Mahindra Thar real-world fuel efficiency review

The Mahindra Thar has been one of the best affordable off-roaders in the country. It might not be amongst the most charming or the cute ones available today, and that’s because it is more popular as the unstoppable, tough, and the brute SUV. This latest iteration is bigger and more mature than the old one, and yet continues with its robust mechanicals.

Now, we have covered all its details in our previous review, and are now back as you, our readers, had asked us, 'Kitna deti hai'? Yes, what's the real-world fuel efficiency? So, we’ve put the hard-top version of the Thar in its top-spec LX four-seater version through CarWale’s fuel efficiency test.

We started off with the city-run and tanking up wasn't as smooth as it would be in other cars. And we’re saying that because there's no button inside to open the fuel lid. You always have to take the keys out and open the fuel-lid manually, which I'm sure many owners will not like but eventually will get used to.

We, of course, didn’t take it off-road, but the Thar took the urban jungle instead as we do in our tests. It was kept in the two-wheel-drive mode, and obviously not the 4H or 4L, as there wasn't the need for it. This diesel version is powered by a 2.2-litre mHawk engine that churns out 130bhp of power and 300Nm of torque. It’s quite a refined one for an oil-burner and does come with the option of a six-speed torque converter automatic. But for our test here, we have the six-speed manual gearbox, which is quite easy to use without long throws and slots in well.

Furthermore, the Thar looks like a full-size toy car and due to its adequate proportions, it’s indeed a nice two-door car. But, don’t be fooled, it’s quite a big one and shows off its mighty presence on the run. Also, the difference is quite apparent once you get behind the wheel. You sit at a nice height with a commanding position, and yet with a good view of the road ahead over its hood. But its wider track means you will have to be careful in narrow by-lanes and especially at the manned toll plazas. Its slow steering is one chink in its armour and with more than three turns lock-to-lock, it ensures there is a little bit of workout for your biceps while parking or manoeuvring through the narrow city or country roads.

And we did just that as we got back to the fuel pump, steered it into the tight space and tanked it up. Our calculations show that the Thar returned 12.89kmpl, which isn't a bad figure at all, considering all the factors including a 1.8-ton mammoth making its way out through all the traffic congestion in the city.

Well, so it’s quite liveable within city limits and we know it’s almost unstoppable out there in the wild. Now for the highway test, we repeated our test cycle process. Interestingly, the Thar can also be quite a mile-muncher if you want it to. Yes, it does take a little time to climb into triple-digit speeds, but it can stay there at low revs and part throttle-inputs thanks to its six-speed gearbox. Then, loads of torque ensures there's steady progress.

Yet, high-speed stability isn't really the best, even if you feel quite connected and confident. You will avoid going flat out if you are gunning for speed as there's quite a lot of body movement inside. Body roll is quite apparent and it even nose dives on hard braking. That's mainly because of its high stance and more than 200mm of ground clearance. But the good thing about this is, even on full load, it doesn’t compress much like other small cars with similar or more ground clearance. So, you will never have to worry about potholes, deep ruts, road joints on flyovers, or anything as such. It dismisses everything with authority!

After our highway spin, we tanked up the Thar again and the mathematical calculations gave a figure of 16.37kmpl. Well, in the city-run, it was 12.89kmpl, so a combined average of close to 15kmpl is not quite bad for this one!

So, there you go, our tank-to-tank review over a pre-decided route for all the vehicles we test determines that the Thar has posted a respectable fuel efficiency. With a fuel tank capacity of 57-litres, it can easily put up a range of about 800km. Of course, depending on the driving conditions and various other parameters.

All said and done, the Mahindra Thar with a rugged and hefty avatar is still a mechanically well sound car with better driving manners good enough for both the city and highway. And, whether the Thar can be a family car or not will always be debatable, but it has was always been a niche car for a niche set of buyers. And, I might not be wrong in saying, but the total number of bookings this one’s getting might easily outnumber the total number of old Thars that have ever existed!

Pictures by Kapil Angane