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Thar Roxx 4x4 vs Gurkha 5-Door vs Maruti Jimny vs Scorpio-N vs others
The XUV700 is far more user-friendly on-road. Among other things, it has superior ride & handling to the Thar Roxx.
BHPian Ripcord09 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Mahindra Thar Roxx
What you'll like:
• Handsome styling, brute character & tough build. Has an air of desirability around it
• Far more user-friendly and upmarket than the 3-door Thar, due to its superior interiors, amenities & the 2 rear doors
• Superbly equipped. Loaded with almost every possible feature we could think of (9-speaker Harman Kardon system, panoramic sunroof, 360-degree cam, ventilated front seats…)!
• Very competent, refined and quick diesel engine
• Butter-smooth 6-speed AT available
• Ride, handling and steering are much improved over the 3-door. Feels more Scorpio-N-like to drive than a Thar. Gets a light EPS (not heavy hydraulic steering like the 3-door Thar)
• 4x4 hardware, off-road capability & high GC. Get ready for slush, muck, deserts, jungles & the mountains!
• Practical cabin with seating for 5 and a fair amount of storage
• 447 litres of boot space is sufficient for holiday luggage
• Top-notch safety kit includes 6 airbags, Level 2 ADAS, ESP, hill descent control and more
• We feel the Thar Roxx is well-priced for the package on offer
What you won't:
• While the ride quality is significantly better than the 3-door Thar, it is not as plush as say, the XUV700 & other monocoque crossovers. The 19” wheels are a contributor too. Ride quality is liveable though and we’ll give it a 7/10 rating
• Some styling elements are either too polarising or too “busy”
• Light-coloured interiors with white seats (!!!) will get dirty easily. Keep the cleaning apparatus ready
• Ingress / egress to the rear is difficult, particularly for the elderly
• No 3rd row of seats, which the Scorpio-N & XUV700 offer
• Petrol AT is thirsty due to its hefty weight, 174 BHP & torque-converter AT
• Inexplicably, 4x4 option just on the diesel. Petrol is available with RWD only. Mahindra needs to correct this ASAP
• No option of a convertible soft-top (like Thar) or removeable hard-top (like Wrangler) for those who love open-top motoring
• Some missing features such as reach-adjustable steering, keyless entry, rear window shades…
• Niggles are a given with a fresh new Mahindra model. Just ask owners of the 3-door Thar
Force Gurkha 5-Door
What you'll like:
• Macho styling & incredible street presence. Robust build too
• Far more user-friendly than the old Gurkha due to superior interiors & better amenities
• Shift-on-the-fly 4x4 with low range, diff locks, satisfactory all-round visibility & 233 mm GC. Excellent gradability, approach, departure & break-over angles make it a potent off-roader
• Choice of 3-door and 5-door (7-seater) versions gives it an edge over competing off-roaders
• Rides noticeably better than other purpose-built offroaders in the market (especially the Thar)
• 5.5 m turning radius (3-door) is not as wide as its competitors
• Homologated accessories mean no cop trouble for owners (windscreen protection bar, roof carrier, ladder, headlamp & fender lamp grilles etc.). Snorkel is factory-fitted!
• 500L boot space (3-door) is enough for a family's vacation luggage
• Features such as the hard top, LED headlamps with DRLs, rear wash & wipe, 9-inch touchscreen HU, power & eco drive modes, TPMS, dead pedal, rear A/C vents...
What you won't:
• High floor makes ingress & egress very difficult for the elderly in particular
• Braking capability is below average. Pedal travel is long too
• No soft-top or convertible options like the Thar. No Petrol engine or Automatic transmission either
• Tall stature equates to lots of body roll and poor handling
• Despite the increased power & torque, the Gurkha's outright performance is mediocre
• Overall fit & finish, quality of interior plastics, ICE audio, camera display…
• Notchy 5-speed MT has long throws and is cumbersome to use
• Missing features such as 6 airbags, ESP, hill-hold / descent control, sunroof, auto headlamps, auto wipers, driver's seat height & lumbar adjustment, auto-dimming IRVM, electrically folding ORVMs etc.
