I am planning to buy a car for family road trips and am confused between the Maruti Suzuki Jimny and the Mahindra Thar Roxx. My requirement is for a family of five, and I do not have any specific need for off-roading. My budget is around ₹15-20 lakh. Which of these would be a better choice for comfortable road trips, or should I consider other options within this budget?

Autocar India

•19m

Both the Maruti Suzuki Jimny and Mahindra Thar Roxx are hardcore off‑roaders first and family cars second, so they’re great on broken roads but compromised as primary road‑trip machines.

They really come into their own on dirt tracks, bad village roads and unpaved sections, and they also deliver that rugged, “tough toy” appeal - the Thar Roxx especially has a lot more visual muscle and emotional pull. But for a family of five, we’d immediately rule out the Jimny: it’s simply too narrow for three adults or growing kids to sit comfortably in the back for any length of time, and luggage space is also very limited.

The Thar Roxx can realistically take a family of five, but for long highway runs, its suspension is on the firmer, bouncy side, and overall refinement isn’t as good as some of the softer, more road‑biased SUVs. You’ll feel more vertical movement, more noise, and over a full day’s drive that gets tiring, especially for rear passengers.

If your main requirement is road trips with the family and you don’t have a specific off‑roading need, a “soft‑roader” is the better tool for the job. Something like the Tata Sierra 1.5 diesel gives you the same tough‑as‑nails image and presence, but with a far more comfortable ride, more space, better highway manners and a more relaxed driving experience over long distances.

Explore cars mentioned

Tata

Sierra

from ₹13.60 Lakh

Maruti Suzuki

Jimny

from ₹14.56 Lakh

Mahindra

Thar Roxx

from ₹14.65 Lakh

More questions on similar cars

Anshul Anand

•3d

My budget is around ₹23 lakh, and I am confused between the Duster and the Creta. Which one is the better option? I love going on long drives, so which one should I prefer?

Autocar India

•2d

Given your love for long drives, you will be happier with the Renault Duster. It's got a fantastic ride and handling balance, which will make your journeys comfortable and very enjoyable. The great suspension and body control are matched by a strong 160hp, 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine. Power and performance are good. Going for a Duster does come with a slight compromise in terms of cabin space. It's not as roomy as the Hyundai Creta and other models, like the Kia Seltos and Tata Sierra. If more space is a key priority, the Hyundai Creta Turbo-DCT is worth a look. Of the other alternatives, the Kia Seltos Turbo DCT and Tata Sierra turbo AT are also strong options.

Srinivas

I am planning to move to Bangalore from Mumbai after 8 months. Is it better to buy the Thar Roxx here or after moving to Bangalore? I see that prices are lower in Mumbai compared to Bangalore. Please advise.

Autocar India

•1d

Buy the Mahindra Thar Roxx after you move to Bengaluru. Registering it there will keep things simple and avoid extra costs later. While the on-road price looks cheaper in Mumbai today, if you shift the car to Karnataka for long-term use, you are expected to re-register it in Bengaluru and pay Karnataka road tax.Getting a refund of the tax you paid in Maharashtra is possible on paper, but slow and painful. You will also need an NOC from the Mumbai RTO, new number plates, and you may face checks in Bengaluru if you drive long-term on a Mumbai number. All this adds time and stress you can skip by buying and registering once in your new city.There is one clear exception: if you are eligible for the BH series number (government/PSU staff, or private company with offices in 4 or more states), go for BH. With BH, you pay road tax in 2-year blocks and do not need to re-register when you move.

Mahindra Thar Roxx

Abhishek Sood

•1w

I am confused between petrol, diesel, and electric options from Mahindra. My annual running is around 10,000 km, and I am considering the XUV700 (AXT automatic - petrol or diesel) or the XEV 9E. Mahindra is known for its diesel engines, but given my relatively low usage, will DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) issues become a concern? On the other hand, I have heard that the petrol engine is not very refined and has poor fuel efficiency. Also, I am unsure about choosing an EV, as daily charging management could be challenging, especially with a 2-year-old child. Which option would be the most practical and suitable for my usage?

Autocar India

•6h

Your annual running of 10,000km isn’t very high, but the gap in running costs between petrol, diesel and EV is still significant over a few years.The Mahindra XEV 9e is naturally the cheapest to run, and it’s not a headache to live with if you can install a home charger and don’t regularly do very long drives beyond roughly 400-420km in a day. A home charger is like having a petrol pump at your house - you plug in at night and leave with a full “tank” every morning. It will actually make an EV more convenient to top up than a petrol or diesel car, where you always have to detour to a fuel station. However, if you don’t have home charging (or very reliable workplace charging), then an EV quickly becomes inconvenient because of the planning and the long waits for charging. Also, the uncertainty with public chargers, so in that case it’s best to avoid one.Between the petrol and diesel Mahindra XUV7XO automatics, the petrol is actually quite refined and much smoother than the diesel. The real issue is its very low real‑world fuel economy, especially in city use, which makes running costs shoot up. The diesel, on the other hand, is also reasonably refined and much more practical because of today’s pump prices and the efficiency gap. Moreover, you can recover the diesel XUV7XO’s roughly ₹1.4 lakh higher upfront cost in about a year of your usage.After that, you are clearly ahead on total cost of ownership. Also, the diesel’s resale value is likely to be higher as well. So between the petrol and diesel XUV7XO, the diesel is the better option for you. Between diesel and EV, it really comes down to whether you have stress‑free home charging.

Mahindra XEV 9e

Mahindra XUV 7XO

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