The lifestyle SUV segment has seen a lot of growth in the last few years. The Thar nameplate has contributed a lot to this growth. However, as the segment grows, new competitors have started coming in. The biggest rival Thar could face is the Maruti Jimny 5-door. The Jimny 5-door will offer practicality with its extra rows. To counter this, Mahindra was said to working on a Thar 5-door. We did cover the Thar 5-door extensively, but what lacked was any spy shot to confirm its development. However, this is the first time that the Thar 5-door has been spied. In today’s article, let’s talk about the spied images of the Mahindra Thar 5-door.
The spy shots were posted on the Instagram page of ‘moto._tourer’. So what do the spy shots reveal? The car is covered in heavy camouflage, but it is easy to figure out this is the Thar 5-door due to the overall silhouette and tail lamp design. Overall, the car looks quite proportionate even with the added door. We can also spot the third row of seats from the rear windshield.
According to reports, the Thar 5-door will be more premium than the Thar 3-door. What about the design changes? We think Mahindra could keep it similar, but give some subtle changes. These subtle changes could include a new grille, new alloys and slightly tweaked headlamps. Mahindra could also tweak the rear door for better accessibility. Also, it could get some new features like a big infotainment system, a 360-degree camera, wireless charging and automatic climate control.
The Thar 5-door is confirmed to be based on the heavily modified ladder-on-frame platform that underpins the Scorpio-N. This will improve the handling & stiffness of the Thar 5-door. What about engine options? The Thar 5-door will get the same engine options as the Thar 3-door. So it will come with a 2.0-litre petrol engine and a 2.2-litre diesel engine. Mahindra could retune the engine to produce more power for the 5-door variant. Transmission options will include a manual and an automatic option. Like the Thar 3-door, it will come with 4×4 capabilities. Moreover, it is expected to be made available with 4X2 drivetrain as well.
The test mule doesn’t seem to be a prototype and looks more like a production-ready unit. So, when can we expect it in the market? The Thar 5-door is expected to be unveiled at the Auto Expo of 2023. The launch could happen a few months after the Auto Expo. What about pricing? The Thar 5-door could start from somewhere around the Rs 18 lakh to Rs 20 lakh (ex-showroom) mark.
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