SOFTCORE BEAST

The Mahindra Thar has been among the most accessible 4x4 cars in India. However, not everyone wants a heavy off-roader with two live axles, low range, and locking diffs. Enter the Thar RWD. We drive the petrol-automatic version

-  Jim Gorde

A SOFTER-CORE BEHEMOTH IS MORE like it. Yes, technically the Thar is a sub-four-meter car but that's where that story ends. It's a compact-size SUV and sits 226 millimetres off the ground, riding on 18-inch wheels with properly thick 255/65 all-terrain rubber. This one is not four-wheel drive but it can traverse all sorts of rough terrain and tackle obstacles-so long as the rear wheels have traction, of course. And there's no real visible difference apart from the missing "4x4" sticker on its haunches. Mahindra have introduced just three rear-wheel drive (RWD) models, of which two are manual diesels (with the 119-hp, 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine) and one solitary petrol variant with an auto 'box we have here: the RWD TGDI AT.