The all-new Mahindra Thar has taken the lifestyle SUV market in India by storm. Now it is being rumoured that Mahindra is developing a more powerful turbo petrol engine than the version currently employed on the new Mahindra Thar. The new turbo-petrol engine is expected to develop 30 Bhp more power than the mStallion Series 2.0-litre Turbocharged Gasoline Direct Injection (TGDi) four-cylinder 16-valve DOHC petrol engine.
The current turbo-petrol motor makes 150 Bhp of power and 320 Nm of torque on the Automatic Transmission option and 300 Nm for the Manual Transmission. This engine is capable of propelling the SUV to speeds of up to 150 kmph. The new mStallion Pro series engine which makes more power and torque is expected to increase the top speed to 180 kmph. While the technical details on the powertrain are unknown, it is rumoured that the engine will be called ‘180 mStallion Pro’ and it is expected to make 180 Hp of power. The architecture is also expected to be based on the four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine but comes with a higher state of tune.
The brand is also expected to offer a similar manual and torque converter automatic gearbox with the new engine. The new engine is rumoured to be equipped on the Thar in the second half of 2021. It could also make its way to the 2021 Mahindra XUV500. Along with the petrol engine, the SUV is expected to continue with the diesel powertrain as well. The new Thar is powered by a BS6 emission-compliant mHawk series 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine that makes 130 Bhp of power and 300 Nm of torque.
Recently, the Thar crossed the 6,500 bookings mark in the month of December and the waiting period for the Thar is now more than 9 months in certain markets. The rise in demand has also compelled the brand to ramp up its production by 50%.
