My First New Jeep - The Mahindra Thar DI Finally

the traveller · 17th January 2012, 22:22

After a lot of thought and analysis (without ever physically seeing or test driving the vehicle ) , ive finally bought
"MY FIRST NEW JEEP " the Thar DI , just two weeks ago , and i'm glad ive made the right choice.

The THAR DI is almost everything i wanted my MM540 to be .
Done 2500kms so far and i think this is a "super jeep".

I think if you are a die hard fan of the "JEEPS" you'll fall in love with this version of the THAR
Tini korah ( chennai ) and Bhaskar Keshvlu (Banglore ) are the two very gentlemen who lost themselves after seeing my THAR and have booked thier very own already.

I Booked the vehicle at CAI ooty , chaps in the sales in the ooty dealership were very helpul and quite well informed of the product.
Took about a week and a half from time of booking to delivery of the vehicle.
They had stock of the vehicle so i think i managed to get it so quickly.

Colour

DI for now i think comes in only two colours white and beige
( the price phamplet however mentions green , red , white and champgne )
i opted for the white one.

Seats
Are both non reclineable and basic
Both seats have a head rest thats height adjustable.

Drivers Seat
Is the only one that can be moved back and forth.
Found the drivers side seat really too close to the steering wheel even after it was moved all the way back on the rails.
So had to drill a new set of holes behind and in line with the old ones to make it more comfortable to drive.
Point to be noted here is that , the rear seat behind the drivers side is shorther than that of the passengers side and therefore allows for more travel of the seat backwards.
Had intitially wanted to change to some after market seats but on second thoughts ( and after driving about 2000+ kms ) i find the drivers seats comfortable enough to drive in.
Infact i find the seat actually supports the back quite well and is nice and firm to sit on ,during long distances.
Maybe a very slight recline by heating the tube in between the seat and the back rest might be all thats required.

Passenger seat
Is not too bad on comfort and back support but also way too much in front and unlike the drivers side rear seat is much longer ( same as the rear seats of 540 and 550 i suppose ).
For now ive moved the seat back as far it will go and welded a set of four brackets onto the floor ( thats something i really hated doing but no choice).

Rear Seats
Are alright in the comfort department but somehow seems to sit quite high , and so anyone parked behind has got to watch out for his or her head knocking the roof frame on the sides.
The driver on his part is gotta really be mindful of the bumps and potholes on the road if someone is seated behind
offroad - forget it - just dont sit behind unless youve got a helmet on .
Nevertheless - This is a jeep so if you dont understand it just dont sit behind or even in a jeep for that matter.

Doors
Being new , the click on the doors (including the rear one ) when you shut it is really sweet .
Guess thats not going to last for ever.

The Soft Top
Is of good quality , but not taut enough to give it a nice look.
Might be good to add two more support rods like in the 550 up front .
The Thar has only one and makes the top sag a bit.

The Windshield
Is like in the 550 , can be opened up , and is a complete blessing.
Especially when driving in jungles and on lazy vacations.
The Jeep looks nicer as well with the aluminum beading instead of the fixed one.

Tyres
Vehicle came with NDMS - Ceat .
Nice tyres for estate use but ive replaced them for 750 / 16 JK Sand tyres ( Sept 2011 issue ) for now , looks nicer and sits higher off the ground.( paid about 25000K / set of 5 without the tubes)
Looking for a set of MT's for offroad and competition use .
Find a slight sluggishness in initial take off with the JK Sand grips but thats normal.
Braking isnt too bad , however much better with te 600 / 16's obiviously but of no consequence.
On road with the 750/16 my gps throws up about 7kms faster than the vehicles speedo.
Rims are stock.

Build and metal quality of body .
Somehow seems a little inferior and light to touch as compared to even the civilian 540 im used to.

Chasis and Suspension
Feels solid and very very rugged .
The ride is a bit stiff at present but i presume will kind of soften a bit when the leaf springs "run in "
overall the package underneath is very robust , solid and gives you feeling of confidence.

Engine
A little noisy on the outside like all DI's but surprisingly inside its not too bad at all so much so that you dont need to pull up on the side and switch off the engine to make a conversation over the phone , whats more is you can even listen to some music .

More on the engine itself is covered elsewhere in the forum i remember , to me its a splendid machine and feels like a very powerful rig.
Im still in that stage of running it in so cant really comment on it from an offroading point of view yet
but for now i can sense its going to perform exceptionally well offroad.
Engine seems to have immense reserve power on the highway.
clocked a 100 on the the road back from Bangalore for a short stretch and i felt at ease unlike the earlier jeeps.
Nevertheless one doesnt buy a jeep or Thar DI to be a speedy gonsalves .

Gear Box
5 speed - what more do you need on the highway.
offroad - havent tried it yet , but im really dying to try it ( gotta wiat till i run it in a bit more ).

4wd
Git the free wheeling hub fixed for now ( regular Lamda that we use on the 550 and 540 ) .
yet to turn it to the locked position
and yet to shift the 4wd lever to 4H / 4L yet .

Recovery points
For some odd reason there isnt a recovery / tow point in the front of the vehicle
however the rear has one in the usual place .

Additions / Subtractions and changes in the future ( after the free services )

Redesign the silencer / catcon etc - it hangs too low for anything off road , its just got to go ,no two ways about it.
Set of MT for offroad use
Better seats
Recovery point / Tow point in the front.
Diff ratio to 4.88
Wider axels
Fullfloating in the rear
Diff gaurds front and rear
Rear Diff locks
Self recovery Winch - front ( maybe PTO winch if possible for the rear )

CANT WAIT TO GO OFFROADING IN MY FIRST NEW JEEP !!!.

NOW FOR SOME OF THE PICTURES.

Blue Thunder · 18th January 2012, 04:32

Congrats, Sanjay ! Please do put up the pics soon!

sreejeshmp · 18th January 2012, 08:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by the traveller

After a lot of thought and analysis , ive finally bought
"MY FIRST NEW JEEP " the Thar DI , just two weeks ago , and i'm glad ive made the right choice.

Congrats

That DI is a beautiful Jeep to Drive on Road/Off road It has everything A jeeper wants. Any plan to change the Diff ratio ?

- Sreejesh

zalaps · 18th January 2012, 09:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by the traveller

put up the pictures later .

Congratulations!
Which color?
Were stock tires of NDMS pattern?

Teasers are not going be tolerated. Upload pictures sooner.

Samurai · 19th January 2012, 14:57

Congrats on the Thar DI. I really like this version of Thar. I guess I don't have to elaborate on that, there is a big thread on why Di makes more sense of offroading.

I like the White color, it looks good in it. I had seen the Thar DI perform in the Beltangady OTR, it did well even with stock diff ratio.

the traveller · 19th January 2012, 15:27

Thanks samurai
Absolutely, for those of us that have lived with and love the feel of the typical jeep, you'll find that the THAR DI makes a lot of sense to own.

ive driven the Cdre offroad and its nice no doubt ,but i just prefer the DI anyday and anyway.

mitrajdeep · 19th January 2012, 16:26

Congrats on the Thar, the white looks good.

Can you please post some pictures of the seat modification that you have done ?

kites · 19th January 2012, 17:14

Congratulations on you New Thar, i was wondering how come the temporary number is of Hubli,Karnataka (KA 25) RTO? did you source it from Hubli?

the traveller · 19th January 2012, 17:21

i presume you want the one for the passenger side , because for the driver side ive just drilled holes right behind the original ones and moved the whole seat unit behind .
i will ut up the pics but later , however what i've donefor the passenger side is just temporary ,until i come up with something more nicer looking and well finished.

these pics are of my first glimpse of my vehicle at the yard in coimbatore and on the day of my taking delivery of it ,
the guys at the yard in coimbatore said that it was driven in from the hosur .
they didnt have a clue either why a temp KA no was on it when hosur is TN .
All i know of it for now is that the thing is very stubborn and wont rub off yet even after repeated cleaning and fighting with it.

