New Mahindra Thar Turbo Petrol ready to run on CNG: Aftermarket parts dealer

Mahindra Thar has been incredibly successful in the Indian market. However, one concern that people have is the low fuel efficiency of the SUV, especially for the turbo petrol engine. Petrol prices have already skyrocketed and people are moving to alternative fuel options like CNG. Here, is a video in which a CNG dealer checks if the petrol Thar can run on CNG or not. The video is uploaded on YouTube by Green Fuels.

The video starts with the dealer going into a Mahindra showroom to check the Thar. He says that the boot of the Thar can fit a 12 kg or a 14 kg cylinder. Then he opens the bonnet of the Thar to check the engine.

Also read: Buying a pre-owned Mahindra Thar is better than buying a new one: 5 reasons

Because Thar’s petrol engine uses direct injection, it requires a special CNG kit. He says that there is a kit available that supports direct-injection petrol engines and the Thar should run successfully with CNG. Then he goes for a test drive of the Thar.

The host says that Thar should deliver a fuel efficiency of 20 km per kg when running on CNG. According to him, per kilometre cost should be around Rs. 3 to Rs. 3.15. He says that he would be able to install the CNG kit in the recently launched XUV700 also.

Thar’s engine and gearbox

Mahindra offers the Thar with petrol as well as a diesel engine. The petrol engine is a 2.0-litre turbocharged unit that comes with direct injection. The engine produces 150 PS of max power. The torque output depends on the gearbox you opt for. So, the 6-speed manual gearbox has a torque output of 300 Nm whereas the 6-speed automatic gearbox has a torque output of 320 Nm.

Then there is the 2.2-litre diesel engine that produces 130 PS of max power and 300 Nm of peak torque. The diesel engine is also offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. Both the engines come with a 4×4 drivetrain and a low-range gearbox as standard.

Prices

As of now, Mahindra offers the Thar only as a three-door SUV. It starts at Rs. 12.78 lakhs ex-showroom and goes up to Rs. 15.08 lakhs ex-showroom.

Mahindra developing 5-door Thar

The homegrown manufacturer has already started development on the 5-door version of the Thar. It will have the same boxy design language but will come with a longer wheelbase. It will have proper rear doors so the rear occupants would be able to get in and out much more easily. In the three-door Thar, the rear occupants have to get in by sliding the front seats forward which is a hassle, especially for elderly people.

Mahindra has improved the suspension of the Thar significantly when we compare it to the previous generation. However, for the 5-door Thar, they want to improve it even further. This will make the ride quality of the 5-door Thar more comfortable. Also, the steering wheel of the 5-door Thar will be lighter than the 3-door Thar. This will aid in manoeuvrability as Mahindra knows the 5-door Thar will mostly be used in cities.

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