checks almost all the boxes that are trending today. These include a panoramic sunroof (largest in segment), 9-speaker Harmon Kardon system that packs a punch, 360-degree camera with multiple views, lane-change cameras, auto-dimming interior mirror, ventilated front seats, power-folding mirrors, zip and zoom drive modes, electronic parking brake, auto-hold, hill-descent control, LED headlamps with DRLs, automatic climate control (single-zone), six airbags as standard and even the full suite of Level 2 ADAS – lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, collision warning etc.
Wait, there’s more. For off-road enthusiasts, the 4×4 Thar Roxx gets comprehensive Terrain Modes for snow, mud and sand, including low-range four-wheel drive. And then there’s an electronic rear differential lock (the Thar 3-door and Scorpio N get mechanically locking rear diffs). The Force Gurkha – one of its competitors – offers manually locking differentials. The two-wheel drive variants also get sand, mud and snow modes that modulate traction.
The Thar Roxx has taken offroad credentials a step further. It gets a feature called “smart crawl assist” which allows it to crawl uphill on rough terrain, without any throttle input. It also gets “intelli-turn”, a feature that locks the inside rear wheel when taking a turn offroad, to tighten the turning radius. Incidentally, this is a feature that borrows from Mahindra’s dominance in the tractor sector – tractors can lock one rear wheel to turn almost on the spot.
With all these features, as a Mahindra Scorpio N 4Xplor owner, I feel shortchanged now! For those who love going on adventure drives or camping in remote places, the Thar Roxx is the perfect package, even better than the three-door variant as it packs in a lot more space and more off-road tech.
Mahindra Thar Roxx Review: The Drive
The Mahindra Thar Roxx that Arup Das of Express Drives and I were driving was a Tango Red AX7L rear-wheel drive diesel automatic variant (Price: Rs 20.49 lakh ex-showroom). Mahindra is offering four-wheel drive only on the diesel models, like the Scorpio N. If one wants a petrol 4×4 below Rs 20 lakh, the only two options in the market are the three-door Mahindra Thar and the Maruti Suzuki Jimny.
Sitting behind the steering wheel of the Thar Roxx, the driving position is very familiar. The steering wheel is the same as you get on the XUV700 and Scorpio N. The 10.2 inch instrument cluster is all digital – and similar to the Mahindra XUV 700 and Mahindra XUV 3XO. Press the push-button start and you will hardly notice there is a 2.2 litre diesel engine idling under the bonnet. An excellent job on noise, vibration and harshness. And if you turn on the music, it completely insulates you from the rest of the world. It’s a good feeling.
Mahindra Thar Roxx Powertrain combinations:
| Mahindra Thar Roxx Petrol | Mahindra Thar Roxx Diesel |
| Engine: 2-litre, 4-cylinder MStallion turbo-charged direct injection | Engine: 2.2 litre, 4-cylinder, MHawk, turbo-charged diesel |
| Power & torque: 160 bhp, 330 Nm (6-speed manual)175 bhp, 380 Nm (6-speed automatic) | Power & torque: 150 bhp, 330 Nm (6 MT and 6 AT 2WD) 173 bhp, 370 Nm (6 MT and 6 AT 4WD) |
The 6-speed automatic transmission sourced from Aisin is the same unit from the Scorpio N and XUV700, as well as the three-door Thar. It is a smooth transmission and adapts well to your driving style. The Thar Roxx can hardly be heard at city speeds with a light foot.
The electronic power steering is light – single-finger light – at parking speeds and weighs up well at high speeds, with minimal effort required for lane changes. If you have driven Mahindra vehicles over the years, you will realise this is eons ahead of the older hydraulic or non-assisted tech.
The turning radius is decent enough for U-turns in the city, despite the long wheelbase (if you are off-road in a 4×4 variant you can try the Intelli-turn function). The driving position gives you a commanding view of the road and the huge rear-view mirrors remind you of what you just passed as you accelerate effortlessly in the Roxx.
I tried out the ADAS or Advance Driver Assistance System features during our convoy drive in Kochi – switch on adaptive cruise control, plonk it in a lane behind the car ahead and keep a light grip from time to time on the steering wheel. That’s it. The Thar Roxx does everything else – varying speed, keeping distance, staying within lane and even coming to a complete halt without any conscious effort. It will take away some of the fatigue from long expressway drives and can even be used in slow moving city traffic. But remember, this is NOT autonomous driving, it’s only a driver assistance system, so always stay alert with both hands on the wheel.
Mahindra Thar Roxx Review: The Comfort
The reworked suspension system for the Thar Roxx has done wonders for comfort. Gone is that constant rocking motion you feel with the three-door Thar. The Thar Roxx gets hydraulic rebound stops and a multi-link suspension, which work hard to iron out undulations. It’s a bit stiff and you feel small ruts filter in, but if you increase speed that’s when it gets interesting and just literally glides over anything. The cabin remains insulated from the road. Is it better than the Scorpio N? Not really. The Scorpio N still feels better at isolating potholes, perhaps because it is heavier than the Roxx. Maybe a fully loaded Roxx will be as good.
Arup sat in the middle seat of the rear bench for a while, and he did find it quite comfortable even in the centre. It has a full flat floor, so legroom is more than adequate. The rear seats are 60:40 split-folding and each has a 5-step recline to get a comfortable seating posture. There isn’t much storage space though as the door pockets are tiny. It does get a couple of cup holders in the armrest.
Most areas are covered in soft-touch materials, like the stitched leatherette on the doors. However, the inner door grips have a bit of a sharp edge to them. The grab handles on the pillars are also there for a reason – one needs to use them to get into the vehicle, especially at the rear. Even though the rear doors open up to a full 90 degrees, the ingress area is limited, and the vehicle is quite tall, so it may be a bit of a challenge for older people to get in, compared to a Hyundai Creta or Kia Seltos which are much lower vehicles. The Scorpio N has a wider rear door, making for easier entry.
Mahindra Thar Roxx Review: The Opinion
Summing up, the Mahindra Thar Roxx is almost the perfect SUV. At the price point it is being offered at, it is absolute value for money. It has all the features customers have been craving, it has enough off-road tech and hardware for adventurous souls, and it has proper on-road manners and refinement to serve as a mile muncher.
The Mahindra Thar Roxx can sway buyers away from popular monocoque compact SUVs like the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos – it has all the tech and features they have and more, while holding a distinct price advantage on the top-spec models, being cheaper than its rivals. It can take customers away from the Maruti Suzuki Jimny – it has even better off-road capability with more space and comfort. And, I dare say, it may cannibalise some Scorpio N sales too – offering more features than the Big Daddy.
Is the Mahindra Thar Roxx that one vehicle for all purposes? I believe it is.
