Move aside, Mahindra Scorpio! From a Suzuki Jimny-style SUV and MG ZS EV-rivalling electric car to Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series-esque 4WDs, here are other brand-building Mahindras Australians might love

Mahindra is on the rise in Australia.

After nearly 20 years of providing dependable and tough if basic tractors as well as 4x4 utes like the old-fashioned Pik-Up, the 78-year-old automotive, finance and tech giant from India seems to finally be gaining traction with mainstream Australian SUV buyers.

Driving interest in Mahindra is the handsome and capable Scorpio – a more-affordable Toyota Prado alternative – as well as the keenly-priced and shockingly sophisticated XUV700 – a seven-seater mid-size SUV to make consumers think twice about spending more on rivals like the Nissan X-Trail, Mitsubishi Outlander and Honda CR-V.

Driving interest in Mahindra is the handsome and capable Scorpio.

Thanks to the brand's ownership of Pininfarina of Italy, their good-looking designs aren't a fluke, either. And nor are the other Mahindras featured below.

Now, if your interest is piqued, there are actually several other models available elsewhere that could find a worthwhile following in Australia.

Mahindra Thar

Right now, the only version available is the 3DR wagon – a short-wheelbase five-seater that first surfaced in 2020.

Likely to be greenlit for Australia sometime next year or in 2025, the Thar is actually two models, serving varying roles according to the number of seats and amount of interior space required.

Right now, the only version available is the 3DR wagon – a short-wheelbase five-seater that first surfaced in 2020, but whose Jeep Wrangler-mirroring design reflects the fact that Mahindra has been making the post-war Jeep CJ3B series under licence from Willys of North America since 1947.

This is more an alt-universe evolution of the latter than any blatant plagiarism that the styling (and Jeep brand owners Stellantis) suggests.

Both Thar models will likely be powered by the Scorpio’s 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel unit.

However, next year, a Thar 5DR wagon, with a stretched body, extra doors and lengthened wheelbase, will surface to take on the likes of the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol.

Slated for an Australian release from 2025, will include a substantially revised front-end look and a redesigned interior, as it steps up as a family-friendly SUV wagon (and sidesteps legal hassles from Stellantis that claim Mahindra is breaching design copyright).

Next year, a Thar 5DR wagon, with a stretched body, extra doors and lengthened wheelbase, will surface to take on the likes of the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol.

The 5DR wagon is also expected to feature an upgraded ladder-frame chassis for improved on-road driving capability and refinement whilst still boasting exceptional 4x4 prowess.

Both Thar models will likely be powered by the Scorpio's 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel unit, with the 2.0-litre four-pot petrol turbo from the XUV700 rumoured to also join the range at some point. Additionally, advanced driver-assist safety is anticipated in all of Mahindra's new-generation models by 2025.

Mahindra Bolero Neo

This sub-four-metre long five-door 5+2-seater wagon features body-on-frame construction, but is rear-wheel-drive only.

Now, the natty little SUV you see here is already nearly eight-years old in its native India, so we would be anticipating the next-gen version with its presumably far-more modern technology and safety to make it to Australia. When that appears is anybody's guess.

But even today's Bolero Neo would find a decent following here, with simple, clean and geometric styling giving it an old-school compact off-road look and feel – in much the same way as the conceptually similar (but smaller and 4WD-capable) Suzuki Jimny does. And Australians cannot get enough of that.

Just don’t mess with the next-gen Bolero Neo’s appearance too much, Mahindra.

Like the latter, this sub-four-metre long five-door 5+2-seater wagon features body-on-frame construction, but is rear-wheel-drive only. Furthermore, while it includes a strong 2.2-litre four-pot turbo-diesel, the auto alternative to the five-speed manual is an automated clutchless abomination Mahindra dubs Autoshift. No thanks.

Still, with Mitsubishi Pajero iO-meets-Toyota 70-Series Light (Bundera in Australia) styling, it would make a handy tough urban runabout. Just don't mess with the next-gen Bolero Neo's appearance too much, Mahindra.

Mahindra XUV400 EV

If the XUV400 looks a little familiar, that’s because a variation of this small SUV was sold in Australia briefly as the SsangYong Tivoli back in 2018.

If the XUV400 looks a little familiar, that's because a variation of this small SUV was sold in Australia briefly as the SsangYong Tivoli back in 2018.

But that was petrol powered, and while there is a Mahindra version also sold elsewhere as the XUV300, the XUV400 is electric.

It draws on the experience of Mahindra Electric – the subsidiary born out of the 2011 takeover of the Indian-American Reva Electric Car Company that was founded back in 1994 and responsible for a slew of EV micro-cars available ever since.

As a circa-,000 alternative to the MG4 and BYD Dolphin, the XUV400 with the larger of the two battery packs offered in India (39.4kWh) might find a willing market in Australia.

As a circa-$40,000 alternative to the MG4 and BYD Dolphin, the XUV400 with the larger of the two battery packs offered in India (39.4kWh) might find a willing market in Australia.

Mahindra claims it can achieve around 450km on a single charge, and that a 50kW DC fast charger can replenish the batteries from 10 to 80 per cent in under 60 minutes. Plus, a 112kW/310Nm electric motor powers the front wheels, and can manage 0-100km/h in 8.3 seconds.