As is common knowledge by this point, Mahindra is readying an all new version of Thar lifestyle SUV that will be launched in the Indian market some time next year. This will be a generation update and will bring a host of changes to the Thar SUV. The Thar has not been updated in this major a manner ever since it was first launched in the Indian market. The updated model of the SUV has been spotted several times and there has been speculation that the upcoming Mahindra Thar will come with a hard top as roof from factory as standard. Now there are pictures doing rounds on the internet that give a kind of proof that the upcoming model update will indeed come with the hard top as standard from the factory. The new photos also reveal a lot of interior stuff of the SUV.
The photos present a Thar testing on the roads of India and the roof of the vehicle is a metal sheet that is pained in black. This clearly indicates that the company is indeed planning on launching a hard top version of the Thar as testing it with the same only makes sense in that scenario. As we have already stated, the upcoming new generation of Mahindra Thar will be wider and longer than before, and the spy pictures also confirm the same. This will be a departure from the traditional styling of the SUV.
Mahindra seems to have been doing its homework well as the Thar will get an option of a factory-fitted, removable hard-top for the first time. This will add to its practicality in difficult weather conditions like extreme heat or rain. Further, this will also make many potential customers buy the Thar who until now liked the way it looked but were worried about its practical usage.
As already mentioned, the new generation Thar will be larger in dimensions and will offer more cabin space than the current model. this has been made possible due to the all-new platform that has been borrowed from the next generation Scorpio. This new platform is a body on ladder platform reportedly borrowed from Ssangyong. However, it will also affect the off-road capabilities of the Thar a little bit. The wheel articulation among other things will be negatively affected due to the new platform. New Thar will be BNSVAP safety standards compliant and will also pass the new crash test norms. It will come with ABS, airbags among other safety kits now made mandatory by the government.
The Mahindra Thar, like the current generation model, will only come with a diesel powertrain initially. The company is reportedly developing an all-new 2.0-litre turbocharged engine that will comply with the upcoming BSVI emission norms. On the Thar, this engine is likely to churn out power in the range of 120 Bhp to 140 Bhp. The same engine will also be found under the hoods of the next generation Mahindra Scorpio as well as the new generation XUV500.