Mahindra Thar Roxx Review: Thar Like Or Car Like?

Mahindra has always been known for taking an existing product and making it shorter… the Renault Logan became the Verito Vibe, the Xylo became the Quanto or the Nuvosport as it was eventually called. The Ssangyong Tivoli became the XUV 300 or as it's now called as the XUV 3XO. But that’s all about to change because for the first time, the Thar has gained a few inches, around a foot in length to become the Thar Roxx.

Now the second-generation Thar was launched in 2020 and not long after that Mahindra said that a longer version of Thar was in the making. It took four long years for the five-door Thar to finally make its debut. With the added length comes extra doors, which then means more space in the backseat. Great! But is it what the 5-door Thar all about? Let’s dig in.

Mahindra Thar Roxx: Interior & Tech

So why not start with the back seat then? Since that is what most people are going to want to know.

Getting into the back seat of the Thar Roxx is pretty easy. The door’s open pretty wide, there is a grab handle and the footboard to help you climb back in, and yes it is a climb. But when you’re back in here, it is pretty decent. The rear seats feel very nice. Three people can sit in relative comfort, I have loads and loads of headroom because of that panoramic sunroof. Oh, did I mention that the panoramic sunroof is huge? There is a decent amount of legroom here. And unlike the three-door Thar, the rear wheel wells don’t eat up in to the rear seat space, that is great! The seats can recline back a fair bit.

Well, then when you get to the front seats you’re greeted with a refreshed cabin. The spartan, utilitarian feeling that you get in the three-door Thar has been reduced only slightly.

The soft-touch materials on the dashboard feel nice but it still feels like you’re sitting inside a rugged SUV, as you sit up high and you get a commanding position of the road ahead of you. These all-white interiors make it feel more like a car, and less like a Thar. But it is going to be very difficult to maintain.

Adding to the upmarket feeling is the fact that the Thar Roxx gets the same 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen as some other Mahindra models and comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. Then you get a 10.25-inch virtual cluster too, that is also shared with other Mahindras. And you have toggle switches like the three-door Thar but with the Roxx, you get ventilated front seats, a much-appreciated feature.

Mahindra Thar Roxx: Safety

That’s what you get with the top-spec AX7L trim of the Thar Roxx but what does the base MX1 get? You have the 10.25-inch touchscreen, LED lights, four-speaker audio system and 18-inch steel wheel among others. And right from the base variant, you get six airbags, electronic stability control, ISOFIX mounts, and 3-point seatbelts with reminders for all seats. And the cherry on the cake is the fact that ADAS is not limited to just top-spec models. In fact, you get it from the mid-spec AX3 Luxury trim onwards.

Mahindra Thar Roxx: Boot Space

A big problem with the 3-door Thar was boot space or the lack thereof. That has finally been addressed as the additional 400 mm not only gives you more space in the second row, it also gives you a bigger boot. A much bigger and practical one, though it still has a split tailgate design.

Mahindra Thar Roxx: Design

The macho ethos of the smaller Thar is very much there. But the Thar Roxx looks slightly different. You get a new body-coloured front grille, and new headlamps with circular LED DRLs. You also get a new alloy wheel design and interestingly the rear door handles have moved to the weird-looking C-pillar. It’s strange to see such a door handle here since off-roading enthusiasts require chunky door handles that are sturdy. Moving on, you still get a tailgate-mounted spare wheel and the taillamps get new lighting elements.

Mahindra Thar Roxx: Performance

Now something all of you would be very eager to know. How does it drive? Is it still a car or more like the Thar?

The Thar quotient still remains. Because well, that's difficult to overcome. But yes it does feel more car-like than before. We are driving the diesel with the six-speed automatic that produces 172 bhp and 370 Nm. That’s 42 hp and 70 Nm more than the 3-door version. But it’s the Aisin-sourced automatic gearbox that’s a little sluggish. The 6-speed unit builds speeds well but takes its own sweet time to do so. The mid-range is still strong and it continues to impress.

Mahindra Thar Roxx: Ride & Handling

The ride has improved and thanks to the Hydraulic Rebound Stop that Mahindra has added to the suspension. It's still a bumpy ride. It's not like any other compact SUV but shouldn't it be? I get it I'm in the 4x4 and the heavy hardware makes it difficult to maintain composure. But we hope it’s not the case with the RWD version, but that we’ll get to drive another day.

Mahindra Thar Roxx: Off-Road Tech

Mahindra has also given the Thar Roxx some interesting tech that will help in off-roading. Like the Intelliturn feature that locks the inner rear wheel to help reduce the turning circle but it only works up to 15 kmph. And then you also get crawl smart, a cruise control for when you want to go off-roading and that works at very slow speeds.

Mahindra Thar Roxx: Price & Verdict

So with prices starting at ₹12.99 lakh and going up to ₹20.49 lakh, the Thar Roxx rear-wheel drive is then a good deal. Now we don’t know how much the four-wheel drive variants cross but expect them to top out at ₹24 or 25 lakh (all prices ex-showroom, India).

Just for perspective, the Thar Roxx is around 1 and a half to 3 lakh dearer than the Thar 3 door. Now given the price range of the Thar Roxx rear-wheel drive, it sits in the middle of the compact SUV segment and the top-end price is roughly the same as other models in this segment. So could this be your only car? Sure, But while it ticks a lot of boxes, there are some rough edges that need to be ironed out.