Mahindra Thar Roxx: In the rugged landscape of India’s evolving automotive consciousness, few vehicles have captured the imagination quite like the Mahindra Thar.
Its latest iteration, the Thar Roxx, represents a fascinating study in how traditional off-road capability can be reconciled with contemporary family needs—a balance that has eluded many manufacturers in their quest to satisfy diverse consumer segments.
This five-door manifestation of Mahindra’s iconic off-roader deftly navigates the delicate space between utilitarian purpose and modern comfort, creating something genuinely distinctive in an increasingly homogenized SUV marketplace.
Mahindra Thar Roxx: The Evolution of an Icon
The journey from the original Thar to the Roxx encapsulates the broader transformation of the Indian automotive landscape. When Mahindra first introduced the Thar in 2010, it represented a rugged, no-nonsense approach to four-wheel drive capability—essentially a civilian interpretation of the brand’s military-oriented offerings.
Its spartan interior, utilitarian features, and emphasis on mechanical robustness over creature comforts positioned it firmly as an enthusiast’s vehicle rather than a family hauler.
The second-generation Thar, launched in 2020, signaled Mahindra’s recognition that off-road capability could coexist with modern amenities.
That iteration brought substantial improvements in build quality, safety standards, and interior appointments while maintaining the vehicle’s fundamental character. Its success surprised even Mahindra’s own projections, with waiting periods stretching to months—clear evidence that the market craved this combination of ruggedness and reasonable refinement.
The Thar Roxx represents the next logical step in this evolutionary journey. By adding rear doors and extending the wheelbase, Mahindra has addressed perhaps the most significant practical limitation of the standard Thar: its limited accessibility and passenger space.
This transformation from recreational toy to potential family vehicle mirrors the broader shift in how Indians view their automobiles—not merely as transportation tools but as expressions of lifestyle aspiration that must nevertheless fulfill practical needs.
What makes the Roxx particularly intriguing is how it maintains visual continuity with its three-door sibling while incorporating substantial mechanical and structural changes.
The familial resemblance remains unmistakable, with the boxy silhouette, upright windshield, and circular headlamps preserving the model’s distinctive identity.
Yet beneath this recognizable exterior lies a vehicle that shares more componentry with the Scorpio-N than with the standard Thar, reflecting Mahindra’s pragmatic approach to platform sharing across its expanded SUV portfolio.
Design Language: Purposeful Evolution
The Thar Roxx’s exterior design represents a thoughtful evolution rather than a radical reinvention. Mahindra’s designers faced the challenge of extending the Thar’s compact proportions without compromising its essential character—a task that has defeated many manufacturers attempting similar transformations. The result is remarkably cohesive, with the additional length integrated naturally into the vehicle’s stance.
The front fascia introduces subtle distinctions from the three-door model, most notably through the revised six-slot grille replacing the seven-slot arrangement of its sibling. This seemingly minor alteration creates a visual signature that differentiates the Roxx without diminishing the family connection.
The circular headlamps remain, now housing LED projector units framed by distinctive C-shaped daytime running lights that enhance both visibility and visual presence.
In profile, the extended wheelbase (measuring 2,850mm, a full 400mm longer than the standard Thar) becomes apparent, as do the additional rear doors. Mahindra’s designers deserve credit for their handling of these doors, which maintain the Thar’s characteristic proportions without appearing as afterthoughts.
The angled C-pillar houses the rear door handles, a subtle touch that preserves clean side surfacing while improving accessibility. The black-finished roof creates a visual break that prevents the taller body from appearing excessively bulky.
The rear aspect continues the evolutionary approach, retaining the side-hinged tailgate with externally mounted spare wheel that has become a Thar signature. However, the vertically opening rear glass adds practicality for accessing smaller items without opening the full tailgate.
The vertical LED taillights frame this arrangement, creating a distinctive night-time signature that emphasizes the vehicle’s width.
