Mahindra is likely to offer the Thar with a more powerful petrol engine sometime around the middle of this year.
At the 2020 Auto Expo, the carmaker showcased its Turbo-Gasoline-Direct-injection (TGDi) mStallion petrol engine family consisting of 1.2-litre, 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre turbo petrol motors.
The top-of-the-line engine, Mahindra said at the time, could develop a maximum of 190 PS and 380 Nm of peak torque, which would make it the brand’s most powerful petrol engine.
It is the same motor that does duty on the latest-generation Thar, but in a lower state of tune, for in the off-roader it makes 150 PS and up to 320 Nm.
Now, it looks like the carmaker wants to unleash some horses from the motor and make it produce in the region of 180 PS, for the powerful version of the motor is rumoured to be called mStallion 180 TGDi.
This, would also increase the top speed of the Thar to about 180 km/hr, which for what the vehicle is actually intended to do is a bit of an overkill. It might also impact the fuel efficiency by a noticeable amount.
While the 6-speed manual and automatic gearbox options offered with the car will not be changed, Mahindra should provide a better braking hardware in the variant that comes with the powerful engine.
It is evident that the more powerful Mahindra Thar petrol engine will do duty on the next-generation XUV500 and, in its detuned state, under the new Scorpio’s bonnet.
There is no news about Mahindra offering a more powerful version of its 2.2-litre mHawk 130 diesel engine that makes 130 PS and 300 Nm, for now.
Source – Team-BHP.com