Mahindra Thar has been in the news once again, this time for getting a more affordable entry variant
Mahindra Thar is currently at the forefront of lifestyle vehicles in India. Force Gurkha is a rival, but is nowhere close to Thar in terms of sales. That said, there are new challengers incoming, the form of 5-door Gurkha and Maruti Suzuki 5-door Jimny. The latter is a fitting alternative to the current Thar. Which is why, before Maruti launched Jimny, Mahindra launched a sub 10 lakh Thar variant.
Mahindra Thar RWD Base Variant
This new Thar RWD entry variant is likely to match Jimny in price. On top of that, it is a larger vehicle with more muscle and grunt in the form of 1.5L diesel. Jimny lacks a diesel engine altogether and is substantially smaller in size than the 3-door Thar. Thanks to Yash 9W, we now have a walkaround overview of Thar RWD. It is priced from Rs. 9.99 lakh, which is why it is currently one of the most sought-after Thar variant.
For the first time we get to see how close the base AX trim with 1.5L diesel is with top-spec LX trim. There is no visual differentiation between 4X4 and 4X2 variants, except for lack of 4X4 badging. To get a lower starting price, Mahindra is offering the 1.5L diesel variant with both AX (O) and LX trims.
On the outside, fog lights and LED DRLs are not on offer and we get 16″ steel wheels finished in off-white, wrapped with Ceat 245-section AT tyre. On the inside, there are zilch changes with 4X2 models from outgoing 4X4 models, sans the lever to engage 4X4 transfer case.
With the AX (O) variant, we can see the absence of a touchscreen and steering-mounted audio controls. The roll cage on top-spec models is finished in black, which is body coloured in AX (O) trims. There is leatherette seat upholstery in base AX (O) trim as opposed to part leatherette, part fabric upholstery on top-spec LX trim.
Specs & Features
Starting from Rs. 9.99 (ex-sh), this particular AX (O) model with 1.5L turbo-diesel engine demand is such that there is a huge waiting period of almost 2 years. Mahindra has offered remote locking, power windows, rear defogger and more. Even AC is on offer, which was not the case with base trim levels of Thar at launch with 2.0L petrol.
Buyers can choose between a hardtop and a manual convertible soft top. Thar RWD layout is equipped with two powertrains. A 1.5L turbo-diesel powertrain that makes 115 bhp of power and 300 Nm of torque and a 2.0L turbo-petrol engine that makes 150 bhp and 300 Nm. For Thar RWD, an automatic transmission is only offered with 2.0L petrol.
The 1.5L diesel is only coupled with a manual transmission. Mahindra’s 2.2L turbo diesel engine remains as is and gets 4X4 as standard fitment and an option to choose between MT and AT. RWD Thar diesel LX variant got a price hike in March 2023 of Rs 50k. Other variants continue have not received a price hike.