Mod team note: Back to back post, please use EDIT once the posts are approved. Thanks

dhanushs · 19th January 2012, 18:10

Congratulations on the new Thar!!.. This rugged machine can handle anything you can throw its way. A true workhorse. Moreover, a properly done up white Thar is an absolute head turner and no slouch on road <100kmph.

btw, how are the driver seats which comes without any adjustment? I assume you have made space by taking the seats back?. But IMO, a more practical solution would be to swap to 540 type adjustable seats.

the traveller · 19th January 2012, 18:29

Dhanusus
hi , and thanks .
well like ive mentioned the drivers seat cant be reclined but can be moved back and forth ( it comes with rails just like in the 540's ) the rear seat behind the drivers is shorter than the passenger side and thus all you have to do is drill a new set of holes behind the exisiting ones on the tool box that the drivers seat sits on to let the seat travel as far back as it can .
its the passenger seat thats fixed and cant recline and doesnt have the rails to move back and forth.

dhanushs · 19th January 2012, 19:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by the traveller

its the passenger seat thats fixed and cant recline and doesnt have the rails to move back and forth.

Oh.. In the Thar Di I drove, the driver seat too was the same. No recline and no rails. Glad to know that Mahindra has made an important change, or else, I shudder to think the plight of 6 feet + guys!

Frankenstein · 19th January 2012, 21:04

Sanju Baba congrats.

How is the throttle response compared to your older xd3p mm5x0.

Should you really bother messing the company brand new axles to the second hand god knows how badly used wider axles.

Can you give a small camparo between your old Jeep and this for us newbies.

SPIKE ARRESTOR · 19th January 2012, 21:35

Congratulations Sanjay, look forward to your ownership thread on how you turn this product into an offroad beast.

A quick question, how many kilometers had your Thar run (odo) when you got delivery?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Oh.. In the Thar Di I drove, the driver seat too was the same. No recline and no rails. Glad to know that Mahindra has made an important change, or else, I shudder to think the plight of 6 feet + guys!

Dhanush, driver's seat always had a seat travel adjuster (rail as you say). I am guessing that, either the seats were tampered at the dealership for some odd reason or the mechanism had conked / jammed during delivery.

Spike

the traveller · 19th January 2012, 22:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frankenstein

Sanju Baba congrats.

How is the throttle response compared to your older xd3p mm5x0.

Should you really bother messing the company brand new axles to the second hand god knows how badly used wider axles.

Can you give a small camparo between your old Jeep and this for us newbies.

hi sandeep
thanks mate , well for now ive been very light footed on my new rig , i'd like to run it in a little longer than what the company has stipulated ( 2000kms) , my xd3p was a pleasure to throttle away

as for the axle mod , im not doing it right away .
I'm of the opinion that it'll help enhance stability and i suppose the turning radius too.( which is presently very poor )

to compare the Thar with my old jeep......

have only done the highway as of now with the thar , so on the highway
The Thar is : -
More refined than my ol baby
Brakes are better
Clutch is softer
Far more quiter in the cabin
no wandering or wobbles

the position of the steering wheel was more low down in my earlier 540 than is in the thar and it felt more comfortable.

While the THAR DI is a brilliant piece of work and i really love it and am glad i bought it ,

I cant but think - a well built / kept 540 has its own charm no matter what for me , theres something lovely about the ol jeep i cant put my finger on and that lovely something you cant replace.

