Mahindra Thar : Test Drive & Review

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

KMT, for that you will have to modify / fabricate the exhaust pipes starting from the outlet end, move it slightly up and then spruce it up with a good fabricated rock slider.

Spike

PS- If you don't need the stock muffler (I do not recommend this) you can plan something like this:-



Pics courtesy- Cobus, S.A.

[speedy]

Originally Posted by KMT

Speedy - I have been looking forward to this update from you - thanks.
The rims and wheels look great and suit the colour.
The exhaust cans kind of spoil the clean bodyline under the car, do you plan to tuck it in behind the chasis rails or will that put too many bends in the pipe?

Thank you.

The exhaust pipe of the car would be changed from the headers on. There is not enough place as of now when you lift it as the can hits against the chassis and gives you a clanking sound when you drive her.

Originally Posted by slalom

@ Speedy !

He looks great and feels like he's ready for action , congrats !
have great fun outdoors !

Did you repaint the Thar or it looks darker in the shade ?
Did you get the alloys painted , and is it the prestige alloys ?

Really looking forward after all the mods are done .

Cheers !

Thank you, but she might look the part, but is not ready to take on the part. The car is in factory paint and not repainted. Yes she runs on Prestige alloys but they are dull chrome finish with the center caps in Matt black. Please do remember changing your alloys and tyres makes you loose brake and suspension warrenty. This is was informed by NDS showroom in Mumbai.

Originally Posted by sarmarishi

I have a question.. If I buy the Thar, can I shift the seat a little to the left to allign it to the steering wheel? Are there any difficulties in doing so? Will the pedals then get mis-alligned? I did not like the misallignment of the seat and the wheel 1 bit and it totally put me off!

I tried all of that but if you want to keep your warrenties then i suggest you let it be. It is not all that bad and you get used to it. When i tried alligning my new seats the pedals get mis alligned way more drastically then the steering is. The space between the driver and the navigator also gets closser and it is a no win situation regarding space for both.

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

Yes, for one vehicle all this is possible, not a big deal!

So you mean to say a person who does this does not loose engine, electrical and body warrenty Spike.? Come on Spike be real and not a Mahindra guy for once. I dont think there are many or any like me here, who have voided all warrenties of their car. So someone with warrenty goes and tries this on your approval will loose all warrenties.

Originally Posted by KMT

Cyrus/Spike - thanks for your views, if you can give me any suggestions how the exhaust pipes can be hidden from view (after removing the sidesteps) it will be much appreciated.
I reckon if the roof line can be flattened & lowered by appx 2 inches at the B pillar and the underbody can be cleaned up a bit the cosmetic appearance will be enhanced considerably.
Also, its good to hear that it is flying of the shelves.

The exhaust pipe holding can be made smaller and a ruber casing made for the exhaust to avoid the clanking noise of the exhaust hitting against the chassis. The down size is the exhaust heat would melt the rubber. Whatever you do the exhaust will be visible once the side step is removed. I would suggest to leave it the way it is and make a casing around the box. Fidling with this will hamper warrenty.

The center pillar can be reduced by cutting it down to the windscreen level that is about 2". There is a hard board inbetween the canvas top directly above the front seats for insulation and keeping the heat off. take that into consideration also. If you are a tall person the side pillars do obstruct in veiw. Cutting down the top to give her a wrangler feel will cost you body warrenty. Do talk to your dealership before doing anything to the car.

[headers]

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

The back pressures and flow volumes are analyzed and optimized for peak performance (better drive-ability). If these are removed, I think there will not be power drop (considering the exhaust routing is proper).

Hey Spikey! - Can you elaborate on that please? Can you put up the torque and power curves before and after?

Originally Posted by speedy

So you mean to say a person who does this does not loose engine, electrical and body warrenty Spike.? Come on Spike be real and not a Mahindra guy for once. I dont think there are many or any like me here, who have voided all warrenties of their car. So someone with warrenty goes and tries this on your approval will loose all warrenties.

The exhaust pipe holding can be made smaller and a ruber casing made for the exhaust to avoid the clanking noise of the exhaust hitting against the chassis. The down size is the exhaust heat would melt the rubber. Whatever you do the exhaust will be visible once the side step is removed. I would suggest to leave it the way it is and make a casing around the box. Fidling with this will hamper warrenty.

The center pillar can be reduced by cutting it down to the windscreen level that is about 2". There is a hard board inbetween the canvas top directly above the front seats for insulation and keeping the heat off. take that into consideration also. If you are a tall person the side pillars do obstruct in veiw. Cutting down the top to give her a wrangler feel will cost you body warrenty. Do talk to your dealership before doing anything to the car.

