2025 Mahindra Thar Facelift Launched With Minor Design Updates And New Features; Iconic Off-Roader Now Priced From…

• Gets a new front fascia with body-coloured grille and dual-tone bumpers. 

• Two new colours offered: Battleship Grey and Tango Red. 

• Borrows interior elements from Thar Roxx such as the steering wheel.

• New features include a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless phone charger and electric release for the fuel filler. 

• No changes mechanically as it continues to be powered by the 1.5-litre and 2.2-litre diesel engines as well as 2-litre turbo petrol engine.

• Variants renamed from AX Opt and LX to AXT and LXT respectively.

After being on sale for over 5 years, Mahindra has launched the 2025 Thar facelift at a price of Rs 9.99 Lakh (ex-showroom). The off-roader gets subtle exterior changes and  some feature additions to keep it up to the times. Also, the variant lineup has now been renamed as AXT and LXT.  Let’s take a look at what has changed and what hasn’t:

Price

First of all, the Thar facelift has been priced from Rs 9.99 Lakh (ex-showroom) for the Diesel AXT RWD MT variant. Here is a detailed look at variant-wise prices:

Exterior

The exterior of the Thar facelift stays similar to the outgoing car barring a few subtle changes. The front fascia now gets updated with a body-coloured grilled and dual-tone silver inserts on the bumper. There are no changes in the side profile and the Thar facelift continues with its iconic silhouette and 18-inch alloys. At the rear too, it gets the aforementioned silver inserts on the bumper and a rear wiper and washer for safety. Keen-eyed viewers would notice that Mahindra has also added a reverse camera on the spare wheel hub just like the Thar Roxx.

Besides this, the Thar facelift remains identical from outside. We feel Mahindra could have give it some more updates such as LED headlights and some new design elements to keep it fresh. Buyers will have two new colour options: Battleship Grey and Tango Red in addition to the existing Deep Forest, Everest White, Stealth Black and Galaxy Grey options. 

Interior

It’s on the inside where the Thar facelift gets significant changes. It now comes with a new steering wheel from its larger sibling, the Thar Roxx. But the biggest update is the new 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system (previous Thar had a 7-inch unit), which has crisper graphics and is much nicer to use. 

To enhance comfort, Mahindra has also added a dead pedal for the driver (in automatic variants), sliding centre armrest with storage for the front occupants, while the rear passengers now get rear AC vents. A grab-handle, which was offered only for the co-driver, is now present on the driver side A-pillar to aid ingress and egress. The power window switches have also been moved from the centre console to the doors for more ergonomic and natural operation.

Another small but important addition inside is that of an electronic release for the fuel lid so users don’t have to worry about getting out to open the fuel lid manually. 

Features

Mahindra has given a comprehensive update to the equipment list of the Thar facelift. This includes the aforementioned 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system and USB Type-C charging ports at the front and rear. Other features that have been carried over include a 4-speaker sound system, cruise control, electrically-adjustable outside rear view mirrors and steering-mounted controls.

Safety in the Thar facelift is enhanced by a new reverse camera in addition to existing features including dual airbags, hill hold control, electronic stability program, a built-in roll cage, tyre pressure monitoring system and reverse parking sensors.

Powertrain

Under the bonnet, the Thar facelift continues with its existing three engine options, which include a 1.5-litre and 2.2-litre diesel as well as 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engines. The 1.5-litre diesel can be had only with a rear-wheel drive configuration and the 2.2-litre diesel can be had only with a four-wheel drive specification while on the other hand, the 2-litre turbo petrol gets both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive variants. Here are details of the powertrains:

Rivals

The Mahindra Thar, being an off-road focused SUV, competes with the Maruti Jimny and Force Gurkha 3 door. It can also be considered as an alternative to compact SUVs such as the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Victoris and MG Astor.

ZigSays…

It has been 5 years since the second-generation Thar was launched and we appreciate Mahindra giving it requisite updates to bring it to par with modern competition. That said, we did expect a lot more changes given that it remains a very popular SUV for the carmaker. If you were eyeing the Thar, now is the time to pull the trigger and book one as it has gotten better in small ways which makes lives easier for owners.

What is the most important feature update in the Thar? Let us know in the comments below!