MAHINDRA Thar ROXX

The Thar is a lifetime member in the gym for SUVs. But the Thar Roxx has gone to the same gym and taken steroids. And because this is an automobile afterall, steroids aren't exactly a controversial substance. The starry highlight of the Roxx as against Thar is that it packs in dedicated doors for the rear-seat passengers. And that is courtesy overall dimensions that have gone up. Most notably, the length of Thar Roxx is now well over four meters – 4.4 meters to be absolutely precise, as against a tad under 4 meters of the Thar. This obviously helps the wheelbase too and therefore the additional doors on the side.

But while the folks over at Mahindra could have just put up their feet right about now, they decided to walk a mile extra by incorporating an all-new alloy design on the R19, 255 mm wheels. It does a remarkably good job of lending the SUV a sporty appeal from the side. The other unique elements from this particular angle is a triangular rear quarter glass and high-mounted handles for the second-row doors, something that is likely to divide opinions.

From the front, opinions could be divided once again because while the new C-shaped DRLs around the LED headlights definitely look great, the updated grille is creativity gone hyper active. Personal preferences may differ but to us, the grille of the Thar – as we have known it – could have been carried forward much like the high bumper with the fog lights and the bonnet design. There is still, however, absolutely no doubting the very bully-like visual appeal of the Thar Roxx when viewed from the front.

The rear design of the Thar Roxx is near similar to that of the Thar, save the new design for the LED taillight which does not just look contemporary but stylish too. The two-section opening mechanism for access to the cargo area remains as is.

Overall, while Thar Roxx has larger dimensions, it does not look ungainly at all. If anything, it builds on its masculine design credentials further still. Mahindra, however, could have added the Thar ‘Roxx’ lettering to the back as well. Just for more show, perhaps. Instead, the lettering is only on either side of the vehicle.

If the Thar has always been for the young enthusiasts who give two hoots for comfort, the Thar Roxx cabin is a people pleaser. That extension of the wheelbase has opened up more space for the folks in the second row and while getting in is still a fair climb, at least it isn’t an exercise in ungainly stretching movements through the folded front seats anymore. Grab handles inside all four doors is a recognition of the still high climb but once in, the rear seats in the Roxx offers fairly adequate space even though still not generous. The headroom is spectacular. The kneeroom is good. The space for feet is decent. The center console is positioned just right which means even the middle-seat passenger has feet space even if the adjustable headrests are reserved only for the fellows on either side. Additionally, the back of the rear seats can be reclined a bit for a change in seating posture. Shockingly though, there is still inadequate under-thigh support on these backseats which could be an issue on long roadtrips.

The light colour scheme inside the cabin of the Thar Roxx helps elevate the premium appeal of the vehicle even if it can be quite difficult to maintain. In fact, when we stepped inside for the first time, there were stain marks on the roof and around the driver-side seat belt notch already. For a vehicle that is built for the outdoors, this is a point of concern to note.

Another big point of concern here is the lack of storage options. The glovebox remains too small to even fit in the Thar Roxx brochure we had with us while the cupholders on the center console and on the armrest for the rear-seat passengers are best only for those tiny Nescafe cups in which the roadside vendors serve tea. The front doors have pockets that can fit slim bottles but forget about fitting anything bigger than a smartphone in the pockets of the two rear doors. There is some space for magazines on the back flap of the front seats and a little bit of space under the adjustable armrest on the center console but all of these still continue to appear as afterthoughts.

But Mahindra has not been miserly when it comes to the quality of fit and finish. There are plenty soft-touch plastics all around the cabin of the vehicle while the quality of stitching is also quite nice. The cargo area too has increased in size and is now big enough for two medium-sized suitcases, one check-in suitcase on top and a backpack. The rear seats can be folded in split ratio for more customized storage options if there are only two occupants inside.

So while the cabin of the Thar Roxx has a fair share of upgrades and updates vis-à-vis Thar -especially in terms of space and comfort, it also retains a few of the follies of the existing three-door version.

