Little did Jeep know that when they decided on the nomenclature of the Wrangler before its launch in 1986, it would result in big, er, wrangles with rivals, rather than it referring to a cowboy rounding up livestock. Jeep and Indian automaker, Mahindra haven’t taken windy walks together for a while now, with the present Thar brawl following the Roxor battle previously.
Named after the desolate desert in north-western India, the Thar is available as a two-door with option of either a soft or a hardtop. Now India isn’t the only country with a copycat product (China’s BAIC BJ40 is another), and the fact remains that while these 4x4s are visually near-identical, their engineering is actually worlds apart. With universes between their pricing.
Wrangler Vs Thar
Where the 2022 Jeep Wrangler’s pricing starts at $31,000-plus-change, the Mahindra Thar starts at a little over half that over in India, just over $16,600 for the base model. Cue Billy Idol’s Shock To The System. That’s because of reasons like lower labor costs, complete indigenisation of parts and production, and way lower R&D spends. Well, Mahindra hardly had to call on their famous ownership of design house, Pininfarina, to conceptualise this SUV - it was already out there! Yeah, let’s just change the grill, shorten it a touch, round off the rear wheel arch and hey presto, we got us an Indo-Wrangler.
Alright, now that may be a bit harsh though, since India did put in a lot of effort to make this stand out as a quality product in its home market. And although we don’t know whether the American market will ever open up to the Thar, we’re pretty sure Mahindra will get this 4x4 on container ships leaving the sub-continent sooner rather than later.
Engine And Juice
Why do we say ‘quality product’ with so much belief then? That’s because, as mentioned before, the Wrangler and Thar’s similarities end after their styling. The Indian version’s powertrain features fully-localized diesel and gas engine options - the 2.2-liter diesel produces 130 horsepower at 3,750 rpm and the 2.0-liter gas counterpart, 150 horsepower at 5,000 rpm, with both engines developing identical torque of 221 pound-feet at slightly differing rev ranges. May not sound like much, but it seems to be enough for the moment, with local four-wheeling enthusiasts already swearing by the Mahindra’s off-road prowess.
But while power is just about sufficient with India’s cheap Jeep as compared to the base model Wrangler’s 270 horsepower, both 4x4s have close curb weight figures - the Thar is just 90 lbs lighter, so a drag race will be just that, a rather big drag, with power-to-weight ratios being eons apart. But the Thar’s torque trumps the Wrangler’s by 30 pound-feet, which is probably why it’s so capable on the rough stuff. Having said that, something like the Wrangler 392 with 470 ponies under the hood, is another league altogether. As for transmissions, you can either choose between a six-speed manual or automatic.
"The Suspense Is Fitting, B."
The suspension setup of the Thar is very different from the Wrangler, which is a mixed bag of opinions because while the former’s independent front coil spring setup allows for a quieter ride on asphalt, we know that some solid-axle and Jeep enthusiasts would scoff at this not being ‘proper’ or ‘true’ hardcore 4x4 personality. Still, since most buyers don’t venture off the beaten track, this setup is a win for the majority of owners. Incidentally, the rear features coils as well, though coupled to a solid axle - the Thar’s ride is actually decently comfortable on freeway excursions, definitely more so than the Wrangler.
With regard to crash ratings and passenger safety, the Indian 4x4 is an impressively safe model to drive and be ferried in, with a four-star Global NCAP rating. There was quite a big noise made by Indian media in 2020 when the Thar was crash-tested initially since it trumped the then previous-gen Wrangler’s occupant safety scores by quite a bit. But when the 2022 Wrangler scored a four-star IIHS rating, things obviously simmered down on that front.
Fender Ender
Yes yes, we know you Jeep loyalists are still going ‘Why, Mahindra, Why?’ And we have to agree with that sentiment for the most part, since Mahindra, being the huge automaker that it is (with even the legendary Pininfarina at its beck and call), could’ve easily created something original and entirely new, no?
But the Wrangler’s shoe fit, and even a half-decent rip-off would’ve been a success in India, especially given the previous-gen Thar’s rudimentary refinement and driving manners. So while Mahindra did obviously ape Jeep, at least they did so convincingly, with the Thar’s sales charts burning showroom roofs down in its home market. Yes, the iconic Wrangler will always be the OG of the two, but long will the ahem, 'Wrongler' run in India, by the looks of it. Beep beep, talk is Jeep…