[AJ739]

Some interesting scoops on the new 2WD Thar:

1. 2 new options available on the Thar's lineup -
2WD Thar Diesel Manual
2WD Thar Petrol Automatic
These 2 new additions will be Rear Wheel Driven and will come with Hard Top only.
Convertible Top is exclusive to the 4WD variants.

Attachment 2399245


2. Drivetrains and Engine options
Unlike the initial impressions which made us think the 1.5ltr Diesel engine is same as the ones doing the duty on XUV300/BoleroNeo, The D117 CRDe Engine has a different and a better tune which churns out 117ps of power and still puts out 300Nm of torque which is exactly the same as the 2.2ltr MHwak Engine!!

The petrol 2WD gets the same 2ltr MStallion engine churning 150ps power and 320Nm Torque! Without the 4WD and losing the additional weight, I can already imagine the smiles that this will put on everyone's faces (and wallets)!!

Attachment 2399246

Features wise, the 2WD variants carries forward the all the options available on the 4WD (ofcourse, except for the 4WD transmission)

3. 2 New Colors being introduced on the Thar:

Everest White and Blazing Bronze





There are high chances of these Colors being made available as a replacement to the Rocky Beige and Mystic Copper colors on the 4WD variants too.

All in all, Mahindra is moving in the right direction to appeal furthermore to the urban crowd and capture (read disrupt) the market even before the showdown begins at the AutoExpo

[sagsaw]

Originally Posted by sgmuser

Mahindra rushed this one like anything it looks like.


Jokes apart, IMHO Jimny will offer a far more matured 4x4 kit, reliability, after sales and niggle free ownership experience compared to Thar whose advantage will be the Thar brand, ruggedness, size (road presence) and better drivetrains on offer. I can only pity Gurkhas!

Why do you think this is rushed? There were talks of 1.5 liter 2WD at the time of Thar launch itself and so it means the product development was going on since quite some time. No carmaker can launch a variant in 18 months time with a new engine to cater to future norms.

Very clear that 1.5 was in MnM plans all along. With BS6 part 2 coming up along with RDE and CAFE its impossible to get engine ready let alone a vehicle in 18 months.

I also dont understand how Jimny 4x4 kit has been evaluated as matured and not Thars?

Gurkha is maintaining its own customer base and Force Motors and its dealers are quite happy with the response and sales at least in Pune.

5 door Gurkha too is coming soon.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by AJ739

Some interesting scoops on the new 2WD Thar:
1. 2 new options available on the Thar's lineup -
2WD Thar Diesel Manual
2WD Thar Petrol Automatic ... Everest White and Blazing Bronze

As suspected no diesel auto, though am surprised at there being no petrol manual. The owners manual shown in one of the scoop videos definitely shows there will be both manual and automatic in the petrol 2WD versions.

White colour option atlast. Eventhough IMHO, they could have made a more workman's basic version than just a 2WD Thar, the Everest white Thar 1.5 2WD will definitely find places in many fleet sales.

[batish]

White still looks nice, would look great with some larger tyres and modded bumper but I can’t think of anything that would make bronze color look good.

This bronze colour looks really ugly. Out of all the colours present in the gamut, this is what they came up with. Sorry but yuck. I can’t even imagine how this would age.

[Venkatesh]

Mahindra Thar 4x2 RWD in special Golden colour (Blazing Bronze)

- Thar 4x2 RWD will be launched soon. Dealer dispatch started

- CEAT Crossdrive AT tyres

- Metal body parts around the engine are finished in Golden Bronze

Source

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Mahindra Thar 4x2 RWD in special Golden colour (Blazing Bronze)
[

Apologies but this Bronze is a really terrible looking shade. Same goes for Mystic Copper.
These do not suit the Boxy Jeepy thing. Look at this old gen Thar whose owner wants to morph it into a Rubicon. He could have chosen a nicer colour.

Instead of all this colour stuff Mahindra are doing, since anyway the Thar is a Jeep Copy, why not just copy their shade palette as well?

Can have lovely colours like Arctic White, Forest Green, Turf Green (like the Bolero and Scorpio of the early 2000’s), Bayer Blue and Cream/ Ivory like the MM540-MM550 of the 1990’s, etc

[sgmuser]

Originally Posted by sagsaw

Why do you think this is rushed? There were talks of 1.5 liter 2WD at the time of Thar launch itself ......Very clear that 1.5 was in MnM plans all along. With BS6 part 2 coming up along with RDE and CAFE its impossible to get engine ready let alone a vehicle in 18 months.

I also dont understand how Jimny 4x4 kit has been evaluated as matured and not Thars?

Gurkha is maintaining its own customer base and Force Motors and its dealers are quite happy with the response and sales at least in Pune.

5 door Gurkha too is coming soon.

By 'rushed' I meant, there is no real effort from Mahindra to differentiate the 1.5 lit or watered down versions. Except drivetrains, nothing else changed. They should have done some more work and price it well further. At the moment, their only focus is to manage the Jimny threat and push this out as quickly possible, IMHO.

Suzuki's 4x4 tech is far far superior compared to what Mahindra has. They are known for their 4x4 technical prowess like Jeep's and Toyota's but in their own capacity.

Gurkha's engine, interior fit & finish and build quality needs to go a long way before they can be considered competition to either Jimny or Thar. For reliability/fit & finish I will rate Jimny high, but for road presence and engine performance etc. Thar is too good (which itself is a big achievement by Mahindra). The ride quality can be decided only after test driving the Indian spec-ed Jimny. IMHO, Gurkha is nowhere near these two in any of these parameters. Hope this clears my points.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by sgmuser

Suzuki's 4x4 tech is far far superior compared to what Mahindra has. They are know for their 4x4 technical prowess like Jeep's and Toyota's but in their own capacity.

