Used Car Buying Guide: Mahindra Thar
The Mahindra Thar has gotten extremely popular with time but with the introduction of the Thar Roxx, the prices of Thar 3-doors have become reasonable and there are a lot of good deals. Here is a buying guide for the Mahindra Thar.
The Mahindra Thar has been one of the most popular off-road vehicles in the country and with the introduction of the new generation Thar in 2020, it has become extremely desirable. The Thar is not only a favourite of off-road enthusiasts but it also is a hit between people who want a big burly SUV.
With the introduction of the Thar ROXX, the prices of the 3-door Thar have come down quite a bit and there are some amazing deals in the market. Since these cars were sold in good numbers, there are quite a lot of options too. Here is a used car buying guide for the Thar. We will only be talking about the Thar models and not the previous jeep models that Mahindra introduced which the Thar succeeded.
The first generation of the Thar was launched back in 2010. It was an experience to say the least but it was a simple vehicle which harked back to the origins of Mahindra Jeeps. The first generation of the Thar was a bare bones vehicle which only had one and only one purpose and it was to be a tough vehicle.
The first generation of the Thar had a Di engine which was pretty basic to say the least. It only had 63 bhp and 147 Nm of torque. It could be had with either 2WD or 4WD, and AC was also optional. In 2015, a more powerful CRDe engine was introduced which changed the game. The Thar now had a respectable 105 bhp and 247 Nm of torque. There were no automatics in this generation and a 5-speed manual was the only option.
In our experience, the CRDe is the way to go. It provided ample power for all things off-road and also came equipped with basic safety features like dual airbags and ABS. Later models also came with a mechanically locking differential which was earlier only an accessory in the Thar.
It was 2020 and while the world was still in a state of shutdown, Mahindra released the new generation of the Thar. It was an instant hit. With people stuffed into their homes for so long, there was a newfound love for going outdoors and off-roading. The second-generation Thar was what brought off-roading to the mainstream.
At launch, the Thar 3-door could be had with both a hard top and a convertible top. In terms of the engine there was a 2.0L turbo petrol and a 2.2L diesel engine, both of which could be paired to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed auto. One great thing about the Thar was that it could not be a daily driver for many as it has a lot of the creature comforts that the previous generation of the Thar was missing. The new car has a screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, its quite safe and also quite capable.
The Mahindra Thar came with a proper 4x4 system and had a mechanical locking differential as standard as well for the early models. The later models had it removed but they also gained a rear-wheel-drive engine with the introduction of the mHawk 115 which was a 1.5L diesel motor. We do recommend people buy the 4x4 variants to know what the Thar experience is all about.