The Compass is a far more premium offering than the Thar but which of these brutes has more straight line oomph?
Ask any driving enthusiast, and there will be praises of how good the Jeep Compass really is in real life. Despite being pricier than its direct rivals like the Tata Harrier and MG Hector, the Jeep Compass is more desirable because its rock-solid build quality, premium fit and finish levels, potent diesel engine and excellent balance of ride quality and handling.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is the Mahindra Thar. This four-wheel-drive lifestyle SUV is also a top pick by enthusiasts for its sheer capabilities off the road and macho visual appeal, which is unlike any other SUV in its price range.
The Mahindra Thar becomes an RWD vehicle in 4X2 mode while Jeep Compass is an FWD vehicle.
Both the SUVs is fit for drag races, their torque-filled diesel engines, which are the best examples of oil burners in the sub Rs 25 lakh mark, call for direct competition between the two SUVs.
Play
Mahindra Thar vs Jeep Compass Drag Race | India’s first | Mahindra Thar 2022 | Jeep Compass 2022 by Crankshoot Vlogs
Here, in a YouTube video by Crankshoot Vlogs, we can see the diesel-manual versions of the Mahindra Thar and Jeep Compass competing in a flat-stretch drag race.
Mahindra Thar Vs Jeep Compass Drag
Let’s talk about the two elephants in the room. The Jeep Compass here is the mid-spec Longitude variant of the SUV and gets a 2.0-litre four-cylinder Multijet diesel engine.
This engine is one of the most sought-after oil burners currently in India and is available in a few other SUVs like Tata Harrier, Tata Safari, MG Hector and MG Hector Plus. Here, in the Compass, this engine is paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox and pumps out 170 bhp of power and 350 Nm of torque.
The Mahindra Thar used in the drag race here is the diesel-manual convertible version of the SUV, which has a 2.2-litre four-cylinder mHawk diesel engine coupled to a 6-speed manual gearbox under its hood. We have seen this AVL-sourced engine used in the past in many other SUVs, such as previous-generation Tata Safari, Mahindra Scorpio and Mahindra XUV500. Mahindra has fine-tuned this engine, which produces 130 bhp of power and 300 Nm of torque in the Thar. In its most powerful state-of-tune, this engine produces 185 bhp of power and 450 Nm of torque in the top-spec XUV700 diesel automatic.
Mahindra Thar vs Jeep Compass; Who wins?
In this drag race competition, two different rounds took place, in which the drivers swapped their vehicles after the first round.
Round 1
At the beginning of this round, we see that the Thar had a good launch. However, the Compass picked up the pace gradually and flew past the Thar to win this race.
Round 2
After the drivers swapped their SUVs, the driver in the Compass had a jerky start. But within a few seconds, the Compass picked up the pace and again won this round of drag race.
Why is the heavier Jeep winning?
Both these cars are powered by diesel engines
In both the rounds of the drag race, the Jeep Compass emerged as the clear winner. The advantage of producing maximum power and torque outputs on paper is reflected in the real world performance as well, as the strong surge of torque in the mid-range helps the Compass gain a gradual lead over the Thar.
Secondly, there’s the weight advantage – compared to the Thar’s kerb weight of 1,750 kg, the Jeep Compass’ kerb weight is 1,604 kg, thus giving the latter advantage of being almost 150 kg lighter. And finally, compared to the block-type design of the four-wheel-drive Mahindra Thar, the more aerodynamic design of the front-wheel-drive Jeep Compass keeps it more poised when the speeds rise.
When it comes to hitting flat stretches, the Jeep Compass offers more punch and feels more stable and comfortable over a Mahindra Thar.
Which one of these two diesel-powered SUVs will you choose for a flat-stretch drive? Drop your comments section below.
Disclaimer **This video is for entertainment purposes only. TopSpeed India does not endorse or encourage racing on public roads.
Keyword: Mahindra Thar Diesel Vs Jeep Compass Diesel Drag Race