I would not agree with this point.

Mahindra have been making Jeeps for ages and the 4x4 hardware which is present in the old as well as new 2020 Thar is excellent. Even their shift-on-the-fly Borg-Warner set up in the 4WD bolero and scorpio of the 2000’s and the scorpio getaway of the later 2000’s and 2010’s is very effective. The 4X4 of the new Scorpio N is also highly capable.

Their 4x4 technology and capability are proven not only in India but also in East and South Africa and Australia too.

So lets not lightly dismiss the Mahindra 4x4 technical prowess.

[trail_lover]

Thank you members for the updates. Do we know what is the difference between the mHawk and the D117 technically? Both have a common rail diesel injection system. So was wondering how these models with new engine options will come at a more affordable price to prospective customers?

[silverado]

This is great news, however for a brand as strong as THAR, they should have differentiated on styling front for 2wd thar. This will keep the 4wd as aspirational product always.

The biggest gain would be lesser weight, hence remains to be seen how much more fun this would be.

[sgmuser]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I would not agree with this point.

Mahindra have been making Jeeps for ages and the 4x4 hardware which is present in the old as well as new 2020 Thar is excellent. Even their shift-on-the-fly Borg-Warner set up in the 4WD bolero and scorpio of the 2000’s and the scorpio getaway of the later 2000’s and 2010’s is very effective. The 4X4 of the new Scorpio N is also highly capable.

You are contradicting your points. Suzuki makes, adopts, tests and improves AllGrip from 1970s on its own. Mahindra buys from BW Michigan (yes, there are plants in India). Point is Suzuki can customize, refine and improve continuously on their technology, which it has been doing for long time now. Swift, Ignis, Vitara, SX4, Jimny AG versions all are being the proof. There are many type of AllGrip versions as per the needs. Suzuki knows a thing or two in designing and producing 4x4 vehicles not just few years but almost 60 years which is not a simple feat. I have driven 1990s 2 door 4WD Vitara's and they are hardcore off roaders dream - less electronics and raw mechanicals, thus, more control and precision. I don't own neither Thar or Jimny and all my observations are purely reading and learning so, I am not surely biased especially towards Suzuki. I had owned two SX4s one with AWD and one without. That's all.

[amtak]

What I want to see it happening is - 1.5L on 3 Door Thars and 2.2 on 5 Door Thars. Give AT on all variants and keep the plant running at full steam.

This 1.5 variant is tempting enough for those who skipped Thar earlier for lack of space and pricing (ask me!)

[Vibhav-Van]

Originally Posted by AJ739

Some interesting scoops on the new 2WD Thar:

The petrol 2WD gets the same 2ltr MStallion engine churning 150ps power and 320Nm Torque! Without the 4WD and losing the additional weight, I can already imagine the smiles that this will put on everyone's faces (and wallets)!!

This is epic. Any news on the pricing?

4WD Petrol AT costs 15.8 Ex-Showroom Hyderabad. How cheaper could the RWD be? For Scorpio-N, the difference is around 2.3L, between 4WD and 2WD variants.

If we apply the same cost differential, that would mean an ex-showroom price of 12.5L, which could translate to a tad over 15L OTR Hyderabad.

This could sway a good portion of not just Jimny buyers, but also those looking at sub-compact SUVs.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by sgmuser

You are contradicting your points. Suzuki knows a thing or two in designing and producing 4x4 vehicles not just few years but almost 60 years which is not a simple feat. I have driven 1990s 2 door 4WD Vitara's and they are hardcore off roaders dream - less electronics and raw mechanicals, thus, more control and precision. I don't own neither Thar or Jimny and all my observations are purely reading and learning so, I am not surely biased especially towards Suzuki. I ut. That's all.

I have owned a number of Maruti Gypsys and Mahindra Jeeps.
Even today I own one Gypsy and one new Thar.
Yes I agree that Suzuki right from the Hope Star On, has been making neat little 4x4s since the late 1960’s which have since evolved into SJ410’s and Samurais and Gypsys and Jimnys.
Yes also to the fact that Mahindra have been making Jeeps under license from Willys in the US and the original 4x4 hardware was never changed until they started sourcing the newer ones from Borg Warner. And all the original 4x4 hardware of the Jeep remains deeply embedded in the Mahindra DNA. A sort of ‘naturalization’ if you will!
The essential difference between the Suzuki and the Mahindra is primarily the weight. And the fact that the Suzuki was always petrol powered and the Mahindras adopted Diesel to reduce fuel cost.
The only point I make is that whether made in house or outsourced, these 4x4 systems and products have been thoroughly stress tested in varied conditions by multiple users over a very long period of time in India and hence, have more than proven themselves.
This is why I said that we ought not to dismiss Mahindra’s 4x4 prowess lightly.
You can see a sample below of the stack of stuff I keep on both these Marques.

[Autonaut]

The bronze color doesn't look great in the picture, but the white color looks good. Although I do have a 4x4 AT Thar, I would purchase a 2WD if it were for my wife. She navigates Thar with ease, which I'm sure will appeal to lots of women. My one question is: Why do you need an AT tire for this? I favor tyres that are more comfortable, a different alloy design, and modified suspension that puts more of an emphasis on comfort.