[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

But I am curious of the driver seat space, the older Thar and even the 2020 Jeep Wrangler for that matter has a very cramped driver seat. My knees touch the dash in the new Wrangler, even with the seats pushed all the way behind. And I remember, you had modified the driver's seat in your Classic too. I wonder how comfortable the 2020 Thar is for tall drivers.

This is a very good question. Being 6’2”, I have found that I am just not able to sit comfortably in most M&M SUVs such as the Thar, Bolero etc. I hope they have increased the interior length and legroom in the front seats. Should be possible since the main reason the front seats were so far forward in the earlier Thar and related family of SUVs was the need to accommodate a long enough side facing bench behind, that can take 3 abreast in a pinch. Should no longer be a priority, given this is now an out and out lifestyle vehicle and there are no utility or people mover vehicles based entirely on the new Thar.

Funny thing is, none of the freedom drive video reviews talk about this aspect!

[tilt]

Originally Posted by silverado

*SNIP*

As it is its resale value must have taken some hit with launch of this one.*SNIP*

Yeah, in your dreams maybe. There seems to be absolutely no reduction in the asking price, at least here in Karnataka. Prices are still through the roof.

Cheers

[sharc_biker]

Originally Posted by GTO

That being said, if the hard-top is removable with some jugaad (I will check when the media car comes), I am open to that.

As a current generation Thar owner, I would absolutely love it if the new one came with a removable hardtop like the Wrangler's Freedom hardtop. This is what Autocar presenter Renuka Kirplani had to say about it:



That said, if waterproof sealing is the only issue, I'm hoping some aftermarket adjustments can be done to it or Mahindra will rectify it in the 2.1 version.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by sharc_biker

As a current generation Thar owner, I would absolutely love it if the new one came with a removable hardtop like the Wrangler's Freedom hardtop. This is what Autocar presenter Renuka Kirplani had to say about it:

Attachment 2046191

That said, if waterproof sealing is the only issue, I'm hoping some aftermarket adjustments can be done to it or Mahindra will rectify it in the 2.1 version.

This is exactly what I meant in my post above. It is bound to leak once removed and refit. In addition, there would be lots of glass area, including the rear one with demister, to take care of while removal and refit. Might lead to warranty void as well. I'd strongly recommend against it, unless Mahindra claims so.

[fjcruiser08]

I can’t say for sure but looks like Mahindra tried to rip off the hard top themselves. If you select the topless (Thar) option in the 360 degree viewer on their website, and zoom in enough, as you spin it, you will notice a bunch of gunk (probably sealants) on the top edges, especially the front, in all the images. It doesn’t look like MM used the convertible soft top version for the pics to demo the topless Thar, they stripped it down.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

You'll probably beat price increases, if at all, by picking one early

Depends a lot on what the improvements are. Unless these are provided to existing owners free of cost, I believe owners will be happy to have had paid extra for the improvements. It's not a cheap offering by any stretch of imagination and I don't think potential owners will have a problem handing over a 10% increase for the improvements from the get go.

That said this is a very bad and disappointing approach to product release by Indian manufacturers. Imagine the heartburn and angst of customers having to live with these problems simply because they were enthusiastic enough about the company and the brand to put down their money where their mouth is.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[aniketi]

One more small video showing Thar's capabilities. I am really liking this. I know it's done by professional drivers, still it does all of it with quite ease.

https://youtu.be/CZnTI3inBjw

[narayan]

If the hardtop is indeed non removable, why exactly didnt M&M make the roof from steel and possibly give it a hard TOP look rather than use the material used now ? It would have added to the structural rigidity as well. It doesn’t make sense to me to use some kind of FRP material for a hard TOP and then not make it removable.

[AirbusCapt]

When they designed a non removable hardtop, they could have made two improvements. Either made the two roof panels removable/swing open on hinges or made the roof panel with bonded glass/transparent fibreglass like a moon roof. Doing so would have let in ample light into a dark cabin.

[hydraulicsteer]

For India the “Licenced Mahindra Jeep Look” is incomparably iconic and is worth owning for an enthusiast as a tribute to Indian Automotive Heritage.

Picture Source: FB Post

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by AirbusCapt

When they designed a non removable hardtop, they could have made two improvements. Either made the two roof panels removable/swing open on hinges or made the roof panel with bonded glass/transparent fibreglass like a moon roof. Doing so would have let in ample light into a dark cabin.

Since the hardtop isn't a part of the structure, should the installation of aftermarket sunroof be easy?

[AirbusCapt]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

Since the hardtop isn't a part of the structure, should the installation of aftermarket sunroof be easy?

Good idea. I think it may be a hot mod

[wildsdi5530]

Originally Posted by narayan

If the hardtop is indeed non removable, why exactly didnt M&M make the roof from steel and possibly give it a hard TOP look rather than use the material used now ? It would have added to the structural rigidity as well. It doesn’t make sense to me to use some kind of FRP material for a hard TOP and then not make it removable.

But a metal roof wouldn't give the genuine Jeep look that they wanted. I just wish that they had spent some of their budget to study similar vehicles and figure out how the removable FRP works and what kind of hinges and latches are used. But I guess that if they had made the hardtop removable, they would have to price it around 70 Lakhs.
Form won over function here. And all that glitters is not gold.

[AirbusCapt]

Speaking of the hardtop, there is a distinct possibility that the hardtop cutout panels may have been non functional for this demo (monsoon and all). May be during the launch we could see a openable area on the roof. As is, in the videos we can see two panels on the roof which look removable.

[GhostRider28]

Anyone aware if the auto transmission units are coming with a shift lock button to leave the car in neutral for parallel parking scenarios?