No More Open Top SUV In India As We Bid Goodbye To The Mahindra Thar Soft-Top Convertible, Will We Miss It?

Mahindra will not sell the Thar 3-door with a soft-top convertible roof anymore, as our dealership sources across major Indian cities suggest. Although the carmaker is yet to issue an official confirmation on this, it has marked an end to the only open-roof SUV on our shores. Do note that this means the Thar will henceforth continue to be sold with a hard-top roof only, across its range. There are no further updates to look for in the lifestyle off-roader.

Mahindra Thar: The One You Get Now

The Mahindra Thar is now only available as a hard top across all its variants. It gets halogen headlights, gun-metal-grey 18-inch alloy wheels, and rectangular taillights. 

The interior now seems more practical and usable with a 7-inch touchscreen, a 3-spoke steering wheel with mounted audio controls, analogue dials with a coloured multi-information display and circular AC vents.

Other features include manual AC, cruise control and a 6-speaker sound system. Its safety suite features dual airbags, rear parking sensors, electronic stability control (ESC), a roll cage, and a tyre pressure monitoring system. 

The specifications of the Mahindra Thar are as follows:

It is priced from Rs 11.5 lakh to Rs 17.6 lakh (ex-showroom), and it takes on the Maruti Jimny and the Force Gurkha 3-door. The Mahindra Thar is about to get a facelift soon, which might also feature noticeable updates in its features with some derived from its bigger version – the Thar Roxx.

The Departing Convertible Thar 

How many times did you see modified car pictures doing the rounds on the internet, with chopped-off roofs? Well, the only one mass-market SUV that brought you the roofless experience straight from the factory was the Mahindra Thar until now. These variants debuted with the second generation of the SUV, back in 2020 and were priced from Rs 14.49 lakh to Rs 17.29 lakh (ex-showroom). 

Now that the carmaker has pulled the plug on this specific offering, the wind-in-your-hair Mahindra Thar experience just hit a roadblock. This discontinuation might come as a sting to the enthusiasts who would consider the SUV more for its vibe, say rolling into Ladakh with the roof off and having the sky above. But there’s another side to it. 

Parting Thoughts!

While the decision might disappoint a small section of Thar lovers, the convertible’s preference was always quite limited. The harsh wind noise under the soft top, the risk of having children seated when the roof was off, and its questionable usability during the harsh Indian summers and monsoons, besides dust creeping in – all contributed to its eventual departure.

That said, you might be able to enjoy the open-top Thar experience through self-drive rental platforms, especially in places like Goa, where it makes for a perfect Instagrammable sight. 

For now, those who already own the convertible Thar can count themselves lucky. And in case you don’t, do you consider this move a practical move or a missing slice of emotion? Tell us in the comments.