[The Brutailer]

Goddamn, whatever you do, please don't put a petrol engine in Thar. It won't suit it's character at all.

Thar is all about toughness and nostalgia. Put Airbags, ABS and a removable Hard Top and be done with it. Don't tweak the styling and don't put a petrol mill.

Reap the classic factor. Already Mahindra has copied styling cues from Jeep in TUV. Replicate Wrangler's style in Thar and that'll be as good as suicide for their finances and reputation.

IMO any price above 7/8 lakhs on road is too much for a basic car like Thar.

[blackasta]

The popular sentiment in this thread runs against adding a petrol heart to Thar. However if it is done in addition to continuing the Diesel mill, should that be a huge problem?

I believe there's a sizable customer base who would buy the Thar if it is more car like, with hardtop / AC / ABS / Airbags, more dependable with lesser niggles, while retaining the looks + current abilities.
Quite a number of them would be from the city, who would rarely go OTR but would love a macho car like Thar in the garage, which can do duty as a daily drive with the occasional river bed / beach fun ride.

[Parm]

Please don't include the in house Mahindra customs in the design team and also please refrain from naming is TharUV!

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by The Brutailer

Goddamn, whatever you do, please don't put a petrol engine in Thar. It won't suit it's character at all.

If I may ask - why would a petrol engine not suite the Thar? Please note that the very first Jeeps - Willys MB and Ford GPW - had only petrol mills. Even today, most of the good off-roaders around the world are available with petrol option as well. Recently, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited was launched in India in its petrol avatar. I am sure if it can go with the 'character' of a Wrangler, it can go with that of our humble M&M Thar for sure

I do not have anything against Diesel engines but rejecting the petrol outright does not make sense, IMHO. What is wrong in providing an option to someone who'd want to own one with a petrol engine?

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

If I may ask - why would a petrol engine not suite the Thar? Please note that the very first Jeeps - Willys MB and Ford GPW - had only petrol mills. Even today, most of the good off-roaders around the world are available with petrol option as well. Recently, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited was launched in India in its petrol avatar. I am sure if it can go with the 'character' of a Wrangler, it can go with that of our humble M&M Thar for sure

I do not have anything against Diesel engines but rejecting the petrol outright does not make sense, IMHO. What is wrong in providing an option to someone who'd want to own one with a petrol engine?

Plus one to that. I would love to see a petrol engine a Thar. It will help a lot in jungle visits.
Also, better brakes with ABS and a stronger body shell with factory fitted rollcage along with airbags will be more than enough for me. Giving too much creature comfort will increase the sale of the Thar and it will lose the exclusivity it currently enjoys

[The Brutailer]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

If I may ask - why would a petrol engine not suite the Thar? Please note that the very first Jeeps - Willys MB and Ford GPW - had only petrol mills. Even today, most of the good off-roaders around the world are available with petrol option as well. Recently, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited was launched in India in its petrol avatar. I am sure if it can go with the 'character' of a Wrangler, it can go with that of our humble M&M Thar for sure

I do not have anything against Diesel engines but rejecting the petrol outright does not make sense, IMHO. What is wrong in providing an option to someone who'd want to own one with a petrol engine?

2 words : High Torque.

Thar is an off-road vehicle. If it gets stuck somewhere, it needs tremendous torque at very low rpms to get it out from the situation. The opposite happens in petrol engines (unless you put a turbo).

Also, putting a petrol engine in Thar is like putting a KTM engine in Bullet. Doesn't really suit the machine. But that's my personal opinion .

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by Parm

Please don't include the in house Mahindra customs in the design team and also please refrain from naming is TharUV!

Worse still, I am afraid they might name it the Tharo inline with their naming tradition

I really hope they take inspiration from the aftermarket hardtops & mod jobs to create something that keeps the Jeep charm while making it appeal to a wider section.

Here is a mod job I really liked -

[gkveda]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

if the top end version can offer the below -

1. ABS and airbags
2. Factory hard top.
3. A/c
4. Proper second row seats.

With the inclusion of a petrol, I think they might be eyeing the small market enjoyed by the Suzuki Jimny worldwide, that of a cheap, throwaround, basic, off roader. Markets like South Africa (which they are already familiar with) might take a liking to one.

