How the Mahindra Thar Roxx managed to impress a 3-door Thar owner

I always used to think that it's going be a lift of Scorpio-N interiors and equipment and deliver it in the Thar form factor

BHPian Bibendum90949 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Yesterday, I could see Roxx up close. An auto scribe friend and a fellow bhpian(vivekji05) was kind enough to take me for a short spin in it. I couldn't drive it though. It was an AT Diesel.

Since the time 5 door Thar was announced, I always used to think that it's going be a lift of Scorpio N interiors and equipments and deliver it in the Thar form factor - A Jeep that will have all the bells and whistles. But it turns out to be much more than that.

I had a small drive in Roxx for 7-8 kms or so. The first noticeable thing is the ride quality. I own a Thar(D AT, HT) since 1.5 years and 37K kms and have driven it in all sorts of terrains our land has to offer, including a cross country expedition. So my judgement on ride quality is purely in comparison to Thar 3D.

There's massive difference in the ride quality with Roxx. It doesn't "rock" you at all. It's super comfortable and the potholes, humps and all other undulations are dealt with aplomb in a quiet and smooth fashion, like a hot knife through butter. My friend did crash through a series of potholes at speed and Roxx didn't flinch one bit and dismissed it all with such elan. At one point I felt I'm sitting in a monocoque crossover than a ladder frame jeep. The stiff yet lighter chassis(just 179 kg) is clearly showing it's prowess here with lighter springs and softer damping playing a massive role. It's that good. The suspension, chassis and steering are clearly the icing on the cake for a driving enthusiast, apart from the plethora of equipments that's on offer.

My friend did take it for a spin in the twisties and was talking highly about the handling it offers. He was talking about how the steering rack placement adds to the handling and nice feel and feedback and better precision to it, it's now mounted closer to the wheel centre. It appears like Mahindra has managed to take the game one level up from Scorpio N.

Next noticeable thing is the NVH levels. I felt it's slightly better than Scorpio N. There's hardly any engine noise that filters into the cabin. Life was so very serene inside the cabin during the short ride. Yes, I did read about people writing on wind noise at highway speeds of 100 kmph. That's an issue with even the Thar hard top. Now this issue persisting in a metal top is a little surprising.
Still one can do 1300 kms a day in Roxx, without breaking a sweat and in supreme comfort.

I'm a big fan of the 2 .2 m-Hawk and it continues to impress since it's super refined compared to the 130 bhp tune on the Thar. One can easily gauge that there's enough and more power on tap. It would make life so easy for folks who do multi week cross country trips.

When I bought Thar, it was purely for off roading adventures and touring for two since my Gypsy couldn't deliver the long distance touring. While I still enjoy my Gypsy for all adventures in the 150-200 km vicinity, I'm super happy with the Thar buying decision and have so far done justice to it fully, with God's grace. In that context, Roxx may not suit my use case I reckon, for the following reasons.

Having a longer wheel base and hence a lesser ramp over angle may be a handicap in tough off road obstacles which I indulge in, every now and then.

The electronic gizmos that the Roxx is loaded with would turn out to be a headache, more so if one intends to take it off road frequently. An innocuous river crossing won't be as peaceful with Roxx. The speakers are right on the door, not to mention the white interiors. Thar neatly delivers in such scenarios. You'll only have that many lesser sensors to worry about. Of course, I would never want to take a Jeep with sunroof to a narrow jungle trail or a coffee estate trail with tree branches hanging all over. That'll kill the fun of off road driving.

Roxx is a superb choice for someone who travel long distances and wants to venture into the unbeaten path and explore the hinterlands. All of this in great style, comfort and with family on board.

Kudos to Mahindra for upping the ante with Roxx and the juggernaut is set to rock the sales charts this time too and would put a lot of smiles and great memories for many who would lap this up. Trust me, the fun and adventure that comes with buying a car like Thar, Roxx or Jimny is worth every penny you shell out. Looking forward to driving it soon. Happy Roxxin' !

Sharing few random pics I managed to click in a hurry yesterday.

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