A new generation brings with it more versatility. The Thar is now offered with a 2.0-litre petrol engine that makes 150PS and 320/300Nm of torque (AT/MT). The diesel is a new 2.2-litre unit producing 130PS and 300Nm of torque. Both engines are turbocharged and available with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard with the option of an AISIN 6-speed automatic. A rear biased 4x4 drivetrain comes as standard.

We only had a brief drive in Mumbai in which we sampled the petrol automatic, diesel automatic and diesel manual.

Diesel Manual

The one big difference you first notice is the refinement. The new diesel is extremely smooth at start up and vibrations are controlled very well too. If you drive an old Thar, this one is a giant leap ahead in the NVH department. The controls are light and easy to use as well. The steering is about as light as it is in the XUV300 and the clutch throw is neither too long nor too heavy to manage traffic. Even the gear lever is smooth to use and slots in without a fuss. That’s a big relief compared to the old one which had different time zones for each gear.

What also stands out is the low rev torque. Second gear, 900rpm at 18kmph on a sharp incline and the Thar shows no signs of struggle! It climbs with joy inducing ease which is a good sign for its off-road ability. The motor itself isn’t too vocal. Yes, you can tell it’s a diesel and it does get loud after 3000rpm but the noise doesn’t boom or reverberate inside the cabin. Once you’re cruising in top gear, the engine noise is negligible and the car feels relaxed.

Diesel Automatic

The 6-speed automatic transmission of the Thar feels similar to use as the XUV500 AT. It’s a torque converter and is reasonably responsive for regular use. With part throttle, gear changes can be felt a little and hard downshifts will be accompanied with a head nod. It’s not lightning quick by any means but gets the job done and makes daily drives hassle free. Yes, you do get a Tiptronic-style manual mode as well but no paddle shifters.

Petrol Automatic

What stands out the most in the petrol is its refinement. If the vibrations at startup/while driving hard are acceptable in the diesel, they’re negligible in the petrol. It’s not a dull engine either. Sure, there’s some turbo lag but it doesn’t feel lazy and picks up pace very quickly. Throttle response is good too and it’s a reasonably rev happy engine. The automatic transmission also feels smoother here than in the diesel, though the difference is marginal.

One oddity is a loud fluttering noise that you can hear from the exhaust when you floor it. It doesn’t show up in regular driving conditions but is quite noticeable when you get close to the redline.

The petrol will probably be the engine of choice for the urban Thar buyer. It should match the diesel for off-road performance and makes a lot of sense for those who just want a cool retro SUV as a second or third car. However, our experience with big SUVs running turbo-petrol engines tells us that fuel efficiency could just be a weak point and we’ll know better after a proper road test.

Ride & Handling

It’s an old-school ladder frame SUV and behaves like one. The Thar’s ride quality is noticeably stiff and imperfections on the road do unsettle the cabin. Its ride feels jiggly over small bumps but it’ll blast through big potholes without a fuss. There’s also heaps of body roll and it doesn’t take much time to realise this isn’t an SUV you can chuck into a corner without your heart rate seeing a big spike. Even hard braking sees the car dive forward and you can feel your position change in the seat.

Simply put, if you own a compact SUV/subcompact SUV, do not expect that hatchback/sedan-like drive experience here. So as it stands, the Thar is still an off-roader that can handle tarmac decently. It is, by no means, an alternative to regular urban SUVs.

Off-Roading

The Mahindra Thar gets a shift-on-the-fly 4x4 system as standard with four modes: 2H (two-wheel drive), 4H (four-wheel drive), N (neutral) and 4L (crawl ratio). It also gets an auto-locking rear mechanical differential as standard, while the LX grade also gets ESP and brake-based electronic locking differentials (acts on front and rear axles). The brake locking differential activates when a wheel speed difference of over 60rpm is detected. Theoretically, the system negates the need for the mechanical rear differential lock, which is active after a 100rpm difference is detected.

There are also differences in the approach, departure and breakover angles and a bump up in ground clearance too, illustrated below.