Mahindra is gearing up to completely update the Thar SUV and the test mules of the new generation model have been spotted around for a long time now. Slowly but steadily, new details from the spied test models have been pouring in, and this time around, new pictures of the interiors have surfaced on the internet which concern the seating detail in particular.
The predecessor came with a longitudinal bench seating in the rear but the spied pictures of the next-generation model show a forward-facing seat design unlike the longitudinally placed seats on the older model. Pictures also reveal that the new rear seats are likely to come with proper side bolstering for lateral comfort that the SUV is essential on broken roads. Because of the three-door (two front doors) design, the ingress and egress for the rear passengers will be a bit tricky as they will have to fold the front passenger seat to access the rear seats. The seating position though will be much more comfortable than the earlier longitudinally-oriented design and the off-road inclined car will become more family-friendly with this update. One can also notice proper 3-point seat-belts which will be on offer.
Other interior features such as the dashboard and the centre console were heavily camouflaged and not much could be revealed but the dashboard is likely to be updated with the new design and could get a steering wheel identical to the TUV300. The air-conditioning controls are seen with three rotary knobs and just behind that sits a new gear lever and another transfer case control lever used to engage the 4-wheel drive system.
The next-generation Thar is likely to be updated in the chassis department as well to conform with the upcoming crash safety norms. Other safety updates such as seat belt reminders, over-speed alert, driver side airbag, reverse sensors, ABS, etc. will be available on the SUV as a standard part of the pack.
The current generation Thar is powered by a 2.5-litre, CRDe diesel engine which produces 105 HP of power and 247 Nm of torque and this engine is expected to be replaced by a new 2.0-litre diesel engine that could deliver 120 PS of power.
In terms of competition, the 2020 Mahindra Thar will contest with the Force Gurkha which is also likely to be updated significantly.
