Best Retro-Styled Off-Road SUVs in India and What the Look Costs You

The best retro-styled off-road SUVs in India are the Maruti Suzuki Jimny (Rs 12,59,000 to Rs 14,51,700), whose maker says its multi-slot grille, headlamps and upright body keep the first-generation Jimny alive, and the Mahindra Thar OG (Rs 10,32,000 to Rs 18,99,000), followed by the Force Gurkha, Thar Roxx, Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover Defender and Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Each look costs you something specific. The Jimny gives up a fifth seat and boot space (211 to 219 litres with the rear seats up), the cheaper Thar OG trims give up four of the ZXT's six airbags, and the Gurkha gives up an automatic and has only two airbags. Prices are ex-showroom, checked October 2026.

This list is about design and its cost. Every car on it has genuine low-range four-wheel drive, at least on some versions, but if capability is your first question, our best off-road SUVs in India and best compact 4x4 SUVs rank that directly.

What counts as retro here

A retro off-roader is one whose shape deliberately recalls an older model, ideally its own ancestor, and whose maker says so. Boxy proportions, an upright windscreen, a tailgate-mounted spare and exposed, functional details are the usual signs. We only describe a design cue as heritage where the maker draws that line itself. And we have kept soft-roaders with a boxy look off the list: each car here offers low range.

Retro off-roaders compared: the look and the cost

Model	Retro cues the maker points to	What you give up for the look	Low-range 4x4	Ex-showroom
Maruti Jimny	Multi-slot grille, headlamps and upright body "keep the spirit of the first-gen Jimny alive"; clamshell bonnet, drip rails, tailgate spare	4 seats; 211 to 219 L boot seats up; 4-speed automatic; 77.1 kW engine	All trims	Rs 12,59,000 to Rs 14,51,700
Mahindra Thar OG	"Legendary form factor", "iconic outline"; hard top, tailgate spare	4 seats; dual airbags on AXT and LXT; no low range on RWD trims	4WD trims, from Rs 15,59,500	Rs 10,32,000 to Rs 18,99,000
Force Gurkha	Tall slab-sided body, factory snorkel, round LED headlamps	Dual airbags; 5-speed manual only; rear drum brakes	Yes	Rs 16,51,881 to Rs 17,83,366
Mahindra Thar Roxx	Grille that is "inimitably a Thar" on a five-door body	Less purist shape; 4x4 is diesel-only	Diesel 4x4, from Rs 19,56,000	Rs 12,52,000 to Rs 23,52,500
Jeep Wrangler	Special editions inspired by the 1960 CJ-5 and the 1941 Willys	Price; Jeep India publishes few hard specs	Yes	From Rs 67,70,000
Land Rover Defender	Name and upright stance of the 1948 line	Price; the shape is a reinterpretation	Yes, twin-speed transfer box	From Rs 1,07,00,000
Mercedes-Benz G-Class	Produced since 1979	Price not published	Three 100% differential locks	Not published by Mercedes-Benz India

Figures come from each maker's brochure, price list or model page. Single-tone prices are quoted for the Jimny; its dual-tone Alpha automatic is Rs 14,67,100.

The retro off-roaders in detail

1. Maruti Suzuki Jimny

The Jimny is the most direct throwback here, and Maruti says so in its own brochure: "The unique fascia adorned by multi-slot accentuated grille, iconic headlamps and upright-body structure keep the spirit of the first-gen Jimny truly alive." Suzuki first launched the Jimny in 1970. The details are functional rather than decorative. Every trim gets the clamshell bonnet (which Maruti says helps you judge the car's position), drip rails along the roof edges, trapezoidal wheel arch extensions, black scratch-resistant bumpers, a tailgate-mounted spare and a gunmetal grey grille with chrome plating. Inside, Maruti uses a horizontal dashboard and vertical meter lines so the driver can read the car's angle on uneven ground.

The full look needs the Alpha. LED headlamps with washers, fog lamps, alloy wheels and the two-tone Kinetic Yellow and Sizzling Red paints with a bluish-black roof are Alpha-only. A Zeta has halogen lamps and steel wheels.

What you give up: seating for four, and 211 to 219 litres of boot behind the rear seats (332 litres folded). The 1.5-litre K15B makes 77.1 kW (104.8 PS) and 134.2 Nm, the automatic has four ratios, and Maruti does not publish a wading depth. In return you get ALLGRIP PRO with low range on every trim, a 46-degree departure angle and certified mileage of 16.94 km/l (manual) and 16.39 km/l (automatic). Mahindra and Force publish no mileage figure to compare against.

2. Mahindra Thar OG

Mahindra sells the 3-door as the Thar OG (our Mahindra Thar model page has the full variant list), and its brochure describes "a legendary form factor" and an outline you cannot mistake. It is the shape most Indian buyers picture when they hear "off-roader", with a hard top, a tailgate-mounted spare and a short 2,450 mm wheelbase. The current face is not a straight copy of the old one: Mahindra calls out a body-coloured grille framed by C-shaped DRLs and LED headlamps.

What you give up: those LED headlamps and DRLs are ZXT-only, and so are four of the six airbags. The AXT and LXT have halogen headlamps and dual airbags, and that includes the cheapest four-wheel-drive Thar OG, the LXT petrol 4WD at Rs 15,59,500. The rear-wheel-drive trims from Rs 10,32,000 have no low range or electronic locker. It seats four. Pick a 4WD trim and you get 232 mm of clearance, a 40-degree approach angle and 650 mm of wading.

