Buying Experience: Choice of color:
For most of the evaluation period, I was quite sure I would go for either Mist Silver or Rocky Beige. Toreador Red was actually my last preference. It's only in the last few days when I happened to overhear an animated conversation about did-you-check-out-the-new-red-thar that I changed my mind and decided to go for Red. Perhaps Beige or Silver would have been a better choice in case I was planning a lot of OTR's or Jungle Safari's. But then the more I thought about it - this was probably the closest I would get to a two-seater red convertible
Pre-owned vs. New:
I was quite keen on buying a pre-owned Thar considering the fact that I intended to spend about 2L+ on mods, and there were quite a few good specimens available in the market. Only problem was that (due to demand and supply disparity) they were being sold at quite premium. Was not really making sense to buy 1.5 year old 14,000 kms driven Thar that was only 1-1.25 Lakh cheaper than a new one.
Dealer & Test Drive Experience :
My first call was to Bhasin Motors, and I spoke to some senior guy in Sales. Basically, they did not have a Test-drive vehicle so I then turned to Koncept Motors. From that day till the day I called them again (2 days giving down-payment to Koncept), no one from Bhasin Motors called me again - although they had my name and cell no. with them.
In my first call to them, Koncept Motors promised me a Test Drive but did not send a vehicle on the committed day/ time. Once I made a call to their Sales Head - they were quite prompt and sent a vehicle to my place - I did two test drives, spread over a two week period. The objective of the first one was to familiarize myself with the vehicle - since I intended to buy a pre-owned one at that point in time.
First key input here for prospective Thar owners : Do NOT judge the Thar by your Test Drive. In stock form, unless you are really passionate about the looks and its off-roading ability, you will end up hating it, or at least will be left with a strongly negative opinion (deservedly). In fact, only after I did one or two test drives in basic modded vehicles (tires and seats upgraded) did I finally decide to go with a Thar because those used vehicles helped me conceptualize their potential.
Second key input. The Thar engine smoothens out after the first 1000 kms. I personally was not aware that these things are still applicable to modern day vehicles but yes, my vehicle at 1500 kms on the odometer is much much smoother than the day I bought it.
Anyhow, back to the dealer story. Two days before making cheque payment to Koncept, I called Bhasin Motors for an alternate quote. They did not give me a better price, but this time did an aggressive 2-day follow up.
Once I gave an advance to Koncept Motors, my loan clearance took time because of which I could not take delivery for about a week. Within that week prices went up! But as I had made payment against a vehicle already in stock (and not in transit or yet to be dispatched) I was able to close the deal at old price. It helped me negotiate the closure since Shri Durga (a third dealer for Mahindra) had given me in writing that they were still ready to sell the Thar to me at older price since they had it in stock. Koncept Motors did not want to lose the deal to Shri Durga. Bhasin Motors on the other hand, had a vehicle in stock but were not ready to sell it at old price. To this date, I am amused by their indifference to the sale. Although, by that time they had already lost the deal.
Delivery, etc. was quite smooth. An interesting sight I cannot forget - the dealership washing the interiors of my Thar with a water hose. Afterall, it is a Jeep - 20 mins and all the water had drained. Lack of carpeting helped.
Nothing else noteworthy to mention. Overall, Koncept Mahindra us highly recommended.
I bought head and tail lamp grille, centre console, and SA roll bar as accessories from the dealership. Extremely overpriced but good quality stuff.
Summary
I bought my Red Thar CRDe 4x4 in the last week of October 2012. At an ex-showroom price of 6.9 Lakhs, it was just short of 8 Lakhs on road.
The Thar:
Its funny how you meet people, discuss the Thar, and they have happened to capture the fine nuances of the Thar in a casual Test drive/ observation. That is when you know they have read the Thar review on TBHP. That is how comprehensive it is.
A sincere note of thanks to Khan_Sultan and Tejas@periompl for the baap of all reviews here >
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ve-review.html
Special thanks to Rajith for his offline support.
Also to everyone whose thread I closely watched but may not have interacted on (DKG,Amolpol, etc.) before going ahead. A few of them are below ..
Disclaimer to my Review
I have very poor knowledge about Jeeps, or Mahindra's. Apart from the Thar, I have never driven any other Jeep, or any other Mahindra, or even a Tata vehicle. I have never gone offroading, and the only time I drove a gypsy was something I rented in Goa. The only SUV I have really driven is the ML that we own.
