The Mahindra Thar Roxx Diesel Torque Converter Automatic in the AX7L variant has completed 12,000 KM in the CarAdvice garage and has been put through daily usage as well as longer highway runs. Finished in Stealth Black, the colour suits the SUV’s character and commanding road presence. The Thar Roxx is a massive jump over its predecessor, the Thar 3-door, while our 4×4 AX7L gets Mocha Brown seats, which make more sense for long-term use considering how easily the Ivory upholstery gets dirty.
Exterior Design & Road Presence
The Thar Roxx is one of those SUVs that rarely blends into traffic. Its upright proportions, wide stance and rugged design give it a commanding presence, while the Stealth Black paint suits its character particularly well. Compared with the three-door Thar, the Roxx represents a major evolution. It retains the familiar design DNA but adds considerably more space and a more mature appearance.
The C-shaped LED DRLs compliment the vehicle well and look relatively modern but also give a retro-vibe to the design. The body coloured “6-pack” grille has also become a distinctive exterior characteristic of the vehicle. At the rear, the tail-lamps look modern but still look familiar to the Thar but at this price point, LED indicators should have been offered.
Diesel Engine & Automatic Gearbox
Powered by the 2.2-litre diesel turbo mHawk engine, the powertrain is easily the highlight of the Thar Roxx. With 172 HP sent to the rear wheels through a torque-converter automatic, there is plenty of power and torque across the rev range.
The automatic gearbox feels effortless and smooth, even at low speeds, with no noticeable jerks during stop-go traffic. There is some turbo lag below 1,400 RPM, but the low-end grunt keeps it well contained. As a result, the Thar Roxx rarely feels sluggish in everyday driving.
Turbo Lag & Highway Performance
The Aisin-sourced torque converter uses fluid coupling, allowing the engine to build revs quickly into its power band. If you suddenly stomp on the accelerator, there is a brief pause as the gearbox downshifts. However, this feels more like transmission kick-down lag than turbo lag.
Unlike older diesel engines that deliver a sudden surge when the turbo comes in, the Thar Roxx builds power smoothly. Once the engine crosses 1,500–1,700 RPM, the 370 NM of torque makes overtaking effortless, particularly on highways.
Fuel Economy & Driving Range
In mild city traffic, the Thar Roxx returns around 8.5–10 KM/L. With a lighter foot, however, it is possible to extract up to around 12 KM/L in the city. Highway efficiency is considerably better, with around 17 KM/L achievable at speeds of up to 85 KM/H using cruise control.
The 57-litre diesel tank displays a range of around 600 KM when full. Interestingly, this estimated range increases once you move onto the highway and the efficiency improves.
Steering & High-Speed Stability
The steering is remarkably light at low city speeds, making the large SUV surprisingly easy to manoeuvre. It gains noticeable weight as speeds increase, giving the driver a better sense of stability on the highway.
High-speed stability is very good for a ladder-frame SUV, and the Thar Roxx feels planted even at triple-digit speeds. However, Mahindra’s monocoque SUVs, such as the XUV 7XO, can feel slightly more stable at highway speeds because of their construction.
Ride Quality & Accessibility
The Thar Roxx’s ride quality is one of its more complicated aspects. For a ladder-frame SUV, the suspension tuning is impressive, but it still retains some of the characteristics associated with this architecture. Passengers can feel speed breakers, bumps and potholes inside the cabin. The rear Penta-Linkage suspension setup has proven to be extremely good especially on the Thar-Roxx and doesn’t feel overworked or noisy in any condition. The good thing about the suspension set up is that it is quiet in every situation, but the negative might be that for certain conditions, the set-up may feel too soft.
It is nevertheless more comfortable than the Scorpio N and the previous Thar 3-door. However, elderly passengers or those with knee problems may find getting inside difficult because of the SUV’s height and ground clearance. Getting into the cabin is more of a climb than a step.
Front-Seat Comfort
For occupants around 6 feet or taller, under-thigh support can feel slightly lacking, while knee room around the front footwell may also be limited depending on seating position. The lack of steering reach adjustment becomes particularly noticeable for long-legged drivers on extended journeys.
The front ventilated seats could also be more effective. Rivals offer stronger ventilation, and considering the Thar Roxx’s price positioning, features such as memory seats, better seat ventilation and steering reach adjustment would have made the cabin more complete. The seat itself is comfortable and offers good support on the back and the adjustable seat-belt height is a delight.
