5-Door Mahindra Thar will make its global debut on August 12, 2023 and it will be more practical than the existing model
Mahindra & Mahindra will host the global debut of the five-door Thar on August 15, 2023. This marks the fourth successive year of new debuts on the same date for the homegrown SUV manufacturer. The bigger Thar is expected to go on sale in early 2024 in India and it will compete against the recently launched five-door Maruti Suzuki Jimny.
The five-door Mahindra Thar will be positioned above the Jimny in pricing but considering the characteristics and the people they will appeal to, they will indeed be in the same buying conversation. The upcoming off-road SUV will cater to a large band of consumers than the existing three-door model as it will be more practical.
Earlier this year, Mahindra expanded the Thar’s portfolio with the inclusion of the RWD variant. Its aggressive pricing meant that the booking numbers are on a high but the waiting period stands at up to 18 months. Mahindra may look to bring down the waiting of the rea-wheel-drive Thar before bringing in the five-door model as the 4WD has it at just over a month.
The five-door Mahindra Thar will have larger proportions than the three-door model as it will be longer, wider and perhaps slightly taller. The wheelbase length will also be increased to accommodate more passengers on the inside and the boot volume will also grow. However, on the outside, the design changes will be minimum and the cabin could gain new features.
As for the performance, the familiar 2.2L four-cylinder mHawk diesel and the 2.0L four-cylinder mStallion petrol engines will be carried over from the three-door model. They will be linked with a six-speed manual transmission as standard while a six-speed torque converter automatic unit is an option. The 1.5L diesel found in the RWD variant may not be introduced.
The five-door Mahindra Thar will be based on a modified ladder frame chassis and will likely have several commonalities with the Scorpio N, especially on the mechanical front. The equipment list will largely be similar to its three-door sibling but new additions are expected as well.