[TusharK]

According to a media report, the Mahindra Thar 4x4 no longer comes with a mechanically locking rear differential as standard. This feature is now said to be offered as an option on the top-spec LX diesel variant.



Earlier, Mahindra offered a locking rear differential on all 'AX Opt' and 'LX' trims. Customers can still order their top-spec diesel AT and MT trims, but the petrol Thar is no longer available with this feature.

A mechanically locking rear differential forces both wheels on an axle to rotate at the same speed. This is especially handy when tackling off-road terrains.

The Mahindra Thar uses a 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine that makes 130 BHP and 320 Nm. The engine is mated with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission. The 4x4 variants also get automatic hub locks and a low-range transfer case.

Source: Zigwheels

Link to Team-BHP News

[fiat_tarun]

The Thar uses the MLD (Mechnical Locking Differential) which is a purely mechnical part and hence this move cannot be down to the semi conductor shortage. It looks like a pure cost saving move as I doubt the price will come down. They should offer it as optional on all variants as the MLD can anyway be fitted at the dealership as well.

Originally Posted by TusharK

...In the Thar, the rear differential can be locked by pressing a button on the dashboard.
.
.
.

This is incorrect. The MLD is an auto locking differential and hence there is no button to lock it. It locks when there is rpm difference of 100 rpm between the rear wheels.

[ralto]

Now, this is just sad from Mahindra.

What will happen to those people who may not be aware of MLD being removed as standard and may not even end up getting this, though they would have assumed this to be present? More so this dilutes the whole offroad credibility. MLD is an important tool in tricky situations. Imagine a customer's shock if they are in a situation where other Thars are able to get out but their latest edition gets stuck.

Also, this is sneaky from Mahindra, because otherwise, they could have simply offered a 4x2 version by clearly communicating what to expect rather than quitely diluting the offroad-related hardware.

[GTO]

For a 2-door Jeep that is anyway very expensive for the utility on offer (19-20 lakhs OTR Mumbai), such cost cutting by Mahindra feels rather cheap. In the last 12 months, the Thar has lost other features too, including adjustable lumbar support, a USB port etc.

Mahindra should realise that they are selling a premium-priced Jeep and the experience to the customer should remain "premium". This kind of silent, hidden cost cutting really leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

With time, a product should only improve....and not take a step back.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by TusharK

This feature is now said to be offered as an option on the top-spec LX diesel variant.

Vey sad indeed. MLD is a very handy tool in tricky off-road situations. A move totally uncalled for, particularly for an off-road focused vehicle that the Thar is.

Any why differentiate between petrol and diesel variants here? If it can be offered as "optional" on diesel, why not petrol? This is as irrational as the missing LX MT P CT variant despite the diesel counterpart being offered as a variant.

Originally Posted by GTO

With time, a product should only improve....and not take a step back.

Far from it, these days the trend is exact opposite especially in costlier cars:

* Endeavour 2.0 - ANC dropped, rear climate control dropped, lesser no. of speakers on lower variants, etc.
* Octavia 2.0 TSI - Canton music system dropped
* Kodiaq 2.0 TSI lower trims - smaller virtual cockpit
* Fortuner 2021 facelift - steel wheel for spare instead of alloy

These are just some examples I could recollect at the top of my head, I am sure there are many more.

[NTO]

Originally Posted by TusharK

In the Thar, the rear differential can be locked by pressing a button on the Dashboard.

Link to Team-BHP News

This information doesn’t seem to be correct. The MLD on Thar is automatically engaged and there is no separate button for this. That said, feature cut on a product whose price is constantly increasing is pure greed. The adjustable lumbar support removal itself is something beyond me. Making MLD optional and charging additional premium for that isn’t a great news for potential Thar owners.

One thing that I could infer from this is, Thar calculates the kms when 4X4 was engaged last after every trip. Mahindra must be collecting this information through service centre’s and figured that majority of customers aren’t using 4X4 much and probably why MLD was made optional.

Food for thought….By the looks of it , even 4X4 could become optional. What if Mahindra plonks the 1.5 diesel from Xuv300 and release a Thar 4X2 variant claiming sub 4m tax benefits?

[batish]

Originally Posted by TusharK

According to a media report

Nope. Not any media report, the source you've mentioned followed my post from our forum, he just expanded the post however he could to make it an article that is why you see such a grave mistake - button on dashboard.

Cross posting from Thar thread:

Originally Posted by batish

Was going through the brochure today to see what all has been changed since its inception. Found out Start Stop has been added and they still mention USB Charging port as a feature in latest one but they have removed Mechanical Locking Differential from Petrol Variants.

