With the revision of variants, Mahindra Thar is currently priced between Rs 12.10 lakh and Rs 14.15 lakh (both prices ex-showroom)
Mahindra had stopped accepting bookings for the base variant just before the Global NCAP crash test ratings were revealed. It was later announced that the base AX variants with soft top and side facing rear seats have been removed from the company’s website and temporarily discontinued.
According to Mahindra’s official website, only AX Option and LX variants are currently open for booking. There has been no word from the utility vehicle manufacturer if the base variants will return to foray. The brand claims that low demand for the lower-spec trims and unprecedented demand for the higher-spec trims have made them take this decision.
Base-spec test mule Spotted
However, recently a test mule of the compact off-roader was again spotted in Coimbatore which was the base AX variant with side-facing bench seats at rear. The latest set of spy shots are courtesy of Roshan and Sai Nair.
Mahindra, since the launch of the new Thar has already received over 40,000 bookings with figures from February 2020 yet unknown. Expected deliveries of Thar have already been extended beyond ten months which might further increase with new bookings. With such a large amount of impending orders left to be fulfilled, it will be a surprise if Mahindra decides to bring the base-spec model to the fold again.
Plus, a few months back, Mahindra had also sent a higher-specced AX(O) variant with two forward-facing seats to Global NCAP for crash test ratings. It did reasonably well as it secured a 4-star overall safety rating.
Steps taken to ensure limited waiting period
To keep up with this gigantic demand, Mahindra had earlier announced to ramp up its production capacity from 2,000 to 3,000 units of Thar at its Nashik plant starting from January 2021. This is expected to bring down the deficit by a considerable margin given that fewer derivatives are now open for sale.
The base variants of Thar only came with fixed-soft top and side-facing bench seats at rear. The higher AX(O) and LX trims are offered with a convertible soft top and fixed hardtop and come with front-facing rear seats.
Powertrain Specs
Mahindra Thar is offered with two powertrain options- 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine and a 2.0-litre mStallion turbo petrol engine. The former is good enough for 130 bhp and 300 Nm of peak torque whereas the latter can crank out 150 bhp and 320 Nm of torque. Both units are available with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. A 4×4 drivetrain with a low-range transfer case is offered as standard across the range.