• 5-door variant's 3rd-row captain seats cannot be folded or flipped. You'll need to place your luggage on & around them (or get a carrier)
Maruti Suzuki Jimny
What you'll like:
• Extremely stylish retro-modern SUV with loads of character. A total head-turner that’s available in very interesting colours
• Build quality is more solid than you’d expect of a Maruti. Even the interiors feel hard-wearing (note: plastic quality is nothing to write home about)
• An agile mountain goat! 4x4 with low range, satisfactory all-round visibility, 210 mm GC, good wheel articulation and excellent approach, departure & break-over angles make it a potent offroader
• Compact size & lighter kerb weight (than the Thar & Gurkha) bring advantages off-the-road and on it (in urban confines)
• Stylish interiors with good space utilization for 4 adults
• 4 doors make it more practical & family-friendly than the competing 2-door offroaders
• Smooth torque-converter automatic transmission available
• You can expect lots of modification & customization options, as is the case internationally. Go out & personalize your Jimny!
• Features such as the hard top, tinted green glasses, near-flat reclining front seats, LED auto headlamps with washers, rear wash & wipe, cruise control, 9-inch touchscreen HU...
• Safety kit includes 6 airbags, 3-point seatbelts for all, ESP, brake-based limited slip differential, traction control, hill hold / descent control and ISOFIX mounts
• Maruti’s excellent after-sales service, wide dealer network & fuss-free ownership experiences
What you won't:
• Small size doesn’t give it the presence of a Thar or Gurkha
• Unexciting 1.5L petrol engine with merely 103 BHP and 134 Nm. Don’t expect Maruti-esque fuel economy either (we saw high single-digit FE in our test-drive of the MT variant)
• Notchy 5-speed MT with a heavy clutch pedal. MT owners will find the footwell to be cramped
• Firm steering requires effort to operate. Vague on-road behaviour, weak return-to-centre action and wide 5.7 m turning radius
• Just a 4-seater (even legally). Not being able to carry 5 limits family-wise practicality
• Imperfect ride quality. Don’t expect road manners like a monocoque crossover, yet it is superior to the Thar’s bumpy ride
• 4-speed AT feels very old and outdated (has an “OD” button like in the ‘90s!). That being said, the gearbox has smooth shifts & proven reliability
• Missing features such as a sunroof, DRLs, rear A/C vents, auto wipers, TPMS, driver's seat height & lumbar adjustment, steering reach adjustment, auto-dimming IRVM, dead pedal…
• Boot space is just 208-liters; however, it is useable and more accommodating than the Thar’s. Disappointingly, the Jimny’s cabin has very few storage options & cubicles
• No soft-top convertible or 2-door options available. Forget about the joy of open-top cruising
• No diesel engine for those with high-running. The market still loves diesels in body-on-frame SUVs
Mahindra Scorpio-N
Mahindra XUV700
What you'll like:
• Handsome styling matched to solid build quality. Has street presence, feels robust
• Very spacious interiors with comfy seats and sorted ergonomics. 6-footer passengers welcome!
• 182 BHP turbo-diesel is potent
• Smooth 6-speed torque converter Automatic available
• Sorted suspension with good road manners & high speed stability
• AWD available for the adventurous, unlike most FWD crossovers in the segment
• Loaded with features like radar-based driver assistance system, pop-out door handles, panoramic sunroof, driver memory seat, 360-degree camera, 10.25" infotainment & instrument cluster etc.
• 12-speaker Sony audio system is fantastic! You'll enjoy its sound quality
• Safety features include 7 airbags, ESP, all-wheel disc brakes, hill hold, hill descent control, driver drowsiness detection, TPMS, ISOFIX...
What you won't:
• Negligible boot space with the 3rd-row seat up. Either 5 onboard, or 7 with a roof-top carrier
• Cramped 3rd-row seat is best suited to children only. A sliding middle row is sorely missed
• Some cabin plastics & a few rough areas don't feel premium in an otherwise loaded SUV
• Missing features such as an auto-dimming IRVM, paddle shifters, full-size spare wheel, ambient lighting, rear sunblinds...
• Concerns over niggles & bugs in a complex Mahindra.
• Mahindra's after-sales service is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble
• AWD is available just with the Diesel AT, and not the MT or petrol motor
Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:
The Jimny & Gurkha are the side actors in this poll, and their sales numbers reflect that. When it comes to 4x4 / AWD SUVs under 30-lakhs, it's a Mahindra-owned battleground.
