The Mahindra Thar 5-door which is called the Thar Roxx has finally hit the market after much anticipation and has already received astonishing number of bookings. Earlier, when the Jimny had been launched, it was the only five door vehicle in that segment, with the Thar and Force Gurkha, both being three doors at the time. That was an advantage that the Suzuki Jimny had back then. But now, things have certainly changed, and it is important to see how this will affect the Jimny, or will it at all affect the Jimny?
The Gurkha was never a major threat to the Jimny, in the segment, because Force is still not quite there in terms of delivering proper service network and quality through their vehicles. It has always been Thar v. Jimny and now, with the Thar Roxx entering the market, things have become even more interesting.
I have always opined that even though the Thar and the Jimny exist in the same segment, these two vehicles have been designed to serve different purposes. The Jimny is a tiny vehicle but in no way does it feel less capable than the Thar when you are covering off-road trails. In fact, the Jimny is a perfect car that you can drive daily in the city traffic, owing to its compact dimensions, and you can fearlessly take it off-road as well.
The 1.5 litre K15-B engine does feel pretty lazy, especially when you are straining it to gain some performance. But hey, this car is not something that you measure your 0–100-time in. This is a car that is meant to take you wherever you wish to go, without throwing any tantrums. The engine as well as the four-wheel drive system is tried and tested, proving this machine to be a reliable one.
The Thar Roxx on the other hand is a much bigger vehicle and even though it now gets the Electric Power Steering system from the Scorpio N, there is no escaping the fact that it is a huge car, which will be cumbersome to drive and park, looking at our Indian traffic conditions. The ride quality on the Thar Roxx is much better than the three door Thar, considering that this is a ladder on frame SUV as well, but the Jimny still does much better on the suspension front compared to the Roxx.
The Thar Roxx, with its huge proportions, boasts of amazing leg room at the back now and pretty good boot-space, something that the three-door Thar was criticized time and again for. This is something that the Jimny perhaps needs to be afraid of. The Thar Roxx offers a huge list of features, better engine and gearbox options and offers loads of space on the inside. The Jimny has decent space on the inside, but still feels much smaller and cramped when compared to the Roxx.
The pricing is a criteria where the Jimny might have an edge over the Thar Roxx as it is much more affordable than the Roxx, and off and on Maruti keeps coming up with attractive offers on the Jimny, making it even more affordable. The Jimny Alpha Automatic is available for about 15-16 lacs, while the Thar Roxx top end Automatic is available for about 21-22 lacs. The Jimny is clearly far more affordable as compared to the Roxx, but we need to consider the vast array of extra features that the Roxx offers with better comfort and space.
Mahindra has gone a step ahead and targeted buyers looking for a plush and luxurious vehicle that can be used in the city and can be taken to the mountains with ease, whether you drive yourself or you are chauffeured, you will be wearing a smile on your face, at all times.
Maruti Suzuki on the other hand, has targeted buyers who probably want a simpler car, which is very easy to use in the city and absolutely capable on rough roads and mountains. Also, the Jimny is a simple machine with less of fancy equipment and more of the mountain goat DNA, that it traces back to the Suzuki Gypsy that we had here in India. This is a vehicle that is cheap to maintain and even on hardcore off-road trails, the considerably short wheelbase comes in handy as you can maneuver this cute little thing with great ease.
Looking at both the vehicles, side by side, I feel that the Roxx will eat into Jimny’s market because looking at it as a product, it does offer much more than the Jimny does. Both the vehicles hold the capability tag, but the Roxx has that big SUV appeal that the Jimny lacks. People who are aiming to buy the Jimny, might shell a few more lacs and buy one of the middle variants of the Roxx, if not the top end variant.
I personally love the Jimny for its compact dimensions, decent space and off-road capability. The Roxx is too luxurious, and feature loaded to my liking. I like a simple vehicle that feels good to drive and gets the work done. Jimny will still retain a decent share of buyers, who probably know what makes the Jimny special.
