Five-door Mahindra Thar global reveal happening in South Africa

Mahindra’s long delayed second generation Thar is expected to make its official showing in South Africa in mid-August, but not in three-door configuration and initially, not in local market spec either.

Five-door debut

While planned for introduction soon after its world premiere in India three years ago, sales of the licenced offshoot of the Jeep Wrangler never materialised despite it being alleged that prototypes were undergoing testing in readiness for local market availability.

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Instead, the reveal of the Thar will be that of the five-door on 15 August, a date on which India celebrates Independence Day from the United Kingdom, which will take place in South Africa following the unveiling of a number of electric concepts in the UK last year.

According to a weekend report by Autocar India, the decision to unveil the five-door Thar in South Africa rather than India despite the three-door not being offered just yet, stems from the brand’s increasing sales, assembly of the Pik Up bakkie in Durban and importance of the South African market.

Jimny rival

Differing little from the Wrangler in three-door guise, the five-door Thar will take inspiration from the Wrangler Unlimited and in addition to providing seating for five, measure longer and wider while still offering the same 650 mm wading depth and 226 mm of ground clearance.

Despite its Wrangler appearance, the Thar rivals the Suzuki Jimny in India and as such, will take aim at the five-door Jimny prepared for sales unveiling next month.

With the exception of its increased length and extra seats, the five-door Thar’s interior is also unlikely to differ much from the three-door, meaning the standard inclusion of items such as a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, keyless entry and push-button, a removable hard-top, all-around electric windows and like the Wrangler, the ability to disconnect the front axle when off-roading.

Petrol or diesel

In India, the Thar offers a choice of three engines; the 2.0 mStallion turbo-petrol from the XUV 700 retuned to produce 112kW/300Nm, the 1.5-litre turbodiesel from the XUV 300 outputting 87kW/300Nm and the 2.0-litre mHawk oil-burner from the Scorpio-N rated at 97kW/300Nm.

On the transmission front, the entry-level oil-burner comes standard with a six-speed manual routing the amount of twist to the rear axle only,

The mHawk and mStallion derivatives meanwhile both sport the manual or an optional six-speed automatic, together with a part-time four-wheel-drive system including low range.

Given its expected pricing, the entry-level oil-burner and rear-wheel-drive layout are unlikely to take prominence in the five-door Thar, although at present, nothing has been confirmed outright.

More to follow

Priced from Rs 1 054 500 to Rs 1 677 501 (R237 748 to R378 210) in three-door guise, the five-door Thar is expected to come with a significant price premium not yet known or even rumoured.

In spite of its August reveal, the Autocar India report alleges sales only commencing in early 2024, at which point Mahindra South Africa will finally announce availability for the local.

At present, nothing else is known, but expect more details to become apparent leading up to 15 August.

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