All-new Mahindra Thar
Mahindra is all set to give the Thar a massive revamp. The revamp will involve a completely new generation off-roader, design to succeed the current Mahindra Thar, which was first introduced in 2010. The all-new Thar will share its platform with the new Scorpio, and will also borrow many other key attributes such as the body-on-ladder frame, engine, gearbox, four-wheel-drive transfer case, brakes and possibly even the infotainment unit. The 2020 Mahindra Thar will be unveiled at the upcoming Auto Expo this year, which is also when it’s likely to be launched in India. The new Thar will be a global offering and will be designed not just to meet Indian regulations but also global safety and emission rules. It will be Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) compliant right from launch and is likely to be introduced with a diesel engine. A turbocharged petrol engine is likely to follow in due course of time. Here a bunch of new spy shots that show a 2020 Thar that seems nearly production-ready.
The all-new, 2020 Mahindra Thar will get front-facing seats for the passengers at the rear and will be a four-seater. The top-end trim will get a factory-fitted hardtop, upmarket but hard-wearing interiors, a touchscreen infotainment system – possibly with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, driver and passenger airbags and also ABS. A four-wheel-drive layout with a shift-on-the-fly feature from Borg Warner is likely. Low and high ratios will be offered with the four-wheel-drive transfer case.
A lower trim with bench seats and a soft top is expected to be launched, keeping semi-urban and rural markets in mind. The lower trim will also get essential safety features but will be quite utilitarian in terms of the interiors, features and creature comforts. It’s also expected to be much cheaper than the top-of-the-line hardtop 2020 Thar.
Under the hood, the 2020 Mahindra Thar is expected to feature a brand new, 2 liter-4 cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with about 120 Bhp-300 Nm on tap. This engine has been developed by Mahindra for a range of SUVs including the Scorpio and XUV500. The new engine will not only be BS6 compliant but will also be able to meet even tougher emission norms that will come into place in 2022, in the form of Realtime Driving Emissions (RDE) cycle.
A 6-speed manual gearbox will drive the rear wheels of the new Thar, and all four wheels will be powered when the four-wheel-drive mode is activated. A turbo petrol engine and an automatic gearbox are also in the pipeline for the new Thar. The new off-roader is expected to be significantly more expensive than the outgoing model, but check out the prices at Group 1 Mahindra.
Article source: https://www.cartoq.com/2020-mahindra-thar-production-version/
