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4WD9 MIN

Is the Mahindra Thar Practical as a Daily Car? Ownership Pros, Cons and Running Costs

The Mahindra Thar OG can be a daily driver for buyers who prioritise clearance and off-road ability, but its four-seat, three-door layout and uncertain current running costs demand a careful test drive.

By CarCody Team

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Yes—if you want an unusually capable, high-clearance lifestyle SUV and accept four-seat capacity, awkward rear access and limited luggage room. The three-door Mahindra Thar OG is too compromised to be an effortless family hatchback replacement, while its 4WD hardware is unnecessary for most paved commuting. The current model launched in September 2026, so independent long-term evidence on its ride, economy and durability is still limited.

What “practical” means for a daily Thar

A daily car has to handle the unremarkable tasks as well as the occasional adventure: getting into the rear seats, carrying groceries, fitting a child seat, surviving traffic, parking easily and keeping fuel and maintenance bills predictable. The Thar OG can do those jobs, but not with the space efficiency or ease of a conventional five-door SUV.

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Its appeal is different. You get a high driving position, substantial ground clearance, rugged styling and the option of genuine four-wheel-drive equipment. If your routes include broken roads, mud, steep unpaved tracks or monsoon damage, those qualities can matter every week. If your routine is mostly a crowded city, office parking garage and regular rear-seat passengers, the compromises are harder to justify.

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Mahindra announced the Thar OG on 22 September 2026 as the successor to the 2020 three-door Thar, with deliveries scheduled from 11 October 2026. The company says the platform, rear suspension and damping were revised and that electric power steering was added. Those changes should improve manoeuvrability and refinement on paper, but the model is too new for an independent long-term daily-use verdict.

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Current Thar OG: price, engines and equipment

Introductory ex-showroom pricing starts at ₹10.32 lakh for deliveries made through 30 November 2026, according to Mahindra’s launch release. Ex-showroom is not the amount you will pay on the road: registration tax, insurance, accessories, handling and local charges vary by state and dealer. Ask for a written on-road quotation before comparing the Thar with another vehicle.

The launch range uses three engines: the D117 CRDe diesel, D22 mHawk diesel and G20 TGDi mStallion petrol. The published combinations are not universal across trims. The smaller D117 is listed with rear-wheel drive (RWD) and a manual gearbox only. The larger diesel is offered with RWD or 4WD and manual or automatic transmissions. The petrol is listed in RWD automatic and 4WD manual or automatic forms. Confirm the live variant table, waiting period and equipment at the dealer because availability can change after launch.

Choice What the launch information establishes Daily-use implication
D117 CRDe diesel RWD, manual only Fewer transmission and drivetrain decisions; check whether its performance and equipment suit your traffic and load.
D22 mHawk diesel RWD or 4WD; manual or automatic Broadest configuration choice, but the 4WD and automatic combinations generally increase purchase and running costs.
G20 TGDi petrol RWD automatic; 4WD manual or automatic Automatic convenience is available; fuel spending depends heavily on traffic, driving style and route.
RWD versus 4WD Mahindra positions RWD for ordinary paved-road use; 4WD adds an electronic locking differential and terrain modes. Choose 4WD for a real off-road requirement, not simply because it looks tougher.

The OG’s feature list includes rear air-conditioning vents and a second-row armrest from the AXT trim. Higher trims add a touchscreen, smartphone integration and a rear-view camera. Equipment is trim-dependent, so verify that the exact car you test has the features you expect rather than relying on the model name alone.

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Reasons the Thar can work as a daily driver

Electric steering should make low-speed work easier

The previous Thar used hydraulic steering that a 2025 road test described as heavy at low speeds. The OG switches to electric power steering. Mahindra also says its revised rear suspension and damping improve ride comfort and manoeuvrability. That is a meaningful hardware change for U-turns, parking and tight residential lanes, although it remains a manufacturer claim until more independent owner mileage accumulates.