Now here is where the Thar Roxx hits it out of the park. Mahindra has been extremely clever to understand its potential customer base, one that is still in awe of a premium infotainment screen, ventilated seats and – for some odd reason, sunroofs. So what does the carmaker do? Why plonk all of these inside the Thar Roxx and then some more.

The infotainment screen in the middle has been updated and is powered now by the AdrenoX system which is at the core of screens inside several other Mahindra SUVs. There is wireless support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay although during our test run, only the former worked. Company officials would clarify that the certification process for Apple CarPlay is under process and customer units will come with complete compatibility. At present though, even the wireless connection with Android phones was iffy with the system often losing connection without any warning or apparent reason. We have been there, done that and experienced this before, by the way. The infotainment screen itself is fairly easy to use and is responsive to touch while also being clear under direct light. Yes, even when putting out the feed from the surround-view cams that the Thar Roxx comes with.

Look above and there is a panoramic sunroof as well. It is a crowd pleaser in the SUV space and Mahindra has obliged by giving it on the Thar Roxx as well. Just that the operation buttons could have had one-touch operation for both opening and closing the glass. Also, the sunroof-operating buttons often failed to respond to inputs – another glitch in the test units that Mahindra says will be fixed when customer units are shipped out.

The feature list additionally includes a premium Harman Kardon sound system, an all-digital driver display (which can be brighter but isn’t), electronically-adjustable driver seat, steering-mounted controls, wireless charging pad, plenty of charging ports, automatic climate control, drive-mode selector and engine start-stop button, among others.

Mahindra Thae Roxx: Drive

The Thar Roxx, much like the Thar itself, has something for everyone when it comes to engine choices and transmission options. There is one 2.0-litre mStallion petrol motor under the hood that comes mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and a six-speed torque converter unit. Unfortunately though, there is no 4x4 option on the petrol version of the Thar Roxx. The 2.2-litre mHawk diesel version of the SUV, however, comes in two state of tunes, two transmission choices and with either 4x4 or RWD (Rear-Wheel Drive) versions. Our test unit was the one with automatic transmission and RWD.

Packing up to 171 bhp and 370 Nm of torque, the Thar Roxx is a power performer that feels very solid on the move despite its increased dimensions. Power build up isn’t the quickest but throttle inputs are responded to fairly well. And for an SUV of this proportion, this is not just passable but quite impressive too.

Where the Roxx stands out from even its own smaller twin, however, is the level of refinement achieved in terms of the engine performance at cruising speeds and the re-jigged suspension unit. We absolutely abhorred the ride quality at moderate to high speeds on the Thar earlier but the updated suspension set up on the Thar Roxx manages to bring the body bobbing to manageable levels. Mahindra says the GLYDE platform on which the Roxx is based on is to be credited for this, allowing for a frame that is 18 per cent lighter than before and ‘advanced damper technology’ at play. What these effectively translate to is a much better ride quality for everyone inside. Do note though that this is in comparison to the Thar and not necessarily the best as far as mid-size SUVs are concerned.

There are two drive modes available – Zip and Zoom, and three terrain modes on even the RWD version of RWD. While the difference between the first two in the former isn’t quite felt on the narrow Kochi stretches we drove on, the terrain modes are obviously good to have in this version of an SUV that is otherwise not trail rated. What is also a big highlight on the resume is the debut of Level 2 ADAS or Advanced Driver Assistance System which packs in 10 functions like Collision Warning System, Lane Keep Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control.

If the popularity of Thar is anything to go by, the Thar Roxx has the potential to be an even bigger hit. But having driven the Thar Roxx, it is amply clear that Mahindra’s dogged determination to now offer this SUV to a larger audience has paid off. Not only is the Roxx bigger than Thar, it is also better – better in terms of rear-seat access and space, better in terms of feature list and better in terms of drivability.

The Thar Roxx will continue to lock horns with the likes of Maruti Suzuki Jimny and Force Gurkha, and there is every chance that it will continue outselling both of these models by a mile and a half. But what would be very interesting to see is if the Roxx poses danger to siblings like XUV700 and Scorpio-N as well, while mounting a credible challenge to dominant players in the mid-size SUV space like Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Toyota Hyryder, among many others. Will the competitors be Roxxed?