India’s favourite lifestyle off-road SUV has just got a major facelift. We’re talking about the Thar 3-Door, which now gets a new name, platform, suspension, an all new top-spec ZXT trim and even an upgraded features list with revised aesthetics. Now called Mahindra Thar OG, there’s still no sales champ to rival this crowd-favourite lifestyle SUV.
Prices for Thar OG start from Rs 10.32 lakh for base AXT 1.5 Diesel MT RWD and go till Rs 18.99 lakh for ZXT 2.2L Diesel AT 4WD (all prices Ex-sh). Last year’s update was more like a feature bump. Thar OG, on the other hand, has a plethora of mechanical updates to make it a proper and much-needed update. We drove new Mahindra Thar OG in and around Nashik and compiled our thoughts.
Mahindra Thar OG Review – Updated Exteriors & Interiors
If you park both Thar 3-Door (slightly modified) and the new Thar OG side-by-side, you would be hard pressed to point out which is which. That is because Thar OG stays faithful to its iconic silhouette which has made innumerous people fall in love with it. This is not a bad thing at all. Design differences are subtle and further amplify Thar OG’s appeal.
For starters, we now get a new fascia which has a revised grille with Thar branding, new LED projector headlights with C-shaped LED DRLs, all-new bumpers and revised ice-cube LED fog lights which even gets a dedicated cornering light, similar to XUV7XO. At the sides, Thar OG comes with new alloy wheels which are 19-inchers, this time around. All-four disc brakes are an aesthetic upgrade, especially with these larger wheels.
At the rear, we now get new bumper and new LED tail lights, while tailgate mounted full-size spare wheel continues. Split tailgate also continues. Thar OG badges on front fender along with OG badge on tailgate are notable too. Inside, Thar OG is almost identical to its preceding model, except for a few attributes. Primary of them are 6 airbags and Truffle Brown Leatherette upholstery. We now get a wireless charging pad and push-button start too.
Rear occupants get soft-touch elements on armrests, cupholders and a USB Type-C port. If you were expecting ventilated seats, premium audio system with likeable sound, soft touch elements on dash and door trims, a TFT instrument cluster, Level-2 ADAS, automatic climate control, 360-degree cameras, blindspot monitoring, auto headlights and auto wipers, among other features, you’d be disappointed. Lack of a soft-top convertible roof variant a missed opportunity, if you ask me.
Space & Functionality
In terms of space and comfort, Thar OG is almost identical to its predecessor. Cabin is wide and shoulder room for two adults is genuinely impressive. Seats offer good support and you will get that ‘king of the road’ feel with a commanding view out. Rear seat space and comfort is the same and there aren’t any changes with the ingress and egress or the aperture to get into 2nd row.
Rear AC vents are appreciated, which were added in 2025 update. Boot space is still the same and it is still surprisingly adequate for a weekend trip and more. Driver fatigue is significantly reduced now because Mahindra Thar OG now gets electric power steering instead of older hydraulic power steering. Steering feel is supremely light in comparison and is similar to Roxx’s Steering effort.
Improved Performance On / Off Road
Mahindra Thar OG now packs more performance on tap with both 2.0 Turbo Petrol and 2.2L Turbo Diesel. This boost in performance is appreciated in both on / off road situations. Not only are the engines updated, Mahindra has worked on making them quiter and feel slightly more refined as well. A vehicle like Thar didn’t need any more performance, but we welcome this boost with open arms.
Acceleration has gotten slightly brisker even though you would not want to extract full performance from this boxy ladder frame SUV. Mahindra has given Thar Roxx an electronically locking rear differential along with three Terrain modes. Automatic gearbox still has very high minimum speeds for gearshifts to happen even in Manual mode. This will affect fuel efficiency, but we don’t think the target demographic would really notice this at all.
We don’t need to say anything about Thar OG’s off-roading because it is common knowledge now, thanks to 6 years of Thar 3-Door in the country. If you want a no-nonsense off-roader along with aesthetics and road presence, nothing beats Thar OG. With the new Terrain Modes, electronically locking diff, DaVinci dampers, FDD tech and increased performance from the powertrain has made Thar OG more capable off-road than ever before.
Ride & Dynamics
Looking at the Thar OG, one would feel that it is just a facelift, but it is much more than that. Thar OG is positioned on the M_Glyde 4G platform as Thar Roxx and it gets penta-link rear suspension with Watts linkage and DaVinci frequency dependent dampers. Not just that, Mahindra mentions major overhaul to the overall body with much higher torsional rigidity and overall chassis stiffness.
These changes on paper do not change the perceived character of Thar OG over its predecessor in any way. We would still not advise carrying higher speeds in corners or make any quick and enthusiastic maneuvers with Thar OG. Braking is still not confidence inspiring at higher speeds, but has noticeably better bite and stopping power at lower speeds.
Bad road ability continues to be Thar’s forte and Thar OG is no different, despite the larger 19-inch wheels. You don’t have to slow down much for potholes or smaller speed breakers and Thar OG remains un-phased and un-bothered. You will feel like an unstoppable force inside Thar OG, a feeling which no other mass-market vehicle in this size bracket can match.
Should You Buy One?
However, if you zoom out a little and look at it objectively, you’ll realise that it lacks a few features for the price you’re paying. I’m from tax-heavy Karnataka and I would have to shell close to Rs 24 lakh for the range topping Thar OG and at that price I don’t get good audio system, ADAS, auto-dimming IRVM, auto climate control, ventilated seats, a TFT instrument cluster, soft-touch dash, 360-cameras, auto headlights and wipers, among others.
We never thought we’d put ‘Mahindra’ and ‘bad audio quality’ in the same sentence, but here we are. Also disappointing, are missing convertible roof top options with Thar OG and the pricing strategy. There was a time when price delta between Petrol and Diesel engine variants with Thar was around Rs 20,000, but now it goes up to Rs 1.4 lakh (Ex-sh), despite powertrain hardware being the same as 2020 Thar.
If you were already in the mindset to buy a Thar, Thar OG will further cement your aspirations. There is nothing currently in the market which offers you a combination of road presence, performance, features, equipment, technology, robust service network and sheer desirability. It is already India’s best-selling lifestyle vehicle and will continue to be, despite the criticisms and pricing strategy. Heck, I want one too.
