Mahindra Thar : Test Drive & Review

[starter]

Originally Posted by headers

Use your head - The heart will thank you later

Awesome post Vikram
Can't stop laughing reading it, but i see how genuine that advice is.
I would definitely agree.

@Harikrishnan: To go to Leh and be back, i wonder if you would really need a 4wd at all.
A comfortable vehicle on the other hand would definitely help!!
Cheers,
Deepak

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by harikrishnanm

I have a Scoprio VLX Automatic and an SX4 petrol currently. The head says one of these. The heart screams THAR!!!!.

Dear Mr. Harikrishnanm - thank you for your very true comments. .

Finally addressing this communication to "Dear Sirs and Dear Guys Who Matter" - above target customer comment proves for the "n+1th" time that Thar CRDe is not only targeting but also competing with main stream passenger cars. It has now occupied the target customers' latent mindspace. I recommend the following line of action to mature this platform to its full potential so that it finally delivers unmatched delight to customers and realizes the "THE POWER OF THE DREAM".

• Prepare and supply appearance upgradation kits through dealerships, to be adapted post registration (much much more than what is offered today, blitz the market).
• Reinforce rear body side panels from inside (similar solution as done on CL550MDI in Kandivli) to address customer irritants of body rattle etc by using low tooling investment model (no change to skin panel appearance).
• Prepare a low tooling investment model metallic hard top but only if it justifies the target business case, otherwise go for the FRP route but differentiate the product from market player offerings who have entered now.
• Target serious hard core offroad customers and offer performance upgradation kits in three price bands, minimum, medium and high, minimum and medium using all off the shelf aggregates. Mature vehicles with these kits into production as an extension model, once established. Here, price is secondary.
• Engineer m-Hawk engine on Bolero platform, for carrying this platform to Euro 5 and beyond, also exploring crash compliance possibilities.
• Sell Thar CRDe through unconventional route (drive away by swiping a credit card in malls etc).
• Develop a mid target segment product by enhancing the appearance of Thar DI (only 4WD).

and finally - do not use the conventional development route to achieve all this, otherwise it will never happen. A small group of highly motivated engineers is what is required to deliver this work as a business model. .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[headers]

^^^ +0.00001

Please give OE:

1. Differential Locks
2. Better Steering feedback [ I can take this offline if the desired PM me ]
3. A fully lockable THAR [Soft top / HT or Invisible]
4. Better GB [Reduce Travel distance between gears]
5. A better suspension setup [The IFS is so soft that the vehicle keeps dancing to eternity especially at high speeds and bad roads]

Give a Solid Axle upgrade and we will love you for that!

And finally BETTER DEALER ATTITUDE AND TRAINING - Teach them the basics of "How to understand customers needs and sell the correct vehicle" instead of rambling about that they mugged during induction.

And please note OE is OE , NOTHING ELSE MATTERS !

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by headers

OE is OE, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS !

Dear Vikram - thanks, all your 5 points are covered in my recommendations as well. Yes, OE is OE but then there are constraints, getting things into OE.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[AWD]

Test drove the Mahindra Thar A.C. Yesterday. Where to start,
- A.C. louvers are poor at directing air-flow.
- A.C. rotor knob wasn't working on showroom fresh/yet to be delivered vehcile.
- Cooling was below par, blower sound is very loud.
- Hand-brake lever behaving as if broken.
- Noises & rattles all-around.
- Front door pop up lock not working, having to pull/push door for opening.
- banged my head against the top while entering, some amount of gymanstics involved.
- Poor-poor brakes.
- Lifeless & vague steering.
- Side pillar restricts/blocks driver vision.

These are just the outlines, it was a woeful experience. Delivering such a vehicle in today's times & at such a cost, Im left speechless. Its just a matter of NO-competition. It would take just one good-capable vehicle to throw this piece of junk into oblivion. Hope the likes of Renault are listening, launch a base Duster with 4x4.

