Mahindra had introduced the rear-wheel-drive version of the Thar 3-door lifestyle SUV in the beginning of 2023. The company has been testing the Mahindra Thar 5-door for the past couple of years, and is now ready to hit the Indian roads. Going by the spy images, it is visible that the lifestyle SUV will come with significant changes in terms of styling, interior and mechanics. Here is a list of top 10 things we know about the Long Wheelbase version of the Thar.
1. New Dual-Tone Interior
The Mahindra Thar 5-door lifestyle SUV will come with same dashboard layout as the 3-door model. It will retain the round-shaped air-con vents, familiar grab handle for the co-occupant and a metal badge plate below the left air-con vent. Instead of the all-black colour scheme in the 3-door Thar, the LWB Mahindra Thar 5-door comes with dual-tone brown and black colour scheme. The similar paint scheme is also expected to different parts of the cabin including the seat upholstery and on the door panels.
2. A bigger touchscreen infotainment system
The 3-door model comes equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The 5-door model is expected to receive a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with an improved user-interface. This infotainment unit will be compatible with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay support, and navigation.
3. Fixed Roof
The current Thar 3-door comes with 2 roof options – a fibre-glass hard top and a canvas soft-top. Both versions miss out on roof liner. The Thar 5-door will come with a metal roof with a soft fabric roof liner, which is also evident from the multiple testing.
4. Single-pane sunroof
The Thar 5-door metal roof with a soft fabric roof liner has helped Mahindra to add a popular single-pane sunroof. Adding to it, the company could offer accessories that bolt on it, such as luggage racks and roof-mounted cycle racks.
5. Different Name
Ahead of the official launch, Mahindra has trademarked seven different names for the Thar 5-door. The company has trademarked Thar Armada, Centurion, Savannah, Gladius, Cult, Roxx, and Rex. It is expected that Mahindra could opt for the Armada name as a suffix for the Thar lifestyle SUV. Read More…
6. Bigger Dimensions (Longer Wheelbase)
It is clearly evident that the Thar 5-door will have bigger dimensions compared to the 3-door model. The off-roader will be more practical, as it will have 5-doors. It is reported that the wheelbase has been increased by 300mm to accommodate a rear door and a bigger boot space.
7. Different Suspension Setup
The 3-door version comes with an independent double wishbone front suspension with coil over dampers at the front & a multilink solid rear axle with coil over dampers at the rear. This suspension setup offers improved off-road capabilities; however, the ride quality will be bouncy & uncomfortable on city roads & the highway. The more practical Thar 5-door is likely to receive the Scorpio N’s penta-link suspension for improved stability.
8. More powerful engines
Not just the suspension set-up & chassis, the Thar 5-door is likely to share the engine options with the Scorpio-N. It will feature the 2.0L turbo petrol and 2.2L turbo diesel motors, delivering 200bhp with 370Nm/380Nm and 172bhp with 370Nm/400Nm respectively. Transmission choices will include a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed torque convertor automatic. The lifestyle off-road SUV is expected to come with either 4×2 or 4×4 drivetrain options.
9. Design Changes
The Thar 5-door lifestyle SUV comes with some styling changes and a more friendly & practical interiors. While the Thar 3-door features a simple 6-slat grille, the Thar 5-door is likely to get a 6-slat grille divided by 2 vertical separators for each grille. There is a horizontal divider that runs across the width of the grille. It also comes with LED lighting system including LED headlamps, LED fog lamps and LED tail-lamps. The SUV will come with an all-new 18-inch alloy wheels.
10. Launch Details
Mahindra will first launch the XUV300 facelift in the first quarter of 2024. It is expected that the Thar 5-door will go on sale in our market by mid-2024, mostly on the Independence Day.
