Mahindra Thar Roxx

Both these are very compelling SUVs that score high on desirability and road presence, as well as on interior space, but also do things very differently from one another. The Thar Roxx has the larger and more powerful engines which, combined with its aggressively calibrated automatic gearboxes, delivery strong and instantaneous performance. 

The downside, however, is that fuel economy takes a huge nosedive, which might be an annoyance on your long highway journeys. Moreover, the engines are not very refined and can feel a little too highly strung when you aren't driving quickly. And finally, while it is fun to drive in off-road and perhaps dirt-road conditions, it feels relatively large and cumbersome on tarmac, thanks in part to its ladder-frame construction. 

The Tata Sierra T-GDi, then, proves to be the better choice for you overall, as its monocoque chassis and sharper steering make it a lot more fun on the road. While not quite as powerful as the Mahindra, its 160hp turbo-petrol has more than enough punch and its 6-speed automatic is smooth too. It's also the more comfortable and fuel-efficient of the two by far, which should help on your highway drives.

Indeed, Mahindra & Mahindra doesn’t have the best reputation for service and reliability like Toyota has. But quite honestly, the Mahindra Thar and Mahindra Thar Roxx are sturdy and fairly reliable vehicles underpinned by proven mechanicals.

There are isolated cases of Thars facing problems and service issues that haven’t been resolved to the owners' satisfaction, and that often forces them to highlight them on social media, making it sound like the norm. Social media tends to amplify negative experiences far more than positive ones. Also, there are influencers in the north of the country actively working to tarnish Mahindra’s reputation.

As you said, if you are prepared for some service issues, you can go right ahead and buy the Thar Roxx.

For your aged parents, the Mahindra Thar Roxx can indeed be uncomfortable. Getting in and out requires effort because of the high step-in height, and since it’s based on a body-on-frame chassis, the ride tends to be bumpy. There is noticeable body roll as well, which can make senior passengers uneasy, especially on rough roads.

The Volkswagen Virtus 1.0 TSI is a sensible alternative within your ₹18 lakh on-road budget. It offers strong safety credentials, solid build quality and is genuinely fun to drive. The 1.0 turbo-petrol has good low- and mid-range punch, making it enjoyable both on highways and mountain roads. It’s stable at high speeds and feels planted in corners.

On bad roads, you will need to be a bit careful, as it’s still a sedan, but the ground clearance is decent enough for most situations if driven sensibly. If your usage is a mix of highways, hills and occasional rough patches, and you want a safer, more comfortable and still engaging option, the Virtus is a well-balanced way to go.

For your budget of Rs 17 lakh, there isn’t a single SUV that ticks all your boxes. You’ll have to compromise somewhere. At this price, you can either get a spacious, powerful SUV that’s well-suited to rough-road trips but misses out on some premium features like ADAS and a 360-degree camera, or you can get a feature-loaded smaller SUV that won’t be as spacious or as strong mechanically. The third option, of course, is to stretch the budget, which honestly would make things much easier.

Given that you are five people travelling frequently on highways and broken roads, the Mahindra Thar Roxx 4x2 diesel makes the most sense from a core SUV perspective. It’s spacious enough for five, has a strong 2.2-litre diesel with 152hp and solid torque, and its ladder-frame chassis and suspension are built to take a beating on bad roads. Boot space is decent, and rear legroom is usable for long trips.

However, within Rs 17 lakh, you’ll only get the MX1 variant, which does not offer ADAS. To get Level 2 ADAS, you’ll need to stretch to the AX3 L variant at around Rs 20 lakh. Even then, it still won’t give you a 360-degree camera that’s reserved for the top AX7 L variant, which is closer to Rs 23 lakh.

If you are absolutely firm on ADAS Level 2, 360-degree camera and high-beam assist within Rs 17 lakh, you’ll have to step down to a smaller SUV like the Kia Syros HTX Plus (O). It offers the tech you want, but you’ll compromise on outright space and performance. The 1.0-litre turbo petrol makes 118hp and 172Nm, which is well short of your torque requirement, and while it’s among the roomier compact SUVs, it’s not in the same league as the Thar Roxx for five-adult road trips or rough-road durability.

Our advice? Stretch to the Thar Roxx AX3 L. You’ll get the space, toughness and performance that actually matter for the kind of usage you describe. A 360-degree camera can be added through a good aftermarket solution. 

Our detailed real-world fuel efficiency test of the three-door Mahindra Thar was conducted in Mumbai, a city known for heavy stop-start traffic. Compared to this, driving conditions in Delhi NCR generally involve more flowing traffic, which can result in slightly better efficiency figures.

As an additional reference point, we can look at the Mahindra Scorpio N, which uses the same engines as the Thar Roxx, albeit in a higher state of tune. In our real-world tests, the petrol automatic Scorpio N returned 7.9 kpl in the city and 9.4 kpl on the highway. The diesel automatic managed 8.6 kpl in the city and 11.7 kpl on the highway. 

As these figures show, the difference in fuel efficiency between petrol and diesel automatics is not significant enough to justify choosing the diesel variant, especially given your limited running and predominantly city-based usage.

As for manual versus automatic efficiency, especially in the case of the Thar Roxx, it is highly unlikely that the torque converter automatic will match the efficiency of the manual. This is due to the basic nature of the transmission. Torque converters use a fluid coupling instead of a direct mechanical link, which leads to energy losses during acceleration and low-speed driving. In contrast, a manual gearbox offers a direct mechanical connection once the clutch is engaged, resulting in lower losses.

Other automatic transmissions, such as dual clutch units and CVTs, are inherently more efficient than torque converters. DCTs use mechanical clutches for faster and more direct power transfer. CVTs are able to keep the engine operating in its most efficient rev range for most driving conditions. As a result, these transmissions can deliver fuel efficiency figures closer to manuals, something that is unlikely with a torque converter automatic. 

Finally, considering you are based in Delhi, where diesel regulations remain uncertain, the petrol variant of the Thar Roxx would be the more sensible and stress-free choice.