Although, longer journeys can be done with ease in the Thar Roxx as we have done multiple inter-city trips and this vehicle provides great comfort for it’s price and feels at home on the highways. 300-400 KMs trips can be done without feeling tired.
Rear-Seat Space & Practicality
The second row is considerably more spacious. There is no shortage of knee room, legroom or headroom, while the seats themselves offer good support. The panoramic sunroof also adds to the sense of openness inside the cabin. Boot space is appropriate for the size of the vehicle and provides plenty of room for everyday luggage. However, the overall storage situation in the cabin is a major weakness, particularly when it comes to bottle storage.
The Rear seat has adjustable recline angle which is helpful when it comes to relaxing on longer drives, and the arm rests are decently supportive as well. The center passenger gets a head rest, and 5 passengers can travel in comfort for longer journeys. Rear Passengers get type-c charging and arm rests with cup holders.
Features & Cabin Quality
The cabin has a premium feel, with good fit and finish and a solid overall build quality. After 12,000 KM, we have not experienced any significant software bugs or glitches, which adds to the sense of robustness. The 360-degree camera works well, although some rivals now offer better camera quality. Mahindra’s blind-spot monitoring system, meanwhile, works particularly well and is useful in everyday traffic.
The interior color we have here, is the Mocha Brown interior option, offered only with 4×4 variants which doesn’t get dirty easily and looks appropriate to this vehicle. The dual 10.25 inch screens are good and easy to read, and the gauge cluster screen is particularly good as it is decently configurable with navigation capability. The Apple CarPlay works fantastically well with this vehicle, however there is a drop in audio quality and bluetooth is recommended for music streaming.
Audio, ADAS & Lighting
The Harman Kardon audio system produces very good sound quality, although the Bose system in the Scorpio N sounds better to our ears. The ADAS package also works well and feels appropriately calibrated for Indian driving conditions.
The LED headlamps perform well on highways and provide good illumination at night. The fog lamps, however, are practically useless, offering very little additional throw or usable lighting range.
Storage Practicality Is A Major Miss
The biggest everyday frustration with the Thar Roxx is something that may not become apparent during a showroom visit: usable storage. There is not a single properly positioned cup holder that can comfortably accommodate a conventional 1-litre bottle.
The door bins, centre console and rear cup holders are better suited to cups than bottles. The glovebox could also have been larger, while additional centre-console storage would have helped. For a large family SUV, the storage practicality is surprisingly poor.
4×4 Capability & Off-Road Performance
The 4×4 system is one of the Thar Roxx’s strongest attributes. It works extremely well and can get the SUV out of challenging situations, while the 228 MM ground clearance further improves its ability to tackle rough terrain.
Intelli-Turn Assist sounds like a gimmick, but it works surprisingly well when used. We have not yet encountered a situation where we needed it, although the terrain modes can further help when traction becomes inconsistent. On rough roads, potholes and obstacles, the Thar Roxx tackles them with impressive confidence. At 12000 KMs, not once has the underbody touched anything on the road, and we have taken it to pretty significant rough terrains.
Tyres
Our Thar Roxx is equipped with MRF Wanderer AT tyres. They are less comfortable than the CEAT CrossDrive tyres offered on the SUV, but the Wanderer AT makes more sense if the vehicle regularly encounters rough roads.
The MRF tyres provide stronger confidence over broken surfaces and have also proved less prone to punctures during our usage. Therefore, tyre choice can make a noticeable difference depending on how the Thar Roxx is used.
Verdict
The Thar Roxx has matured into a much more practical, usable and comfortable daily driver compared to the Thar 3-door. Its biggest highlight remains the excellent diesel engine paired with the torque-converter automatic, while the spacious cabin, premium feel and robust construction add to its appeal.
However, the Thar Roxx is far from perfect. Storage practicality is a serious negative, particularly the lack of usable bottle holders. The ride quality, while impressive for a ladder-frame SUV, still cannot match a well-tuned monocoque SUV for outright comfort. Getting into the cabin can also be difficult for elderly passengers, while taller occupants may find some limitations with under-thigh support and driving position.
Overall, the Thar Roxx is a great vehicle for buyers looking for a practical ladder-frame SUV with distinctive looks, a commanding driving posture, strong performance and genuine 4×4 capability. It has successfully transformed the Thar into a much more usable family SUV without completely losing its original character. However, this is not the vehicle for buyers who want the best possible comfort or regularly need to commute with elderly passengers