Attachment 2380653

Originally Posted by NTO

One thing that I could infer from this is, Thar calculates the kms when 4X4 was engaged last after every trip. Mahindra must be collecting this information through service centre’s and figured that majority of customers aren’t using 4X4 much and probably why MLD was made optional.

Nah, only the problematic cars are attached to their laptops for rectifying the faults. Except that I don't think there are many options to transmit ECU data to Mahindra.

It's plain cost cutting they know very few people take their cars off road. Hence removed it.

I was wishing they'd add something like DEF level, ambient temperature on MID, or rear camera from factory but nope, they chose to cheap out.

Mahindra, if you're listening why not improve these things which cost nothing, as the hardware is already there.

Food for thought….By the looks of it , even 4X4 could become optional. What if Mahindra plonks the 1.5 diesel from Xuv300 and release a Thar 4X2 variant claiming sub 4m tax benefits?

Even if they do I don't see sales spiking. It's 2 door with no boot space. Body shape provides for very less fuel economy added with lack of features. You won't see many takers except for a few. <10L market is price sensitive.

[Sankar]

Mahindra just saved ~30,000INR per Thar by this single swift stroke of the delete key! This was one of the essentials on a vehicle like Thar.

[RoadAtlas]

So let me get this straight. The Brake Locking Differentials are still there. So the car still has differential on the front axle, but the back wheels are free moving?

Must be the first car in the world to be made like this.

[AMG1]

Echoing what I wrote in the Thar review thread, poor and cheap move by Mahindra if rumours are true. Simply diluting the Thar brand. Mechanical Diff is so important and has helped me in a number of tricky situations! They are already doing 4000 plus pm numbers of Thar and recently made plans of increasing production to 6000 pm (as per recent news). I am sure it’s way more than what Mahindra must have originally planned. What was the need of such greed!!

The rear Diff engages on many occasions and is quite sudden. It can take one by surprise if someone is new to Thar. But it’s such a lovely component that getting stuck in slush or deep depressions in ground is next to impossible for me generally. I actually have started enjoying and tricking the diff to work on slightly unpaved roads too! It’s quite fun when the rear suddenly is jolted to one side!

First, they also removed those awesome silver bumpers in July, then oh-so important Lumber supports, then Charging ports, and now Diffs! Ironically, they are raising the prices every few months! At this rate, they might as well introduce a 2WD 1.5 diesel/1.2 turbo petrol from XUV300, qualify for <4m rule.

[tilt]

Is this deletion slated for Thars being booked from now on or for Thars that will be delivered from now on even if they were booked when the MLD was a standard fitting?

If it is the former, this is just Mahindra being cheap *******s but if it were the latter, in my opinion (Not a lawyer) this is outright fraud by Mahindra.

Cheers

[batish]

Originally Posted by tilt

Is this deletion slated for Thars being booked from now on or for Thars that will be delivered from now on even if they were booked when the MLD was a standard fitting?

Usually the brochure is updated at the last stage. So, this deletion would have occurred much before just like nobody knows when they brought in Start/Stop system.

Mine is January 2022 model, in 10 months they have deleted lumbar support, shifted traction control and HDC buttons, bumper two tone to single tone, removed MLD, removed 2 colours and in some models (not sure) the provision to add tow hook and replaced all this with start/stop which is at most annoying and useless. This is in 10 months and has no relation remotely to chip shortage.

With all this they have managed to jack up prices by >75k.

They could have added rear tumble seats, ambient temperature display (which they proudly show in their brochure), DEF level on MID, fixed android auto issues but nope, cost cutting was need of the hour for a vehicle which has waiting period.

[Comrade]

The irony is 90% of Thar customers won't even realise this, NEVER!! It's still surprising why there isn't a 2WD Thar but Mahindra is selling all they make, so I guess they don't really need a 2WD.

[GTO]

A 4x2 variant would dilute the brand and image of the Thar. It's anyway not targetting those who are price sensitive.

But such cheap deletions also dilute it's image.

[padmrajravi]

I don’t understand why they have to do this. They can just increase the Thar prices and I am sure the sales will not be affected. It is not like the Thar has competition. It is a unicorn. The cheapest 4x4 AT you can buy now. And not giving the option itself for petrol is terrible. Now those who are afraid of diesel DPF mood swings have to settle for a less capable off-roader. Hopefully there has not been much mechanical changes and this can still be retrofitted.

Originally Posted by RoadAtlas

So let me get this straight. The Brake Locking Differentials are still there. So the car still has differential on the front axle, but the back wheels are free moving?

Must be the first car in the world to be made like this.

I don’t think that is the case. BLD works for all wheels anyway. And it is an electronic aid. It brakes individual wheels when it detects slip. It does not need a mechanical differential lock in front wheels to operate. MLD was an additional mechanical aid only for rear wheels. That is now taken off. BLD is still there for all wheels.