2020 Mahindra Thar vs Toyota Fortuner: Which SUV is better off the road?

The all-new Mahindra Thar, which was launched in the Indian market last year has become very popular in the Indian market. The Thar has become so popular that there is a waiting period of close to one year in a few locations depending on the variant and colour. Well, the Thar is presented as a true off-roader but can it compete with the Toyota Fortuner when it comes to off-roading? Well, here is a video that shows the same.

The video by Sanjeet Jaat shows a brand-new Mahindra Thar 4X4 manual and a Toyota Fortuner 4X4 automatic competing with each other on an off-roading field. The Toyota Fortuner is the one to go on the off-roading course first. The SUV treads carefully to a slush zone where it gets stuck instantly.

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After a few minutes of efforts, the Fortuner could not come out of the slush on its own while the driver keeps on trying and digging the vehicle deeper. The Thar, on the other hand, goes through the zone with some difficulties. Yes, it also gets stuck but after the driver tries a couple of times, it comes out.

Thar rescues Fortuner

Since the Fortuner was deep in the slush, it could not come out on its own. The Mahindra Thar first tries to pull it out from the front but since the Fortuner is stuck deep in the slush, the car does not come out at all. The actual rescue was not shown on the video though.

Even the Mahindra Thar gets stuck while attempting the same track but the driver brings it out without any help. Later in the video, both Mahindra Thar and the Toyota Fortuner are spotted having fun around the field and even sliding their respective vehicles around.

Is the Thar more capable?

This video is not enough to judge the off-road capabilities of both vehicles. Why so? That’s because the Thar is brand-new and even though it has stock tyres, it has an advantage over the Fortuner. The Toyota Fortuner also has stock tyres but the tread of the tyres are not as deep as the brand-new tyres. So the Thar gets an advantage here.

Drivers also matter. When the Fortuner enters the slush, the driver kept the front tyres at an angle. Since the speed of the Fortuner was very slow, it could not utilise the momentum. The Thar driver always used the momentum to enter and exit the zone.

The Fortuner is also much heavier compared to the Thar. So that is one more advantage that the Thar has over the Fortuner. Also, Thar offers a much shorter wheelbase, which makes it much more capable, especially while doing off-roading on rocky terrain.

Overall, Mahindra Thar and Toyota Fortuner belong to completely different segments. The Toyota Fortuner is a family car that is also very capable when it comes to off-roading. The Thar even with a lot of improvement cannot be considered as a family car. There is a huge price gap between the vehicle models too.

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