High clearance helps on poor roads

The previous three-door Thar brochure lists 226 mm of ground clearance. That figure explains why the vehicle is comfortable tackling ruts, rocks, waterlogged streets and tall speed breakers that can trouble lower crossovers. Clearance does not make it easy to park, quiet on every surface or immune to underbody damage; tyre choice, approach speed and the actual road still matter.

Four seats can be enough for a couple or small household

The Thar is a four-seat vehicle rather than a five-seat family SUV. For two adults who occasionally carry friends, that may be entirely adequate. Rear air vents and a second-row armrest on AXT and above improve the experience for passengers, while higher-trim connectivity and a rear camera reduce some daily friction.

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4WD is genuinely useful in the right environment

4WD variants add an electronic locking differential and terrain modes. Those systems are relevant for regular unpaved travel, slippery inclines, sand or trails where traction matters. They are not needed for a normal paved commute, and buying them only for visual appeal means paying for hardware, weight and eventual tyre or service costs that may never deliver a benefit.

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Where daily practicality falls short

Rear-seat entry is a routine inconvenience

Accessing the second row through a three-door body requires moving the front seat and climbing around the B-pillar. Autocar India’s 2025 review identifies rear-seat access as challenging on the predecessor. The OG’s steering and damping revisions do not change the number of doors, so the physical access compromise remains. Try loading the people who will actually use the car, not just an empty showroom seat.

Boot space is the bigger family limitation

The same predecessor review calls boot space a weakness. No independent OG luggage-capacity measurement has been published, so do not assume the newer model fixes it. Bring your normal supermarket load, stroller, sports kit or work equipment to a test drive. Measure the opening as well as the floor: a nominal volume is less useful if a bulky item cannot pass through the door.

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Four seats limit child-seat and adult-passenger flexibility

Families should install their actual child seat before signing. Check whether the front seat must move too far forward, whether the child can be buckled without contortions and whether an adult can sit in the remaining position. A household that regularly carries three rear passengers needs a different layout; the Thar’s four-seat configuration cannot provide that fifth place.

Ride comfort is not yet settled for the OG

Autocar’s 2025 review described the earlier model’s ride as lumpy. Mahindra says the OG has revised suspension and damping, so that criticism should be treated as context rather than a test result for the new car. Drive over patched city streets, expansion joints and an unpaved section at the speeds you normally use. A short, smooth dealership loop can hide the very behaviour that determines daily comfort.

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Fuel economy: useful historical figures, not a current promise

No independent real-world fuel-economy test of the newly launched OG has been published. The only figures available come from a 2021 Autocar India test of an earlier Thar, reported in its 2025 review:

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Earlier test vehicle City result Highway result How to interpret it
Petrol automatic 7 km/l 9.3 km/l 2021 road-test result for the earlier model, not an OG rating.
2.2-litre diesel manual 12 km/l About 12.6 km/l 2021 road-test result; the diesel automatic was slightly lower in that report.

Those numbers are useful for understanding the older vehicle’s broad fuel appetite, not for calculating a guaranteed OG bill. Your result will vary with engine and gearbox, traffic density, idling, tyre pressure, load, terrain, weather and driving style. A calm driving style can help, but it cannot turn a heavy, upright 4WD vehicle into an economy car. Record your own fuel use over several full tank-to-full tank intervals once you own the vehicle.

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Maintenance and other running costs

Scheduled servicing

V3Cars publishes third-party maintenance estimates for the 2020–2026 Thar range and warns that actual costs vary. These estimates cover the earlier range, not an official Thar OG quotation. An older Mahindra owner manual says the first three inspections include free labour, while parts and lubricants are chargeable; later services include paid labour, parts and consumables. Because Mahindra’s published manual is for the earlier CRDe model, obtain the OG warranty booklet and service schedule from an authorised Mahindra dealer.

Ask the service adviser for the price of each scheduled visit, the included consumables, labour rates, interval in months and kilometres, and the charge for missed or delayed service. Request separate prices for brake pads, clutch components, battery, suspension parts and wheel alignment so an apparently low routine estimate does not conceal larger wear items.

