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’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
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.
Rivan RS 
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
