So, what's new on the inside?
The Thar features a new beige and black dashboard with silver & chrome inserts. It has a much more upmarket look and better quality than the pre-facelift model. That said, it lacks the quality of similarly priced conventional cars. The beige areas are likely to get dirty, especially when you go offroading:
The new steering wheel has thumb contours and a gunmetal coloured spoke at the bottom which looks good, but feels hollow and cheap. The horn pad is not difficult to reach or press. The steering wheel is still a bit off-centre in relation to the pedals. The power assisted steering is light for a jeep. Speaking of the steering, it isn't keen to return to centre after a turn:
The instrument cluster has three dials with chrome bezels and thick red needles. The meters are much smaller than you'd expect though:
The needles do a clean sweep of the dials on start-up. There is a driver's seatbelt warning lamp as well:
This button can be used to toggle between the odometer and two trip-meters:
Basic MID shows the odometer, Trip A and Trip B. No DTE or average fuel efficiency:
Wiper and indicator stalks are much better than before. However, they still don't feel solidly built and have a flimsy action:
The improved design of the interior is evident.
Finally, there's some space between the wiper stalk and dashboard:
Redesigned centre console looks smart. The panel with the large debossed 'THAR' lettering adds some character to the dashboard:
Circular air vents get silver bezels. Turning the bezel clockwise shuts the vent. The hazard lamp switch sits in between the two central vents:
The Thar is equipped with a windshield demister. There are three vents - one in the centre...
...and one on either side of the dash:
An air-conditioner with heater! Even on a hot day, the performance was good and I didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Press the red heater button and hot air is blown out of the centre vents only (the side vents don't blow out hot air). The air-con made a strange whining sound after the Jeep was idling for a longish period (for our photoshoot):
Grab handle on the left has soft rubber and feels nice to hold. Notice the chrome insert:
Gear lever has a silver insert at the top and gets leather cladding. It's nice to operate. Much smoother than any of the earlier Mahindra
Jeeps:
Handbrake lever now has a dotted texture:
With the handbrake pulled up and the gear lever in 2nd / 4th / R, there is only about one finger's space between the two. Just enough clearance to release the handbrake when the vehicle is parked in those gears:
Plastic housing around with two cup-holders:
The transfer case lever also gets a leather boot:
Two more cup-holders are located beside the transfer case lever. They are placed too far ahead, and below the dashboard, making them difficult to reach:
12V power outlet is useful in our smartphone era:
Equally useful cubby next to the power outlet:
Front seats are reasonably supportive. However, the rexine upholstery isn't breathable and makes you sweat easily. No height adjustment for the driver:
Mahindra has made an effort to improve the thigh support:
Seatbelts aren't height adjustable and are set a bit too low/wide. See the placement of the shoulder strap for
S2!!! (5'10"). This can get irritating for taller drivers:
The seatbelt's rolling mechanism is now enclosed:
Headlight level adjuster - at level 0, the headlamps were blinding oncoming traffic. Had to move to level 4 to get the lights at an acceptable level:
Bonnet release was already functioning poorly. I needed someone to lift the bonnet up while I simultaneously pulled the lever!
The glovebox is now lockable and far better finished than in the outgoing model:
Too small though. Can accommodate just so much:
Beige door panels replace the black units of the pre-facelift model:
Design of the door levers hasn't changed, but the quality is better now:
The door handle gets a new design and feels better to hold:
Like the other fittings, the quality of the window winder has improved. The window up & down action is smooth, although the space between the winder & dashboard is limited. Those with even moderate-sized hands will find it difficult to roll the window without their fingers hitting the dashboard. Solution? Open the door and do your winding work!!!
Doors have a free-hinging open & closing action. This strap prevents the door from swinging out too far:
A sticker blatantly positioned on the driver's door provides information about recommended oils, coolant and tyre pressure:
Handy cabin lamp, though no automatic activation when the doors open:
B-Pillar is very thick, rear windows are too slim and the rear opening is narrow. As a result, all-round visibility is pathetic:
Canopy greatly restricts rearward visibility. Better to roll it up before offroading or, even better, take the canopy off!
Like the rest of the vehicle, the key remains old school: