2020 Mahindra Thar-Expected price, Variants, What's good and what is not

Mahindra has unveiled the new 2020 Thar, with new design, new BS6 engines and an armada of features. I have not driven the new Thar but have followed updates from press release and media sites who have seen and driven the vehicle during media review. I made a series of observations from all of these and am tempted to share them with you in this post.

Mahindra got several things right with the new Thar 2020 but a few concerns still remain. Let us see the positives:

1. Roof Mounted Speakers:  Brilliant Idea. With a water-wading depth of 650mm and ground clearance of 227 mm, Thar can crawl with up to 40 cms of water inside the cabin. And there will be lot more splashing, so door mounted speakers would get ruined super fast. Even dash mounted speakers are susceptible. Roof Mounted will ensure longer durability. On the downside, we are not used to music coming down directly into our ears from top- so this might take some time getting used to. 

2. Urban + Offroad use: Earlier Thars were purely a weekend adventure/offroad vehicles not suitable for city use due to rough engine, poor interiors and an unlockable vehicle body (Can't keep anything safely). New 2020 Thar addresses this concern with a more refined engine.

3. Hard Top, Soft top and Manually adjustable convertible: Looks interesting- but I feel a more flexible approach would have been "Detachable Hard Top". This way for urban use one can drive around in hard top, for weekend, one may remove the hard top and put on a soft top or drive topless. But in current offering looks like hard top is permanent, while soft top can be removed manually if needed.

4. A more capable vehicle: Rear suspension, engines, bigger tyres (18 inch) in LX, shift on fly toggler for 2H/4H/4L all make Thar a much more capable and comfortable ride than before. Fine interiors add to comfort. 

The new 2020 Thar is offered in 2 Engines (Petrol/diesel) * 2 Variants (AX/LX) * 2 transmissions (AT/MT) * 2 drive systems (4x4, 4x2)- that is 16 different combinations. Of course to keep the count less and not to confuse customers too much Mahindra will not offer some combinations. At best some 6-8 combinations will be offered during launch and based on initial response Mahindra may discontinue a few or introduce few more combinations at a later date.

And there’re side facing rear seat/front facing, hard top, soft top and convertible soft top. If I add these as well then we are looking at 16*2*3 = 96 combinations. I am hoping these things can be sorted at dealer level and owner can switch at will.

#	Fuel	Drive	Transmission	Variant	Ex Showroom Price (Predicted)	Predicted on road price
1	Petrol	4x2	Manual	AX	Not sure if planned
2	Petrol	4x2	Manual	LX	NOT Planned
3	Petrol	4x2	Auto	AX	8.99-9.49	11.5-12 lakhs
4	Petrol	4x2	Auto	LX	Not sure if planned
5	Petrol	4x4	Manual	AX	Not sure if planned
6	Petrol	4x4	Manual	LX	NOT Planned
7	Petrol	4x4	Auto	AX	NOT Planned
8	Petrol	4x4	Auto	LX	13.9 to 14.5 lakhs	17.5-18 lakhs
9	Diesel	4x2	Manual	AX	9.99-10..5 lakhs	12.5-13 lakhs
10	Diesel	4x2	Manual	LX	11.5-12 lakhs	14-15 lakhs
11	Diesel	4x2	Auto	AX	Not sure if planned
12	Diesel	4x2	Auto	LX	Not sure if planned
13	Diesel	4x4	Manual	AX	11.5-12.5 Lakhs	14-14.5 lakhs
14	Diesel	4x4	Manual	LX	14.5-15.5 Lakhs	19-19.5 lakhs
15	Diesel	4x4	Auto	AX	12-13 lakhs	15 lakhs
16	Diesel	4x4	Auto	LX	14.95-15.9 lakhs	19-20 lakhs

On top of these there could be some Optional Packages that can be added to AX, that way some of the LX features can be availed at extra cost. AX optional will cost half way between AX and LX variant price.

