In January 2023, Mahindra will be expanding the Thar range in India by introducing new rear-wheel drive variants of the lifestyle SUV. The new Mahindra Thar 4×2 will come with both petrol and diesel engine options and will be positioned at lower price points compared to their four-wheel drive versions. Here’s a video which shows all the major and minor differences between the 4×2 and 4×4 variants of the Mahindra Thar.
In a YouTube video uploaded by Yash9w, we can see the 4×2 and 4×4 variants of the Mahindra Thar parked next to each other. On the outside, there are no differences between the versions of the Thar, save for the 4×4 badge on the rear fender of the four-wheel drive version of the Thar. Apart from that, the butch three-door design, 18-inch alloy wheels, halogen headlamps, LED tail lamps and front and rear bumpers of the four-wheel drive version have been retained in the 4×2 version as well.
Also read: Buying a pre-owned Mahindra Thar is better than buying a new one: 5 reasons
No changes in the cabin
There are no major differences on the inside as well, but since the 4×2 version comes with a rear-wheel drive configuration only, there is no dedicated lever for the operation of the four-wheel drive system in the Thar 4×2. Instead, there is a small storage space in place of the lever for the four-wheel drive system. The infotainment system also misses out on off-road information. Rest assured, the Thar 4×2 gets the same cabin as the Thar 4×4, with the all-black cabin getting a multi-functional steering wheel with cruise control, 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, manual AC and toggle-like switches in the centre console.
The biggest change in the Mahindra Thar 4×2 over the four-wheel drive version lies under the hood. Unlike the Thar 4×4 diesel, which comes with a 2.2-litre 130 PS diesel engine, the 4×2 version has been given the smaller 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine from the XUV300. Here in the Thar 4×2, this 1.5-litre diesel engine claims 116 PS of power and 300 Nm of torque. The Thar 4×2 will also be available with the 2.0-litre 150 PS petrol engine in the same state of tune as the 4×4 version.
These figures make it only 14 bhp lower power than the four-wheel drive version, which does not seem like a big miss on paper, as the torque output is still the same. The version seen in the video gets a 6-speed manual transmission, which is expected to be the only transmission option to be on offer.
For the time being, the Mahindra Thar 4×2 will be offered only with a manual transmission and no automatic transmission. Considering that the length of the Thar lies under four metres and the 1.5-litre engine benefits from the tax limits, the Thar 4×2 diesel will have a considerable price advantage over the Thar 4×4 diesel.
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