Comparison: Mahindra Thar Roxx vs Jeep Wrangler

Before we take the first step into this comparison, let’s state the obvious – the Jeep Wrangler is far more expensive than the Mahindra Thar Roxx. But that is not to say this comparison doesn’t exist and as a matter of fact, it’s one of the hottest topics among auto enthusiasts. Since the launch of the latest Mahindra Thar in 2020, auto enthusiasts have been profusely comparing it with the Jeep Wrangler, thanks to close resemblance of the new Thar to the Wrangler. Moreover, both Thar and Wrangler have hit it big with their off-roading calibre. The Thar has earned a legendary status in India and the Wrangler is one of the most dominant off-roading titans globally. With that being said, it’s worth noting that the lineages of both Thar and Wrangler began from a common ancestor, the Willy CJ-3B Jeep.

Recently, Mahindra has launched the 5-door version of the Thar, Mahindra Thar Roxx. Due to the longer wheelbase, the Thar Roxx looks even more like the Jeep Wrangler and has the same seating capacity. This is why, since Mahindra began teasing the Thar Roxx, auto enthusiasts have been comparing it with the Wrangler. If you are one such enthusiast, this is an article that will interest you, as we pit the Mahindra Thar Roxx against the Jeep Wrangler, and see how close or far they are from each other, despite their massive price difference.

Mahindra Thar Roxx vs Jeep Wrangler: Dimensions

Both these off-roading SUVs are five-seaters, and looking at their dimensions, it’s clear that the Jeep Wrangler is significantly larger than the Mahindra Thar Roxx. Being 439 mm longer, 61 mm wider, and having a 157 mm longer wheelbase, the Wrangler can accommodate five adults better than the Thar Roxx. Moreover, while the Thar Roxx is 59 mm taller than the Wrangler, due to the shorter height, the Wrangler is more planted and thus has better stability for off-roading. 

That isn’t to say the Mahindra Thar isn’t capable of accommodating five adults. As a matter of fact, offering more space in the Thar is one of the prime reasons behind the creation of the 5-door Mahindra Thar Roxx. Moreover, the 235 mm ground clearance is nearly as high as the Wrangler’s. It also brings a larger boot space of 447 litres, which is great from both off-roading and regular travelling perspectives.

Now, let’s take the alikeness of designs into account, which is the main driving force behind this comparison. Similarities in their designs go a great length, but there are enough distinguishable elements. For a start, while both Thar Roxx and Wrangler have a classic boxy design which looks imposing, the Wrangler’s off-roading intentions look stronger, as it’s more planted and is equipped with sturdy mud-terrain tyres (Rubicon variant). Both SUVs have hood latches on the bonnet, exposed door hinges and chunky door handles, adding to their masculine characters. Both SUVs have very similar front profiles, with similar positioning of their round headlamps, indicators, fog lamps, and grilles featuring vertical slats. The difference here is, that while the Thar Roxx gets circular DRLs around the headlamps and horizontally divided 6 slats, the Wrangler has undivided vertical 7 slats in its grille and its indicators double up as DRLs.

Over to the side, both get blacked-out roofs, but the Wrangler gets a soft top which can be removed, and the Thar Roxx gets an non-removable metallic roof. Moreover, unlike the Thar Roxx, the Wrangler doesn’t feature triangular quarter-glasses behind the C-pillars or C-pillar-mounted rear door handles. At the rear, both get tailgate-mounted spare wheels and rectangular tail lights, but there is a recognisable difference in styling.

The Jeep Wrangler is larger than the Mahindra Thar Roxx and while both are quite close in terms of looks, it’s easy to tell a Thar Roxx from a Jeep Wrangler. 

Mahindra Thar Roxx vs Jeep Wrangler: Engine & Transmission

As far as mechanicals are concerned, the Thar Roxx offers more options, while the Wrangler offers more performance. While both engines of the Thar Roxx appear weak against the massive 270 PS power figure of the Wrangler, they are substantially powerful for all its purposes including hardcore off-roading. A notable difference here is, that the Thar Roxx offers a 4X4 drivetrain with only a diesel engine, while the Wrangler gets it on the petrol engine.