17th January 2012, 22:22	#1
the traveller BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: chennai Posts: 41 Thanked: 19 Times	My First New Jeep - The Mahindra Thar DI Finally After a lot of thought and analysis (without ever physically seeing or test driving the vehicle ) , ive finally bought "MY FIRST NEW JEEP " the Thar DI , just two weeks ago , and i'm glad ive made the right choice. The THAR DI is almost everything i wanted my MM540 to be . Done 2500kms so far and i think this is a "super jeep". I think if you are a die hard fan of the "JEEPS" you'll fall in love with this version of the THAR Tini korah ( chennai ) and Bhaskar Keshvlu (Banglore ) are the two very gentlemen who lost themselves after seeing my THAR and have booked thier very own already. I Booked the vehicle at CAI ooty , chaps in the sales in the ooty dealership were very helpul and quite well informed of the product. Took about a week and a half from time of booking to delivery of the vehicle. They had stock of the vehicle so i think i managed to get it so quickly. Colour DI for now i think comes in only two colours white and beige ( the price phamplet however mentions green , red , white and champgne ) i opted for the white one. Seats Are both non reclineable and basic Both seats have a head rest thats height adjustable. Drivers Seat Is the only one that can be moved back and forth. Found the drivers side seat really too close to the steering wheel even after it was moved all the way back on the rails. So had to drill a new set of holes behind and in line with the old ones to make it more comfortable to drive. Point to be noted here is that , the rear seat behind the drivers side is shorther than that of the passengers side and therefore allows for more travel of the seat backwards. Had intitially wanted to change to some after market seats but on second thoughts ( and after driving about 2000+ kms ) i find the drivers seats comfortable enough to drive in. Infact i find the seat actually supports the back quite well and is nice and firm to sit on ,during long distances. Maybe a very slight recline by heating the tube in between the seat and the back rest might be all thats required. Passenger seat Is not too bad on comfort and back support but also way too much in front and unlike the drivers side rear seat is much longer ( same as the rear seats of 540 and 550 i suppose ). For now ive moved the seat back as far it will go and welded a set of four brackets onto the floor ( thats something i really hated doing but no choice). Rear Seats Are alright in the comfort department but somehow seems to sit quite high , and so anyone parked behind has got to watch out for his or her head knocking the roof frame on the sides. The driver on his part is gotta really be mindful of the bumps and potholes on the road if someone is seated behind offroad - forget it - just dont sit behind unless youve got a helmet on . Nevertheless - This is a jeep so if you dont understand it just dont sit behind or even in a jeep for that matter. Doors Being new , the click on the doors (including the rear one ) when you shut it is really sweet . Guess thats not going to last for ever. The Soft Top Is of good quality , but not taut enough to give it a nice look. Might be good to add two more support rods like in the 550 up front . The Thar has only one and makes the top sag a bit. The Windshield Is like in the 550 , can be opened up , and is a complete blessing. Especially when driving in jungles and on lazy vacations. The Jeep looks nicer as well with the aluminum beading instead of the fixed one. Tyres Vehicle came with NDMS - Ceat . Nice tyres for estate use but ive replaced them for 750 / 16 JK Sand tyres ( Sept 2011 issue ) for now , looks nicer and sits higher off the ground.( paid about 25000K / set of 5 without the tubes) Looking for a set of MT's for offroad and competition use . Find a slight sluggishness in initial take off with the JK Sand grips but thats normal. Braking isnt too bad , however much better with te 600 / 16's obiviously but of no consequence. On road with the 750/16 my gps throws up about 7kms faster than the vehicles speedo. Rims are stock. Build and metal quality of body . Somehow seems a little inferior and light to touch as compared to even the civilian 540 im used to. Chasis and Suspension Feels solid and very very rugged . The ride is a bit stiff at present but i presume will kind of soften a bit when the leaf springs "run in " overall the package underneath is very robust , solid and gives you feeling of confidence. Engine A little noisy on the outside like all DI's but surprisingly inside its not too bad at all so much so that you dont need to pull up on the side and switch off the engine to make a conversation over the phone , whats more is you can even listen to some music . More on the engine itself is covered elsewhere in the forum i remember , to me its a splendid machine and feels like a very powerful rig. Im still in that stage of running it in so cant really comment on it from an offroading point of view yet but for now i can sense its going to perform exceptionally well offroad. Engine seems to have immense reserve power on the highway. clocked a 100 on the the road back from Bangalore for a short stretch and i felt at ease unlike the earlier jeeps. Nevertheless one doesnt buy a jeep or Thar DI to be a speedy gonsalves . Gear Box 5 speed - what more do you need on the highway. offroad - havent tried it yet , but im really dying to try it ( gotta wiat till i run it in a bit more ). 4wd Git the free wheeling hub fixed for now ( regular Lamda that we use on the 550 and 540 ) . yet to turn it to the locked position and yet to shift the 4wd lever to 4H / 4L yet . Recovery points For some odd reason there isnt a recovery / tow point in the front of the vehicle however the rear has one in the usual place . Additions / Subtractions and changes in the future ( after the free services ) Redesign the silencer / catcon etc - it hangs too low for anything off road , its just got to go ,no two ways about it. Set of MT for offroad use Better seats Recovery point / Tow point in the front. Diff ratio to 4.88 Wider axels Fullfloating in the rear Diff gaurds front and rear Rear Diff locks Self recovery Winch - front ( maybe PTO winch if possible for the rear ) CANT WAIT TO GO OFFROADING IN MY FIRST NEW JEEP !!!. NOW FOR SOME OF THE PICTURES. Last edited by the traveller : 18th January 2012 at 23:11.
	(8) Thanks

