The Mahindra Thar has surely proven that there is a market for thoroughbred 4×4 vehicles in India. Launched in October 2020, the Thar has managed to garner over 75,000 bookings since launch! What’s more interesting is the fact that the current Thar managed to get more bookings than what the previous-gen Thar did over its entire lifecycle! The Mahindra Thar is currently priced between ₹12.78 to ₹15.08 lakhs.
Bookings statistics
Mahindra has been able to deliver 30,000 Thars till date out of the 75,000 bookings. This huge backlog is due to the semiconductor chip shortage which has forced manufacturers to slow down the production. Mahindra claims that 40% of the bookings were done by millenials. Automatic variants accounted for 50% of sales and petrol variants accounted for 25% of the sales. Interestingly, the demand for the Thar is still going strong despite the high waiting periods and the price hike of over ₹1 lakh.
Mahindra Thar: quick recap
The new Thar gets an updated version of the 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine which cranks out 130hp, 300Nm and is available with a 6-speed manual gearbox and an optional, Aisin-sourced, 6-speed torque converter. If you like petrol engines, the 2.0-litre mStallion motor is also on offer. It cranks out 150hp of power and 300 Nm (MT), 320Nm (AT) of torque. Colours on offer are – Red Rage, Mystic Copper, Napoli Black, Aquamarine, Galaxy Grey and Rocky Beige. The Mahindra Thar comes with a low-range transfer case and also a shift-on-fly feature that allows you to shift to 4H without stopping.
It also gets a brake-locking differential and a mechanically locking rear differential. The Mahindra Thar comes with LED DRLs, touchscreen infotainment system, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Steering-mounted audio controls, Power windows, Cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring system, the optional hardtop, soft top, and a convertible top, a touchscreen that is weather resistant (IP54 rated for dust and water), and a washable cabin with drain plugs in the floor. On the safety front, the SUV gets ABS with EBD, dual front airbags, ISOFIX mounts. It also gets ESP, Hill hold control, hill descent control and a 4-star global NCAP safety rating.