The Thar by India’s leading SUV maker, Mahindra & Mahindra, enjoys an exclusive image in the Indian market and happens to be the only contender in the segment. The origins of legendary Thar, dates back to much before company began manufacturing and selling MM540 in India.
The country’s rough and uncertain driving conditions led Mahindra to design its own powerful, handle-anything SUV – the Thar – a compact mid-size four-wheel drive off-road vehicle. Thar is reminiscent of the age-old sturdy Jeep that Indian villagers used for years. However, the latest version is revived with certain changes, still keeping it classic retro look intact.
This retro modern vehicle has got the heritage retro looks with the performance of a modern day SUV. The overall design and appearance of the Mahindra Thar is similar to the old Mahindra SUVs and the American Jeeps.
Voted as one of the top 10 SUVs in the Indian market, Thar is available in three variants – the CRDe 4×4, DI 4×2 and DI 4×4. The Thar DI is positioned as a rural style-seeker while the Thar CRDe is a hardcore off-roader for urban dwellers.
What makes the Mahindra Thar different from the regular model are a bunch of additional equipments, both, inside and out. However, technically it remains unchanged.
Thar is a perfect off-roader made for the Indian off-roads which manages to be easy on the pocket, unlike its European counterparts. Having incredible off-roading capability, Thar stands out among the pseudo SUVs due to its capacity to take enormous amount of beating. Throw it at any kind of terrain – slush, loose sand, empty river bed, jungle trail – and it will show what it is capable of.
Engine
The Mahindra Thar is a good combination of engine, gearbox and chassis. It is the first car of India to get an oil-burner BS IV CRDe engine in soft top. It is powered by a 2.5-litre engine that generates 105bhp and 247nm of torque at 3800rpm and 1800-2000rpm respectively, delivered through a five-speed gear-box.
Having ample grunt for excellent and effortless highway cruising, its powerful engine is actually derived from the Bolero that gives the Thar a thrilling performance. The car has got disc brakes in the front along with drum brakes at the rear wheels.
Interior and Exterior
The iconic Mahindra Thar immediately grabs your attention with its butch styling. However, as you step inside, the feeling is exactly the opposite. The car has simplistic and minimalist design inside. Being an off-road vehicle, there is not much focus on luxury of the car, but still it gets comfortable seats. Thar’s driving position is impressive and the upright seat gives a commanding view of the surrounding. The rear seats are placed longitudinally in order to accommodate more passengers which is helpful on rural roads.
The Mahindra Thar comes in five colors – Diamond White, Fiery Black, Mist Silver, Rocky Beige and Toreador Red.
Mahindra Thar’s Competitors
Because it caters to such a niche market, that too with a low price, Thar faces no real competition in the country. However, its closest rivals include the Maruti Gypsy and Force Gurkha. But packed with powerful engine and a strong retro design, Thar shares the company’s rich DNA of building jeeps and stands very confidently against its competitors.
Mahindra to launch various new models in the upcoming year
SUV segment has slowly become the new battlefield for auto manufacturers to create their supremacy. This year is going to be an exciting one in this segment as the SUV leader Mahindra is betting on various new launches in order to improve its market share. Recently, they launched the new Scorpio and an upgrade is expected for the highly successful XUV500 and Thar, apart from the launches of the S101, S102 and S301 SUVs.
1 Comment
Nice car