Most of my views are in comparison to 2021 Thar LX D AT HT 4×4, 2023 Tata Tiago EV LR XZ+ Tech Lux
Bhpian arnav vaghela recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Things I Like:
1. The Engine: There’s more than enough power on tap. Quick overtakes by light tap of throttle without the gearbox downshifting are easy. Also, going flat out, there’s enough grunt throughout the rev range. The highlight of the engine is its NVH, it’s very silent and smooth by all standards (forget diesel standards).
2. The Suspension: The ride is supple, although there’s side to side movement present at low speeds, the ride is very good by body on frame standards. With more people on board, and with higher speeds over rough roads, the vehicle rides flatter. The suspension is extremely silent, no thuds even over sharpest of the bumps. High speeds manners are also good, body roll is present but is well in control for such a tall vehicle, and the MRF tyres have good grip to support occasional fast cornering.
3. Steering Calibration: The steering calibration is spot on, light at slow speeds, and weighs up well at higher speeds.
4. Features: Ventilated seats, 360 camera, ADAS, Harman Kardon music system, wireless charger, 10.25 inch dual screens, electric seats, push button start, request sensor, 6 airbags, the vehicle is loaded with everything one could want in the price range. All features work as intended, and I haven’t experienced any glitches so far (touchwood).
5. Looks: I wasn’t impressed by the looks when the vehicle launched, but it has subsequently grown on me especially in Nebula Blue and Forest Green.
6. Headlights: The Low Beam is sharp, the High Beam is bright, and the cornering lamps/fog lamps have a good spread on the sides.
7. Music System: The music system is great, especially on the songs supported with Dolby Atmos.
8. The Offroad Capability: Still haven’t tried proper off-roading with the Roxx (Thar 3 door will be used for it), but whatever mild off-roading it has done, it has handled it like a champ.
9. The Rear Seats: The rear seats are placed higher than the front seats, the seats have good recline, good under thigh support, the rear floor is flat, the bench is wide, dedicated mobile holder has been provided behind both the front seats, and a fast usb-c charger has been provided. My family enjoys being in the rear seats more than the front seats.
10. Boot Space: The boot is well shaped and of a good size, also a dedicated place to keep the tools has been provided so they don’t rattle around.
11. The general ambience: Soft touch artificial leather all around, the brown upholstery, footwell ambient lighting, huge panoramic sunroof, all backlit buttons, all LED lighting in interior and exterior add to the premium appeal of the vehicle.
12. Safety: The vehicle is strucutrally safe, has all the latest safety features, and all the ADAS features work as intended, no scary incidents have happened so far (touchwood).
Things that could be Better:
1. The Gearbox: Don’t get me wrong, the gearbox is smooth and responsive, but Mahindra tunes it for performance. It doesn’t upshift before 2000rpm, and at city speeds driving constantly at 1800-2000rpm without music can get a bit irritating. Upshifting lower can definitely improve the fuel economy of this vehicle.
2. Fuel Economy: In city it returns 9 Kmpl, while on the highway it returns 11 Kmpl.
3. Mahindra QC: My drivers door was rattling since day 1. In the first service a random bolt was found inside the door panel. Also, 2 Paint imperfections were spotted by my keen eyed friends.
4. With so much lighting on board (2 lights in both sun visor, 2 lights in the front, 2 lights in the rear, 1 boot lamp, 4 footwell lamps), glovebox could also have been illuminated.
5. Brakes: The brakes are sharp and confidence inspiring, but the auto hold can be a bit grabby (or maybe I am just not used to it yet).
6. Features: Blind spot monitoring in the mirrors and rear sun shades could have been provided.
7. Weird Auto Climate Control behaviour: On Sunny hot days, when temp is set to 23, the vehicle sends cool air on auto mode, but on Rainy/Cloudy pleasant days when temp is set to 23 it sends less cooler air (not warm). When using the max AC button, the vehicle gets chilled really quickly.
8. Narrow footwell: People driving other large SUVs regularly will notice this, but I am used to it, so not a deal breaker for me.
9. Front Underthigh support: Again I am used to it from my Thar, but for some people it could be uncomfortable.
Things I Hate:
1. Weird storage solutions: All variants except the top end AX7L have good sized bootle holders in all 4 doors. Also, sunglasses holder is missing, which is present in the lower variants.
2. At highway speeds, bugs always get stuck to the windshield which wiper washer cant remove, only solution is to get down and clean it manually with a microfibre.
3. Auto Start Stop: Is very sensitive and shuts off vehicle immediately at stop. I make sure to turn it off every time I get in.
4. Wind Noise: The vehicle is boxy so wind noise is expected, and the rain visors further add to it. I anyways never drive without music on board, so doesn’t bother me much.
5. Rear Ingress Egress: Especially for the elderly the weird shape of door opening, and the height can be hard to get into.
Experience with President Motors Surat:
This is my 2nd vehicle with them. The sales and service experience has been excellent, and it gave me the confidence to book the vehicle on 1st day itself (willingly wanted to be a Mahindra beta tester).
Observations with respect to my 3 door Thar:
1. Engine: The engine is more refined, and more powerful on the Roxx.
2. Gearbox: Both hold the gears till 2000rpm and can be irritating at times.
3. Brakes: Thar’s brakes feel inadequate, while Roxx has good stopping power.
4. Offroad capability: The Thar will be what I will be using more while offloading, it simply inspires more confidence.
5. Suspension: The suspension on the Roxx is far superior in all measurable forms.
6. Thankful additions: Reduced wind noise, no boot rattle, rear washer wiper, better and larger front wipers (14 inch on Thar vs 16 inch on the Roxx), the doors and bonnet close easier and has a better thud while closing on the Roxx.
