2020 Mahindra Thar spotted: New alloy wheels, LED taillights, possible petrol engine and more

The upcoming 2020 Mahindra Thar, which is expected to make global debut at the Auto Expo 2020 in New Delhi, seems to be ready for final stages of road-testing. The next-generation off-roader was recently spotted in the country with new features like a set of alloy wheels and LED tail lamps. The 2020 Mahindra Thar also seems to be bigger, more feature-packed than its predecessor. The upcoming SUV is likely to arrive with a Bharat Stage VI (BS6) compliant engine.

Spy shots of the new Thar show the next-gen SUV in complete camouflage.

However, the test car was equipped with something that wasn't there in the second-generation Thar - alloy wheels. According to the Autocar India, the test mule has an 18-inch alloy shod paired with 285/65 R18 MRF tyres.

The second-gen SUV also looks quite a bit bigger, in terms of length and width, than the current generation SUV. The upcoming 2020 SUV now features panels all around the body, which means a few panel gaps, along with improved doors to help reduce outside noise inside the cabin. The new Thar is likely to come with a factory-fitted hardtop along with a removable roof panel.

The 2020 Mahindra Thar also gets a higher front bumper with integrated fog lamps, fender-mounted turn indicators and round headlamps. The new Thar's rear is likely to get a side-opening boot door with exposed hinges and a spare tyre mount. The new Thar also gets a newly designed LED tail-lights, rear fog lamps and reflectors.

On the inside, the upcoming SUV gets a new dashboard, with some cosmetic bits - steering wheel, gear knob, seats, and HVAC controls - similar to Mahindra Scorpio and TUV300.

The new Thar will come with a BS6-compliant 2.2-litre diesel engine which churns out 140hp. There are some rumours that Mahindra could offer the Thar with a petrol engine for the first time. The petrol unit is likely to be the same 2.2-litre engine as on the XUV500.

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