Mahindra Thar – engine & transmission
The Thar, or the Mahindra ‘jeep’ as it is popularly known in India, in its latest avatar is available with two engine options – a new age CRDE, and a not-so-new-age DI. The CRDe engine is a 2.5-litre turbo diesel good for peak power output of 105PS@4000rpm and 247Nm of peak torque in 1800-2000 rpm band. The DI engine produces 63 horses and 180Nm of turning force. We, however, sampled only the new CRDe engine on our drive. Both the engines are mated to a 5-speed manual transmission, with Borg Warner transfer case for the 4×4 version. The transfer case offers 2 speed gear reduction, 1.0:1 in 4H mode, and 2.48:1 in 4L mode.
The new engine is clearly the highlight of the package. It’s surprisingly smooth and torquey and delivers oodles of torque right from the bottom of the rev range. Right from the time you twist the keys and bring this 4×4 monster to life, there is a marked sentiment of refinement about the 2.5-litre powerplant. Unlike some of the diesel mills on Tata’s MUV and SUVs, this one doesn’t send any jarring vibes to the steering wheel, ORVMs and RVMs. Sufficiently silent and smooth revving, this CRDe mill seems ready for action right from the word go.
The most important weapon in the arsenal of an SUV is its low end torque. And this engine delivers that in plenty. We could feel the urgency to pull from as low as 1000 rpm, the vehicle trundles along without you having to step on the pedal at all. Even on steep inclines with loose gravel and some big stones thrown in to make things a little more exciting, we never found the engine lacking in low-end torque. Especially after engaging the 4×4 Low mode, it trampled stones of otherwise disturbing size without us having to even use the accelerator.
There was this small section on the trail which has some slippery muck, with round stones and undulations thrown in for some more action. The Thar marched over the challenge without even the slightest need to use the Low ratios. There wasn’t any hint of slithering or slippage either. Thar’s approach and departure angles of 46 and 30 degree respective make sure that there are hardly any instances where you manage to rub its nose or exhaust with mother earth.
Just for the sake of experimentation, we chose a boulder, as big as the Thar’s clearance, engaged the car in Low and tried to let the wheels on one side of the jeep pass over it. The Thar obliged without a fuss, although we wonder how well it would have performed the same job with the rain gods pouring down and its tyres smeared in sticky muck.
All said and done, there isn’t a shade of doubt that the Thar is one of the best off-roaders India has. The fact that almost 95 percent of the Thar’s body is made of steel ensures that nothing will break or fall apart even if you subject it to the most serious abuse.
Go to next page for Mahindra Thar ‘On-road Experience’