THERE aren’t many Mahindra Thars on the road and it turned some heads during our test drive.
I’m not sure if it was due to the scarcity or the unmistakable resemblance to the Jeep Wrangler.
And it’s no fluke as the Thar’s legacy could be traced back to the original Willys Jeep, which Mahindra manufactured under licence more than 70 years ago.
From a looks perspective, the muscular Thar impressed, and the snorkel is a cool touch, but it’s a different story inside.
The cockpit is basic and if you have passengers in the back, they will have to be content with the steel benches. The lack of bells and whistles is deafening. There’s even no radio, maybe because the Thar is so noisy that you won’t really enjoy your tunes.
It’s not an ideal day-to-day car or the best option for town driving, but the Thar is a different animal in its natural habitat – the bush. It’s quite capable when it comes to off-roading and it didn’t disappoint. It is fun taking the Thar for some bundu bashing.
The ground clearance of 200m is more than decent, and the 4x4-system allows for shift on the fly between 4x2 and 4x2 and high and low range. Under the hood, the Thar’s 2.5 TCI-CRDe turbo-diesel engine delivers 78kW and torque of 247Nm. The Thar is simply a cool and fun off-roader and with Mzansi’s pothole-ridden roads, the 4x4 has a blast.
Pricing: Thar 2.5 CRDe 4x4 from R242 999
CRDe 4x4 Adventure from R305 999
