The lifestyle off-roading segment in the country is heating up after the arrival of the Maruti Jimny 5-door to challenge the monopoly of Mahindra Thar.
Mahindra is offering discounts of up to Rs 65,000 on select variants of its popular Thar SUV after the prices of the Maruti Jimny were revealed last week. The latter has undercut the Thar by significant margins to emerge as the most affordable 4×4 in the country. Jimny is an established product that has been selling well in international markets for decades now. However, the Indian market has been enamoured by the Thar for a long time. In fact, the five-door version of the Thar is on its way and has been spotted testing multiple times. Currently, Mahindra is trying to retain customers after getting to know the aggressive pricing of the Jimny.
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Mahindra Thar 4×4 Discounts
As per the latest reports, Mahindra is offering upto Rs 65,000 worth rebates on the LX 4×4 version of the Thar. The offers comprise of Rs 40,000 cash discount and a Rs 25,000 exchange bonus. This is quite interesting since the prices of the Thar were on the rise in recent months. That is a clear indication that the Indian SUV maker is feeling the pressure for the aggressively priced Maruti Jimny which has already received over 30,000 bookings even before the prices were announced. The potential buyers are flocking to buy the Jimny, especially considering its off-roading abilities and high mileage.
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Specs
Mahindra Thar comes with a 2.2-litre turbo diesel and a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine making 130 hp / 320 Nm and 150 hp / 320 Nm of peak power and torque. There are options of choosing between a manual or an automatic transmission. It has a dedicated 4×4 drivetrain that is capable of carrying the SUV across any terrain. Its prices range from Rs 10.54 lakh for the RWD version to Rs 16.78 lakh, ex-showroom for the top 4×4 trim. Note that the upcoming 5-door variant will command a slight premium over these prices.
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What We Think
With the advent of the Jimny, things are looking great for consumers who get all sorts of options. We can’t rule out the Force Gurkha which has its own loyal fans. At the end of the day, the carmakers are bound to be in such situations where the competition will be stiff. Both these SUVs have their strong points but a fairer comparison of the Jimny will be against the 5-door versions of the Thar and Gurkha. But it would be fair to conclude that it will continue to relish its price advantage over the rivals going forward which could be the deciding factor in determining the destiny of these SUVs in our price-conscious market.
