[bullitt1]

Such an eyesore of a design. No matter what, their creative design just cannot seem to escape the vertical slats.

[Sebring]

This is just a lazy "addition of a box" at the rear. They should have kept it simple. I'm truly disappointed

[AMG1]

Originally Posted by Sebring

This is just a lazy "addition of a box" at the rear. They should have kept it simple. I'm truly disappointed

On the contrary- The platform is completely different. 5 Door is based on Scorpio N platform unlike 3 door Thar. This 5 door has only front looks and front doors that are maybe shared with the 3 door, rest everything is bespoke, even the windshield angle is different as well. You can consider it as a totally new car compared to Thar 3 door with just the front looks that are similar to its shorter sibling. Interior wise, it’s even got normal car like inner roof liner with no roll bars (since it’s on Scorpio N), 3 door Thars have plastic inner roof as it’s just a cover that can be removed. Even the engine tunes and suspension is rumoured to be different than current 3 doors.

As a 3 door softop owner, I feel they should have just extended the wheelbase and added 5 door on same chassis with roll cage included like how Wrangler does with no roof liners and removable top options. That would have made it less family friendly like current 3 door but that’s what made Thar unique and such a sales sucesss. This thar 5 door while being way more family friendly is also a totally new normal type car using Thar name and some design features. The essence of Thar/jeep is lost as in spirit a Thar/jeep is not family friendly but off-road and outdoor focused tool that happens to carry more than 2 people.

[Lowflyer23]

Originally Posted by vivekgk

Mahindra did it differently, with the rear roll bar being integrated into the C pillar. To do this, the C-pillar has been made into a triangular design. the reason it looks weird to us is because we are comparing it to the Wrangler, IMO. I don't think the hard top is removable on the 5 door Thar. So it doesn't make sense to have an exposed roll bar that obstructs the rear glass.

There is no roll bar I believe in the 5 door. As per powerdrift's latest insights video, the 5 door Thar would be a unibody (note I am not saying monocoque) BOF vehicle without a removable hardtop.

[BullettuPaandi]

Originally Posted by vivekgk

the reason it looks weird to us is because we are comparing it to the Wrangler, IMO. I don't think the hard top is removable on the 5 door Thar. So it doesn't make sense to have an exposed roll bar that obstructs the rear glass.

While I agree with the rest of your post, in that it does seem like this was the thought process or reasoning behind the current design, here's where I disagree :

I think it looks weird to us because there's all sorts of shapes on this car and there's no cohesion in design; they served that with a grill on top that only says "Oh, we can be creative" and nothing more. I for one, would compare even the UAZ I see in PUBG with the Wrangler, because the 'Jeep' design is so ubiquitous and doesn't really belong to the 'Jeep' brand. So, comparing a 'Jeep'-looking car to a 'Jeep'-design car we all are familiar with, is only a given and we do that all the time. Comparing the Gurkha to the G-Wagen didn't necessarily make the Gurkha look weird to us, for instance.

I also think that probably Mahindra had to combine roll-bar with the C-pillar, as they don't have enough width to work with as the Jeep (brand)- 1820mm vs 1931mm. Discrete roll-bar looks better/ familiar/ not weird, even when the top is still on. I think Mahindra probably thought that us Indians won't be as welcoming of such small space on the third row as their 3-door's second, in such a huge car.

I guess this just shows that we can't have good on-road dynamics, off-road capability AND a good-looking design, all in one package; at least not in an after-thought 5-door. Force stayed tall with their Gurkha and their 5-door design arguably got better than their 3-door. So, seems to me that they managed to pull this off only because they didn't bother with on-road dynamics. I imagine if Mahindra had stayed with their old Thar design, they would've had a similar, easier time at this. If Mahindra wants to nail all three, I'm afraid they have to do so from the ground up on this one. This doesn't look well designed to me.

This, in fact, reminded me of a Gypsy ad I saw on Olx not too long ago. Let me just say, this guy deserves equal credits as the one who designed this Armada, for having achieved a similar result with his resources and all things considered:

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by SportsMedicine

---
Worst on earth is that triangular quarter glass. What on earth was in mind of Pratap Bose to approve rather design such stuff that reminds of school days. He has long lost his credibility as an automotive designer.