What would be the target customers for such a high end jeep? In my opinion, it would be only people who have passion for Thars and NOT people who would purchase this for their profession(Drivers in hilly stations, like Kerala, Tirumala)

If it is targeted for only people who go for it for passion, then it does not justify to be a sustainable market for Thar with above features (Please do not kill me ! !)

So, In my opinion, Thar included with these features may still remain a dream for many of us.

Second point, I personally would like to see Thar similar to a Rough and Tough Silvester Stallone(Rambo) rather than a chocolate hero(The then Aamir Khan). Imagining Silvester Stallone in a romantic movie like Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak OR Ishq looks very unnatural to me !!

[asingh1977]

The Thar is the best looking vehicle out on the Indian roads. Yes, I said it. I still stop to look at a stationary one (for minutes) when I see it. It really does not need any external design changes, maybe use shockers and some cosmetics that is about it. An out-of-factory hard top would sum it up well. Thar is an icon.

[cbatrody]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Recently, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited was launched in India in its petrol avatar. I am sure if it can go with the 'character' of a Wrangler, it can go with that of our humble M&M Thar for sure

All Wrangler variants that are sold here in the UAE are Petrol ones - 3.6 L V6 VVT engines). They produce 285 HP output with 353 N.M of Torque.

However, a puny 1.5 L Petrol (3 or 4 Cylinder) engine will not do justice especially in tough terrains while off-roading.

[Rajesh Rawal]

A little off-topic:-

Being an absolute sucker for automatic cars and having no interest in off roading, for me a Thar with an auto tranny / hard top and front facing rear seats would ignite interest as the other daily ride.

Can M&M not fit in the AMT /AT/ AGS / Easy-R etc into the Thar from the TUV300?

[octane_100]

I for one would not like if Mahindra tinkers around with the look. We have several live examples of how horrible Mahindra facelifts (save for the XUV) have been!

Mahindra should keep it simple and improve the quality levels in the Thar. Among so many pseudo-SUVs, they can position Thar as a real off-roader which one can drive to their office as well!!

[sahibrain]

Originally Posted by Viju

I think this is nothing but Mahindra being forced to improve the Thar to meet upcoming regulations in the country - Crash safety, Airbags and ABS. I really hope they ask their 'designers' to stay far away from this project, and let the engineers do their work.

+1 to this.

To all those who are wondering about the petrol engine and any changes to the diesel "The new generation Mahindra Thar will most likely come with the same 2.5-litre diesel engine that belts out 105bhp and 247Nm. However, the engine will be more refined to churn out extra horsepower and will also be BS-IV emission compliant."

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/auto/st.../1/895001.html

[cogWheel]

Originally Posted by Viju

I think this is nothing but Mahindra being forced to improve the Thar to meet upcoming regulations in the country - Crash safety, Airbags and ABS. I really hope they ask their 'designers' to stay far away from this project, and let the engineers do their work.

A factory hard-top and usable 2nd row, along with improved fit and finish (talking about Overall QC here - not asking for touchscreen ICE or any 'modern' features), at a realistic price will have a lot of takers in the coming years. Let us hope someone at Mahindra feels the same way.

I sure hope so! In fact I would say, just add ABS, airbags, a hardtop and leave everything unchanged, including the price
What is needed is not really a new generation Thar, but just a safety update.

[Parm]

1.5 Petrol engine shows Mahindra MBA's at work!

They are doing their maths to see how the selling price of Tharo can be brought down, smaller capacity engine will help with the govt duties and taxes savings.

It is the number game now.

VW let their engineers had fun, result was Golf GTi.

Old willys had a 3 speed petrol engine, because it was not to run at higher speeds but to be in a military convoy during the wars.

Wrangler became a fun factor with 6 cylinder engines.

Mahindra should bring out souped up Tharo as a limited edition production run.

Off Topic, i just saw a 4x4 Tata Sumo in Jeddah KSA!