I would like some clarity on the SUSPENSION WARRANTY. What if the vehicle gets affected by some OFFROAD and the IFS needs attention? DOES IT COME UNDER WARRANTY?

I have asked this question many times and have NOT got an answer

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

Yes it is, if the user is not concerned of PUC and other stuffs he may get rid off the catcon ( I personally don't recommend this).

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

PS- If you don't need the stock muffler (I do not recommend this) you can

Originally Posted by speedy

I dont think there are many or any like me here, who have voided all warrenties of their car. So someone with warrenty goes and tries this on your approval will loose all warrenties.

Speedy, I agree with you. I know some people will end up doing all these and claim for warranties stating that a company person advocated for these. If you observe this is the precise reason, I have added that statutory warning in my posts (I do not recommend). For the record, I have not recommended even changing to oversize tires.

Spike

PS- I have inculcated this habit from my boss who says "Always pre-empt things before the opposition (saamnewalah) reacts; also keep your backup plan , contingency plan ready"

[SafeDrive]

@ Speedy - have you been able to get the Thar registered? Also when is it going in for the mods?

And folks in Chennai definitely seem to be children of a lesser God. If the bookings have been stopped because of extra demand, then the chances for a early launch here looks even more remote.

[speedy]

Originally Posted by headers

I would like some clarity on the SUSPENSION WARRANTY. What if the vehicle gets affected by some OFFROAD and the IFS needs attention? DOES IT COME UNDER WARRANTY?

I have asked this question many times and have NOT got an answer

As long as you run on the stock form, that is the 235/75/16 HT tyres and rims provided by the company and your IFS need attention due to offroad activities and i dont mean extreme offroad activities, you are fine. The warrenty stands. If you change the tyre and rims then it does not hold, you even loose brank warrenty. This is what was told to me by the Mahindra dealership in Bombay.

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

Speedy, I agree with you. I know some people will end up doing all these and claim for warranties stating that a company person advocated for these. If you observe this is the precise reason, I have added that statutory warning in my posts (I do not recommend). For the record, I have not recommended even changing to oversize tires.

Spike

PS- I have inculcated this habit from my boss who says "Always pre-empt things before the opposition (saamnewalah) reacts; also keep your backup plan , contingency plan ready"

, true bro. The issue is people miss some parts and keep in mind only what is planned by them forgetting the warning. After things go sour your neck is on the line for recommending so a contingency plan has to be in order.

Originally Posted by SafeDrive

@ Speedy - have you been able to get the Thar registered? Also when is it going in for the mods?

And folks in Chennai definitely seem to be children of a lesser God. If the bookings have been stopped because of extra demand, then the chances for a early launch here looks even more remote.

I got the Thar registered finally 2 weeks ago. Allan was a bit busy, so i was tinkering with things i wanted to do, like remove the seats and finding the alloys and tyres to go with it. Hopefully this week the car will be with Allan if he is free to take it.

If you wanted the car you should have booked it in advance, this was bound to happen. I am sure there would be test vehicles incase you are looking for a test drive. If you want it as a daily drive with basic offroading involved, then this car is perfect. The down side is the mis aligned steering, that is livable and the squeks, that get annoying after a point.

[joshguy]

Does THAR MDI come with power steering?


Is thar launched in chennai? Has anyone got TD of it

[pjbiju]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

...
We moved on to the long descent of the EXAMM day 1, and did a timed 'NO ABC' crawl of both, the Thar and the Classic one by one. Either Jeep used 1st low for the descent. Here is a video showing the side by side comparison:

...

Tejas, Khan and other 4x4 experts - what if the descent was tried after engaging the handbrake partially? Would that have worked to slow down the crawl speed of the Thar to go down such descents at a slower pace?

Originally Posted by speedy

...
The down side is the mis aligned steering, that is livable and the squeks, that get annoying after a point.

Speedy, what kind of squeaks are you hearing? I thought this was pretty much silent without any squeaks.

[Janjua]

I have gone through the entire Mahindra Thar Test Drive & Review thread here.
Most opinions in the thread spew venom on the Mahindra Thar. Such a super-biased opinion coming from serious motorists like my fellow-BHPians only personifies the attitude of a little kid who did not get the candy he wanted. I know there are short comings with the vehicle but does it deserve such a blasting?

Friends, simmer down. What is the issue? Were all of you ready with your check books just waiting to jump the que to book the Thar?

Or is it that you guys thought, at long last, M&M is coming out with a 'Jeep' that you could use without first having to spend umpteen hours in a fabricating/mechanic shop and then when the vehicle was unveiled, it fell way short of your expectations and then all of you felt as if BD Sir & his team had somehow 'cheated' you all by delivering such a sub-par product.