--

Repeatedly again from my post on the 3XO thread:

The so-called eminent design head was just a created hype.
Tata can now sigh in relief --

I am waiting to see their exterior designs of their Born Electric SUVs and even more curious to know their ambitious plan of exporting them to Europe, in all probability seeking the help from the rumored JV with Skoda group, that is if it materializes.

[peterjim13]

Maybe a bit too early to jump on the design criticism.

The primary wish from prospective buyers for Mahindra would be to "maintain the existing Thar's character and not to overdo it".

Mahindra is known to "overdo", especially on the design side.

And on the other hand to prove justice to value seekers with some reasonable engine options, plus all the good bit of features they have recently added to the XUVs and Scorpio's of the world to come down to Armada as well.

At least this time I am relieved that the forum is not crowded by calling the car "Indian Rubicon".

[Atul Kolekar]

The front grill is a combination of Toyota FJ and Jeep in my opinion. Probabely designed that way to get out of the copyright trouble, or to get in more trouble!

[vredesbyrd]

I like it, no matter what the others are saying.

On the other hand, as a Scorpio-N owner, seeing the 360 camera really pinches my heart and makes me feel bad.

[GeeTee TSI]

Finally a Thar where the owners don't need to dash to the nearest accessory store for a headlamp upgrade (the 3 door Thar's shockingly outdated headlamps have finally been liberated!). It is quite sad that Mahindra is unable (or disallowed) to have a consistent, recognisable family grille/face, always designed to be barely legal with FCA snooping around. The constraints of door handle not being in the same line as the front door (redesign the front door handles not considered!) creates a discomfiting lack of alignment and symmetry.

But overall the quirks don't matter to the macho design language I guess

[SchnelleKurven]

After this reveal, looking forward for the feature (not looks!) equivalence between the 5 door and the 3 door Thar.

Mahindra take my money already for the 3 door refreshed Thar !

[Dippy]

Thr front grille in my opinion looks decent, not one that would win any beauty contests but still better than the one they gave on the 3 door. I expect this to be added to the 3 door Thar as well eventually.

The LED headlamps look good and might be a straight bolt on swap for existing 3 door owners who dont want an aftermarket set.

What I dont like however is the placement of the rear door handle. Also the front door handle is black and the rear door handle is in the body colour. Seems a bit off.

Cant wait to see this one and whatever one says, this is what everyone wanted and will be a smash hit right from the word go. Its a good thing if Mahindra has already started production to keep a sizeable number of it units ready.

This thing is going to fly off the shelves.

As for me Im very happy and content with my 3 door

[Ph03nix]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Updated render by ACI based on the actual sighting of the Thar:


Attachment 2627139

Why does Mahindra have to go overboard with these designs. Everything looks out of place starting from the B pillar.

The door handle for the rear door suddenly moved upwards. God knows what's up with the rear quarter glass.

Like they copied the wrangler, if they had kept a similar design language for the 5 door it would have looked swell.

I was seriously thinking of buying the 5 door Thar, but having second thoughts now.

[Briarean]

Just edited and blacken the central line of the front grill and it looks perfect!!!

Sorry for my pathetic MS-Paint skills.

[arjab]

THAR has blind followers in India. And full credit for this to M&M's photocopying the good old Jeep.
It does not matter what aesthetic challenges it has or how proportionate or disproportionate it looks.
For this buyer segment, as long as, "Mahindarrr's" look angry, very angry with a "teeth-gnashingly-snarly" front end look, a huge, hulking body and weighs close to 2-tons plus in gross vehicle weight, it will sell and Indians will buy it without batting an eyelid. And pay top dollar for it. And spend a further Rs 5-lakhs on it to accessorise it.
You will be surprised as to how many "unofficial" bookings for the 5-door THAR has been made through Mahindra dealers across India.

It is high time Mahindra come up and institute a their own design signature across their model line. And stop getting "inspired" by competitor models.
The THAR's (all generations) were Jeep "inspired", the original Scorpio took "inspiration" from the then Hyundai Terracan, the XUV-500 silhouette bore an uncanny resemblance to that generation's Mitsubishi Outlander.

Mahindra now has access to some of the automotive world's top design talent. M&M successfully run engineering centres in India and UK and owns the most coveted design house of all time: Pininfarina.
Which leads me to think: why is Mahindra not giving Pininfarina a free hand to design and develop a "Jimny-Plus-Scorpio-Minus" full blooded SUV with the option of 4x4? Maybe it will not look ""teeth-gnashingly-snarly" enough?