Mahindra Thar 5 Door Vs. Thar 3 Door - Feature And Design Differences | V3Cars

Mahindra Thar 5 Door Features Over Thar 3 Door

• Larger 10-Inch Touchscreen

Spy shots captured in December 2023 revealed the Thar 5 Door’s larger 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The Thar 3 Door, on the other hand, makes do with a 7-inch touchscreen. The new infotainment system is likely to feature Mahindra’s latest user interface seen in SUVs like the Scorpio-N and XUV700.

Thar 5 Door Interior Spied With Larger Touchscreen

• Front Centre Armrest

The Thar 5 Door will also offer a front centre armrest over the Thar 3 Door. An armrest between the driver and front co-passenger can help improve comfort significantly. Not only does it offer a sense of separation between the front seats but the driver or co-passenger can also rest their arm on long drives.

Front Armrest – Feature Explained 

• Small Sunroof

Various spy shots of the Thar 5 Door have revealed a single-pane sunroof above the driver and front co-passenger seats. Like the XUV700, we could expect the Thar 5 Door to get a voice-activated sunroof.

Thar 5 Door Spied With Sunroof

Sunroof - Feature Explained

• Full Metal Roof

Currently, the Mahindra Thar 3 Door comes with 2 roof options – a fibreglass hard-top and a canvas soft-top. Both versions do not offer any roof liner and hence, it feels a bit bare bones when sat in the cabin. The Mahindra Thar 5 Door, however, was spied with a metal roof with a soft fabric roof liner. When launched, we could even expect Mahindra to offer accessories that bolt onto the metal roof, like luggage racks and roof-mounted cycle racks.

• New Grille And Front Styling

The first few test mules of the Thar 5 Door were spied with the same front end as the Thar 3 Door. However, the latest images captured towards the end of 2023 show the Thar 5 Door with a new 6-slat front grille divided by 2 vertical separators for each slat. The different grille should help Mahindra sell the Thar 5 Door in various international markets without hiccups as Mahindra have faced copyright infringement suits in the past from Stellantis, which owns Jeep.

Thar 5 Door Looks Production Ready

• Different Alloy Wheel Design

While the Thar 3 Door and Thar 5 Door are likely to feature the same tyre sizes (255/65 R18), spy shots of the Thar 5 Door suggest the longer SUV could get alloy wheels with a different design. The Thar 3 Door features 18-inch alloy wheels with a multi-spoke design whereas the Thar 5 Door is likely to get 18-inch alloy wheels with a 5-spoke design. The spokes in the Thar 5 Door are likely to be chunkier to enhance the SUV’s butch character.

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• LED Lighting

Another small but significant change in the Thar 5 Door test mule is the presence of LED headlamps and LED fog lamps. The Thar 3 Door features halogen headlamps and fog lamps and most Thar 3 Door buyers end up replacing them with LED units after taking delivery. Hence, the introduction of LED headlamps and fog lamps right from the factory will be much appreciated by Thar owners.

• Different Steering Design

Spy shots of the Thar 5 Door also reveal a new design for the steering wheel. While the new steering wheel isn’t clearly visible in the spy shots, we think it could be from the XUV700. The new steering wheel is likely to house more controls for various parameters and also make the cabin feel richer than that of the Thar 3 Door.

Expected Features Of Mahindra Thar 5 Door

Now let’s look at the features we expect Mahindra to offer to improve the ownership experience of a buyer choosing between a C-segment SUV and a Thar 5-door:

• Rear Armrest

Considering Mahindra are targeting buyers looking for a family-friendly SUV, the addition of a rear armrest could vastly improve its comfort factor. Currently, Most C-SUVs offer a rear armrest in their middle and top variants.

Rear Armrest – Feature Explained

• Rear AC Vents

We expect Mahindra to also offer rear AC vents to cool the larger cabin of the Thar 5 Door quickly. Rear AC vents make commuting in the back seat a more pleasurable experience during hot summer months.

• Power-folding ORVMs

While not a must-have feature, power-folding outside mirrors could help Mahindra offer their customers a sense of luxury. Additionally, since the Thar 5 Door is a wide SUV, this feature will come in handy while traversing through narrow roads. 

• Full-Colour LCD Instrument Cluster 

All C-SUVs in the market currently offer a full-digital instrument cluster in their top variants. Mahindra launched the XUV400 Pro recently with a full-colour digital instrument cluster and we think adding this feature to the Thar 5 Door will make the SUV a lot more enticing for potential buyers looking for a C-segment SUV. 

• Different Suspension Setup

The Mahindra Thar 3 Door uses an independent double wishbone front suspension with coil over dampers at the front and a multilink solid rear axle with coil over dampers at the rear. While the solid rear axle offers a good degree of wheel articulation for off-road use, it does make the ride bouncy and uncomfortable on city roads and the highway. Since Mahindra are targeting a different set of clients with the Thar 5 Door, we expect them to offer a more road-friendly rear suspension setup for family use. Hence, it could feature the Scorpio N’s penta-link suspension for improved cornering and rear end stability at highway speeds. 

• Different Name

Recently, Mahindra filed multiple trademark applications with the prefix ‘Thar’, suggesting one of them could be used for the  upcoming Thar 5 Door. These include the Thar Armada, Thar Savannah, Thar Roxx, Thar Gladius, Thar Centurion, Thar Rex, and Thar Cult. Out of these names, the Thar Armada wins our vote as it invokes a sense of nostalgia for the old Mahindra Armada that was built between 1993 to 2001.

Also Read: Mahindra Thar 5 Door Expected Price With Logic

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