Then I read a thread (that many of you vindicated), that the Thar will be targetted by 30 somethings in the midst of a mid-life crises and those trying to project a macho image on the road. This really broke my heart. Guys, come on. Do you think that anybody who buys a Thar is obligated to be a hardcore off-roader? Do the self-professed Indian off-roaders have the only divine right to buy vehicles like the Thar? Are they the macho kinds? Or is it a simmering inferiority complex that is behind such a thought?

Is the love for a 'Jeep' directly proportional to being a macho, off-roading, hairy chested butch guy? If you guys think so, then I am sorry, it is skewed thinking. What about the guys buying 2+crore rupee sedans? Do you think there is any prudence to that idea other than that someone who has a lot of money to spare?

I have never come upon a thread on any forum regarding any topic that oozes so much hatred for something. It seems that a HT and an AC on the Thar would have made sure that such negative thoughts were not eschewed by my fellow BHP-ians. I agree too, but then if a company wants to sell a product that most internet users feel is sub-standard, then what can we do other than NOT BUY the product?

So, I feel, enough Thar-bashing has been done on this forum. If you like it, buy it and ENJOY IT. If you don't like it, wait for some time for the upgraded variant to be launched (fingers crossed) and then buy it and then ENJOY IT! If you really don't like it/want, please ignore this thread. It is quite laborious to go through so many posts just to come to the same conclusion that one comes to after reading the first few.

Thar owners, enjoy. Would be Thar owners drool. Thar haters cool it. Thar 'let down', wait for the coming months, I am sure BD Sir is listening!! Or is he?

[speedy]

Originally Posted by pjbiju

Tejas, Khan and other 4x4 experts - what if the descent was tried after engaging the handbrake partially? Would that have worked to slow down the crawl speed of the Thar to go down such descents at a slower pace?

Speedy, what kind of squeaks are you hearing? I thought this was pretty much silent without any squeaks.

To slow down the crawl speed, i think you would have to ride the clutch and use the brake. Not tried it yet so not sure.

The Thar is just like any of the older jeeps. The same body squeks you get in a 540,550 or the older jeeps. The engine, suspension and the dash board are very silent.


@Janjua i agree with you here. This is the Second jeep that i have owned and technically my first. The RCL now with Gogi bhai used to be mine before. So for me being used to cars with alot more luxury and offroading with a Fortuner that would fit in 2 Thars in the price factor range, I still can live with the Thar. If i was to use it everyday even though i had never driven a jeep before this, i like it. Put in an AC and this in its current form can be used everyday with no sweat. So if someone like me can think of living with it, the people who have owned older jeep and those who still do would love the Thar for normal use.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by pjbiju

Tejas, Khan and other 4x4 experts - what if the descent was tried after engaging the handbrake partially? Would that have worked to slow down the crawl speed of the Thar to go down such descents at a slower pace?

I am not an off-roader. But using the brakes to slow down a vehicles crawl speed does not appear as a good way to do it. For one, you are gonna be heating it up and that will cause brake fail. Plus if you have water/ slush conditions then this approach will not work.

[carrot_eater]

Thanks for the responses to my queries - Speedy and Vinod.

Speedy - Did you already install the AC in your Thar, for the quote that you had got for 25K. Btw the pic looks great.

Cheers!

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Janjua

Friends, simmer down. What is the issue? Were all of you ready with your check books just waiting to jump the que to book the Thar?

Do you know why Duryodhan always hated the Pandavas? If you don't, you will have to actually read the Mahabharat, right from the beginning. Reading just one Thar thread, that too the latest one, will not enlighten you why so many are unhappy about it. Please don't hand out profound judgement after viewing just the latest episode, this serial started in December 2008.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-v...mm540-4wd.html

[discoverwild]

^ Agree wholeheartedly to the above comment by Samurai.

I think Janjua needs to read the other threads and see how a lot of serious Jeepers and off-roaders were taken for a ride. BTW, if you are pleased with the Thar, the way it is now, please go ahead and buy it. No one's stopping you.

[KMT]

Samurai- very aptly put!

Januja- I think 'passion' is the appropriate term not hate /venom etc.
The way the concept was first introduced, everyones expectations were high.

Whilst what has been delivered is better than the Jeeps of yore in many respects, it is still a bit of lost opportunity.

We can fix some of the things (like old Amby days) by taking the new vehicle to the wksp and stripping down, however there are things that can be done only at the manufacturers end.

I think most people here actually want the Thar to succeed (& evolve).

Personally I look forward to ongoing updates from Thar users like Speedy & Jeepcaptain for their views/mods on the vehicle in the real world.