Color options have expanded beyond the utilitarian palette of earlier Thars, with options including Deep Forest, Stealth Black, Everest White, Nebula Blue, and Rimini Red.
These choices reflect the Roxx’s positioning as a lifestyle vehicle rather than purely an off-road tool, appealing to diverse consumer preferences rather than purely utilitarian considerations.
Interior Architecture: Balancing Heritage and Modernity
Stepping inside the Thar Roxx reveals the most significant departure from its three-door counterpart. While the standard Thar’s cabin maintains a rugged, purposeful aesthetic with durability prioritized over luxury, the Roxx introduces a more sophisticated environment without abandoning the model’s fundamental character.
The dashboard architecture establishes a commanding driving position with excellent visibility, facilitated by the upright windshield and minimal front overhangs.
The horizontal emphasis creates a sense of width, with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment display and matching 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster dominating the driver’s field of view. Material choices reflect the vehicle’s positioning, with soft-touch surfaces on frequent contact points contrasting with more durable materials in high-wear areas.
Seating comfort represents a substantial upgrade from the three-door Thar, with front buckets offering improved lateral support and a wider range of adjustment.
Ventilation for these seats, a particularly welcome feature in India’s climate, demonstrates Mahindra’s understanding of regional preferences.
The rear bench accommodates three passengers with adequate knee room and headroom, though the relatively high floor (a consequence of the off-road-oriented chassis) results in a slightly knees-up seating position for taller occupants.
Perhaps the most unexpected feature is the panoramic sunroof—an amenity typically associated with urban crossovers rather than off-road vehicles. This addition transforms the cabin atmosphere, flooding the interior with natural light and creating a more spacious impression.
It reflects Mahindra’s recognition that the Roxx will spend most of its time on paved roads rather than trails, where such features would be superfluous.
Storage solutions are thoughtfully integrated throughout the cabin, with door pockets accommodating 1-liter bottles, center console cupholders, and various bins for smaller items.
The rear cargo area offers 447 liters of capacity, expandable through the 60:40 split-folding rear seats when additional space is required. While not cavernous by family SUV standards, this represents practical utility for weekend getaways or grocery runs.
Two interior color schemes are available: ivory-black for rear-wheel drive variants and mocha brown-black exclusive to four-wheel drive models.
This distinction creates visual differentiation between the variants while maintaining a premium ambiance across the range.
Technological Integration: Modern Conveniences
The technological package of the Thar Roxx represents Mahindra’s understanding that today’s SUV buyers expect comprehensive connectivity and convenience features regardless of the vehicle’s primary purpose.
The aforementioned 10.25-inch infotainment system serves as the central interface, offering wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, built-in navigation, and vehicle settings control.
Audio reproduction comes courtesy of a 9-speaker Harman Kardon system that delivers impressive sound quality across various musical genres.
This premium audio setup would have been unthinkable in earlier Thar iterations but aligns perfectly with the Roxx’s broader mission of combining capability with comfort.
Connectivity extends beyond entertainment functions to include AdrenoX connected car technology that enables remote vehicle monitoring, geofencing capabilities, and over-the-air updates to keep the system current throughout the ownership experience.
A wireless charging pad eliminates cable clutter for compatible devices, while multiple USB ports throughout the cabin ensure power access for all occupants.
Climate control functionality includes dual-zone temperature settings for front occupants and dedicated rear vents to ensure comfortable cabin temperatures throughout.
The system’s efficiency proves particularly valuable during extreme weather conditions, rapidly cooling or warming the interior space as required.
The driver assistance package represents perhaps the most significant technological leap, incorporating Level 2 ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) features including adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, and traffic sign recognition.
These systems operate with reasonable refinement, though some users report that the adaptive cruise control can be overly cautious in dense traffic conditions.
A 360-degree camera system with blind spot monitoring aids maneuvering in tight spaces, a welcome addition given the vehicle’s substantial dimensions.
Mechanical Prowess: Dual-Purpose Engineering
Beneath the Thar Roxx’s distinctive bodywork lies a sophisticated mechanical package that balances on-road refinement with genuine off-road capability.
