THE NEW MAHINDRA Thar has been on sale for over two years now and it continues to clock in brilliant sales numbers. Having said that, Mahindra had to discontinue the lower range variants as they did not comply with the GNCAP 4 Star rating norms, leaving only the top-end models in showrooms for customers. To address this and to give the Thar a more practical touch, Mahindra is now gearing up to launch a two-wheel drive variant that will come with a smaller 1.5-litre diesel engine.
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From a design standpoint, Mahindra isn’t changing the way this version of the Thar looks. However, the only tell-tale sign that will be visible is the absence of the 4x4 badging on the rear. The cabin also retains the same layout. However Mahindra is including a door lock/unlock button on the centre console and in place of the 4x4 shifter, there will be a cubby hole to either keep coins or store a mobile phone.
The engine that will power this model is straight out of the Marazzo. This motor displaces 1497cc and delivers close to 120 PS of power and 300 Nm of torque, which is more than ample for the two-wheel drive Thar. The engine will be paired with a 6-speed manual transmission and an automatic is also on the cards.
With this change, the two-wheel drive Thar will conform to GST standards that do not apply to SUVs and therefore, will be priced much lower than the 4x4 variant that gets a larger 2.2-litre motor.
Price: `10-12 lakh