Global NCAP was in for a big surprise when it tested the Mahindra Thar, a wallet-friendly Jeep Wrangler lookalike for India.
Despite only having two airbags, the body-on-frame SUV scored four stars out of five for overall safety – a major success for what it is. The committee admits no one really expected it to perform this well, especially given the lack of any kind of stability control in the base spec.
The testing crew pointed out good adult and children’s safety, as well as good rigidity of the car body and adequate head protection (for adults). Front fascia layout and chassis settings were the only points of criticism.
In contrast, the original Jeep Wrangler failed both the U.S. and Euro NCAP tests.