For me a jugad jeep for ~3L odd works better than Thar.

[thalavoy]

Originally Posted by headers

Use your head - The heart will thank you later

After a prolonged cussing, of course

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by AWD

It would take just one good-capable vehicle to throw this piece of junk into oblivion. Hope the likes of Renault are listening, launch a base Duster with 4x4.

Dear AVR - thanks for your comments. If after repeated communications if somebody does not listen or does not want to listen, then somebody else will definitely listen. Got the drift? Thanks. .

Dear Vikram - your one liner is just too good! .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[harikrishnanm]

Originally Posted by starter

Awesome post Vikram
Can't stop laughing reading it, but i see how genuine that advice is.
I would definitely agree.

@Harikrishnan: To go to Leh and be back, i wonder if you would really need a 4wd at all.
A comfortable vehicle on the other hand would definitely help!!
Cheers,
Deepak

I agree. Someone should knock me back into reality

If it were not for our sense of humor, we would be long dead and gone; Gandhi said this, its so true.

Its not about comfort or the 4WD. Its the call of the jeeper. I had driven a 540 around quite a bit an when upgraded (if you call it that) to a Sumo, it was sure as hell more comfortable. But I cant remember one thing about the Sumo. But I distinctly remember a lot of details on the 540. This is from more than 15 years ago.

Sure, it does make sense to be more comfortable on the road. Ive done many 800km a day drives in the SX4 and the Scorpio (I had a Scorpio before the current automatic too). Its comfortable, and enjoyable. But did I really experience the drive and the road, maybe not.

I guess THARians are in a way attracted to nature, why else would they get mud all over their jeep. I like to experience nature too. That in my opinion is what the THAR offers you. A truly remarkable way to experience nature.

That is exactly what we want to do on this trip. Experience the road, the drive and nature.

As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it (--Steve Jobs). I have found it for sure. Just need the courage to embrace it.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by harikrishnanm

I cant remember one thing about the Sumo. But I distinctly remember a lot of details on the 540.

I had a Scorpio before the current automatic. Its comfortable, and enjoyable. But did I really experience the drive and the road, maybe not.

As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it (Steve Jobs). I have found it for sure. Just need the courage to embrace it.

Dear Harikrishnanm - thank you so much for defining the latent desire of why you want to buy Thar as an actual customer. It is "that something" that you see in this product that you don't see anywhere else. Go ahead and do what you love to do, don't do anything else!

Imagine that you are driving in the city. You pass a lot of cars / SUVs / MUVs going the other way, you don't even notice, and then you see a Thar or an MM540 or a CL340 zip by. Does your head not turn? Yes, it does! Don't you smile to yourself? Yes, you do. I also do. That's the power of that timeless shape, the Jeep. When people understand this (if they want to), then only the fortune of Thar will improve, till then, it will float as just another project. I hope good sense prevails and something actually happens, because it is possible to make it happen!

You have mentioned Steve Jobs. He was my role model. He told his team "I want one button on the front of my iPhone". Everybody thought he was crazy. See the iPhone today. It has one button on it's front. iPhone is selling as a brand, not as a product. He charged premium for it and made money. He knew exactly what he was doing. That's business!

When Products become Brands, that is the highest form of "Customer-Centricity" that can be attained. People spend huge amounts in building brands, most of them fall by the wayside. Whatever I did, I tried in my own small way to enable this to happen with Thar without spending a single paisa of company money on branding. Nobody told me to do it, I did it for my passion, my belief that my product could become a brand. With your comments coming through, I believe I have succeeded, irrespective of the periodic brickbats I keep on recieving, which for me is constructive critique.

Now that I work somewhere else, let's see if I can better my own performance! I have set the baseline very high! . Let's see!

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[harikrishnanm]

Behram Sir,

THANK YOU. I think you just helped me make the decision.

Its following that heart that has got me to where I am today. I don't regret it one bit. I'm just going to keep doing it.