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Tyres and pressure

Mahindra’s owner guidance says to maintain the specified tyre pressure and warns that under-inflation raises rolling resistance and fuel consumption. Check the pressure on the current door placard or OG manual, not a generic number copied from an older model. Inspect pressures when tyres are cold, include the spare in your checks where applicable, and account for a heavy load only as the manual instructs. Incorrect pressure also affects steering feel, braking and tyre wear.

Insurance, fuel and the 4WD premium

Your meaningful annual budget combines the dealer’s on-road quote, insurance renewal, fuel at your local pump price, scheduled service and eventual tyre replacement. The 4WD premium is material, and its extra hardware can add weight and complexity. If every journey is paved, compare the RWD price and projected fuel bill before paying for terrain modes you will not use.

Choose the drivetrain and gearbox by your actual route

Your use Starting point Why Check before ordering
Mostly city and highway, no regular trails RWD Mahindra positions it for ordinary paved-road use and it avoids paying for unused 4WD equipment. Exact engine, trim, automatic availability and safety equipment.
Frequent mud, steep loose surfaces or remote unpaved roads 4WD Electronic locking differential and terrain modes address traction situations RWD cannot. Ground clearance, tyre specification, recovery expectations and the higher purchase cost.
Stop-start traffic and frequent low-speed manoeuvres An available automatic variant Reduces clutch work; the launch table does not offer an automatic with every engine. Test the gearbox in crawling traffic and confirm the exact variant.
Long annual distance with predictable cruising Compare diesel and petrol using your own kilometres Historical test figures favour the earlier diesel, but OG economy is not yet independently established. Fuel prices, service schedule, warranty terms and expected ownership duration.

A practical pre-purchase test-drive checklist

  1. Load the rear seats. Have every regular passenger enter and exit several times. Note whether the front seat returns to its setting and whether the step-in height is comfortable.
  2. Install your child seat or carry your normal luggage. Do not rely on a visual boot check. Test the actual stroller, cases, groceries or work equipment and close the tailgate without forcing anything.
  3. Drive your worst road. Include potholes, speed breakers, broken patches, a tight parking ramp and a narrow U-turn. Listen for rattles and judge the steering effort at walking speed.
  4. Check visibility and parking. Confirm the seating position, mirror coverage, turning circle feel and rear-camera image on the exact trim.
  5. Compare RWD and 4WD quotations. Put ex-showroom price, registration, insurance, accessories and delivery charges on the same sheet. Do not compare a base RWD price with a fully equipped 4WD on-road quote.
  6. Get written ownership costs. Ask for the OG service schedule, warranty conditions, insurance estimate and prices for common wear items. Treat online estimates for the older range as a starting question, not a promise.

Who should buy a Thar as a daily car?

It makes sense when

  • You value rugged design, high clearance and open-road or trail ability more than maximum cabin and boot efficiency.
  • Two or four occupants cover your normal use and rear passengers are occasional.
  • You can accept that independent OG fuel, ride and long-term reliability data are still emerging.
  • You have a genuine route for the 4WD equipment if selecting that version.

Choose another body style when

  • Daily convenience means easy rear access, a fifth seat or a large, square luggage area.
  • You routinely carry adults in back, a child seat plus luggage, or bulky equipment.
  • Your budget depends on a known current fuel-economy and maintenance baseline rather than estimates from an earlier model.
  • Your commute is entirely paved and the Thar’s off-road hardware would be unused.

Verdict

The Mahindra Thar OG is practical in the narrower sense of being usable every day, not in the sense of maximising passenger and cargo convenience. Electric steering, revised suspension claims, rear air vents and available driver-assistance conveniences address some previous irritations. The three-door body, four-seat cabin and weak predecessor boot packaging remain decisive compromises, while current OG mileage and service costs are not yet independently settled. Buy it as a lifestyle-focused daily vehicle if those trade-offs are deliberate; do not buy it expecting the effortless practicality of a conventional five-door family SUV.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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4WDCar running costsdaily carMahindra TharSUV ownershipThar OG

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