New Mahindra Thar petrol or diesel

How would you rate the off-road abilities of the new 2020 Mahindra Thar 2.0-litre mStallion turbo-petrol automatic, when compared to its diesel sibling? Although the petrol engine has a slight edge over its diesel stablemate, at least on paper, will it be able to match up with the diesel in the wild?

Sidharth Bharadwaj, Jamshedpur

The 2.0 mStallion genuinely impressed us with its smoothness and sharp throttle response. It doesn’t quite have the low-end grunt of the diesel, but is torquey enough for serious mud plugging and doesn’t compromise the Thar’s off-road abilities. We would choose the 2.0 turbo-petrol over the diesel if your drive is a combination of city and weekend off-roading.