This dual-purpose engineering represents one of the vehicle’s most impressive accomplishments, allowing it to fulfill its weekday commuting duties while remaining adventure-ready for weekend excursions.
Powertrain options comprise a 2.0-liter mStallion turbocharged petrol engine and a 2.2-liter mHawk turbocharged diesel, both offered with either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions.
The petrol unit delivers 177PS and 380Nm of torque in automatic guise (162PS/330Nm with manual), providing spirited performance with reasonable efficiency.
The diesel alternative produces 152PS and 330Nm in rear-wheel drive form, increasing to 175PS and 370Nm when paired with four-wheel drive, offering impressive low-end torque for off-road situations.
Crucially, the Roxx employs a body-on-frame construction derived from the Scorpio-N rather than utilizing a unibody approach common to urban crossovers.
This architecture provides the robustness required for serious off-road use, with the trade-off of additional weight compared to monocoque alternatives.
The elongated ladder frame accommodates the extended wheelbase while maintaining structural integrity for challenging terrain.
Suspension components have been carefully tuned to balance on-road comfort with off-road articulation. The front employs an independent double-wishbone arrangement with frequency-dependent dampers, while the rear utilizes a five-link setup with Watt’s linkage for improved axle control.
This sophisticated system delivers composed highway manners without compromising the wheel travel necessary for off-road obstacles.
Four-wheel drive variants incorporate a proper low-range transfer case with a mechanical locking rear differential, providing the reduction gearing and traction enhancement needed for technical terrain.
Multiple drive modes (Normal, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/Rut, and Sand) optimize various vehicle systems for different conditions, making the off-road experience more accessible to drivers of varying skill levels.
Braking performance comes courtesy of disc brakes at all four corners, with electronic stability control, hill descent control, and hill hold assist further enhancing vehicle control in challenging scenarios.
The brake pedal offers progressive modulation that inspires confidence during everyday driving while providing the precision sometimes needed in off-road situations.
Everyday Livability: Practical Considerations
Beyond its impressive technical specifications, the Thar Roxx’s success ultimately depends on how well it integrates into owners’ daily lives.
Several practical aspects merit consideration when evaluating its suitability as a primary family vehicle rather than a recreational supplement.
Access and egress represent significant improvements over the three-door Thar, with the rear doors eliminating the awkward contortions previously required of back-seat passengers.
However, the substantial ground clearance and relatively high floor mean that entry still requires a more deliberate step up than typical crossovers, potentially challenging for less mobile passengers. Side steps partially mitigate this issue but represent a potential compromise for serious off-roading where ground clearance is paramount.
Visibility from the driver’s seat is generally excellent, with the upright windshield and elevated seating position providing commanding forward views.
The substantial A-pillars create some blind spots at certain angles, but the comprehensive camera system helps mitigate this limitation during low-speed maneuvering.
Rearward visibility is compromised by the externally mounted spare tire, making the rear camera and parking sensors essential rather than supplementary features.
Ride quality demonstrates the effectiveness of the revised suspension tuning, with significant improvements over the three-door Thar particularly evident during highway cruising.
The longer wheelbase inherently improves stability and reduces the pitching motion sometimes experienced in shorter off-road vehicles.
That said, the body-on-frame construction and off-road-oriented tires still transmit more road texture than car-based crossovers, especially over sharp impacts like expansion joints or potholed surfaces.
Noise suppression receives substantial attention, with enhanced insulation materials reducing wind and road noise to reasonable levels at highway speeds.
The diesel engine remains audible under acceleration but settles into an unobtrusive background hum during steady-state cruising.
Overall refinement falls short of premium SUVs but represents a substantial advancement over previous Thar generations and aligns with expectations for the vehicle’s positioning.
