Mahindra Thar price, 5-door design, features, powertrain, 4X2, 4X4, rival details

The second-generation Thar has been a runaway success for Mahindra, and in March 2023, the three-door iteration surpassed the 1 lakh production-unit milestone. The SUV maker recently also introduced the more affordable Thar 2WD, which, thanks to its lower price tag and near-identical looks to the 4WD model, has also proven to be quite a hit among buyers.

This year, the Thar line-up will further be extended with a more practical five-door iteration. The longer wheelbase and the added convenience of rear doors means the Thar 5-door will appeal to those looking for a more family-friendly off-roader. With that in mind, here are five things that you need to know about this Thar.

1. Mahindra Thar 5-door to retain signature design elements

The Thar 5-door will have the traditional design elements but is likely to get new body panels.

The Thar’s appeal centres around its retro design, and Mahindra is retaining much of that in the five-door model. As can be seen from the spy pictures, it still gets the boxy proportions, round headlamps, flared wheel arches and tailgate-mounted spare wheel. However, it is likely to get completely new body panels as Mahindra may increase the track or width between the wheels for optimum wheelbase-to-track ratio for better stability. Interestingly, the Thar five-door will get a pillar-mounted handle for the rear doors. The alloy wheel design, too, seems new.

2. Mahindra Thar 5-door expected to get more features

The interior, too, will largely be similar to the three-door model save for some minor changes and crucially, more features. Going by the previous spy pictures, the Thar 5-door gets more features like the front-centre armrest, a sunglass holder and a likelihood of an updated touchscreen supporting Mahindra’s AdrenoX software.

The Thar 5-door is expected to have a 300mm longer wheelbase compared to the three-door model. This additional wheelbase means the second row in the Thar 5-door will have more space than the Thar 3-door. Interestingly, all the test mules spotted so far of the longer Thar come with individual rear seats, and it remains to be seen if Mahindra will offer a bench-seat layout.

3. Mahindra Thar 5-door will come with multiple powertrain options

The Thar 5-door, like 3-door will get a 4X2 option.

Mahindra is set to offer a wide selection of powertrain options for the 5-door Thar. According to our sources, it will carry over the 2.2-litre diesel and 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engines from the Thar 3-door paired to both manual and automatic gearboxes. A spy picture surfaced a few weeks ago reveals an absence of 4X4 lever on the centre console, confirming that Mahindra is also readying a 4X2 iteration of the Thar 5-door. However, whereas the Thar 3-door 4X2 gets the smaller 1.5-litre diesel engine, the Thar 5-door 4X2 will get the more powerful 2.2-litre unit owing to its larger proportions and more weight.

4. Mahindra Thar 5-door won’t directly rival the Jimny 5-door

At Auto Expo 2023, Maruti Suzuki's Jimny 5-door made its global debut, and like this Thar, it is also a stretched version of a three-door off-roader. While both use serious off-road gear and have rugged body-on-frame construction, they are not direct competitors. The Thar 5-door has bigger dimensions and more powerful engines, and therefore, it belongs to a higher segment. Prices of neither the Jimny nor the Thar 5-door are out yet, but given the size and power advantage, the Thar 5-door is likely to be considerably more expensive. A more fitting rival will come in the form of the Force Gurkha 5-door, which is also being readied.

5. Mahindra Thar 5-door will come this year

Mahindra is yet to announce the launch date for the Thar 5-door, but it is highly likely that it will be launched before the year-end. When it goes on sale, it will be Mahindra’s seventh body-on-frame model.

Also see:

Mahindra Thar likely to get new 4×4 entry-level variant