Both these off-roading SUVs are body-on-frame vehicles and thus embody a rather shaky character that comes with body-on-frame construction. However, Mahindra has done a great job, balancing the Thar Roxx and it experiences a lot less body roll than you usually get with body-on-frame vehicles. As a result, the ride is impressively stable. Moreover, the Roxx’s suspension set-up is relatively softer, giving an additional layer of comfort for urban driving. The Wrangler, on the other hand, doesn’t get front-independent suspension like the Thar Roxx and is one of the last SUVs to have rigid axles at both front and rear. While these axles are quite advantageous in off-roading, they come with some comfort-compromising trade-offs such as body roll and transferring most of the jerks from the road inside the cabin.

Off-Roading Capabilities

This is where the main comparison between the Mahindra Thar Roxx and Jeep Wrangler lies. From this table, we can see that the Jeep Wrangler has a better approach angle, departure angle, and water-wading capacity, while the Thar Roxx has a slightly better break-over angle.

Coming to the mechanical configurations for off-roading purposes, both Mahindra Thar Roxx and Jeep Wrangler offer a 4×4 drivetrain transfer case with multiple drive settings such as 2H, 4H and 4L.

Also Read: How does the Mahindra Thar 4×4 work?

The Mahindra Thar Roxx offers an electronically locking rear differential and a couple of unique features: Smart Crawl and an Intelli turn feature. The Smart Crawl is an off-road throttle modulation system which automatically detects obstacles and manipulates the throttle response to supply optimum power. It can be used between 2.5 km/h and 30 km/h. The Intelli turn feature allows the SUV to take extremely sharp turns by locking the rear inner wheel based on the steering direction. This feature can be used under 15 km/h, and only remain active for 15 seconds.

On the other hand, the Jeep Wrangler offers electronically locking front and rear differentials. This gives the Wrangler a greater capability to drive through terrains with almost negligible traction. It also gets the heavy-duty Dana 44 full-float rear axle. In a fully-floating axle, the wheel is mounted on the axle housing, instead of being directly connected to the axle. Due to this, the axle carries no weight and rotates more freely, supplying maximum torque to the wheel.

With this, the Wrangler off-roading equipment includes mud-terrain tyres and an electronic disconnect for the sway bar. Every car has a sway bar which is a U-shaped steel bar connected to each of the vehicle’s front wheels. This sway bar improves handling and reduces body roll, but can be a hindrance while off-roading because in those conditions, greater wheel articulation is needed. With the sway bar disconnect feature, the Wrangler achieves more articulation and angular mobility of the front wheels. All these off-roading features combined with some more make the Jeep Wrangler an indestructible machine. No matter how slippery, rocky, or muddy the terrain, the Wrangler can plough through it with confidence.

Not only is the Wrangler more powerful than the Thar Roxx, but it’s far superior in terms of off-roading. That being said, the Wrangler lacks the diesel engine and manual transmission, if those are deal-makers or breakers for you. Moreover, the Thar Roxx is a significantly better urban cruiser.

Mahindra Thar Roxx vs Jeep Wrangler: Features & Comfort

The Indian carmaker has gone all nine yards in bringing the Mahindra Thar Roxx as close as possible to the mainstream mid-size SUVs and their efforts have paid dividends. On the inside, the Thar Roxx feels far more premium than the standard thar, especially due to the soft-touch materials, such as the dark brown leatherette padding on the dashboard, and seats wearing a beige perforated leatherette upholstery. Furthermore, both front and rear seats are very well-bolstered and comfortable. An interesting thing to note here is, that even though the Thar Roxx is a serious off-roader, Mahindra chose to give it a light-themed interior which can easily get dirty while off-roading and is harder to maintain. However, it’s worth admitting that the beige interior looks premium and uplifts the atmosphere of the cabin.