Fuel efficiency naturally varies with powertrain choice and driving conditions. The petrol variants return approximately 12.4 km/l in mixed use according to ARAI figures, while diesel options achieve around 15.2 km/l—respectable figures considering the vehicle’s weight and aerodynamic profile.
Four-wheel drive naturally imposes a modest efficiency penalty, particularly when the system is actively engaged in challenging conditions.
Safety Architecture: Contemporary Protection
Safety considerations have received appropriate priority in the Thar Roxx’s development, moving beyond the rudimentary provisions of earlier generations to incorporate comprehensive passive and active systems aligned with contemporary expectations.
This evolution reflects both regulatory requirements and increased consumer awareness regarding safety features.
The foundational safety element remains the reinforced body structure, engineered to maintain cabin integrity during various impact scenarios.
High-strength steel elements in critical load paths help manage collision energy, while strategic crumple zones absorb impact forces before they reach occupants.
This robust architecture has earned the Thar Roxx a full 5-star rating from Bharat NCAP for both adult and child occupant protection—a significant achievement that reinforces Mahindra’s commitment to safety excellence.
Passive safety systems include six airbags as standard equipment across all variants, providing frontal, side, and curtain coverage for both front and rear occupants.
Three-point seatbelts at all seating positions feature pretensioners and load limiters for the front occupants, optimizing restraint forces during collision events.
ISOFIX child seat anchors in the rear outboard positions facilitate secure installation of compatible child restraints.
Active safety technologies complement these passive systems, beginning with the standard electronic stability control that helps maintain vehicle control during emergency maneuvers or when traction is compromised.
Hill descent control manages downhill speed on steep gradients without driver intervention, while hill hold assist prevents unintended rollback during uphill starts—particularly valuable with manual transmission variants.
The previously mentioned ADAS features further enhance safety through proactive intervention capabilities. Autonomous emergency braking can detect potential collision scenarios with vehicles, pedestrians, or obstacles, applying brake pressure when necessary to mitigate impact severity or potentially avoid accidents entirely.
Lane keep assist helps maintain proper lane positioning through gentle steering corrections when unintended lane departure is detected, though some users report that the system occasionally misinterprets road markings on rural routes.
Market Positioning and Competitive Landscape
With a starting price of ₹12.99 lakh (ex-showroom) for the base petrol MX1 variant and extending to ₹23.09 lakh for the top-specification AX7L diesel automatic with four-wheel drive, the Thar Roxx occupies a fascinating position in the Indian automotive marketplace.
This pricing structure places it in competition with diverse alternatives ranging from premium hatchbacks and compact SUVs at the lower end to established mid-size SUVs at the upper extreme.
Direct competitors remain limited, with the Force Gurkha 5-door representing the only other purpose-built off-roader with comparable configuration in the Indian market.
However, the Thar Roxx’s broader mission means it will inevitably be cross-shopped against more conventional SUVs like the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, and even Mahindra’s own Scorpio-N and XUV700, depending on variant and budget considerations.
The Roxx’s unique selling proposition centers on its distinctive character and genuine capability rather than attempting to match the refinement or feature density of more street-oriented alternatives.
This differentiation plays to Mahindra’s strengths while carving out a niche that appeals to buyers seeking something beyond the increasingly homogenized mainstream SUV offerings.
Interestingly, the Thar Roxx potentially creates internal competition within Mahindra’s expanding portfolio, particularly with the Scorpio-N that shares much of its underlying architecture.
The brand appears comfortable with this overlap, recognizing that the vehicles appeal to different psychological profiles despite similar practical capabilities. The Thar Roxx attracts lifestyle-oriented customers valuing distinctive design and heritage, while the Scorpio-N targets more traditional SUV buyers prioritizing practicality and value.
Ownership Experience: Long-Term Considerations
Beyond the immediate driving experience, several factors influence the Thar Roxx’s viability as a long-term ownership proposition.
Mahindra’s dealer network provides extensive coverage across India, ensuring reasonable access to sales and service facilities even in smaller cities and towns.