3. Force Gurkha

The Gurkha is the least self-conscious design here: a tall, flat-sided body (2,080 mm high on the 3-door without its roof carrier) with a factory snorkel, round full-LED headlamps and a rear-mounted spare. Nothing on it looks added for style, which is the appeal.

What you give up: quite a lot of modern equipment. Force lists dual airbags with ABS and EBD, a 5-speed manual with no automatic, drum rear brakes and hydraulic power steering. What you get is the best mechanical off-road kit under a crore: manual front and rear differential locks, 233 mm of clearance and 700 mm of wading. The 3-door seats four and costs Rs 16,51,881; the 5-door seats seven by Force's count and costs Rs 17,83,366.

4. Mahindra Thar Roxx

The Roxx stretches the Thar's look over a 4,428 mm five-door body. Mahindra's brochure says its new grille "is inimitably a Thar, with a polished edge to it", and pairs it with C-shaped LED DRLs. It reads as modern first and retro second, which is the honest way to describe it.

What you give up: some of the purist proportions, since the long 2,850 mm wheelbase cuts the breakover angle to 23.9 degrees against the Thar OG's 26.4. Four-wheel drive is diesel-only and starts at Rs 19,56,000. In return Mahindra lists six airbags as standard, five seats and a 41.7-degree approach angle.

5. Jeep Wrangler

Jeep makes the heritage link in its own marketing more openly than anyone here. Jeep India says the 1960 CJ-5 helped inspire the 2026 Wrangler Whitecap, and its 30-car Wrangler Willys '41 special edition sold out across India in seven days. Jeep's history page traces the brand to the 1940 Willys Quad prototype.

What you give up: mostly money. The Wrangler starts at Rs 67,70,000. Jeep India's site names two 4x4 systems, Selec-Trac and Rock-Trac, and a heavy-duty Dana 44 full-float rear axle, but its spec pages did not give us clearance, angles or a variant-by-variant equipment list, so we cannot set its trade-offs out in numbers.

6. Land Rover Defender

The Defender keeps the name the Land Rover Ninety and One-Ten took in 1990, and the upright stance of a line that began in 1948, but it is a new design rather than a copy. Land Rover India's spec pages list a twin-speed transfer box and Terrain Response, and the Defender page quotes up to 293 mm of clearance across models.

What you give up: the price, from Rs 1,07,00,000 for the 110, Rs 1,42,90,000 for the 90 and Rs 1,46,00,000 for the 130. Purists will also note that the retro element is the silhouette, not the construction.

7. Mercedes-Benz G-Class

The G-Class is retro by never having changed its basic idea. Mercedes-Benz dates it to 1979 and says it has been produced continuously since. Mercedes-Benz India sells the G 450 d and AMG G 63 and lists three selectable differential locks with 100% locking effect, more locking hardware than anything else here.

What you give up: Mercedes-Benz India does not publish a price on its G-Class pages, so treat it as the most expensive way to buy this look and ask a dealer.

Which retro off-roader suits which buyer

• Daily driving plus weekend trails: the Jimny Alpha, for the full retro detailing, a city-friendly 3,985 mm length and published mileage.
• The look Indian buyers know best: the Thar OG ZXT, if you want six airbags and LED lamps with it.
• Function over everything: the Gurkha 3-door.
• Five seats without losing the shape entirely: the Thar Roxx diesel 4x4.

How this list was built and what we did not verify

We kept only cars with low-range four-wheel drive and only design claims a maker makes itself, then checked every figure against Maruti's Jimny brochure and price feed, Mahindra's Thar OG and Thar Roxx brochures and model pages, Force's Gurkha brochure and price page, and Jeep India's, Land Rover India's and Mercedes-Benz India's model pages and histories. The draft we started from described the Thar with round headlamps and a slatted grille; Mahindra's current brochure shows C-shaped DRLs, LED headlamps on the ZXT and halogen units below it. The draft's Thar Roxx clearance, boot and price figures did not match Mahindra's brochure and site, and its Wrangler price was out of date.

We could not verify, from first-party sources, the Wrangler's specifications by trim, the Defender's angles or the G-Class price, and we have said so in place. We have not driven these cars for this article, and prices change, so check with a dealer.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the most affordable retro-styled off-road SUV in India?

The Mahindra Thar OG starts at Rs 10,32,000, but that version is rear-wheel drive with no low range. The cheapest retro off-roader with low-range four-wheel drive on every variant is the Maruti Suzuki Jimny at Rs 12,59,000.

Is the Maruti Suzuki Jimny's design based on the old Jimny?

Yes, by Maruti's own account. Its brochure says the multi-slot grille, headlamps and upright body "keep the spirit of the first-gen Jimny truly alive". Suzuki first launched the Jimny in 1970.

What do you lose by choosing a retro off-roader over a crossover?

Usually space and refinement. The Jimny and Thar OG seat four, the Jimny's boot holds 211 to 219 litres with the rear seats up, and the Gurkha is manual-only with two airbags. The trade is low-range four-wheel drive that most boxy-looking crossovers do not offer.

Does every Mahindra Thar OG have six airbags?

No. Mahindra's brochure lists six airbags only on the ZXT. The AXT and LXT have dual front airbags.

Which retro off-roader is best for a family?

The Mahindra Thar Roxx, which seats five and has six airbags as standard. Its four-wheel drive is only offered with the diesel engine, from Rs 19,56,000.