Mahindra Thar: Old vs New

Mahindra has built an all-new Thar. But just how much has changed from the older model? Let’s find out

Update (02/10/2020): Mahindra has launched the second-gen Thar with prices beginning from Rs 9.80 lakh (ex-showroom). Read more about it here.

The new-gen Mahindra Thar has finally broken cover and there’s plenty different about it. It’s based on a new platform, it will be offered with a choice of petrol and diesel engines and automatic transmission options too, all for the first time ever. The Mahindra Thar SUV is built to be more practical and versatile than before and gets removable body panels and a convertible roof too. But the carmaker has kept enough DNA of the previous model intact to keep the new one’s design in touch with its jeep origins. Here’s a quick look at how the new Thar differs on the surface.

Let’s look at the dimensions of the second-gen Mahindra Thar and some numbers addressing the new design’s off-roading capabilities:

• The new Thar gets wider tyres for its wider track, which should make it better to drive both on and off-road.

• It’s new 18-inch wheels seem to fit the Thar’s squat stance better and help its off-roading capabilities too.

• The new Thar’s front end, which is now compliant with the latest crash and pedestrian safety norms, does reduce the Thar’s approach angle by a bit.

• However, its departure and break over angles have increased by a lot, nearly 10-degrees.

• With the bigger wheels, the Thar’s unladen ground clearance has gone up by 26mm.

• The new Thar boasts a wading depth of 650mm.

Mechanicals

• This is an on-paper comparison of what will be offered on the new Thar in terms of powertrain options and a few other mechanical bits.

• Mahindra has given the Thar a petrol engine option for the first time and it’ll be the most powerful variant on offer. 

• The new diesel engine also gives the Thar more performance than before.

• Another first in the Thar’s powertrain options is the optional 6-speed torque converter automatic. This will be offered on both petrol and diesel variants alongside the new 6-speed manual transmission.

• Mahindra has given the Thar modern suspension too. It now gets multi-link rear suspension as compared to the old Thar’s leaf-spring setup.

• The new Thar’s 4WD system features a brake locking differential, an upgrade over the previous-gen model that only had a mechanical locking differential.

Front

The new Thar retains the styling cues of the old one such as the round multi-reflector halogen headlamps and vertically-slatted grille which remain the centre point of the front fascia. It has a faux skid plate that meets the chunky bumper design from below.

The turn-indicators are mounted to the protruding wheel arches while the cladding on each corner now houses the front fog lamps. 

Side

Mahindra’s new design for the Thar’s wheels is more of an evolution of the older wheels rather than a totally different look which works in its favour. 

The Thar continues to be a two-door SUV that maintains similar proportions for the front half of the cabin. It finally gets a factory-fitted fixed hardtop for the first time.

The new Thar’s soft top version has been updated too. There are now two soft top versions that buyers can opt for: fixed and manual convertible. These options depend on the variants you pick.  The new convertible soft top folds itself up neatly at the end of the roll cage and behind the spare-tyre mounted on the tailgate. It makes it easier to switch from having the top up to having the top down and vice versa.

Rear

With the more elegant and proportional roof design over the rear of the new Thar, its rear section seems taller than before. The rear bumper cladding is a lot beefier too since it now houses the rear reflectors and rear parking sensors.

The taillamps are still vertically-oriented rectangles but the new design is more fitting of the times with LED elements. It positions the indicators and reversing lights in the middle of the brake lights with an LED surround element.

Interior

The new Thar’s cabin is one of the most important changes over the older model. It is designed to be more practical for daily use.

Most significantly, the Thar gets forward-facing rear seats for the first time instead of the jump seats. This is not a bench seat for three, instead individual seats for a person each and hence can individually be folded down when not needed. To cater to the needs of the more passionate jeep enthusiasts, Mahindra will continue to offer the jump-seat layout in the adventure-oriented AX variants of the new Thar.

It also gets roof mounted speakers for the first time. Why? Because you can take the doors off. This way, you can have an open jeep and still enjoy your favourite tunes.

The Thar now gets more creature comforts than ever before. Its equipment list includes a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with steering-mounted controls, cruise control, a TFT multi-information display in the instrument cluster, and sporty looking seats. Needless to say, the cabin looks more premium than before.

But don’t think that the Thar has gone soft with its new found comfort features. It's still meant to be taken on adventures and so Mahindra has made sure that the interior is dust and water resistant (IP 54 rating).That way you don’t need to worry if it gets a bit wet and muddy in the cabin.

Also, the 7.0-inch touchscreen central display gets some Thar specific tech called Adventure Stats that allows you to see various types of drive data in real time. In off-roading mode, that includes the tilt and articulation of the Thar, the gear you’re in, and the angle of the wheels. The same system can also showcase how much torque and power you’re using while driving. Mahindra has also allowed for some degree of personalisation in this system for custom gauge displays. Some of this information will be visible on the TFT display in the driver’s instrument cluster as well.

Safety

This was a category that was almost absent from the old Thar. However, Mahindra has equipped the new-gen model with a fair bit of kit. Some of it’s mandatory by law while the rest is simply sensible to have. The new Thar comes with dual front airbags, rear parking sensors, ESP with roll mitigation, ABS with EBD, ISOFIX child seat anchors, a roll cage, speed sensing auto door locks and three-point seatbelts in the rear.

Stay tuned to CarDekho for our first drive impressions coming soon.