The Drive Report: Mahindra Thar Roxx (Petrol RWD)

In an age of electric SUVs, the Thar is an anachronism, but one with such timeless appeal that it will always have a certain demographic rooting for it.

There’s something truly novel about the moment you get behind the wheel of a Thar Roxx. Arguably, why this segment-unto-itself SUV has garnered such a large and, often notorious, fan following.

It’s empowering, intoxicating and enthralling at the same time.

The view is unlike that of any other sub-50 lakh SUV in the country, with an upright windshield between you, the passenger, and a battering-ram-like bonnet. It’s no wonder that the Thar appeals to the fashionable, the adventurous, and the hypermasculine alike.

Nearly a year after the Thar Roxx was launched to a roaring reception, it remains a steady seller for Mahindra and accounts for 45% of overall Thar sales, despite having been in the market for 6 months. What appears to be a large, lumbering SUV at first proves to have a surprisingly refined mannerism on city roads. While the 3-door Thar continues to outsell its larger sibling, the Roxx, it’s sheer size notwithstanding, makes a pretty strong case as a daily driver. Particularly in petrol guise, which is only available with the more road-friendly, but still off-road capable, rear-wheel-drive version.

Living with the Thar

The first thing you notice about the Thar Roxx is how far the Thar brand has come in the last 15 years, from being a rag-tag, slightly agricultural off-roading jeep to a bona fide lifestyle accessory with plenty of refinement. The mStallion 2.0-litre petrol engine has plenty of power. In the automatic version, this translates to 171 bhp of power and 380 Nm of power, so you never quite miss the low-end grunt on the diesel. The electronic power steering feels incredibly light, making it much easier to manoeuvre this behemoth around town. Power is instantaneous, and the 6-speed torque converter works its way up the gears with the sort of effortless ease you expect from much more expensive vehicles.

There are still the odd niggles.

For instance, in start-stop traffic, the Thar Roxx tends to lurch forward. The same is true for when you reverse the vehicle, where, occasionally, even a gentle dab of the throttle results in the vehicle lurching backwards, which, given its size, takes some getting used to. Still, for how the Roxx manages to mask its weight, and for how reassuringly nimble it feels in city traffic, Mahindra’s engineers deserve applause.

However, the Thar is an image-driven vehicle. Which means a large part of its appeal cannot be quantified since it is a ladder-frame SUV, with the lumbering mannerisms of a ladder-frame SUV. Which, in soft-reader guise, can really test your fondness for its form-factor because a monocoque SUV offers far more dynamism and far less lateral movement than the likes of the Roxx, when faced with undulated road surfaces and speed bumps. Ride quality remains superb, though, even at higher speeds where the Roxx imperiously wafts over roads.

The Tech

You don’t enter Thar Roxx’s cabin as much as you ascend to it. Once you do, you realise that very few monocoque SUVs offer such cavernous space. With the panoramic sunroof open, light pouring into the Roxx’s cabin, you start to see the appeal of sitting in the back. With creature comforts like ventilated seats (for the front passenger and driver), blind spot monitor, 360-degree camera, a 6-speed Harmon Kardon sound system, this cabin is a far cry from the spartan confines of yesteryear Mahindra off-roaders. But once again, the infotainment system isn’t without its glitches. On occasion, the screen either randomly disconnects with Apple CarPlay (which is wireless), and this isn’t as frequent as the whole screen going blank for no particular reason. While the Apple CarPlay issue was more prevalent on the Diesel RWD I’d tested from Kochi to Bengaluru, the infotainment screen going blank was a new inconvenience, prompting several futile jabs at the screen’s power button.

Still, the presence of an electronic parking brake, automatic climate control, cruise control, and Level 2 ADAS goes a long way in gentrifying the Thar Roxx. Save for that trademark ladder-frame wobble and a fairly thirsty petrol engine (two admittedly major deterrents), there’s little reason to want any other SUV in this price range.

Verdict

In an age of electric SUVs, the Thar is an anachronism, but one with such timeless appeal that it will always have a certain demographic rooting for it. The Thar Roxx, thanks to its sheer comfort and capability, expands that demographic. A major leap forward for retro, jeep-like SUVs.