With the arrival of the New Mahindra Thar, offroading enthusiasts have a lot to cheer about. But with them, those who’ve always wanted to own one but shied away due to reasons in favour of practicality, now have something to look forward too.
The new Thar offers a hardtop in its factory-fresh avatar and comes fitted forward-facing rear seats, modern gizmos and the option of an automatic transmission. It also promises a better ride compared to the Old Mahindra Thar and in addition to its brilliant capabilities off the road, it is now a much better vehicle even in the urban jungle.
Prices for this new SUV would be announced on the 2nd of October, which is also when it will go on sale. Until then, let’s take a look at how does the new model fare in comparison to the older-gen Thar on paper.
Engine and Transmission
For the first time ever, the Thar will be offered with a choice of petrol and diesel engines and automatic transmission options too. The Thar debuts a new 2.0-litre ‘mStallion’ petrol engine that gets a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard and also the option of a 6-speed automatic. The new Thar’s diesel engine is a 2.2-litre mHawk unit, which will be available with a 6-speed manual gearbox as well a 6-speed torque converter automatic.
| Old Thar (Only Diesel) | New Thar (Turbo-petrol)(manual or automatic) | New Thar (Diesel)(manual or automatic) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.5-litre | 2.0-litre Turbo-Petrol | 2.2-litre Diesel |
| Power | 106bhp | 150bhp | 130bhp |
| Torque | 247Nm | 300Nm (MT) / 320Nm (AT) | 300Nm (MT&AT) |
| Transmission | 5-speed MT | 6-speed MT/ 6-speed AT | 6-speed MT/ 6-speed AT |
| Drivetrain available | 4WD | 4WD | 4WD |
Dimensions
In terms of dimensions and space, the new Thar is bigger in every department. Mahindra claims an unladen ground clearance of 226mm, a maximum water-wading depth of 650mm, and approach, ramp-over and departure angles of 42 degrees, 27 degrees and 37 degrees, respectively. This simply takes its off-roading capabilities to a new league.
| Length | Width | Height | Wheelbase | Tyres | Ground clearance | Approach angle | Breakover angle | Departure angle | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Thar | 3920mm | 1726mm | 1930mm | 2430mm | 235/70 16-inch | 200mm | 44° | 15° | 27° | |
| New Thar | 3985mm | Up to 1855mm | Up to 1920mm | 2450mm | 245/75 16-inch; 255/65 18-inch | 226mm (w/ 18-inch wheels) | 41.8° (w/ 18-inch wheels) | 27° (w/ 18-inch wheels) | 36.8° (w/ 18-inch wheels) | |
Features
The first-gen Thar is not considered as a well-equipped SUV. In terms of tech, all it had to offer were only basic features like AC, music system, analogue speedometer and tachometer with a small digital display, and a few more things.
The new-gen Thar gets not only a new grille, LED DRLs, and LED tail lights but also things like a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with phone connectivity, semi-digital instrument console with a multi-information display, steering mounted controls, Auto AC, cruise control, first-in-class Adventure Statistics display, height-adjustable driver seat, etc. This all allows Mahindra not only to promise an extreme off-roading experience but also a refined city drive for all purposes.
First-gen Thar was discontinued as it was not in compliance with the mandatory safety norms. On the other hand, the new model has improved on that front too. It comes equipped with dual front airbags, ABS, EBD, ESP with roll-over mitigation, hill-hold control, hill-descent control, etc.