The Mahindra Thar OG starts at ₹10.32 lakh ex-showroom, exactly what the outgoing Thar was already charging after its July 2026 price hike. Mahindra did not raise prices when it brought in the OG badge in September. It raised power instead, by up to 20 PS on the diesel, for the same rupee on every carried-over variant. That is the real story under the launch headlines about six airbags and a bigger touchscreen: a facelift where the brochure price stayed put and the spec sheet moved.
What You Actually Pay: Nothing New, Except at the Top
Checked against the old Thar’s last price list (July 2026, before the OG update) and Mahindra India’s current Thar OG pricing, every variant that carries over costs exactly the same:
| Variant | Ex-showroom price, old Thar and Thar OG alike |
| AXT 1.5 Diesel MT RWD | ₹10.32 Lakh |
| LXT 1.5 Diesel MT RWD | ₹12.99 Lakh |
| LXT 2.0 Petrol AT RWD | ₹14.77 Lakh |
| LXT 2.0 Petrol MT 4WD | ₹15.60 Lakh |
| LXT 2.2 Diesel MT 4WD (best value, see below) | ₹16.43 Lakh |
| LXT 2.2 Diesel AT RWD | ₹16.49 Lakh |
| LXT 2.0 Petrol AT 4WD | ₹17.23 Lakh |
| LXT 2.2 Diesel AT 4WD | ₹17.99 Lakh |
The only genuinely new price point is the ZXT trim line, which did not exist on the old Thar. It stretches the range up to ₹18.99 lakh for the ZXT 2.2 Diesel AT 4WD, adding 19-inch diamond-cut alloys, ice-cube cornering fog lamps and Truffle Brown leatherette that the old car never offered at any price. If you do not want those, you are not paying for them: the AXT and LXT variants sit at their old numbers. The full Thar OG specs and all 15 variants are on its page.
What You Actually Get: Real Power, Not Just a Badge
Autocar India’s side-by-side of the two generations, which matches the output figures on Mahindra’s own spec sheet for the OG, shows the gap is concentrated in two of the three engines:
| Engine | Old Thar | Thar OG | Change |
| 1.5L D117 diesel | 119 PS / 300 Nm | 119 PS / 300 Nm | Unchanged |
| 2.2L mHawk diesel | 132 PS / 300 Nm | 152 PS / 330 Nm | +20 PS, +30 Nm |
| 2.0L mStallion turbo-petrol | 152 PS / 300-320 Nm (sources vary by gearbox) | 162 PS / 330 Nm | +10 PS, up to +30 Nm |
The entry-level 1.5-litre diesel on the cheapest AXT and LXT variants is untouched, so if you were eyeing the base Thar for its price alone, the driving experience has not changed. The upgrade lives in the 2.2-litre diesel and 2.0-litre petrol, both of which now get 330 Nm, a figure the old Thar’s diesel never touched.
The Best-Value Pick, and What It Costs on the Road
Mahindra’s own configurator flags the LXT 2.2 Diesel MT 4WD as the pick of the range: ₹16.43 lakh ex-showroom buys the updated 152 PS diesel and proper 4×4 with low-range and a locking rear differential, without paying for an automatic you do not need off-road. The ZXT version of the same drivetrain costs ₹1.06 lakh more for wheels and lighting, not more capability.
On The Spec’d’s own on-road price page for Mumbai, that LXT 2.2 Diesel MT 4WD comes to about ₹19.66 lakh on the road, and works out to roughly ₹33,032 a month on a 20% down payment over five years at 9.5% interest. The base AXT swings harder by city than you might expect: it is about ₹11.45 lakh on the road in Surat, rising to around ₹12.76 lakh in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, a ₹1.31 lakh gap driven almost entirely by each state’s road tax slab, not by the car.
What Still Hasn’t Changed
The Thar OG did not use this update to fix its two best-known compromises. Six airbags are still a top-trim perk, not standard: the AXT and most LXT combinations ship with two, and you only get all six on the ZXT. There is no ADAS at any price, on either generation, at a time when rivals like the Mahindra XUV 3XO offer it lower down their own range. Mahindra has not published an ARAI mileage figure for the OG yet, old or new, so there is nothing honest to say about running costs beyond the 57-litre tank.
Crash safety is an open question, not a confirmed answer. The OG has not been separately tested; the figure still cited is the previous-generation Thar’s 4-star Global NCAP rating from 2020. Its own 5-door sibling, the Thar Roxx, scored 5 stars at Bharat NCAP in 2024, which only makes the untested OG look more like unfinished business.
If you already have a 2026 Thar on order at the old price, you are not losing anything by taking delivery: the number on your invoice will match the new car’s, variant for variant. The only reason to wait is if you specifically want the ZXT’s wheels and leatherette, or the extra four airbags that come only with it.
Should You Wait If You Already Booked the Old Thar?
No, not for the price. If your booking is for the 1.5-litre diesel AXT or LXT, you are getting an identical engine either way, so there is nothing to gain by waiting. If you booked the 2.2-litre diesel or the 2.0-litre petrol and your dealer can still move your order to OG spec before dispatch, that extra power is worth asking about, at no extra cost.
For cross-shopping, the Thar OG’s closest on-road rival by starting price is the Renault Duster, about ₹12.21 lakh on the road in Mumbai against the Thar’s ₹12.28 lakh for the base AXT; see Thar OG vs Duster side by side for how a unibody crossover’s everyday manners stack up against the Thar’s body-on-frame off-road ability.
Is the Mahindra Thar OG more expensive than the old Thar?
No. Every AXT and LXT variant carried over from the old Thar costs exactly the same ex-showroom price in the OG. The only increase is the new ZXT trim line, which did not exist before and tops out at ₹18.99 lakh.
What is the best Thar OG variant to buy?
The LXT 2.2 Diesel MT 4WD at ₹16.43 lakh ex-showroom, Mahindra’s own named best-value pick. It gets the updated 152 PS diesel and proper low-range 4×4 without the extra cost of an automatic gearbox.
Does the Thar OG have more airbags than the old Thar?
Only on the ZXT trim. The AXT and most LXT combinations still get two airbags, the same as before; six airbags remain a top-trim perk rather than a standard fitment across the range.
