Shortly, Mahindra will launch a limited edition Thar CRDe 4X4, called the Signature Edition. Limited to 700 units, the Thar Signature Edition will feature Anand Mahindra’s signature on it, and will have many other unique attributes that helps it stand out from the other Thars sold in India. It will get an aquamarine paint scheme, borrowed from the colour palette of the Mahindra Marazzo, special insignia on the art leather seats, revised alloy wheels, front grille insert and an anti-lock braking system (ABS). The Thar Signature Edition will also be sold in Napoli Black colour. Notably, these 700 units of the Thar will mark the end of the production run of the first generation model. An all-new, 2nd generation Thar is in the works, and will be launched in April 2020. Testing has already begun and the new Thar will receive a range of improvements all around. Meanwhile, here’s the leaked brochure of the Thar Signature Edition, courtesy AutoTechIndia.
As the brochure scans indicate, the Signature Edition of the rugged off-roader will not change mechanically except for the addition of ABS. The off-roader will retain the 2.5 liter-4 cylinder CRDe turbocharged diesel engine with 105 Bhp of peak power and 247 Nm of peak torque. A five speed manual gearbox will be standard, along with a four wheel drive transfer case with low and high ratios.
The Thar will continue to be rear wheel driven on regular roads with the four wheel drive mode meant to be activated only off the road. The Thar CRDe Signature Edition will continue to be a soft top, and will get an eight seat layout. The whole idea behind buying this SUV is to get one of the last few hundred examples of the classic ‘Jeep’ design that will no longer be available in the all-new, 2020 Thar, which will be heavily re-engineered to meet tighter safety norms and as a consequence will lose some of the butch Jeep shape.
The 2020 Mahindra Thar will also get a brand new engine and gearbox. The Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) emission norms compliant 2 liter diesel engine is likely to make 140 Bhp of peak power and about 300 Nm of peak torque. Newly developed for use on a range of Mahindra SUVs, this engine will also be offered on the XUV500 and Scorpio. The 2020 Thar will move to a new platform which while retaining a body-on-ladder design, is likely to be a lot more refined.
The suspension is likely to get a once over, with better on-road comfort even as independent front suspension and leaf sprung rear suspension design will be retained. The 2020 Thar will also get a factory fitted hard top. The interiors will be totally redesigned. ABS and airbags will be standard safety features, along with reverse parking sensors, seat belt reminders and speed alerts. It’ll be pricier than the first generation Thar.
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