4 reasons to buy the 2020 Mahindra Thar & who should wait for Maruti Suzuki Jimny!

People were waiting eagerly for the new generation of Thar to launch in India. People have always loved the Thar for its off-roading capabilities even though it was pretty bare bone. However, the new-gen Thar is on sale now and it has impressed a lot of people. There are a host of changes made to the Thar to make it more appealing to the people which has definitely helped in attracting new people to the Thar family. Mahindra has priced the 2020 Thar at Rs. 9.80 lakhs ex-showroom. With these updates and price, the Thar appeals to more people and today we will list 4 reasons for buying the new Thar.

Off-road capabilities

The first-gen Thar was one of the most capable SUVs that you could buy in the Indian market and Mahindra has enhanced those capabilities with the 2020 Thar. The ground clearance of the 2020 Thar has gone up by 39mm and is now rated at 226mm while the water wading abilities have been increased from 500mm to 650mm. The breakover angle has been improved from 24 degrees to 27 degrees while the departure angle is increased from 31.6 degrees to 36.8 degrees. The approach angle is now rated at 42 degrees. Then there is the 4×4 system of the Thar, it still gets a low range transfer case that you can shift-on-fly. It also comes with 2H, 4H, 4L and a mechanical locking differential.

Better daily driver

Earlier people bought the Thar as a weekend car or if they lived alone. However, that is changed with the new generation. Mahindra has worked extensively on the 2020 Thar to make sure that it is as good and practical on the road as it is off-road. The biggest addition is the front-facing seats which can seat two people abreast. Then there is the ride quality which is improved than the previous generation.

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The 2020 Thar is less bumpy and slightly firm when driving on slow speeds. There is a certain toughness you experience when you are driving the SUV. It can gobble up the biggest of potholes and speed breakers without breaking a sweat. The faster you go over the bumps and potholes, the more flat and stable the 2020 Thar feels. So, the ride quality of the 2020 Thar is great and the same goes for the city manners. The light steering makes sure that your arms don’t have to do a workout when whenever you are parking or making a u-turn. The visibility is great all around, thanks to the huge glass area. Yes, the spare wheel does hamper the rear visibility but you have got huge rearview mirrors and rear parking sensors that help you in the parking.

Powerful engines

Mahindra has introduced its newest range of engines with the 2020 Thar. Unlike earlier, it is now available with both petrol and diesel engine and. There is the 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine that produces 130bhp of max power and a peak torque output of 300Nm. It is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard. You can also get a 6-speed automatic with which your torque output gets increased to 320Nm. Then there is the 2.0-litre mStalion petrol engine that produces 150bhp of max power and 320Nm of peak torque. It is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed automatic. When compared the previous generation of Thar used to come with a 2.5-litre CRDe diesel engine that produced 105bhp of max power and a peak torque output of 247Nm. So, the new engines are much more powerful and torquey. They are also very tractable so you won’t have to downshift frequently and the NVH levels are also way better. The turbo lag is well contained and the torque is spread evenly across the rev band. This enhances the drivability of the Thar in the cities.

Feature rich

The previous generation of the Thar was pretty bare bone but that is not the case with the new generation. Mahindra has ensured that the 2020 Thar is easy to live with on a day-to-day basis. There is a new 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system which is equipped with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Mahindra offers steering mounted controls, LED Daytime Running Lamps, 8-way adjustable driver seat, LED taillamps, Adventure statistics system and Multi-information display. Moreover, it now also gets cruise control, keyless entry, automatic climate control and voice commands.

Safety equipment includes Hill Descent Control, hill-hold, tyre pressure monitoring system, roll-cage, ESP, roll-over mitigation and dual airbags. It might not be as feature equipped as the mid-size SUVs but it still a big step up from the previous Thar and is well-equipped for a proper off-roader.

Should you buy the 2020 Thar or wait for the Maruti Suzuki Jimny?

 

One more 4×4 that the people are curious about is the upcoming Maruti Suzuki Jimny’s launch in India. The Jimny will be a proper 4×4 off-roader and a successor to the legendary Gypsy. When we compared to the Thar, the Jimny will be more of a weekend getaway SUV. It will be what the previous generation Thar was. Although a bit more compact, less powerful and with a petrol engine. It will be powered by the 1.5-litre petrol engine that produces 104PS of max power and a peak torque output of 138Nm. If the Jimny is able to under-cut the Thar and also launch a 5-door version of it then it will definitely give a stiff competition to the Thar. What will also help the Jimny is the trust factor attached to the Maruti Suzuki brand. It will be interesting to see what the future of 4×4 SUVs holds.

Having said that we think that you should wait for the Jimny if you want a vehicle that you will only be driving on weekends for off-roading. However, if you are looking for a 4×4 SUV that is more practical, spacious and can also carry your family with you then the 2020 Thar is the better pick.

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