But then like they say, a Jeep is not an SUV. And an SUV is not a Jeep.
However, in order to add value to the readers of this forum, I have done the best I can, by stacking up my opinion next to those on the official review. And there are quite a few difference of opinions, which may make for an interesting read.
HERE WE GO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan_Sultan What you'll like:
• Retro Jeep styling. Butch design & image
• Solid combination of engine, gearbox & chassis
• Oodles of power & torque for effortless highway cruising
• Nippy power steering & zero turbo-lag make light work of driving in the city
• Comfortable ride quality. Stays compliant even on bad roads & jungle trails
• Manual 4x4 shift. Offroad competency will exceed needs of most owners
• A Jeep with warranty, parts & labour support from authorised service stations |
Plus,
1. Engine immobilizer and AC now come factory fitted.
2. An absolutely awesome base vehicle to modify.
The ride is definitely NOT comfortable with the stock rear leaf-spring suspension. An hour plus, even on nice city roads, and rear passengers are likely to vomit. The little undulations on smooth roads that one didn't know exist, those will really throw the passengers around - and all the while they would be trying not to hit the roof.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan_Sultan What you won't:
• Cheap, appalling interior quality. Fit, finish and rough edges are a let down
• Absence of air-conditioner & lockable hardtop make the Thar impractical for daily use
• Complicated front IFS has offroad limitations. Expensive to repair if damaged
• Driver ergonomics messed up (pedal position, off-center steering etc.)
• Nervous steering feel over 100 kph
• Limited potential for offroad modifications due to independent front suspension
• Inconsistent M&M service support & understanding of 4x4 Jeeps |
The interiors are not great. But honestly, it didn't matter to me. Whatever I didn't like - I changed, or re-upholstered, or upholstered. Now I am quite happy with the interiors. Any better, and it would kind of lose that Jeep charm.
AC is now available factory fitted. But yes, hardtop is a must to reduce vibrations, noise pollution, general dusty Indian weather, and for lockability factor. If you plan to use this like a daily drive or for any practical purpose at all - you will eventually HAVE to go in for a hard-top. So that cost has to be factored in. As of now one has the very efficient (but not good looking) Bimbra hard-top or the one by Performance Auto (which needs body modifications) up here in North India, or the Hyderabad Hard-top down South.
Complicated IFS. I don't know about why it is technically complicated as I am not an offroader, but I do understand that considering my current usage it is unlikely to get damaged and if it does get damaged, atleast M&M will be able to fix it for me. And that is a relief. What I can tell you is this - the IFS keeps my wife happy, and THAT is a BIG thing.
The serious off-roaders can always plonk in a CRDe engine and suspension raise into their fixed Axle MM/CJ's.
Expensive to repair. Perhaps yes. But then nothing about the Thar is Cheap. Except everything, except the price.
About driver seating (including pedal position) are fine for someone my height (around 5'5"). To be honest, I never noticed the off-center steering wheel beyond the first 5 minutes of ownership. But yes, the seats are pathetic. All of them. So I did the best of what I could - changed all the seats.
I cannot comment on the post 100 kmph steering feel too much. Perhaps my tire upgrade (from 235 to 255) has improved things. But I am due to do a Jaipur run shortly - so will be able to share more on highway behavior post this.
Fortunately for me, the Koncept Mahindra guys have done some modification R&D of their own on the Thar, so they were quite knowledgeable and helpful when I went in for my Brake upgrade. More on this later. But yes, I conceptually agree with Khan_Sultan, that this would pose a problem and my example is just an exception to the rule.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan_Sultan The wide-opening doors make for a comfortable entry and exit. Climb into the Thar, and the first thing you notice is the off-center steering wheel that forces you to hold it with your hands slightly toward the left. I liked the feeling of spaciousness in the cabin, as well as the commanding view from the driver’s seat. If you pull the seats all the way back, there is acres of space for both, the driver and the co-passenger |
The seating position and view from the driver's seat is absolutely awesome. You will be higher than any other civilian vehicle on the road .. Fortuner, Innova, etc. included.
It is a little bit of a pain to climb in (considering that the OE side-steps were ugly and I threw them away, replaced with side bull-bars.) I typically use the steering wheel to pull myself in, whereas the passengers use the handle on the dash.
