While there is still some time for the 5-Door Thar to launch, we thought of putting it to test against one of its rivals, the Maruti Jimny, and see how it’s better than its rival.
From the outside, the 5-Door Thar features an H-Pattern Grille and next to them is the round LED headlamps and within those headlamp unit is the LED DRLs which looks similar to the Mercedes G-Wagon. The Bumper at the front is made out of hard plastic which is the same for the rear, and the front bumper also has a round LED fog lamps, On the fender, it has rectangular LED Indicators. Moving to the side, it looks very rugged yet simple, new 18-inch alloy wheels, and black contrasting finish for the roof. As for the rear, it has rectangular LED tail lamps vertically positioned, while the rear windscreen can be open, and there is the same size alloy wheels mounted on the tailgate.
Jumping to the inside, it has free-standing 10.25-inch infotainment system and below is the round AC vents which is same as the sides. The Instrument Cluster is Semi-Digital and in front of it is the 4-spoke steering wheel which is borrowed from the XUV700. The centre console has buttons for HVAC, Hill Descent Control, a lever for low-range transfer, and buttons for window control. The rear seats is split in 60:40 ratio, has the standard 6 Speaker Sound System, and on top is the Single-pane sunroof.
Maruti Jimny from the outside looks like box-shape SUV. It has round shape LED headlamps with five rectangular blocks on the grille and the logo in center. The Jimny has body cladding all over the body and small LED foglamps on the hard-plastic black body at the front. It has faux silver skid plate bumper at the front. Moving to the side, it has upright pillars, with square shape windows and the extended portion behind the rear door has a large vertical glass surrounded by thick pillars. Moving to the rear, it has spare wheel mounted on the door with exposed hinges, and the taillamps are on the bumpers. The Jimny rides on the 15-inch alloy wheels.
From the inside, the Jimny has a 9-inch infotainment system with a rectangular shape AC vent below and round AC vents at the sides. On the dashboard it has a grab handle to either get in the Jimny or to hold onto it when off-roading. It has three-spoke multi-function steering wheel with Analog instrument cluster and a TFT display between the analog dials. Below the auto climate controls, there are buttons for hill descent control, traction control, window control for passenger and driver, and right next to the engine start/stop there is button called headlamp washer to sprinkle some water on the headlamps. Then there is the lever for the low range transfer, and just below that is the buttons for window controls for the rear passenger. The front passenger and driver can be fully reclined as well. The rear seats are split in 60:40 ratio and it has 4-speaker Arkamy’s sound system.
| Petrol | Maruti Jimny | Mahindra Thar 5-Door |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5 L 4 Cylinder Petrol | 2.0 L 4 Cylinder Turbo Petrol |
| Displacement | 1462ccc | 1997cc |
| Power | 103.39 BHP | 128.22 BHP |
| Torque | 134.2 NM | 300 NM – MT 320 NM – AT |
| Transmission Options | 5 Speed MT, 4 Speed AT | 6 Speed MT / AT |
The Jimny is offered with a non-turbo petrol engine while the Thar will come with Turbo Petrol engine. The Maruti Jimny is powered by the 1.5 L 4 Cylinder Petrol which generates 103.39 BHP and 134.2 NM of torque, and it powers the 4-Wheel-Drive (4WD) via the 5 Speed Manual, and 4 Speed Automatic Gearbox. The Mahindra Thar 5-Door on the other hand is powered by the 2.0 L 4 Cylinder Turbo Petrol which produces 128.22 BHP and 300 NM for 6 Speed Manual, and 320 NM of torque for 6 Speed Automatic Gearbox.
| Diesel | Maruti Jimny | Mahindra Thar 5-Door |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | – | 2.2 L 4 Cylinder Diesel |
| Displacement | – | 2184cc |
| Power | – | 130 BHP |
| Torque | – | 300 NM |
| Transmission Options | – | 6 Speed MT / AT |
The Thar 5-Door will also get a Diesel powertrain as well which the Jimny will never get. The 2.2 L 4 Cylinder Diesel produces 130 BHP and 300 NM of torque mated to 6 Speed Manual and Automatic Gearbox.
| Features | Mahindra Thar 5-Door | Maruti Jimny |
|---|---|---|
| Headlamps | LED | LED |
| Taillamps | LED | LED |
| Wheel Size and Tyre | 18-inch alloy wheels | 15-inch alloy wheels |
| Auto Power Window | Yes | Yes |
| Seat Upholstery | Leather | Fabric |
| Leather-wrapped Steering Wheel | Yes | Yes |
| AC | Automatic | Automatic |
| Rear AC | Yes | – |
| Headlamp Washer | – | Yes |
| Infotainment System | 10.25-inch | 9-inch |
| Instrument Cluster | Semi-Digital | Analog |
| Wireless Charging | Yes | – |
| Sunroof | Single-Pane | – |
| Voice Control | Yes | Yes |
| Height Adjustable Driver Seat | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-Dimming IRVM | Yes | – |
The Maruti Jimny misses out on Auto-Dimming IRVM, Sunroof, Wireless Charging, bigger infotainment system, Rear AC, and bigger alloy wheels. The Thar 5-Door misses out on headlamp washer.
| Safety Features | Mahindra Thar 3-Door | Maruti Jimny |
|---|---|---|
| Airbags | Six Airbags | Six airbags |
| Camera | Reverse Parking Camera | Reverse Parking camera |
| Parking Sensors | Rear | Rear |
| Auto Headlamps | Yes | Yes |
| Cruise Control | Yes | Yes |
| Traction Control | Yes | Yes |
| TPMS | Yes | – |
| ABS with EBD | Yes | Yes |
| ESC | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Assist | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Descent Control | Yes | Yes |
| ISOFIX | Yes | Yes |
| All 4 Disc Brakes | Yes | Front Disc |
| Brake Limited Slip Differential | Yes | Yes |
The Jimny misses out on TPMS and Rear Disc Brakes.
| Model | Price (ex-showroom) |
|---|---|
| Mahindra Thar 5-Door | Expected Rs. 15 L |
| Maruti Jimny | Rs. 10.74 – Rs. 15.05 L |
Maruti recently launched the Thunder Edition which reduced the price by Rs. 2 lakhs and now for a limited time, the Jimny starts from Rs. 10.74 Lakh for the base ‘Zeta Manual’ trim, and Rs. 15.05 Lakh for the top Alpha Automatic’ trim. The Mahindra Thar 5-Door is expected to start from Rs. 15 Lakh.
As for the warranty, the Jimny has a warranty period of 2 years/40,000 KM that can be extended to 5 years/1,00,000 KM and the upcoming Thar 5-Door warranty period is 3 years/1,00,000 KM and can be extended up to 5 years/1,50,000 KM.
In the end, the decision to buy which off-road SUV depends totally on you, however, if you’re looking for an SUV which is smaller in dimensions and suitable for off-roading, then the Jimny would be a right choice given it’s affordable than the upcoming Mahindra Thar 5-Door, and comes with almost the same features. If you’re however willing to wait for some time, then the 5-Door Thar is the way to go. It’ll have so much space, and better features than the Jimny, plus, the engine performance is better than Jimny. So, what are you going to do?
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