The Mahindra Thar - the original three-door version - finally gets a long overdue facelift, although the changes are small and subtle. With prices starting at Rs. 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom), the Mahindra Thar facelift covers all the existing engine, fuel, and drivetrain variants, with some useful and meaningful improvements both inside and outside the cabin. Under the hood, there are no changes; the Thar is offered with the same engine options - 1.5L diesel (RWD), 2.0L petrol (RWD and 4WD), and 2.2L diesel (4WD), with both manual transmission and automatic transmission options retained.
ALSO SEE: Mahindra Thar Roxx review
The changes in the exterior and just a handful, notably the new body-coloured front grille and improved dual-tone bumper, R18 alloy wheels, and two new colour options - tango red and battleship grey - to make for a total of six colour options. The changes in the cabin are a bit more significant, notably a larger 10.25-inch infotainment display to replace the 7-inch display on the older Thar. You get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, along with Mahindra's improved Adventure Stats Gen II statistics system for more informed off-roading.
Other changes include a new centre console with a sliding armrest for the driver and rear AC vents, an all-black dashboard, door-mounted power windows, rear-view camera, grab handles on both sides for easy entry, and rear wash and wiper. To keep your gadgets juiced up and connected, there are USB Type-C ports at the front and rear.
Although it's got the same systems under the hood, Mahindra says that the Thar has gone through a lot of minor tweaks and tuning which is said to improve the overall drive experience. Prices range from Rs. 9.99 lakh to Rs. 16.99 lakh (ex-showroom) depending on the variant.