If the latest leak reports are to be believed, The launch of the highly anticipated Mahindra Thar 2020 could take place sometime around October. Mahindra is aiming to take advantage of the festive season for boosted sales figures, as during festive season companies register decently high sales numbers.
Though it was supposed to hit the dealerships in early 2020, lockdown restrictions were the reason why the launch event was pushed later.
2020 Mahindra Thar: What's new?
There is no denying the fact that Thar has always been a great take-anywhere off-roader. It has been average at best with respect to equipment list on offer, interiors quality and dashboard layout. The 2020 Thar does seem to have worked upon the same and appears to be a lot more user friendly with a better equipment list on offer and expectedly improved quality levels.
Features
With the 2020 update, The tough Mahindra offroader is expected to get an automatic climate control system, touchscreen infotainment unit which will most likely come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity and steering mounted audio controls.
The Thar will also get a host of advanced safety features for the first time. It includes dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, disc brakes on all four wheels, rear parking sensors, seatbelt reminder as standard features across the range. A rear parking camera might also be offered with higher variants.
The lighting system on offer will likely be given a LED treatment. Apart from the introduction of a DRL, updated Thar is also expected to feature LED elements in the taillights.
Other changes
Gladly, it will also get a front-facing seat for the rear passengers which will help it strengthen its utility as a more family-friendly offering. Manindra will also offer a factory-fitted hard rooftop for the very first time with the Thar, it definitely comes across as a welcome change for the SUV.
Engine options
The Thar, fortunately, will be offered with both petrol and diesel engines. The 2.2L diesel engine is sourced from the Scorpio, it produces a healthy power output of 140PS and torque output of 360Nm. This diesel engine will most definitely be offered with the manual engine and even the diesel automatic has been spied, so it is pretty much on the cards.
The details concerning the petrol engine are not yet out officially, but in all likelihood, it will be a 2.0L turbocharged engine which will churn out a power of 190PS. Like the diesel engine, it will come paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox and an automatic gearbox might be added later.
Thar would be offered in both 2WD as well as 4WD configuration as per buyer's needs. While the 2WD will perform well in urban jungles, 4WD will be the full-fledged offroader that boasts of great go-anywhere capabilities.
Expected Prices
The updated muscular SUV will come with a lot of good, though the overall silhouette will remain more or less the same. It is safe to say that it is a major generation update considering the addition of features and even a petrol engine to the lineup.
Justifying all these additions, Thar is all set to receive a price hike and the base variant can now be expected to retail somewhere around Rs 10 Lakhs (up from 9.6 Lakhs for outgoing Thar).
Author's Take
Mahindra Thar has had a prominent following in the Indian Market for the past few decades. The road presence that it offers is simply unparalleled (especially when compared against other cars in similar range), it's offroading capacity is no fluke, and with the latest update, Mahindra has been able to rectify the chink in armour and addition of utility features will mean that it will be more desirable than ever.
It will compete with Force Gurkha and upcoming Suzuki Jimny, which might be launched later this year. Going by the fan following that the Mahindra has going for itself, it does put forward a strong case for itself.