This infrastructure represents a significant advantage over international brands with more limited presence, particularly for a vehicle that might venture into remote areas.
Maintenance requirements align with industry standards, with recommended service intervals of 10,000 kilometers or six months, whichever occurs first.
The relative mechanical simplicity of the body-on-frame construction potentially reduces long-term maintenance complexity compared to more sophisticated monocoque designs, though the advanced electronic systems introduce their own service considerations.
Warranty coverage includes a standard 3-year/100,000-kilometer protection, extendable through various packages depending on individual preferences.
This coverage aligns with industry norms and provides reasonable assurance against unexpected defects or premature component failures.
Residual value prospects appear promising based on the standard Thar’s remarkably strong performance in the used vehicle market, where examples have sometimes commanded near-new prices due to supply constraints and enthusiast demand.
While the Roxx’s higher production volumes and more mainstream positioning may moderate this effect somewhat, its distinctive character should help maintain stronger residual values than more generic alternatives.
The Driving Experience: Character Defined
Ultimately, the Thar Roxx’s appeal transcends specifications and features to center on the unique driving experience it delivers. Behind the wheel, the commanding seating position and excellent visibility create an immediate sense of confidence, with major controls falling naturally to hand.
The substantial steering wheel requires moderate effort at parking speeds but weights up progressively as velocity increases, delivering reasonable feedback about road surface conditions.
Urban maneuverability proves better than the substantial dimensions might suggest, aided by the precise steering and comprehensive camera systems.
The turning radius of approximately 5.9 meters exceeds that of smaller crossovers but remains manageable for typical parking scenarios.
The elevated seating position proves particularly valuable in congested traffic, allowing drivers to see beyond immediately preceding vehicles to anticipate flow changes.
Highway behavior demonstrates the benefits of the extended wheelbase and revised suspension tuning, with impressive straight-line stability even at triple-digit speeds.
Crosswind sensitivity remains noticeable due to the upright profile and substantial side area, but never becomes unsettling at legal velocities.
Road noise increases proportionally with speed as expected, though not to levels that prevent conversation or music enjoyment.
Venturing beyond paved surfaces reveals the Thar Roxx’s hidden talents, with four-wheel drive variants capable of tackling terrain that would defeat most conventional SUVs.
The combination of excellent approach and departure angles, substantial ground clearance, and proper low-range gearing enables confident navigation of challenging obstacles. The electronic aids prove genuinely helpful rather than intrusive, allowing staged power delivery on slippery surfaces while maintaining vehicle control.
Perhaps most impressively, the Thar Roxx manages this dual personality without feeling compromised in either role. It delivers reasonable refinement during mundane commuting duties while retaining authentic capability when adventures beckon—a balance that few vehicles achieve regardless of price point.
Mahindra Thar Roxx: Authentic Evolution
The Mahindra Thar Roxx represents a thoughtful evolution of an automotive icon, expanding its appeal without abandoning its fundamental character.
By addressing the practical limitations of the three-door configuration while enhancing refinement and feature content, Mahindra has created a genuinely distinctive proposition in an increasingly homogenized SUV landscape.
Its success ultimately depends on whether consumers value its unique combination of attributes—authentic capability, distinctive design, and reasonable practicality—over the more conventional virtues of typical family SUVs.
Early market response suggests substantial demand, with waiting periods extending to several months for certain variants despite production ramping up to meet expectations.
What makes the Thar Roxx particularly significant is how it represents a distinctly Indian interpretation of the modern SUV paradigm rather than merely adapting international templates.
t embraces local preferences and priorities while incorporating global standards of safety and technology, creating something that feels authentic rather than derivative.
For buyers seeking something beyond the ordinary, the Thar Roxx offers a compelling blend of capability, character, and reasonable practicality.
It won’t appeal to everyone—nor should it—but for those aligned with its unique proposition, it delivers an ownership experience unlike anything else in its segment.
In a market increasingly defined by convergent design and standardized feature sets, such authentic differentiation deserves recognition and respect.