The Mahindra Thar Roxx is the newest SUV to expand the niche of rugged off-roaders in the market. Yes, the two additional rear doors and a better-appointed interior makes it a lot more practical than the 3-door Thar, but at its core, the Thar Roxx remains a true blue off-roader. The most direct rival to the new Thar Roxx would be the Force Gurkha 5-door, while the smaller Maruti Suzuki Jimny is also a worthy rival. Here, we are taking a look at how it stacks up against its rivals, including its own stable mate, the Scorpio N, which is also a ladder-frame 4x4 rugged SUV.
Mahindra Thar Roxx vs rivals: dimensions
| Mahindra Thar Roxx vs rivals: dimensions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Thar Roxx | Gurkha 5-door | Jimny | Scorpio N |
| Length | 4428mm | 4390mm | 3985mm | 4662mm |
| Width | 1870mm | 1865mm | 1645mm | 1917mm |
| Height | 1923mm | 2095mm | 1720mm | 1857mm |
| Wheelbase | 2850mm | 2825mm | 2590mm | 2750mm |
| Wheel size | Up to 19inch | 18inch | 15inch | Up to 18inch |
As you can see in the table above, the Scorpio N is the longest and widest SUV here, while the Gurkha 5-door is the tallest. Where the Thar Roxx edges out of the rest is with its wheelbase, which is a whole 100mm longer than the Scorpio N, despite the latter being the longest of the lot. The Thar Roxx also gets the largest wheels of up to 19-inches, while lower variants make do with 18-inch units. The Jimny is, of course, a lot smaller than the rest, crucially measuring just under 4 meters to slot into the sub-compact segment.
Also See: Mahindra Thar Roxx vs Thar 3-door: Dimensions comparison
Mahindra Thar Roxx vs rivals: powertrain, specs
| Mahindra Thar Roxx vs rivals: powertrain, specs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Thar Roxx | Gurkha 5-door | Jimny | Scorpio N |
| Fuel | Petrol/Diesel | Diesel | Petrol | Petrol/Diesel |
| Engine type | 2.0 4cyls turbo/2.2 4cyls | 2.6 4cyls | 1.5 4cyls, NA | 2.0 4cyls turbo/2.2 4cyls |
| Power | 162hp/177hp (P) / 152hp/175hp (D) | 140hp | 105hp | 203hp (P) / 132hp/175hp (D) |
| Torque | 330Nm/380Nm (P) / 330Nm/370Nm (D) | 320Nm | 134Nm | 300Nm (P) / 370Nm/400Nm (D) |
| Gearbox | RWD/4WD | 4WD | 4WD | RWD/4WD |
| Drive layout | 6MT/6AT | 5MT | 5MT/4AT | 6MT/6AT |
Sharing the same engines, the Thar Roxx and the Scorpio N are the only ones to be offered with both petrol and diesel fuel options; the Gurkha is diesel-only while the Jimny is petrol-only.
The Thar Roxx petrol comes in two states of tune – 162hp/330N for the manual and 177hp/380Nm for the automatic – but it’s the Scorpio N that’s the most powerful at 203hp irrespective of manual or automatic, using the same 2.0-litre engine. The Thar Roxx petrol, however, is a lot more powerful than the Jimny that uses a smaller, naturally aspirated petrol engine. The Roxx’s petrol engine also offers the highest torque of the lot.
As for the diesel, this too, is offered in two states of tune: 152hp for the RWD variants and 175hp for the 4x4 variants. This means power figure is at par with the higher-spec diesel engine in the Scorpio N, although the latter has more torque. Mahindra also offers this engine in a lower 132hp state of tune on the entry-level trims of the Scorpio N. The Scorpio N, in its diesel-AT guise, offers the most torque. The Gurkha 5-door, despite having the largest diesel engine in this company, has the least power and torque outputs.
Coming to their drive layouts, the Jimny and Gurkha are strict 4x4s, while both the Thar Roxx and Scorpio N can be had in either RWD or 4WD guise with their diesel engines; the petrol variants are RWD only. On the gearbox front, the Gurkha misses out on an automatic gearbox while the Jimny only gets a 4-speed unit for its automatic.
Also See: Mahindra Thar Roxx: price, variants, features explained
Mahindra Thar Roxx vs rivals: off-road stats
| Mahindra Thar Roxx vs rivals: off-road stats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Thar Roxx | Gurkha 5-door | Jimny | Scorpio N |
| Approach angle | 41.7 degree | 39 degrees | 36 degrees | NA |
| Departure angle | 36.1 degree | 37 degrees | 46 degrees | NA |
| Ramp over angle | 23.9 degree | 28 degrees | 24 degrees | NA |
| Ground clearance | NA | 233mm | 210 mm | 187mm |
| Water wading | 650 mm | 700 mm | 310mm | 500mm |
Coming to their off-road stats, the Thar Roxx has the best approach angle while the Jimny has the best departure angle. The Gurkha 5-door, meanwhile, has the best ramp over angle. Unfortunately, Mahindra hasn’t yet revealed the ground clearance of the Thar Roxx, but the 3-door Thar’s 226mm ground clearance could serve as a reference point. Still, it’s the Gurkha 5-door that sits the highest at 233mm. In terms of water wading capacity, again, it’s the Gurkha that edges ahead of the rest. Mahindra also doesn’t provide the exact approach/departure/ramp over angles for the Scorpio N, although its unlikely to be better than the other off-roaders.
Also See: Mahindra Thar Roxx: why there's no 1.5-litre diesel at launch
Mahindra Thar Roxx vs rivals: price
| Mahindra Thar Roxx vs rivals: price | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Thar Roxx | Gurkha 5-door | Jimny | Scorpio N |
| Price (ex-showroom) | Rs 12.99 lakh – Rs 20.49 lakh | Rs 18.0 lakh | Rs 12.74 lakh – Rs 14.79 lakh | Rs 13.85 lakh – Rs 24.54 lakh |
So far, Mahindra has only announced prices for all petrol and diesel RWD models, while prices for the 4x4 variants will be announced later. Crucially, the Thar Roxx slots below the Scorpio N in Mahindra’s, and that’ll likely be true for the 4x4 variants as well. The Jimny is understandably the most affordable of the lot, while the Gurkha available in a single variant slots right in the middle of this pack.
Also See:
Mahindra Thar Roxx video review
Mahindra Thar Roxx review: An SUV that does it all?
