There are some cars you buy because they make perfect practical sense.
And then there is the Mahindra Thar.
The Thar has never really been about boot space, easy rear-seat access or squeezing into a tight parking spot. It has always been about the feeling of getting behind the wheel, seeing that upright bonnet ahead and knowing that the road can end without necessarily ending your journey.
Now, Mahindra has given its three-door Thar a major makeover and, interestingly, called it the Thar OG.
At first glance, it may look like another facelift. Look a little deeper, however, and there is much more happening underneath.
After the first wave of media drives and reviews, the Thar OG appears to be one of those updates where the biggest changes are the ones you cannot immediately see.
So, What Is New?
The Thar OG starts at ₹10.32 lakh (ex-showroom) and goes up to ₹18.99 lakh, with Mahindra calling these introductory prices valid for deliveries until November 30, 2026.
It continues with three engine choices: a 1.5-litre diesel, a 2.2-litre diesel and a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol, depending on the variant and drivetrain.
But the headline change is the platform.
The Thar OG moves to Mahindra’s M_Glyde 4G platform, related to the architecture used by the Thar Roxx. It also gets a revised Pentalink rear suspension, frequency-dependent damping and electric power steering.
In simple words, Mahindra has tried to make the Thar feel less like a rugged machine that you tolerate on the road and more like an SUV you can actually live with every day.
And that may be the most important change of all.
The Thar Still Looks Like a Thar
Mahindra clearly understood one thing: don’t mess too much with the formula.
The Thar OG retains the familiar upright stance, boxy proportions and unmistakable road presence.
There is a new grille, redesigned bumpers, LED headlamps with C-shaped DRLs, LED fog lamps, new tail lamps and larger 19-inch alloy wheels on the top variant.
But park the old Thar next to the OG and you won’t suddenly feel that one belongs to a completely different family.
And that is probably intentional.
The Thar has become an identity for its owners. Changing it too dramatically could have been a bigger risk than keeping the design familiar.
The OG is therefore more evolution than revolution on the outside.
This Is Where Things Get Interesting: The Ride
The previous three-door Thar had one major weakness.
It could go almost anywhere, but you sometimes wondered whether you actually wanted to spend a few hours getting there.
The suspension could feel busy. The steering could be tiring. On broken roads, passengers knew exactly what the road looked like without even looking outside.
The early reviews suggest Mahindra has worked hard on this.
CarWale’s first-drive review found a marked improvement in ride and handling, with better body control and a more settled character. The review also noted that the new electric steering makes the SUV easier to manoeuvre and less tiring.
Autocar India similarly found the steering light and stability improved, although the Thar still isn’t a soft, plush SUV.
And that distinction is important.
The Thar OG hasn’t suddenly become a luxury SUV.
It is still a body-on-frame off-roader with a short wheelbase.
Hit a large pothole or a sharp speed breaker and some of the old Thar character comes back. Team-BHP’s review, for example, still described the overall ride as bumpy and busy.
So yes, the Thar has become better behaved.
But it hasn’t forgotten what it was born to do.
Better on the Highway, Too
The 2.2-litre diesel now produces around 152hp and 330Nm, according to Autocar India’s test, with an increase in both power and torque over the outgoing version.
The 2.0-litre petrol also gets more output.
What does this mean in the real world?
Not that the Thar has suddenly become a sports SUV.
Instead, the extra performance makes highway cruising and overtaking more effortless.
The six-speed automatic also appears to be one of the stronger parts of the package. Reviewers have praised its smooth shifts and relaxed nature.
The message seems quite simple:
The Thar OG likes cruising more than chasing speed.
And honestly, that suits the character of the vehicle.
It looks like something that should be exploring a mountain road, not trying to set a lap time on a highway.
Off-Roading Remains the Star of the Show
This is where the Thar OG reminds everyone why the name exists in the first place.
The 4WD versions get Mud, Snow and Sand terrain modes, along with an electronic locking differential.
The revised suspension and platform also improve its ability to deal with difficult surfaces.
CarDekho’s off-road review found that the electronic aids could genuinely help when the going got difficult, with the Sand mode proving useful during its drive.
The Thar was already a capable off-roader.
Mahindra’s challenge was therefore not to make it capable.
It was to make it easier to use that capability.
And the OG seems to move in that direction.
You don’t necessarily need to be an experienced off-road enthusiast to understand what the different modes are doing for you.
That could bring more people into the lifestyle.
The Cabin Is Better, But Still Not Perfect
Inside, the Thar OG carries forward much of the cabin from the previous update.
There is a 10.25-inch touchscreen, rear AC vents, improved rear-seat convenience, cupholders and a more premium brown upholstery theme on higher variants.
The driving position remains one of the Thar’s strong points.
But space continues to be a compromise.
The rear seats are usable, but getting in and out isn’t as convenient as in a four-door SUV.
Then there is the boot.
Or perhaps we should say the lack of one.
If you’re planning a family holiday with four adults and everyone’s luggage, you may need to get creative.
CarWale and Autocar India both highlighted the limited luggage space, while Team-BHP was even more direct about the Thar’s practicality.
This is still a lifestyle SUV.
Not a family MPV wearing an off-road costume.
Safety Gets a Major Upgrade
Safety has also received attention.
The top-spec ZXT gets six airbags, including Mahindra’s HPTS side airbags, along with ESP, roll-over mitigation, all-wheel disc brakes, parking sensors and other safety equipment.
That is a significant step forward from the earlier three-door Thar.
However, the Thar OG does not get ADAS.
For some buyers, that may be a disappointment considering how quickly driver-assistance technology is spreading across the Indian SUV market.
But there is also something refreshing about the Thar’s approach.
It doesn’t pretend to be a semi-autonomous vehicle.
It remains a driver-focused SUV where the person behind the wheel still needs to pay attention.
So, Is the Thar OG Worth Considering?
That depends entirely on what you expect from your SUV.
If you want maximum practicality, a spacious rear seat and a large boot, there are more sensible choices.
If you regularly carry five people, the three-door layout will eventually test your patience.
But if you want something that feels different from almost everything else on the road, the equation changes.
The Thar OG gives you an unmistakable design, genuine off-road ability, stronger engines, better road manners and more modern safety and convenience features.
And perhaps most importantly, it still has character.
That is something specifications cannot measure.
There is a reason people wave at another Thar on the highway.
There is a reason owners give their Thars names.
There is a reason a completely sensible family SUV can sit outside someone’s house while the Thar remains the vehicle they take out on Sunday morning just because they feel like driving.
The Auto Verse Verdict
The Mahindra Thar OG is not a perfect SUV—and it doesn’t need to be.
What it does is take the original three-door Thar formula and fix some of the things that made it difficult to live with.
The ride is better.
The steering is easier.
Highway behaviour is more settled.
The off-road hardware is stronger.
The cabin is more comfortable.
Safety equipment has improved.
But the compromises remain.
Two doors. Four seats. Limited boot space. A ride that can still get busy on bad roads.
In other words, the Thar OG has become more mature without becoming boring.
And perhaps that’s exactly what Mahindra needed to achieve.
Because when you buy a Thar, you aren’t simply buying a car to get from Point A to Point B.
Sometimes, you are buying the reason to take the longer route.
And the Thar OG seems to understand that better than most.
Know more about Thar OG
