New Mahindra Thar here early next year

The all-new 2021 Mahindra Thar has been revealed and Australia will be the first export market to receive the next-generation Indian off-roader in the first half of next year.

Revealed over the weekend in India, where it goes on sale by October, the new-generation Mahindra Thar will be higher-tech but just as capable as the outgoing model, which was never sold in Australia because it didn’t meet local safety requirements.

All that changes with the new model, which is about the same size as the Jeep Wrangler and also looks a lot like it with a seven-slot grille flanked by a pair of round indented headlights, but will be closer in price to the Suzuki Jimny (currently priced from $25,990).

However, whether the new Mahindra Thar comes with a maximum five-star safety rating and arrives here looking exactly like this remains to be seen.

Earlier this year the International Trade Commission ruled in favour of a complaint by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) – that Mahindra’s new Roxor imitated the design of the Jeep Wrangler – putting US sales of the side-by-side off-roader at risk.

But in June the Indian car-maker said it would explore all of its appeal options in a process that could take months or years, and that in the meantime it will produce a redesigned version. Depending on the outcome of the court action, the design of the new Mahindra Thar may also be changed before it’s sold in export markets.

Mahinda has always said its Roxor and Thar designs deliberately and legitimately mimicked the original Willys Jeep, which it produced in India in the 1940s under a license that continues today – despite the fact FCA now owns the Jeep brand.

Unlike the Jeep Wrangler, the Mahindra Thar is strictly a two-door, but is available with three roof options (hard-top, convertible and fixed soft-top) and two rear seating configurations – traditional forward-facing and twin side-facing seats.

Like its predecessor (not to mention the original Willys, the Wrangler and the Jimny), the new Mahindra Thar is based on a rugged ladder chassis but adds independent front and multi-link rear suspension.

Ground clearance (226mm), wading depth (650mm), approach angle (41.8 degrees), departure angle (36.8 degrees) and ramp-over angle (27.0 degrees) are all claimed to be class-leading.

Both of its turbocharged four-cylinder engines, including a 110kW/320Nm 2.0-litre petrol unit and a 95kW/320Nm 2.2-litre diesel, are matched to either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, part-time four-wheel-drive system, two-speed transfer case and rear differential lock.

There’s no sign of the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system that’s required for a five-star independent safety rating, which the Wrangler also lacks.

However, in India the Thar comes standard with electronic stability control with rollover mitigation, electronic brakeforce distribution, anti-lock brakes, twin front airbags, tyre pressure monitoring, hill-start assist and hill-descent control.

What’s more, a host of new mod-cons will be included, such as a 7.0-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and roof-mounted speakers, plus cruise control, rear parking sensors and LED daytime running lights and tail-lights.

The 2021 Mahindra Thar features two-tone bumpers, rides on 18-inch alloy wheels with 255/65 all-terrain tyres and will be available in six bright paint colours: Red Rage, Mystic Copper, Napoli Black, Aquamarine, Galaxy Grey and Rocky Beige.

What’s coming from Mahindra:
New Thar – 2021
Pik-Up auto – 2021
XUV redesign – 2022
Scorpio redesign – early 2022
Pik-Up redesign – 2023
Compact SUV – TBC