SCOOP! Entry-level Mahindra Thar 1.5 diesel 2WD launch in January

The Mahindra Thar will soon get a new powertrain option, along with a new variant addition. The Thar is set to receive a 1.5-litre diesel engine that'll join the current line-up of 2.2-litre diesel and a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engines. The addition of the 1.5-litre diesel engine will also help the Thar qualify in the lower tax bracket since it is under four metres long. The Thar 1.5 diesel was shown to dealers at an event in Igatpuri, Maharashtra last month.

1. Thar 1.5 diesel will be 2WD only
2. Thar 2.0 turbo-petrol will also get 2WD
3. Both variants will be on sale in January

Thar 1.5 diesel 2WD: new entry-level variant

The 1.5-litre engine in the Thar will be the same 1,497cc unit that currently does duty in the Marazzo, and will churn out 117hp on the Thar. This engine will be mated to a five-speed manual gearbox only, with no automatic on offer. Additionally, this engine will only come in 2WD guise, and will not get the 4WD system that is seen on the more expensive Thar 2.2-litre diesel. This, along with the benefits that sub-four-metre vehicles offer, will help Mahindra price the Thar more competitively.

Spy shots of the interior of the Thar 1.5 diesel also clearly reveal that the low-range gear lever on the centre console has been replaced with a new storage console. 

Thar 2.0 petrol 2WD also incoming

Apart from the new 1.5-litre diesel engine, Mahindra will also offer a 2WD variant on the Thar with the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine. Unlike the 1.5-litre diesel 2WD, the Thar 2.0-litre petrol 2WD will be offered with both 6-speed manual and automatic gearboxes. 

Thar 2WD could get a sub-Rs 10 lakh starting price

When Mahindra introduced the now-discontinued Thar AX, it was priced at Rs 9.8 lakh for the entry-level soft-top variant equipped with the 2.0-litre petrol engine. The AX with the 2.2 diesel manual and 4WD, on the other hand, was priced from Rs 10.2 lakh.

With the exclusion of 4WD, and with a smaller 1.5-litre unit, Mahindra can avail excise advantages the smaller engine offers and price the Thar 1.5 diesel 2WD around the Rs 10-11 lakh mark – atleast for the entry-level variant. 

Mahindra Thar 2WD launch timeline

Sources tell us that the Thar 2WD with the smaller 1.5-litre diesel and the 2.0 petrol will go on sale sometime in January 2023, which is also the same month Maruti Suzuki will take the wraps off the 5-door Jimny at the Auto Expo 2023. Mahindra, however, will not be present at the Auto Expo this time.