You will notice that the passenger side bar is slightly lower than the driver side one. Again, this has been done to keep the wife happy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan_Sultan On the flip side, it's tricky to find a perfect driving position. If you slide the seat behind, you'll be stretching out for the steering wheel & gear lever. If, instead, you slide the seat forward, you will have to uncomfortably bend your knees:
There is no place to rest your left leg while driving. The lack of a dead pedal, curves on the sides of the footwell and an intrusive 4x4 lever are to blame here. You have no option but to uncomfortably rest your foot in front of the clutch. Or ride it!! |
Above will not be applicable if you are not tall. Both my feet are quite comfortable with the drive side space situation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan_Sultan Overall interior quality is a BIG letdown. The pictures really don't do justice; you have to experience the Thar in person to realize how cheap they are. The moment you look at the dashboard, you refuse to believe that a manufacturer in today's age will give such shoddy interiors in a lifestyle vehicle. All the enthusiasm & excitement I had after appreciating the Thar from the outside, gives way to disappointment on the inside. It's not just the design that's an issue, but also the pathetic quality of parts used. At 6 lakh rupees ex-showroom, without an air-conditioner & hard top, the Thar isn't cheap. Yet, it's bettered by 3 lakh rupee hatchbacks in terms of interior fit, finish and quality. If ever there is a 'recall' on cheap interiors, the Thar will be on top of the list.
Mahindra needs to get its act together and focus on giving a lifestyle product the quality that it deserves.
The front seats have a long fore-and-aft adjustment range. No legroom issues even for those over 6 ft in height. The cushioning is adequate, though under thigh support is poor. This leads to fatigue of the right leg & foot over long drives. Back rest support is strictly average. Thankfully, the headrests are adjustable for height. The awesomely supportive seats of the erstwhile Mahindra Classic would be well-suited to the Thar:
|
100% agree with the above. However, there is a lot of scope of improvement. I will be posting pictures of my Jeeps interiors in a few days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan_Sultan The position of the left indicator stalk takes the cake! |
Using this lever has never posed any discomfort in my past 2 months of ownership, and I have reasonably large hands. But yes, it does look kind of uncomfortable in this pic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan_Sultan Music player console is an obstruction |
Not an issue anymore.
I was forced to relocated the Stereo Head Unit once I fitted the Mahindra Centre Console. But the new position is fine as I typically have it connected to the iPod and use the remote for changing volume/ tracks. Pictures will come in a few days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan_Sultan The glove-box has pathetic build quality. It's held together by a plasticky rivet and pops out at the slightest force. No, its not lockable either |
Words cannot do justice to how much I hate the glove box. The rivets keep breaking and so I have to be very careful while opening the glove-box (opening with one hand and supporting the base with other, else all contents fall down) The least they could have done is provide a decent lockable glovebox.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan_Sultan Lockable toolbox under the passenger seat is welcome |
Yes it is. I have got nice foam fitted inside and used it for keeping the HU, keys, etc. when I went to the mall but with the Hard Top now in place, I will be converting it back to a ToolBox.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan_Sultan gaps & hacksaw-cut plastic parts disappoint. You wonder if these will cut your fingers one day...
Seatbelt roller mechanism is not protected (or closed). Wonder how long it will last with all the dirt, mud and muck from OTRs. Flimsy plastic cover just pops out when the seatbelt is being rolled: |
The carpeting, etc. that I have got done has definitely improved things. I will put up some pics soon so that we can figure out whether its possible to fix these issues post purchase.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan_Sultan The rear seats. One behind the driver is shorter than the other. No ways can they (together) accommodate 5. Best fit is 3 passengers at the rear. I suppose many Thar owners will replace these with a single forward-facing seat:
The protruding springs, from the underside of either seat, are a safety hazard. Be cautious else you will get hurt: |
The rear seats are useless -most likely been given to meet 7 seater criteria. Also, the side facing seat behind the passenger seat, prevents the passenger from pushing his seat completely behind. Another reason why these rear seats were quick to be discarded from my vehicle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan_Sultan Wonder how long the flimsy window roller will last. It takes some effort to roll the windows up. Do this 10 times a day and you are done with your daily quota of exercising: |
Replaced with power windows.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan_Sultan The roll-over bar's height is below the B pillar and thus, in the event of a roll-over, the vehicle's weight won't come on it. The roll bar is attached to the B pillar with an improvised bracket to prevent vibrations: |
This particular roll-over bar costs 12.5K (discounted) as a Mahindra accessory. Quality is not that great. But yes, it fits within the soft-top and the bracket helps reduce vibrations to a large extent.