Mahindra Thar: Same Price, Other Options

Are you about to break that FD to bring home the new Mahindra Thar? Hold on, as here are other practical options you could buy in the same price range

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.

Mahindra’s new Thar promises to be a better everyday companion than ever before. And that’s because the folks at Mahindra have not only made it bigger than before but also given it forward-facing rear seats, a hard top from the factory and a few practicality-enhancing features. We expect Mahindra to price the new Thar between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 13.5 lakh. Now in that range, you can pick between small SUVs and slightly biggers compact SUVs. So here’s a look at all your options aside from the Thar.

Compact SUVs

The compact SUV segment is one of the busiest ones in the country. The Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta have been attracting hordes of people and even the likes of the Renault Duster and Nissan Kicks Turbo can be looked at as options here. While the Renault-Nissan SUVs prove to be at par with the Thar, the Seltos and Creta with their top-end variants are far pricier. However, the mid-spec variants of the Korean SUVs could be a good alternative for the top-spec Thar. 

Now all the above listed options will be able to pull ahead of the Thar in terms of features, the space on offer inside the cabin and rear seat comfort. And while they won’t be able to better it in terms of ground clearance, the SUVs here will definitely be adequate for 99 percent of our roads.

The only major advantage the Thar has over any of these vehicles is a 4x4 system and that mammoth ground clearance. So if off-roading isn’t something you see yourself doing in the future, and space and practicality are your biggest criteria, then you should maybe look at these compact SUVs.

Kia Seltos - Rs 9.89 lakh to Rs 17.34 lakh

Hyundai Creta - Rs 9.99 lakh to Rs 17.20 lakh

Renault Duster - Rs 8.49 lakh to Rs 13.59 lakh

Nissan Kicks - Rs 9.49 lakh to Rs 14.14 lakh

Sub-4 metre SUVs

Now if you are looking to bring the lower variants of the Thar home, and don’t really want to stretch your budget to cover the mid-spec variants of cars like the Creta, there is another breed of SUVs you could look at. Sub-4 metre SUVs have been in demand just like their bigger  siblings, and the likes of Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon and Ford EcoSport are good choices depending on your preference.

These SUVs offer you something that the others mentioned before don’t. Features! The Venue definitely takes the lead in this regard. These cars will even offer you a better back seat, although overall cabin space could be on par with the Thar. And once the Kia Sonet is launched, it will offer a bouquet of features unmatched by other cars in the same price range. These cars being high riders, you won’t find any issues with the car bottoming out on bad weather roads. 

Once again, the most obvious advantage the Thar has here is the 4x4 system and the ground clearance.

Hyundai Venue - Rs 6.70 lakh to Rs 11.58 lakh

Tata Nexon - Rs 6.99 to Rs 12.70 lakh

Ford EcoSport - Rs 8.17 lakh to Rs 11.71 lakh

Kia Sonet - Rs 7 lakh to Rs 12.50 lakh (expected prices)

Takeaway

In this comparison, we have focused on what you can expect from a car for a similar amount of money as what the Thar will roughly cost. As evident from all the three comparisons above, the Thar’s 4x4 system and ground clearance are its strongest points. Yes, it now gets a petrol engine and an automatic with both fuel types, but that is something that is already available in other cars at this price point.

And for everything else that the Thar now adds to its arsenal, there is another option that does it better. So frankly if you are buying a Thar to hit the trails every Sunday morning, you couldn’t pick a better car for the money. And the fact that the Thar’s ‘jeep’ look is iconic and will stand out on the road. But if you are buying a Thar to live with it on an everyday basis, doing the usual commute from point A to point B, there are other options which will serve your purpose better.

*All prices mentioned in the story are ex-showroom prices.