Fresh details about 5-door Mahindra Thar revealed

Mahindra is working on a 5-door version of the Thar. It is expected to launch in 2023. The design language would not change much from the three-door Thar but Mahindra is working on other stuff to ensure that the 5-door Thar rides a bit differently than the 3-door Thar.

Mahindra is working on improving the suspension setup of the 5-door Thar. The suspension of the 5-door Thar will have better ride quality than the 3-door Thar. Mahindra has already improved the ride quality of the new generation Thar by a significant margin when compared to older generations of Thar.

The steering wheel will also be lighter in the 5-door Thar. This will help in manoeuvrability as the 5-door version of the Thar will mostly be used for urban duties. Mahindra will also promote the 5-door version of the Thar more than the 3-door version because it is more practical and will attract more people. Then the 3-door Thar would become a made-to-order special vehicle. We do not expect the 5-door Thar to be offered with a soft-top convertible.

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Styling will not be changed drastically. It will attract consumers who want to buy only one vehicle for their off-road needs as well as their family needs. So, it will still have a squared-off, boxy design but it will be longer than the current Thar. It will be based on the same ladder-frame chassis but the length would impact the breakover angle. Having said that the added length will improve the cabin space significantly and the rear occupants will have more legroom and their own doors to get in and out. Whereas, in the 3-door Thar you have to climb to the rear seats by sliding the front seats forward which can be a hassle.

Engine and gearbox

There will be no changes to the engines or the gearbox. The 5-door version of the Thar will also be offered with a 2.0-litre turbocharged mStallion petrol engine that comes with direct injection and a 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine.

The petrol engine produces 150 PS of max power and 300/320 Nm of peak torque, depending on which gearbox you opt for. The diesel engine produces 130 PS of max power and 300 Nm of peak torque. Both the engines are offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. Mahindra is offering a 4×4 drivetrain and a low-range gearbox as standard. Having said that, there is also a possibility that the higher variants of the 5-door Thar come with the 180 mStallion Pro engine.

Pricing and rivals

The 5-door Thar will be priced slightly higher than the 3-door version. It is expected that the prices will increase by Rs. 70,000 to Rs. 80,000. The current Thar starts at Rs. 12.78 lakhs ex-showroom and go up to Rs. 15.08 lakhs ex-showroom. At this price, the 5-door Thar will be competing against the mid-size SUVs such as Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta, Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun. However, the 5-door Thar will be the only SUV in the segment that will come with an all-wheel drivetrain.

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