List of Top Off-Road Cars in India (2024)

Lately, the Indian automotive industry has observed a paradigm shift in patrons’ preferences. That being said, the demand for SUVs has drastically accelerated, thereby overpowering the sales of sedan cars in India. 

Furthermore, SUVs are often deemed to offer a 4x4 capability or an off-roading capability. And, automakers offer dedicated vehicles for the latter, called the off-road vehicle or off-roader. 

So, in this article, we have listed some top off-road vehicles available in India that you can consider. 

Please note that the mentioned prices are as of October 2024. 

1) Maruti Suzuki Jimny

Having been crowned as the most affordable off-road SUV in India, the Maruti Suzuki Jimny comes with a starting ex-showroom price of Rs 12.74 lakh, and it goes up to Rs 15.05 lakh. 

This homegrown SUV is architectured on the ladder-on-frame chassis and equipped with a low-range transmission to make it more off-road friendly. It is also family-friendly as it has a 5-door layout, making it convenient for all passengers to ingress. 

Additionally, a 211-litre boot space is offered, further expandable by folding down the rear seats. This vehicle also offers a few new-age features. 

Besides that, the Jimny has an exclusive 1.5-litre petrol engine (103bhp/134Nm), paired with a standard 4-speed manual and an optional 5-speed automatic transmission. 

Interestingly, the Jimny has the AllGrip (4x4) technology as standard, which offers a manually selectable low range, thanks to the dedicated selector lever. 

Other safety features are ABS, ESC, traction control, hill-start assist, hill descent control, airbags, etc. 

Its ground clearance stands at 210mm. 

2) Mahindra Thar

The next affordable off-roader or lifestyle vehicle is the Mahindra Thar. Mahindra offers the Thar in 3-door (Rs 11.35 to Rs 17.60 lakh) and 5-door (Rs 12.99 to Rs 22.49 lakh) versions. The newly launched 5-door version is called the Thar Roxx. 

Both versions have a standard RWD and optional 4x4 drivetrains. Its direct competitor is the Maruti Suzuki Jimny, but the Thar is the most feature-packed off-roader with proven capabilities. It is also a premium-looking vehicle, often weighed with the iconic Jeep Wrangler, especially the design language! 

Further, the Thar is offered with petrol and diesel engines, plus they are available with manual and automatic gearboxes. 

For those unaware, the 5-door Thar boasts more features than the 3-door Thar, plus the former has a relatively upmarket interior. 

The Thar has a ground clearance of 226mm. 

3) Force Gurkha

Next in line comes the Force Gurkha. Like the Thar, the Gurkha SUV is also offered in 3- and 5-door versions. In fact, the Gurkha is also widely called the “desi G-Wagen” but there is a reason behind which justifies that moniker. That being said, the Gurkha is powered by a Mercedes-Benz OM616 diesel engine. 

The pre-updated version of the current Gurkha used to churn out very less power, especially considering its size and utility. 

But recently, Force Motors increased the state of tune of the 2024 Force Gurkha’s engine, making it proportionate to the size of this off-roader. The new power figures of the 2.6-litre OM616 diesel engine stand at 138bhp and 320Nm of peak torque. It is limited to a 5-speed manual transmission. 

The Gurkha has a higher ground clearance than the Thar, which stands at 233mm. 

4) Isuzu V-Cross

Among the off-road enthusiasts, the Isuzu pick-up truck has been among the top picks. It made its India debut in 2016 and has received several minor updates since then.

Its current price ranges between Rs 25.52 lakh and Rs 30.96 lakh. The closest rival is the Toyota Hilux, which is priced between Rs 30.40 lakh and 37.90 lakh.

Like other capable and hardcore vehicles, this V-Cross has a ladder-frame chassis, which houses a 1.9-litre diesel engine, producing 161bhp and 360Nm of peak torque. Available with 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmissions. Also on offer are 2WD and 4WD models. 

The Isuzu V-Cross pick-up truck has a ground clearance of 225mm. 

5) Jeep Wrangler

The Jeep Wrangler is one of the most sought-after off-roaders in the world. Plus, several carmakers often tend to borrow design cues from this Jeep car. 

It is also worth mentioning that the Wrangler is essentially a successor to the classic Jeep CJ (widely known as Willys). 

However, the ongoing version of the Wrangler is well-equipped with features, plus a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol unit (268bhp/400Nm) with an 8-speed automatic gearbox handle all the off-roading capabilities. 

The off-road-focussed Wrangler Rubicon variant also boasts an electronically disconnecting sway bar for enhanced wheel articulation to counter the challenging terrains. 

The India-bound Wrangler has two variants - Unlimited and Rubicon. They are priced at Rs 67.65 lakh and Rs 71.65 lakh, respectively. These are ex-showroom prices.