AX	AX+Optional Package	LX
16 inch steel wheels, side facing rear bench seats, bare minimum features	Few of the LX features extra	18 inch alloy wheels, all the bells and whistles advertised
Cheapest option	Probably 50-80k more than AX	About 2-2.5 lakhs more than AX

This pricing is purely speculative. We will know official pricing on October 2^nd. I feel Mahindra will keep one variant priced at under 9 lakhs so that they can advertise “starting 8.99 lakhs only” where as price for top end 4x4 LX trim will most likely touch about 15-16 lakhs (that is 20 lakhs on road). 

Most manufacturers are also launching with slightly less price and silently revise the price upwards after a few months. Almost all two wheelers have seen their BS6 pricing increased by 500-1000 Rs every 3 months since launch.

Factor’s contributing to 2020 Mahindra Thar’s onroad price

• Engines above 1.5 liter commands 28% GST + 17% Cess, so 45% of Thar’s ex-showroom price will be tax.
• More features than before- all the infotainment system,  hard top, front facing second row seats etc add to cost
• R&D Expense:  New engines, new transmission, suspensions,  4x4 system all these R&D expenses need to be recovered from customers over next one or two years.

What is the value proposition to invest so much in 2020 Thar?

• With its new refined engines and loaded interiors, Thar can replace two cars- You can use it for daily office run and weekend fun. This means you don’t have to spend another 7-9 lakhs on a hatch/sedan. One Thar will suffice.
• Jeep Wrangler, with which Thar is compared with, costs 50 lakhs on road. Compared to that, Thar feels super cheap at 20 lakhs.
• No competition.  Everyone has a hatch, sedan or SUV. But there is no other vehicle in India like Mahindra Thar. So those keen on offroad capable lifestyle vehicle don’t have much alternatives. None of the ‘compact SUVs’ in 20 lakh bracket can compete with Thar. Tata Safari is discontinued, there is Bolero and Force Goorka but both are yet to be upgraded to BS6 and real full size SUVs like Fortuner and Endeavor cost 30 lakh upwards.  So till a competition arises (Suzuki Jimmy/Ghurkha upgrade), Thar will rule this niche segment.

I've driven the earlier generation Thar in Goa- you can read my review here. Also witnessed several offroading events near Chennai where Thars took part in large numbers. In summary quality of materials was cheap and comfort was minimal, though vehicle was very capable as an off roader.

Current concerns/points to watch out for regarding the new 2020 Thar

#1 What to do with luggage?

Four people heading out will have couple of big bags. Thar cannot accommodate much luggage. Rooftop carrier seems tricky, particularly on soft top. You will most likely have to limit your bags or people or have another car in the group.

#2 No image available for AX/Side facing rear seat. 

We don't know how basic AX variant looks and how Thar looks with side facing rear seats. Most probably they will be a lot basic than what LX variant looks (all images available as of now are of LX trim). Getting to front facing rear seat in a big challenge. For short drives, side facing bench seats might just work. Don't think side facing rear seats will have seat belts. Depending on your intended usage you've to decide which one works for you.

#3 Fuel Economy info is awaited

With petrol nearing 100 Rs a liter mark and diesel costing almost as much as petrol, if you are using the car for weekday office runs as well, then fuel economy will be a factor. While a small hatch can give almost close to 20 kmpl, the more powerful beasts in Thar will probably give 13-14 kmpl at best in 2H. (I am just guessing)- So you've to factor this extra fuel spend over its lifetime.

#4 Bonnet mounted radio antenna is prone to damage by kids or strangers. Mounting it high up near the windshield/roof would have been better.

Is Automatic better or Manual for offroading?

Both have their pros and cons. Manual gives better control assuming you know what you want, but there are situations an automatic will handle the situation better than manual. There are multiple videos on youtube to help you understand the impact better. For your purchase decision do not worry so much, go for what you prefer on everyday drive.

Should you rush to buy 2020 Thar?

While Thar looks impressive on paper and in initial reviews I would say give a new car 4 to 6 months for initial feedback to emerge from real customers. Automobile companies are under constant pressure to launch new products faster, cheaper so there will be cost cutting and quality compromise. First batch of customers usually work as free testers for new cars- who pay from their pocket and then report all the problems to carmaker, who can then silently fix them, without giving any compensation to original customer. Don’t be that person. Hold on for 4-6 months and then book.

What do you think?