New gen Mahindra Thar’s 3-door version which is currently on sale, caters to a niche audience – 5-door Thar will help attract wider audience
New gen Mahindra Thar was launched last year in 2020. Since its launch, it has amassed over 75k bookings. Demand has been huge, resulting in high waiting periods. What has added to waiting, is the ongoing parts shortage in the auto industry.
Mahindra has delivered about 30k units of new Thar since launch last year. There are cases where customers who have booked Thar last year, are yet to get delivery. But with parts shortage expected to end sometime next year, Mahindra is not only getting ready to increase production of existing cars, but also getting ready to launch new cars like Scorpio and bigger version of Thar – the 5-Door Thar.
2023 Mahindra Thar 5 Door SUV
New gen Thar was one of the most awaited launches of the year 2020. After lots of spy shots of test mules, a fair share of teasers by the company and an endless wait – the new generation Thar was finally revealed in its fullest form on August 15, 2020. Despite more than a year since launch, test mules of the Thar continue to be on test.
Now a new set of Mahindra Thar test mules have been spied by automotive enthusiast Arnav. In these set of Mahindra Thar spy shots, you can see that there are select test mules that are fully covered under a black cloth. The Thar SUV that is covered under the cloth, seems to have a longer structure. It is likely that this is the 2023 Mahindra Thar 5 Door SUV, spied for the first time. Standing next to it in usual camo is the existing 3-door Thar.
Speaking about the new Thar’s design, it is starkly different from its predecessor. However, the new model still carries its old-school lifestyle-oriented charm as seen in the previous model although the new-gen Thar is a lot more practical to use as an everyday utility vehicle as well. The three-door cabin comes with lots of utilitarian features to back its case as an everyday car.
Although Mahindra does realise that the current three-door form will be limited to a certain section of buyers. People who seek a family SUV will always prefer a comfortable rear seat for all members of their family which could be easily accessed. The Indian utility vehicles manufacturer has thus started developing a 5-door version Thar.
Five-door version of the new-gen Thar would cater to a wider consumer base. The said model is also expected to have a larger wheelbase which means it will have better space for the rear passengers. The five-door Thar will rival the upcoming Force Gurkha 5 door and the Maruti Jimny 5 door.
2023 Mahindra Thar 5 Door – Features and Specs
The new Thar is much better equipped than the outgoing model which frankly looked barebones from inside. Just like 3-door Thar, the new model will come with features such as 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, MID instrument cluster, automatic climate control, roof-mounted speakers, cruise control and steering mounted control.
In terms of safety, it gets dual front airbags, hill-start control, hill descent, ESP, ISOFIX child mounts and roll-over mitigation to name a few. It could also get ADAS features, similar to the ones on offer with the new XUV700.
The new Thar 5-door will likely be powered by the same set of petrol and diesel engine options on offer with current 3-door Thar. The power and torque output could be tuned to deliver appropriate performance for the larger Thar. Transmission duties will be carried out either by a 6-speed manual or 6-speed torque converter automatic. 4WD will be equipped as standard across the range along with a low-range transfer box.
Current Mahindra Thar 3-door is offered in the price range of Rs 12.78 lakh to Rs 15.08 lakh, ex-sh. Expect prices 2023 Mahindra Thar 5-door to be about Rs 1-2 lakh higher than the corresponding 3-door Thar.
