Mahindra Thar 5-door to be globally unveiled in South Africa on August 15

Mahindra will unveil the long-awaited Thar 5-door at its annual Independence Day event this year.  This will be the fourth instance where Mahindra will reveal a new product on August 15 – in 2020, the new Thar made its global debut; the XUV700’s world premiere followed in 2021; and last year, its born-electric concepts were unveiled in the UK. This year's event will take place in South Africa.

The South Africa unveiling is also significant as the country is expected to be one of Thar's global markets. Mahindra has had a presence there since 1996 and has seen a recent uptick in business. The brand is thus looking to introduce the Thar to its SUV line-up in South Africa, where it currently sells the XUV300, the XUV700 and the Scorpio N.

The 5-door version is a logical extension of the Thar product line and will mean that the Mahindra off-roader can appeal to a broader audience – those seeking a tough, go-anywhere SUV but with added comfort and practicality for the entire family too. Something that the recently launched Maruti Suzuki Jimny offers.

The Thar though will sit a segment above. On offer will be larger engines – the same 2.2-litre diesel and 2.0-litre turbo petrol engines from the 3-door Thar. The 5-door Thar would also be significantly larger than the 3,985mm length of the 5-door Jimny and will be wider and taller too at 1,820mm and 1,850mm; the Jimny comes in at 1,645mm and 1,720mm, respectively.

Also unlike the 4-passenger layout of the Jimny and the 3-door Thar, the 5-door Thar will almost certainly seat five, and there’s also the possibility of a third row given the added length, as is evident in the spy shots.

The photographs also show that the SUV will essentially adopt the design of the Thar 3-door but with the addition of rear doors and an increased length. The increase will be around 30mm between the wheels and the overall length will stretch beyond the 4-metre mark, which the 3-door Thar currently fits within. Given that it will breach the 4m mark, it will not qualify for the small car tax benefit and thus we are unlikely to see the recently introduced 1.5-litre diesel under its hood. The rest of the powertrain specs will mimic the current 3-door model. 

Following its debut, the 5-door Thar will see its market launch in India sometime in 2024, as was previously confirmed by Rajesh Jejurikar, executive director & CEO (Auto and Farm Sector), Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd.