There is no doubt in the fact that Mahindra Thar is definitely one of the most popular adventure enthusiast vehicles. This is well within the budget of many and can give you all the thrills and chills that you need when there is no tarmac. Recently DC Designs who is popularly known across India for some of their out of this world Customised vehicles and offcourse India’s first and one and only sports car maker Avanti has decided to introduce customization packs for the Mahindra Thar.

They have released two sketches of a customised Mahindra Thar and there is no doubt that they look badass. Based on what you can notice in the published sketches the Customised Thar will have a hard top which also gets integrated driving lamps as well. However, the front end of the Thar has been completely redesigned and this new design definitely enhances the overall appeal offroad appeal of the SUV. The front also gets redesigned grille and bumper while the front bumper also gets integrated fog lamps as well. The side profile of the SUV has received plastic body claddings which further enhance its offroading capability. Just like the front profile the rear profile of the Thar also has been redesigned. This sketch shows that the Customised Thar will get a redesigned LED taillamps while the rear tailgate has been redesigned to supports the bigger and fatter tyres.

Mahindra introduced the Thar back in 2010, and since its launch, the vehicle has always attracted the attention of those who loves some serious offroading with their vehicle. Now, this is one machine with ample amount of torque that can take on any terrain with ease. The Thar received its first major facelift back in 2015 and while the demands are slowly fading away because of some potential rivals in this segment. According to some recent reports, Mahindra is all set to introduce the next generation Thar in India.

Although not much information is available at this moment, we can certainly say that it will still take some time for Mahindra to introduce the new generation vehicle in the Indian market. However, there are few things which we can certainly inform you at this moment about the upcoming car.

Click past jump to read more about the next generation Thar.

Mahindra Thar is certainly one of the best off roaders the Indian automaker has ever built. No wonder by being the SUV maker of India Mahindra & Mahindra knows how to satisfy the customers with a rugged and capable off-roading worthy vehicle.

Last year Mahindra launched the facelifted Thar, which came with even more rigid capability. The car is powered by a 2.5 litre (2500 cc) CRDe intercooled turbocharged diesel engine paired with a 5 speed manual transmission which churns out 105 PS of peak power at 3800 rpm and 247 Nm of peak torque between 1800 rpm to 2000 rpm. There is another engine available as well, which comes in form of a 2.5 litre DI engine churning out 63 PS of peak power and 182.5 Nm of peak torque. The car is equipped with Borgwarner 4 wheel drive technology, and the Mahindra Thar also comes available with a front wheel drive option.

Dimensionally the car comes with 200 mm of ground clearance, which helps it while off roading. Along with that the 44 degree of approach and 27 degree of departure angles also help the car. On the suspension front the Mahindra Thar comes with IFS with torsion bar and stabilizer bar at the front while the rear gets semi elliptical leaf spring. Braking duty is done by disc at the front wheels while the rear sports drum brakes. Available in three different trims the Mahindra Thar is priced between INR. 5.46 lakh to INR. 8.25 lakh.

Here is a video, which shows what exactly the Mahindra Thar can do when challenged with off roading tasks.

Mahindra & Mahindra is known for being the SUV maker of India. The automaker has several popular SUVs in its stable. Indian customers are generally fond of two particular segments when it comes to cars; compact hatchbacks and SUVs. The Mahindra being the manufacturer of the tough SUVs have always been popular among Indian customers. The automaker organizes off-roading trips for its customers in the rugged and rocky region like Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh, which is known for challenging the drivers with its rocky trails.

Here is a video which shows how a contingent of Mahindra Thars and Mahindra Scorpios taking on the mighty Spiti valley roads, or shall we call it off-roads. Take a look.

If you have opened this article after reading its heading, you probably know what we are going to write about. The iconic Mahindra Thar, which has made itself a cult following in the country, is about to get a comprehensive update in a couple of years. Scheduled to mark its debut in 2018, this next-gen Mahindra Thar is expected to be based on an all-new body-on-frame platform, that will likely enhance it off-road dynamics and on-road stability.

The Mahindra Thar was developed as a contemporary iteration of the old-school Jeep design. And with its new avatar, its gotta get better. Though sources suggest that minimal sheet metal changes will be made on the all-new Thar, Mahindra designers are expected to induce minor design tweaks to modernize the vehicle’s charisma. A hard-top option too might be on the cards that will further enhance Thar’s utility.

Under the hood, the 2018 Mahindra Thar will be powered by a smaller mill, as an attempt to minimize fuel consumption and emissions. Probably having a displacement of 1.5-litre, this new engine will either be a retuned version of the TUV300’s engine, or a small-sized block of the 1.99-litre unit from the Scorpio. Irrespective of its source of derivation, the 1.5-litre will be a part of Mahindra’s mHawk diesel engine family.

At the moment, there is not much to talk about the upcoming Thar, but it is bound to be another step in Mahindra’s revolutionary journey of keeping the iconic Jeep design alive in a market which is being flooded with monocoque platform based SUVs.

Honestly! people buy SUV’s to get the extra edge over the regular sedan or hatchbacks available in the market. Be it space, comfort or their road presence the SUV’s are definitely the first choice amongst car buyers of any country. But one major reason of spending all that extra money and owning a SUV is the fun of actually taking the vehicle out for a weekend trip to that unknown place where there are no guarantees that the tarmac will guide you till you reach your destination.

Offcourse! There are plenty of SUV’s available in the Indian market now at different price points, there are even compact SUV’s which although may not have all the capabilities of a proper SUV but they surely provide you something more than your regular hatchbacks. But a SUV with a four wheel drive is definitely worth every penny of yours, because you know what they are really capable of when there is no tarmac.

In this article we have selected a list of four wheel drive SUV’s which are available in the Indian market within your budget.

Click past jump to read more about the four wheel drive SUV’s available within your budget

Although the trend of compact SUVs is popular in Indian market right now, but, remember not all the SUVs are hardcore off roaders. We know there is a bit of confusion, and all the adventure seekers must be wondering which will be the weapon of choice before going into the off roading battle. So, we are here to help you regarding finding out the best off roading vehicles which suit your budget.

And we mean not just any fancy SUVs, but a vehicle which will help you reach your destination, when the tarmac gives up. For proper off roading a vehicle needs a few hardware, such as an All Wheel Drive (AWD) system, differential locks, impressive amount of torque, hard gripping off roading tyres, and last but not the least courage.
Below provided are the list of SUVs which fit your budget, and provide you all the thrills and frills of off roading.

There are many of us, who have seen the movie “Cars”, where those little toy cars astonished us. Reality could be different, but not that much different that you can’t expect a reel like car in your garage. Although the automobile manufacturers don’t support the over modification, but if you wish for that and willing to spend money for that, then it can be easily possible by a celebrity car designer like Dilip Chhabria.

Recently Mahindra launched their much acclaimed SUV Thar, which is probably best in class in Indian market when the question is about off road capability. Honestly, Mahindra Thar looks best in rugged terrains rather than on the metro city’s polished roads, but DC did that exactly, he simply turned this vehicle into a polished city vehicle, which can perform its due duty on off roads also, but the twist is yet to come. After the makeover the hunk like car looks like it simply came out of the page of a comic’s book or may be from the “Cars” movie itself.

Here we would like to give a “Take A Look” tour to the car straight from DC plant, and he named it DC Urban Thar.

In India the concept of adventure trip is growing day by day, that might be to the rugged Himalayan terrains, or through the hilly jungle areas of north Bengal or north east zone or any other adventure tourism spots. And thus come the growing need and popularity of SUVs. Although the compact SUV segment is doing absolutely fine business now a days, but adventure loving people of northern Indian states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh generally love a bit rugged looking SUV’s than the sophisticated compact SUVs, that’s because of their macho and masculine nature and has a hardcore offroading gene planted in them.

Recently Mahindra launched their much acclaimed Thar in a new avatar, which is of course not comfortable like any other compact SUVs but, definitely the champion when it comes to executing off road tasks, it also earned the title ‘True Blue’ off roader, which really make it the king of the segment. With the Mahindra Thar in fray, only one vehicle is there give it competition, both as per looks, as well as executing tasks at hand, which is Force Gurkha. The later was launched in 2008 didn’t do much business, but compare to the pricing it came easier option for the people who care for their budget most.

Here we will take a comparative look at both the vehicle in a spec comparison

Let’s begin by saying that, ’There is absolutely no other SUV which could compete with Thar when the tarmac gives up on you’.

The Mahindra Thar, was launched back in 2010 and it has rightfully earned the title of a ’true blue’ offroader for various reasons. The Mahindra Thar is basically an evolved and developed version of the CL340 and the MM340 which has achieved many feats when they ruled the roads. The Thar is definitely not comfortable like other SUV’s but when it comes to recreational activities for offroad enthusiast; definitely no one can actually replace this old beast.

When we talk about Thar we definitely cannot ignore the rough and tough diesel heart that it actually carries with it and which is responsible behind all this achievements. This 2.5 Litre beast of an engine delivers enough grunts when needed but also takes care of the fuel economy as well. This diesel unit is a workhorse, push it hard but it never gives up.

Talking about the new facelift Thar, well! This car also gets the same engine under its hood but also gets power steering as standard. However Mahindra also provides plenty of genuine accessories and fitments to actually rebuild your own dream machine according to your own preference and choice. The Thar facelift gets plenty of exterior and interior updates as well, while on the mechanical font it gets an auto engaging differential lock for the rear axle.

click past jump to read more about the new Mahindra Thar facelift

Having listened to user complaints, Mahindra swiftly rolled out an update for its XUV500 that, they claimed, was free from problems that plagued the previous car. It was a welcome update for the car that may instill more confidence into the customer looking for an XUV500. So, we thought Mahindra was going to sit back and watch the sales figure of its flagship model rise.

But, they’re not done. Sources tell that Mahindra has also updated their ultra rugged Thar with a host of new features that improves the driving experience of the Jeep knock-off.

First off, is the new cross bar that Mahindra has welded between the A-Pillar and B-Pillar, to improve the rigidity of the chassis. It was earlier reported that the B-Pillar would flex when negotiating bumpy and the addition of the cross bar would eliminate that problem. Another update underneath is the removal of the front axle auto locking hubs in favor of a fixed flange setup. This allows the torque to keep spinning the front driveshafts.

Inside, the air con switches are straight from the Bolero VLX, rear seats are lowered to about 6-7mm and the roof canopy is now easier to remove and attach than before.

Overall, it’s good to see Mahindra taking the initiative to update their lineup and, for the Thar only, offer current Thar users the chance to install the mentioned updates into their car. New customers need not worry about any price hike as Mahindra has left the price tag untouched for the new Thar.

Aspiration means different things to different people. Aspiration is relative like our idea of fun. What might be aspirational for someone might not be to another. The Tata Nano for example is an aspirational car for those who own a two wheeler. At Topspeed we like cars which make us want to drive. Cars which make us dream, cars which want us want to get behind the wheel and remind us why we became automobile enthusiasts in the first case. In our selection of cars we have consciously kept a 40lakhs cap and have tried to pick cars from different segments. Aspirational cars to us would be those which possess dynamic ability, a responsive and eager engine or like in the case of the Mahindra Thar and the Toyota Fortuner SUV’s, cars on which we could go from home to Timbuktu. The Maruti Suzuki Swift and the Volkswagen Polo 1.6 are the cheapest cars that we have chosen and both these cars and could realistically be afforded by a salaried person while the Skoda Laura offers a involving package both dynamically and performance wise at an attractive price. The 6th car, the BMW 328i is an automotive gem and though beyond the reach of most, it makes us fall in love yet again with automobiles.

The Mahindra Thar has received a fantastic response in states like Punjab, Rajasthan and Karnataka. It suits the macho image of the people and this SUV undoubtedly is a worthy alternative to the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy. Mahindra had launched the Thar without an air con but the manufacturer has now launched an upgraded version of its off-roader, priced at Rs 6.75 lakh ex-showroom, Mumbai which is an increase of Rs 40000 from before. The 2012 Thar which is based on the Bolero and Scorpio chassis now comes with a factory-fitted air-con system and Mahindra has also showcased a customised version of the Thar, called the Thar Expedition which gets a custom-made front bullbar with an integrated electric winch, rock sliders, snorkel, expedition carrier and roll cage. "We are always responsive towards evolving customers’ needs and the launch of the New Cool Thar (AC) is a step towards giving our customers utmost comfort while they navigate through challenging terrain," said Vivek Nayer, senior VP, marketing Mahindra and Mahindra. In 2012 the manufacturer will also be conducting a series of events throughout the year like the Great Escapes, Challenges and Multi-day Escapes to promote and showcase the versatility of their vehicles.

