When launched, Mahindra Thar Armada will rival Maruti Suzuki Jimny 5-Door already on sale and upcoming Force Motors Gurkha 5-Door
On a mission to redefine Indian lifestyle adventure car genre, Mahindra is poised to introduce Thar Armada soon. Ahead of launch, there have been multiple instances of test mule sightings owing to a large population of prying eyes. Spy images and videos are frequent, but recent sightings show all trim levels of Thar Armada testing together.
Mahindra Thar Armada Base To Top Trims Spied
India’s de facto SUV manufacturer, Mahindra, is set to up the ante in lifestyle genre with Thar Armada. The company is known for extensive testing of its prototypes prior to launch. Thar 5-Door is no different and has been on testing for a very long time.
Most of the attributes expected from this upcoming vehicle are kinda known at this point. Except for pricing, of course, which will be revealed at launch. Speaking of launch, Mahindra will launch Thar Armada on August 15th, 2024. For the first time, Mahindra Thar 5-Door base to top trims have been spotted testing together in Chengalpett, Tamil Nadu.
This lends us a solid perspective as to what the differences across trim levels could be. For starters, base trim lacks a rear washer and wiper that mid and top-spec trims offer. Base trim gets all five silver steel wheels, while mid-spec trim seems to be getting a black-painted steel wheel as the spare along with four alloy wheels.
It has to be noted that alloy wheel design for mid-spec trim is different to what Mahindra is offering with top-spec trim. Speaking of top-spec trim, Mahindra is offering the same alloy design for all-five wheels. There is a possibility of base trim missing out on rear disc brakes that mid and top trims seem to offer.
Features upgrade over 3-Door model
In a previous set of spy shots, one of the Thar Armada test mules had a unique squarish rear quarter glass design, whereas other mules donned a triangular rear quarter glass with round edges. Recent convoy of Thar Armada test mules all donned the same triangular round-edged glass on them, which was interesting.
In a recent video, automotive enthusiast Sunny Manesar managed to capture Thar Armada’s interior from the inside, showing all the expected updates. For starters, we get the same dashboard with a free-standing 10-inch infotainment system and instrument screen from the recently launched XUV400 EL Pro. Interior images are credited to Sunny Manesar.
Steering wheel is from Scorpio N and we can see front and rear armrests along with rear AC vents for the first time. Rear window controls are at expected positions on respective doors and there is a sort of centre-set single-pane sunroof along with roof-mounted speakers. Boot space is better than before and gets a subwoofer too. Tailgate still has a hatch-like glass opening as 3-Door Thar.
Powertrain-wise, there will be the same 2.0L petrol and 2.2L diesel engines as 3-Door Thar. We hope there is a different engine tune with Thar Armada. As per our sources, Mahindra will only launch 4X4 versions at first, while 4X2 versions will follow later. Locking rear diff is likely to be standard across all trims at launch too.
