Mahindra launches new Thar at Rs 9.8 lakh

Mahindra has launched the new Thar at Rs 9.8 lakh (ex-showroom, all India) for the entry-level AX Petrol six-seater soft-top variant. This new Thar was a long time coming, with unfounded rumours of its unveil at the 2020 Auto Expo. Subsequently, numerous test mules were spotted across the length and breadth of the country. The Ed drove the new Thar extensively during its official unveil on August 15, so there isn’t much we don’t know about it. In the last few days, there was even an auction for the first example of the new Thar, with the winner bidding a whopping Rs 1.11 crore!

What’s new?

Apart from the usual off-road package of switchable four-wheel-drive with low-ratio gearbox, this is the first time the Thar employs a 2-litre turbo-petrol engine. With 150bhp and 320Nm on tap, it’s properly fast, which means the new Thar can hold its own on tarmac as well. There's even an automatic transmission! And, the on- (and off-) road manners are supplemented by the standard 18-inch tyres and a new suspension setup with an independent front suspension and a multilink axle at the rear.

The interiors are all new too, with the front-facing rear seats. The dash is modern, with creature comforts such as a 7-inch touchscreen with smartphone connectivity and off-road displays such as wheel angle, speed, pitch roll and even a compass. The new instrument cluster gets a coloured display, and there are steering-mounted audio controls as well. The Thar now gets power mirrors and power windows, the controls for which are on the centre console and not the doors, which means (and you got it right!) the doors can be removed for unadulterated mud-plugging.

In terms of safety features, the Thar is (thankfully) just like all modern cars out there, with dual airbags, ABS, ESP, hill hold and hill descent control, a tyre pressure monitoring system and ISOFIX seats (start them out early, we say!). Oh, and the interiors are washable and can be hosed down, a boon after the inevitable off-road shenanigans.

Below are the variant-wise prices of the Thar:

The new Mahindra Thar enjoys pride of place in its segment, with its only real competitor, the Force Motors Gurkha, still pending a BS6 update.

Bookings for the new Mahindra Thar open today, with deliveries set to start from November 1. Prospective customers car book their own Thar either online on the Mahindra Thar website or their nearest Mahindra showroom.