New Mahindra Thar’s Most Affordable AX Trim Spotted

• The 2020 Thar will be offered in three trims: AX, AX (O), and LX, with AX being the base-spec trim.

• Thar AX will get a single diesel engine option with a manual gearbox.

• Offerings in the AX will be limited to one roof option, side-facing jump seats, red and black colour options, and 16-inch steel wheels.

The 2020 Thar has been the talk of the town since its reveal on  August 15, with most of the buzz surrounding its new roof and powertrain options. Yet, one of its three trims was missing from the spotlight. The base-spec AX variant, which gets all the basics seen in the first-gen Thar, has finally surfaced now.

Spy shots reveal that the AX will get 16-inch steel wheels and tubular steel side steps. While the image is of a black colour option, it will also get the choice of red. Unlike the higher AX option and LX trims, the AX misses out on the convertible soft top and hard top roof options.

At the rear, the new Thar gets side-facing jump seats instead of the more practical front facing seats. The AX trim is set to get the bare minimum when it comes to features as it is the most affordable of the three. You can take a look at the variant-wise feature list here.

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The AX will also miss out on the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol (150PS/ up to 320Nm) which is offered in the Thar for the first time. Instead it will only be powered by Mahindra’s 2.2-litre diesel engine which puts out a hearty 130PS and 300Nm. Drive is sent to all four wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox. The LX trim also gets the option of an automatic gearbox which is another first for the Thar.

Since it is the base-spec variant, expect the Thar AX to be priced slightly below Rs 10 lakh. The second-gen Thar will go on sale on October 2 and deliveries are expected to begin from mid-October. The Force Gurkha, which is also set to launch before the end of this year, will provide some stiff competition, but expect the Thar’s price range to put it in contention with compact and sub-compact SUVs such as the Renault Duster, Kia Sonet, and Hyundai Creta.

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