With emission norms tightening from next year, the folks at Mahindra are preparing their existing models for the change. In an update, they have introduced a new engine option to the Thar. And you are reading this first at MotorBash! While the 2,498 cc CRDe engine is already a BS4 compliant mill, the 2,523 cc DI was available only as a BS3-adhering motor so far. And now, Mahindra has launched the BS IV compliant Thar M2DiCR.
Thar M2DiCR is priced at Rs 6.13 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the two-wheel drive version. We do not have an info on its 4-wheel drive version yet. In order to continue selling the cheaper version of Thar, they had to make it BS4 compliant and hence this move.
Essentially, it is the same older DI motor (with tweaks) and currently does the job on the Bolero. The 2,523 cc mill churns out the same 63 bhp of power at 3,200 rpm but the torque has been raised to 195 Nm (1,400 to 2,200 rpm) in comparison with 182.5 Nm (1,500 to 1,800 rpm) of the regular DI version. Transmission remains the same 5-speed manual unit seen in the rest of the range.
[contextly_sidebar id=”6yWQQDZjJZcLuvLIbuysy7mHbEfgsZM6″]
In terms of price differences – the two-wheel drive BS3 DI version costs Rs 5.89 lakhs, while its four-wheel drive option is priced at Rs 6.41 lakhs (both ex-showroom, Delhi). So, essentially, for a cleaner motor you will have to shell out about Rs 24,000 more. The flagship, Thar CRDe (which is already BS4 compliant), on the other hand, is priced at Rs 8.85 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Since Thar is a sub-4 meter vehicle, Mahindra, may, at some point decide to plonk a detuned version of the 1.5 liter engine which was launched recently on the Bolero Power+ to bring it under the lesser ‘small car’ category and save on excise duties…