As you rightly said, products are only a way to build a brand. Products have to cross the chasm to become a brand. But once they do customers are not buying a product, they are becoming loyal to a brand.

I work with one of the largest brands in the world and I can tell you without doubt, that money is not the only way to build brands. Its by building products that are disruptive.

THAR is exactly that. And hats off to you for doing this without spending money. The brickbats and the criticism is one of the engines that will eventually get the THAR on to the other side of the chasm.

Jobs raised the bar so high your could barely see it. And he was disruptive with his products to say the least. After having read through all the posts on the THAR in the forum, I have formed an impression in my mind that the THAR has the bar quite high. Its the inertia in M&M that might be standing in the way. But after having continuously experienced M&M over the last nine years, I can confidently say that things are changing.

Yes, I do look at any MM540 or CL340 on the road. And yes, I do smile at myself. (In fact my wife looks at me the moment she sees an 540, 340 or a THAR, just to see that smile on my face). Its the thing a jeeper would do I guess.

We eagerly await your next creation. I am almost certain, it'll be a disruptive force in itself. Maybe crowd-sourcing some feedback preemptively might be a good way to start the journey. It also helps with the other driver that Jobs had working for him. Involvement and participation of customers in building the brand.

Good luck to you sir.

[slalom]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear AVR - thanks for your comments. If after repeated communications if somebody does not listen or does not want to listen, then somebody else will definitely listen. Got the drift? Thanks. .

Dear Vikram - your one liner is just too good! .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

If I'm getting " the drift" , I'm in for more trouble .
I'm quite happy with the Thar now ( OE AC and immobilizer ) and was getting ready to lay my hands on one .

I would definitely love to see a better ,exciting ,loaded machine and hope something is really cooking .

[nitin_80]

Originally Posted by harikrishnanm

Any idea where to get BFG A/T tyres for the THAR in Bangalore ? The stock H/T does not inspire or instill a lot of confidence on the THAR.

Hi @harikrishnanm,

Regarding the BFG A/T I am not too sure about its availability in India nowadays. I got the BFGs after 2 weeks of hard search almost a year ago. My friend then spent some time looking for them in Mumbai as well as Bangalore but couldnt source them, due to some import ban. Hope you are luckier.

I have them on my Thar and attended a recent OTR in Mumbai. They are not so great on mud and slush but apparently have very good side walls and look good too. Otherwise they performed quite well.
About the thar, it performed very well and am quite happy with it.

Mr Behram, it was great meeting you at the OTR, very nice of you to walk up and chat with me. Once again I congratulate you on being the person behind this wonderful vehicle.

Regards,
Nitin

[Trueintrepid]

Originally Posted by nitin_80

Hi @harikrishnanm,

Regarding the BFG A/T I am not too sure about its availability in India nowadays. I got the BFGs after 2 weeks of hard search almost a year ago. My friend then spent some time looking for them in Mumbai as well as Bangalore but couldnt source them, due to some import ban. Hope you are luckier.

I agree with Nitin. BFGs are hard to find. On the last count, there were two in Pune and 1 somewhere in Bombay. I gave up because I wanted all 5.

Anyhow, nothing is lost. I hear that they may relax the import ban soon enough. Besides, DynaPro, I hear is the hottest set of wheels at the moment.

[anandpadhye]

Why not go for Yokohama Geolander G012 A/T tyres?
Good tyres - I have them on my Tucson for a year now.

[harikrishnanm]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Why not go for Yokohama Geolander G012 A/T tyres?
Good tyres - I have them on my Tucson for a year now.

Thanks anandpadhye.

I think this is the way to go. Saw them on a Thar in Whitefield, Bangalore the other day. Couldnt find the owner to chat up. But the tyres looked good.

There is some talk in the forum of a weak side wall. I guess thats a worry for hard-core off-roaders.

Me, Im happy to be stuck in the mud in some jungle road in Kerala and I guess Yokos should be good for that.