Voted for the Thar Roxx 4x4. Recently took the Thar Roxx for a 4-day road-trip and loved it. That being said, the choice between the Mahindras is not simple. For one, the Thar Roxx is the freshest while the XUV700 is overdue for a facelift / upgrades ASAP. In many ways, the Scorpio-N is also superior to the Thar Roxx, but its facelift is a while away.
The XUV700 is far more user-friendly on-road. Among other things, it has superior ride & handling to the Thar Roxx. The Thar Roxx has a busy ride on anything other than perfect tarmac. At low speeds, it's jiggly. The XUV700 is also the most car-like to drive, has easier ingress / egress etc. As a family car, the XUV700 is superior to the Thar Roxx. The XUV700 & Scorpio-N come with a 3rd-row seat too, which is useful even if occupied by kids in the family. Can be the difference between the family fitting in 1 car for a restaurant outing, or needing a 2nd.
Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:
Voted Jimny because I own one.
Our cities are more and more crowded, congested and parking is a royal pain in most places. Add to that, my reasonably frequent trips to nearby hill stations where the roads are inherently narrow.
Hence the apparent virtues of a small, light-weight, go anywhere vehicle are increasingly appealing. Moreover I have always loved the Japanese Kei Cars and their sheer practicality, reliability, quality of engineering and interior space design and management.
I also find a certain joy in the smaller 1.5 litre naturally aspirated engine and the fun of taking the vehicle up the rev band in each gear; like riding a four wheeled motorbike.
I think of my Jimny as my small, light, narrow proportioned, maneuverable armoured-car, with which I can go-a-jousting (like a Knight of Olden Times), but in relative safety, amidst the vicious cut-and-thrust of modern day Bangalore traffic and roads with the constant barrage of potholes, broken roads, unskilled drivers and riders, rule-breaking auto rickshaws and motorbikes etc.
The Jimny is a friendly little non-threatening vehicle. And hence it does not elicit the fear and envy triggered rage that a larger vehicle does when it draws up alongside other road users. It is to me, the perfect thing for our conditions. Having owned and loved no less than 5 Gypsys in the last 28 years, it was also a natural inclination to go towards the direct descendant, to cope with modern requirements.
These are some of the reasons why I chose to sell my 3 door Thar Petrol AT HT and literally do a straight switch to a lightly used Jimny Manual Alpha instead. The availability and timing, for me, were perfect. The stars did indeed align.
Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say on the matter:
Brother picked up a Jimny a few weeks back. It’s really the only NCR friendly off roader available these days, none of the others come with a petrol 4x4 option. In a world where all cars are tending to look the same, feel the same and drive the same, Jimmy has tons of character of its own. Loving the compact size, the brilliant ride quality and the responsive drive at city speeds.
Here's what BHPian PrideRed had to say on the matter:
Roxx 4x4 diesel AT is a good package to me and priced rather well. That said as an only car I believe ScorpioN is a practical choice among the one's listed. That said the Roxx stands out to me Thar/Roxx has best road presence-price ratio.
XUV700 is the odd one here and caters to buyers with different taste.
Gurkha is a no go to me unless they sort out their after sales.
Jimny is a good fun car for offroad and short drives but I don't see it as only car in the garage.
As a primary car and for a person who prefers body on frame, its a close battle between ScorpioN and Roxx. Being newer kid on the block, and I quite like how Roxx looks, voted for same.
Here's what BHPian 84.monsoon had to say on the matter:
Voted for Thar Roxx, but feel like the value equation, when it comes to the top end 4x4 variants, just dissipates. Paying close to 30 lakhs in Tamil Nadu for a car that has neither got the interior finesse, nor the full 4x4 prowess of the 3-door (due to the increased length and sharply reduced ramp breakover angle), seems to a bit over the top.
The AX3 Petrol AT is a very VFM option in the Thar Roxx, which can be had at about 18.5 lakhs on-road here. If one is starting with a blank slate, love the commanding and invincible feeling of the Thar as a daily driver, yet want to have a proper 4x4 for the occasional weekend off-road adventure, here is an idea - Get the AX3 P AT Roxx, plus get a lightly used Jimmy or a 3-door Thar 4x4 for off-road adventures.
Collectively, these will amount to almost the same cost as a single top end 4X4 Thar Roxx.
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
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