All-new Mahindra Thar has been in the news ever since it was launched in the market. It was one of the most awaited SUV from Mahindra this year. Mahindra has started accepting bookings and have also started deliveries but, there is a huge waiting period for the SUV because of its high demand. Recent test results from Global NCAP also revealed how safe the new Thar actually is. It had passed the crash test with 4 stars which is quite commendable. The Thar had not just scored a 4 star rating for adult occupants but, also for child occupant safety. There is a slight possibility that Mahindra might discontinue, its 6-seater variant and the reason behind it could be the NCAP test.
The variant that Mahindra had sent to Global NCAP for crash test was the 4 seater variant with front facing seats. It is the front facing seat version that has received 4 star rating from the Global NCAP. Talking to Carandbike, Dr. Pawan Goenka, Managing Director-Mahindra & Mahindra said,
So four star applies to only the front facing seats and not to side facing seats and Global NCAP is very strict about ensuring that the four star rating applies to all the variants of the model and therefore they will always test the vehicle that is the least in terms of safety equipment.
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The six seater version that comes with side facing seat comes with lap seat belts only. This will affect the safety rating of Thar as the front facing seat version gets proper three pointer seat belts. Looking at safety point of view, there are chances that Mahindra might soon dump the six seater version and start offering Thar with 4 seats as standard.
Mahindra also mentioned that they have currently stopped accepting bookings for lower AX trims on which 6-seat option was available. They are currently focusing on the production of LX variant which is in demand. Mahindra Thar is a very well built SUV and the only reason why it did not get a 5 star rating was because of the driver side footwell area which was rated unstable (not dangerous) during the test. The body shell had received stable ratings.
Mahindra Thar is available with two engine options. A 2.0 litre mStallion turbocharged petrol engine that generates 150 Bhp and 320 Nm of torque and a 2.2 litre mHawk turbocharged diesel engine that generates 130 Bhp and 320 Nm of peak torque. Both petrol and diesel engine options are available with manual and automatic gearbox options. Mahindra now has enough orders for the all-new Thar till May 2020. It’s likely that the automaker will suspend bookings of the SUV until it’s able to meet the backlog of orders. Mahindra is also planning to boost production of the Thar by a full 50 %, from the current 2,000 units per month to 3,000 units per month. This production boost is expected to reduce wait time of the SUV quite significantly.
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