The Jeep Wrangler, on the contrary, features blacked-out interiors which resonate better with the requirements for off-roading. Moreover, it gets waterproof polyurethane wrap on the dashboard and waterproof switches and motors, which can even be submerged without worry. As compared to the Thar Roxx, the rear seat of the Wrangler is not as comfortable and it cannot be reclined. While it’s more spacious, it offers less under-thigh support and is a bit too upright.

In the feature department, both the Thar Roxx and Wrangler are amply equipped. However, the difference lies in the purpose of the features. The Mahindra Thar Roxx is equipped with the most modern-day convenience features, such as a premium sound system, wireless charger, a cooled glove box, and a large panoramic sunroof to draw in a lot of light and air. Now, the Wrangler doesn’t feature a panoramic sunroof, but its roof and doors can be removed to enjoy maximum adventure, with maximum openness. It also features heated seats and steering which can be a boon in cool forests or the snow-clad regions. Moreover, its front camera can record your off-road escapades in high resolution.

On the inside, the Mahindra Thar Roxx offers more comfortable seating than the Jeep Wrangler. Feature-wise, both SUVs are well-equipped, but the Wrangler’s features are angled more towards off-roading purposes.

Mahindra Thar Roxx vs Jeep Wrangler: Safety Features

Both these SUVs are robust, to say the least. But to speak of the safety ratings, neither of these two SUVs has been tested by any NCAP so far. However, the standard 3-door Mahindra Thar has scored 4-star in the Global NCAP safety test, and the pre-facelift model of the Jeep Wrangler has scored 1-star in the Euro NCAP safety test. The reason behind scoring only 1 star was the lack of some essential safety features that modern cars pack, such as automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, knee airbags, and more. To address these issues, with the latest 2024 Wrangler, Jeep offers 6 airbags as standard, which are integrated into the roll cage, so that even if the doors and the roof are removed, the airbags remain functional.

Like the Mahindra Thar Roxx, the Jeep Wrangler also gets Level-2 ADAS features such as forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beam assist. However, unlike the Thar Roxx, the Wrangler doesn’t sport a rear radar, so rear cross-traffic alert or blind spot monitoring features aren’t available.

Both Mahindra Thar Roxx and Jeep Wrangler are strong in construction and offer plenty of safety features. Moreover, both are expected to score high whenever they get tested by any NCAP.

Mahindra Thar Roxx vs Jeep Wrangler: Price comparison

As of now, Mahindra hasn’t revealed the prices for the 4X4 variants of the Thar Roxx, however, they are expected to be around Rs. 2 lakh more expensive than the RWD variants. Even with a Rs. 22.49 lakh ex-showroom price, the Thar Roxx is far more affordable than the Jeep Wrangler. For a more practical cabin, comfortable seats, and serious off-roading calibre, the Thar Roxx does come across as a more value-for-money offering in this comparison. But at the same time, being far ahead of the Thar Roxx on the grounds of off-roading, the Wrangler more than justifies its asking price.

Mahindra Thar Roxx vs Jeep Wrangler: Summary

With enough upmarket features, space and comfort, the Mahindra Thar Roxx maintains a great balance between hardcore off-roading calibre and everyday family SUV character. While it’s not as comfortable as the mainstream mid-size SUVs like its sibling, Mahindra XUV700, it’s definitely a better urban cruiser than the Jeep Wrangler. Overall, it’s a great value-for-money off-roader that can also be the only car in your garage.

In contrast, the Jeep Wrangler shouldn’t be the only car in your garage as it isn’t engineered for urban-friendliness. Instead, it’s a beast of another level. It can cross the most unforgiving of terrains like a cakewalk and is acclaimed as one of the best off-roading machines on the planet. At almost three times the price of the Thar Roxx, the Wrangler is acres ahead of it as far as off-roading is concerned.

Mahindra Thar Roxx vs Jeep Wrangler: FAQs