[GTO]

Going by the poll & common sense, it can be safely assumed that the hard-top will have the highest resale value + fastest sale, while the soft-top will have the lowest resale value + less interested buyers.

[Reinhard]

Of course there is nothing like an open top "classic" (Like Mahindra calls them to avoid using the word "Jeep"). Wind (and mud) in the hair experience is something to cherish. However - I voted for hard top.

For a soft top car - one must have a house with secured parking. Soft top poses too much of a risk for those lesser mortals like me who live in apartment blocks and the car is parked away somewhere out of sight / ear-shot. Especially with the modern Thar that has quite a few gizmos and electronic gadgets that are valuable if stolen. The hard top also makes it more weather proof & avoids the flapping racket at higher speeds. AC would have better efficiency too. Overall, I feel hard top makes a lot more sense for a long term ownership with versatile usage pattern & not just restricted to vacationing / weekend excursions.

[swami69]

Fully fitted Soft Top - NO, as i already have that in my Thar and did not go for a Hard Top for Value reasons as this is not my primary car
Hard Top - Looks great with lots of advantages, but being a second car, i should not get Hard Top and lock myself down like any other car
So, Convertible gets my Vote - as it protects you from elements and also use it open on Family Trips to some hill stations in and around Tamil Nadu whenever it allows.

If convertible does not work after sometime, I am sure we can purchase a Hard Top from Mahindra and fit it in the New Thar.

There are no plans anyway for cross country trips for me.

Swami

[PrideRed]

Thar can never be my primary ride and for short distances soft top works just fine. The feeling of removing that soft top and driving an open jeep is something unique.

[kamilharis]

Voted Soft-Top!

Anyway if I am getting a THAR or Ghurka at any point in my life, it will be for my pleasure drive. I am never gonna buy this hoping to ferry my family in it, that job will be done by the primary car.

And I prefer the looks of a soft top over the hard top, it has got a raw JEEP feeling with those soft top hanging here and there. Oh jeez!

[chaotic]

voted hard-top!

As someone who grew up in UP with a dad who loves his jeeps, spent most of my childhood in soft-top mahindra/gypsy (although not the door-less ones). They were a lot of fun as a kid, but even then the flapping noise, dust and inefficient air conditioning used to discourage all conversation. The alternatives at the time were ambassadors and fiats, thus the cons did not stand out as much.

Today, i can't imagine myself in a soft-top, even if i was offroading, getting there will be so tiring with the noise and dust.

I do dream of getting the new Thar as a small family city car which i (and wifey) can use all the time without worrying about potholed bangalore roads.

[123.rishabh]

Would prefer the Hard Top, even if it takes an hour to remove it.
It will be the most practical choice and as GTO mentioned, there should be no reason why the hard top will not be removable.

[Tassem]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I drove a doorless soft-top for 5 years regularly doing 200kms-400kms, once even 700kms both-ways. It is an amazing feeling that can come closest to horseback travelling from the pre-automobile era.

The duality of this pic amazes me. I don't want to be stuck in the rain like that but I want to be stuck in the rain like that. Zero idea if that only makes sense in my head but this is exactly what the jeep life means to me. A discomfort you look forward to cause you know it's going to be an awesome memory.

Having said that I voted for the hardtop simply because I want to use it for a lot more than just adventures and the added safety/convenience/comfort of a hardtop is irresistible.

[Taruns_Hah]

Originally Posted by swami69

If convertible does not work after sometime, I am sure we can purchase a Hard Top from Mahindra and fit it in the New Thar.

Swami

I wonder if that's possible? It would be a great advantage for people wanting to buy the convertible and experience it, all the time knowing that they can go back to the 'practical' option if things don't work out. A back up plan of sorts!

[swami69]

@Taruns_Hah Why not ? I am actually hoping for little if you read posts above, there are members who are looking to buy a Hard Top and remove it as required and refit it. So, fitting a new Hard Top later should definitely be possible as they would do it in the factory. (M&M has to sell it separately though

Swami

[Kosfactor]

I love soft top, removable or not - it looks cool.

The 2020 Thar unfortunately has a soft top that looks like an afterthought.

The canopy needs to stretch over the front windshield as well as cover the belt line on the sides and tailgate, two things which did not carry over from the CRDe. Also this canopy is not taut and appears to be poorly made.

The hard top on the other hand looks cool, has the wayfarer sun glass sort of side profile , undoubtedly it is going to have more buyers. I hope it is easy to remove.

[deetjohn]

I will pick the hardtop. Soft top looks cool, but it is not something I want to live with. And that's based on my experience with the soft top on the current Thar. Reasons below:

1) Sound insulation is really poor with the soft top. For a country with so much honking and noisy 2 & 3 wheelers, I would really like some peace inside the vehicle while driving. Besides, the soft top flaps at the usual cruising speeds on road which is really annoying. Mahindra fixed the quality and fitment of the soft top with the face-lift, but it is still no match for a proper hardtop.

2) Climate. We have a very limited window of usage for taking full advantage of the soft top due to the heat, dust and what not! So, cannot really drive the Thar without air conditioning unless you are taking it off the road where the air is relatively cooler or less polluted. And the AC is not that great to live with in the soft top when its hot or humid outside. While the front passengers will drown in the noisy blower throwing really cold air, the ones at the rear will feel all that heat from the outside.

3) Security. Guess I need not elaborate more on this!

4) Aging. Most soft tops do not age that well. The black will become grey over time and it could sag and become rough too. Will have to see how it holds up on the new Thar.

So given a choice, I would actually prefer a proper metal hardtop with three doors - like in the Jimny. Not a fan of composite hard top too really.

[sahibrain]

I have chosen the hard top for reasons broadly covered in various posts above. Key ones being:
1. Practical choice considering living / driving mostly in city.
2. Ability to leave the car parked especially in places which i maybe traveling as a tourist and are unknown.


The soft-top/ open-top will be a good choice for Zoom type car rental services which one can avail for a weekend trip!

[wordsworth]

My vote is for hard top. Nothing can beat the comfort and convenience of a hard top. While the soft top has its badass look but the inconvenience of certain natural elements 90% of driving time is not my cup of tea. Plus the implementation of the hard top by mahindra (as is being mentioned in the various videos) seems too good to be missed.

[Sting]

I owned a SWB Kaiser. Used it as a daily driver 50% of the time w/o the soft top. It had no AC, no doors. Rattled like a bucket of bolts. Drove it long distances (900km Delhi to Indore and back). I was 18 and in college so the most valuable thing I had was the 200rs in my pocket. Lived in a smaller town, less traffic, less pollution, everyone knew everyone and half the town knew my jeep. The dust and heat never bothered me. As friends we’d often drive to Ujjain, Mandu, Omkareshwar with the top removed. Was a hit with the girls and everyone wanted a drive in it. Had a family MM540 in Delhi used in elections which was a hard top. I did not even consider it a jeep because of the hard top and felt suffocated in it. That was 20yrs ago.

I‘ve just lost my membership to the 30something club. The bones need some comfort and the lungs can’t take in the pollution they once did. The skin needs min spf 30. The wife loves a convertible but wouldn’t want the hair that comes with it. Plus she will always leave her handbag in the car and that’s 6 months of mortgage payment right there. The biggest advantage of the current Thar is that there’s finally a jeep that can be used as a daily driver and can be used for the occasional trip to the NE or Ladakh/Himalayas. If I was using it as a pure weekend 4X4 beater the view would have been different.

Voted for the hard top- plus the HT looks stunning.

Cheers
Sting