As reported by us earlier,Mahindra has launched their Thar SUV with a company fitted air con and heater. Mahindra however hasn’t added a hard top to the SUV. The manufacturer has also added an engine immobilizer and these additional features have only been added to the CRDe version and not to the Di. The Thar CRDe is now priced at Rs 6.74lakh for the 4WD and Rs 5.50lakh for the Di 4x2, ex-showroom Mumbai. The Thar was launched in India in 2011 but Mahindra has not added an air con to it and customers were getting an aftermarket kit put on. Compared to how much the Thar was priced earlier, customers now have to pay an additional Rs50,000 for the new features.

The Thar comes with a 2.5-litre CRDe intercooled turbo diesel engine which generates105PS and 247Nm of torque between 1800-2000 rpm. A sprint to 100kmph is reached in under 18seconds and this Bolero derived engine has a top speed of 135kmph. The engine is matched to a 5-speed manual gearbox and the Thar gets a Borg-Warner 4WD transfer case with manually changeable high and low ratio option. The SUV has an ARAI claimed fuel efficiency of 18.1kmpl (when not in 4WD). There is also a DI 2.5-litre engine which produces 64PS and 184Nm of torque. While the DI engine comes with an option of 2WD and 4WD, Mahindra isn’t yet giving the option of the air con on it.

The Maruti Suzuki Gypsy is the only competitor of the Mahindra Thar but the Gypsy comes with a 1.3-litr petrol engine and there is no diesel engine on offer.

Off road enthusiasts were thrilled to bits when Mahindra launched the Thar SUV in 2011. The Thar has been well received even though it is a niche product and in April this year Mahindra would be adding to the Thar basic amenities like an AC, a hardtop and a upgraded dashboard. The manufacturer would be increasing the price of the 2012 Thar by around Rs 50,000 and the new dashboard would be more impressive with more attractive controls and features.

Thar buyers till now were putting an aftermarket air con to the SUV and Mahindra would now be adding a factory fitted air conditioning system to the Thar. The hard-top on the Thar is expected to be borrowed from the Bolero and the new dashboard is also expected to be inspired from the Bolero.

The Thar is available with a 2.5-liter DI turbo diesel and a more powerful and cleaner 2.5- liter CRDI mEagle diesel engine. The CRDe intercooled turbo diesel engine generates105PS and 247Nm of torque between 1800 to 2000rpm. This is the same engine as the Bolero and has a top speed of over135kmph with100kmph reached in under 18seconds. The engine is matched to a 5-speed manual gearbox and the Thar gets a Borg-Warner 4WD transfer case with manually changeable high and low ratio option. The ARAI claimed fuel efficiency of 18.1kmpl is also really good for a Jeep. The other engine option is the 2.5-litre diesel engine which produces 64PS and 184Nm of torque.

You don’t know where you’re going till you know where you are come from. Truer words couldn’t have been said in the case of Mahindra. The manufacturer recogizes their roots lie in Jeeps and even though many would say that in today’s world Jeeps are redundant, Mahindra wants to celebrate their heritage. In 1949 the company then known as Mahindra & Mahindra built its first Willys Jeep and 20 years later they started to export the Jeep to Europe. The Willys Jeep provided mobility to the armed forces and to the police after independence and over the years has attained a cult status. On its 60th anniversary, Mahindra launched the Legend – a limited edition 4WD vehicle based on Mahindra MM series. Enthusiasts though were still waiting for a production version of the Jeep and earlier this year Mahindra launched the Thar, the first CRDe Jeep to be sold in the country. Priced at Rs6,35,900 ex-showroom New Delhi, the question is, is the Thar capable of being both a SUV and a urban commuter?