18th January 2012, 04:32	#2
Blue Thunder Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Right here . Posts: 1,657 Thanked: 386 Times View My Garage	Re: My First New Jeep - The Thar DI Finally Congrats, Sanjay ! Please do put up the pics soon!
	() Thanks

19th January 2012, 14:57	#5
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 25,831 Thanked: 45,580 Times View My Garage	Re: My First New Jeep - The Mahindra Thar DI Finally Congrats on the Thar DI. I really like this version of Thar. I guess I don't have to elaborate on that, there is a big thread on why Di makes more sense of offroading. I like the White color, it looks good in it. I had seen the Thar DI perform in the Beltangady OTR, it did well even with stock diff ratio. Last edited by Samurai : 19th January 2012 at 15:02.
	() Thanks

19th January 2012, 15:27	#6
the traveller BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: chennai Posts: 41 Thanked: 19 Times	Re: My First New Jeep - The Mahindra Thar DI Finally Thanks samurai Absolutely, for those of us that have lived with and love the feel of the typical jeep, you'll find that the THAR DI makes a lot of sense to own. ive driven the Cdre offroad and its nice no doubt ,but i just prefer the DI anyday and anyway.
	() Thanks

19th January 2012, 16:26	#7
mitrajdeep BHPian Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Calcutta Posts: 135 Thanked: 95 Times	Re: My First New Jeep - The Mahindra Thar DI Finally Congrats on the Thar, the white looks good. Can you please post some pictures of the seat modification that you have done ?
	(1) Thanks

19th January 2012, 17:14	#8
kites BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: bangalore Posts: 36 Thanked: Once	Re: My First New Jeep - The Mahindra Thar DI Finally Congratulations on you New Thar, i was wondering how come the temporary number is of Hubli,Karnataka (KA 25) RTO? did you source it from Hubli?
	(1) Thanks

19th January 2012, 17:21	#9
the traveller BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: chennai Posts: 41 Thanked: 19 Times	i presume you want the one for the passenger side , because for the driver side ive just drilled holes right behind the original ones and moved the whole seat unit behind . i will ut up the pics but later , however what i've donefor the passenger side is just temporary ,until i come up with something more nicer looking and well finished. these pics are of my first glimpse of my vehicle at the yard in coimbatore and on the day of my taking delivery of it , the guys at the yard in coimbatore said that it was driven in from the hosur . they didnt have a clue either why a temp KA no was on it when hosur is TN . All i know of it for now is that the thing is very stubborn and wont rub off yet even after repeated cleaning and fighting with it. Mod team note: Back to back post, please use EDIT once the posts are approved. Thanks Last edited by Jaggu : 19th January 2012 at 18:03. Reason: Back to back post, please use EDIT once the posts are approved. Thank
	() Thanks

19th January 2012, 18:10	#10
dhanushs Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 4,282 Thanked: 10,180 Times	Re: My First New Jeep - The Mahindra Thar DI Finally Congratulations on the new Thar!!.. This rugged machine can handle anything you can throw its way. A true workhorse. Moreover, a properly done up white Thar is an absolute head turner and no slouch on road <100kmph. btw, how are the driver seats which comes without any adjustment? I assume you have made space by taking the seats back?. But IMO, a more practical solution would be to swap to 540 type adjustable seats.
	(1) Thanks

19th January 2012, 18:29	#11
the traveller BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: chennai Posts: 41 Thanked: 19 Times	Re: My First New Jeep - The Mahindra Thar DI Finally Dhanusus hi , and thanks . well like ive mentioned the drivers seat cant be reclined but can be moved back and forth ( it comes with rails just like in the 540's ) the rear seat behind the drivers is shorter than the passenger side and thus all you have to do is drill a new set of holes behind the exisiting ones on the tool box that the drivers seat sits on to let the seat travel as far back as it can . its the passenger seat thats fixed and cant recline and doesnt have the rails to move back and forth.
	() Thanks

19th January 2012, 21:04	#13
Frankenstein BHPian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Bangalore/hyderabad Posts: 385 Thanked: 351 Times	Re: My First New Jeep - The Mahindra Thar DI Finally Sanju Baba congrats. How is the throttle response compared to your older xd3p mm5x0. Should you really bother messing the company brand new axles to the second hand god knows how badly used wider axles. Can you give a small camparo between your old Jeep and this for us newbies.
	() Thanks