7. Surprising Deletion: My Thar had lumbar support adjustment on both the front seats which has been omitted in the Roxx, 12V socket in the front (Roxx has it in the boot).
8. Turning Radius: The turning radius is smaller on the Roxx, which was a surprising observation.
9. Mileage: Both are D AT 4×4, and when used in same conditions, Thar returns 11 Kmpl in the City, and 15 Kmpl on the highway, while the Roxx returns 9 Kmpl in the City, and 11 Kmpl on the highway.
10. Boot Rattle: It used to reappear on Thar after each service in a 1000kms and got louder subsequently, is not present on the Roxx (even the TD vehicle didn’t have it).
11. Rear Seats and Boot Space: Its a well known fact the Roxx is better on it.
12. Front Seats: Although they might look the same, Roxx has the better front seats, and the height of front seats is definitely more on the Roxx.
13. The Thar Roxx is 300kgs heavier than the Thar 3 Door.
14. Steering: Being an electric power steering unit, the Roxx is easier to twirl around. Thar being Hydraulic has more feel and feels more confidence inspiring especially while offloading.
Some Comparison amongst the Mahindra brothers (Thar LX HT D AT 4×4, Thar Roxx AX7L D AT 4×4, ScorpioN Z8L 4Xplor D AT, XUV700 AX7L D AT AWD):
The Mahindra Family
Comparisons with some other Mahindra SUVs:
I have extensively driven the Mahindra 7OO and ScorpioN owned by my brothers. These views are in collaboration with them and also considering their observations. Would have compared BE6 79KWH Pack 3 and XUV3X0 TGDI AT too, but wasn’t able to compare them back to back due to unavailability of my brother, so will reserve my comments for now.
1. Engine Power: XUV700>ScorpioN>=Thar Roxx> Thar. XUV700 is the quickest of the bunch, while the Thar is the slowest. ScorpioN and Thar Roxx feel exactly the same till 100-120 Kmph post which aerodynamics come into play.
2. Engine NVH: Thar Roxx>ScorpioN>Thar>XUV700. XUV700 has the most amount of engine noise and vibrations in cabin, which was surprising.
3. Suspension Quality: XUV700>Thar Roxx>=ScorpioN>Thar. XUV700 is the most supple and stable at high speeds. Thar Roxx is more comfortable at slow speeds, and is comfortable while being stable even at higher speeds. ScorpioN is a bit stiffer when compared to the Roxx, some may like it, I find the Roxx better. Thar is the worst in this aspect.
4. Suspension NVH: Thar Roxx>ScorpioN>Thar>>XUV700. XUV700 crashes through the sharp bumps and makes a very bad noise, which isn’t the case with the other 3. Roxx is the most silent.
5. High Speed NVH: XUV700>ScorpioN>Thar Roxx>Thar. Aerodynamics at work.
6. Efficiency: XUV700>=Thar>ScorpioN>=Thar Roxx. XUV700 has the best highway mileage, and similar mileage to Thar in the city. ScorpioN and Thar Roxx have similar mileage in the city, but on the highway ScorpioN is more efficient due to the aerodynamics.
7. Gearbox Behaviour: All of them don’t upshift before 2000rpm. The behaviour is most evident on the XUV700 due to poorer engine refinement.
8. Weird feature distribution: Thar has lumbar adjustment for both front seats, which is present only for driver on the ScorpioN and XUV700, and the Roxx lacks it. 12V socket is present in the front only for the Thar, rest all have it in the boot. XUV700 and Thar don’t have auto dimming mirror. Roxx has single zone climate control but XUV700 and ScorpioN, have dual zone climate control, while Thar has a manual AC. ScorpioN lacks Panoramic sunroof, 360 camera and 10.25 inch displays vs the Roxx and XUV700, while Thar has none. Roxx has the most amount of soft touch elements, followed by the ScorpioN and XUV700 (more expensive vehicles), while Thar has none. Footwell illumination is only present on the Roxx. XUV700 is the only one with ZIP ZAP ZOOM drive modes, while ScorpioN and Roxx have terrain modes which the XUV700 lacks, and the Thar has none.
9. Headlights: Thar Roxx>=XUV700>ScorpioN>Thar. Thar Roxx has sharp cutoff due to projectors, and a bright high beam which is matched on the highway by the XUV700’s booster headlamps. ScorpioN and Thar in stock form feel inadequate.
10. Music System: All are good, and music taste can vary person to person. Thar has an upgraded sound system. Personal preference: Thar Roxx>Thar (upgraded)>ScorpioN>XUV700. Mahindra has silently removed Gaana app from the XUV700 and ScorpioN via an OTA update.
11. Cabin Practicality: XUV700>ScorpioN>Thar Roxx>Thar. XUV700 has the best cabin storage, and most space+flexibility for passengers and luggage on board. Ofcourse the Thar losses here.
12. Offroad Capability: Thar>Thar Roxx>ScorpioN>XUV700. Thar is definitely the hardcore offroader, Roxx has good electronic aids on board especially for new bees, ScorpioN suffers due to low ground clearance (MLD in rear axle has been replaced by BLD), and the XUV700 is a capable softroader.
13. Safety (Going by crash test scores and safety features on board): Thar Roxx>XUV700>ScorpioN>Thar.
14. Steering Calibration: Thar Roxx>XUV700>ScorpioN>Thar. Thar Roxx has been perfectly tuned, the XUV700 is even lighter, ScorpioN suffers from vibration, and Thar’s hydraulic steering may not be to everyone’s taste.
15. Overall VFM: Thar Roxx>XUV700>ScorpioN>Thar.
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