[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Attachment 1614934

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...ml#post4143929 (PICS : Tastefully Modified Cars in India)

Leaving the link as well as I love it too, and was about to refer the same in the post.

Originally Posted by gkveda

(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 ! !)

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)!

The above modification has a beautiful hard top and decent interiors. I'm only asking the bare minimum additions over it like ABS, airbags and a/c. These are bare basic stuff and no fancy items like bluetooth, keyless entry, climate control etc. I believe the costs also won't be much if they can share the parts bin with the other vehicles in the range.

Don't see these features making the Thar a chocolate boy in any way. That's almost like saying helmetless riding is macho for two wheelers, isn't it?

And regarding commercial use, they can anyways have a lower variant for those purposes.

[romeomidhun]

Can we expect a wrangler-like car like this?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by cbatrody

Is 1.5L Petrol engine not underpowered for a vehicle that is mostly used for off-roading?

What's more important for an offroader is torque. Now, Mahindra will obviously use turbo-charging (& maybe direct injection?), but then my worry is turbo lag.

They'll need a lot of power to move the 1,700 kilo Jeep. If it is a 1.5L, that'll mean a big turbo.

If the Thar is going the petrol way, it'll need to have a larger petrol engine. 1.5L is just way too small.

Originally Posted by cool_dube

A very welcome move, if at all they consider putting in essentials like airbags, etc. AND (most importantly) peg it at a reasonable price.

Airbags alone won't make the Thar safer. It's a vintage body style with a lot of jugaad on the chassis. Put it through any crash test and it'll end up with zero stars.

Considering that crash-testing is going to become compulsory in India, this 'next-gen' Thar might just be a safer Thar (with the required structural modifications).

[rejoycjohn]

Originally Posted by Visran

Mahindra Thar aficionados and off-road enthusiasts have a reason to cheer as Pawan Goenka, managing director, Mahindra & Mahindra today confirmed that the utility vehicle major is working on the next-generation Thar.

Thats definitely a brilliant news and like many I am very excited. Thar in the current form needs some creature features like a good hard top,proper second row seats, a decent dash board, better ergonomics and a more than decent NVH levels. This will make the average family man with a budget only for one car at home write the cheque in favour of Mahindra. Such a change wouldnt need M&M RnD to spend millions or burn midnight oil as they can achieve all these without changing anything structural.

As many already mentioned, this mod job would be an excellent reference point for the team on the said job.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...ml#post4143929 (PICS : Tastefully Modified Cars in India)

Making it safe, it needs more than just a mod job. Along with ABS and airbags it would need crumble zones, increasing the structural rigidity of the passenger cabin, side impact beams etc and that means re-engineering the car. If they want to put a petrol engine as well and that too a 1.5 L one, it definitely needs weight reduction. The original Willys Jeep only weighed 900 kg and was powered by a 2.2 L petrol (60 Bhp and 145 NM) engine which made it invincible in the war zones. The current weight of the car without inclusion of any of the features above is 1750kg, so MM will have to really think what they want to achieve.

The best case scenario is a Thar Ver 2.0 which looks exactly how it looks today, but a completely re-engineered one structurally.

Re-enginerring - this is the bit I am scared of when it comes to M&M. Before they launched TUV and KUV I had hopes in their design department. Remember Armada, it was a huge step MM took in the 1990s and the design can grab your attention even today, then came Bolero and Scorpio and finally XUV. It all looked like how a vehicle should look and surely they did not take their inspiration from a beetle or an insect which they seem to have taken inspiration for their current designs. Anyway that's what scares me, would they end up killing Thar in an attempt to modernise it? ( TUV was supposed to be a modern Bolero/ Bolero replacement).

Originally Posted by GTO

Quite unexpected, I must say. The Thar has a 'classic Jeep' look that just works and has been around for decades (including on Mahindra's own 540). While we usually welcome next-generation cars, I'm not so sure about this one. Don't mess with the legendary Jeep styling Mahindra. And if you try to come up with a new 'Jeep' design, the original 'Jeep' is now in India and will sue you.

On the other hand, we can take this news with a pinch of salt. Mahindra's next-generation Scorpio was nothing more than an improved version of the old Scorpio. Yes, new chassis and all that, but it still is the old Scorpio with improved underpinnings.

I sure hope this next-gen Thar is the same as I love the looks of the current Thar. Think it will be as the Thar's small 3-digit volumes don't justify the investments required in an 'all-new' product. Even the current Thar was built from the existing parts bin, and a whole lot of jugaad.

I hope it stays the same atleast when it comes to the exterior design for all the reasons that you have mentioneed above.

Again if MM is reading this thread, please let your exterior design team off this project and only include the engineering team and ask them only to concentrate on how to make the new car safer.
Even a bumper change can go terribly bad when you try to fiddle with the classic design.

Photo courtesy.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-ex...ml#post4154112

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by cbatrody

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.

The Pentastar engines V6 are the ones there in UAE.
I don't think that an 1.5 Litre Petrol can really pull a Wrangler along...and do justice on the off road trails.

Ref the Mahindra Thar/ MM540 design.

I completely agree that the M&M Inhouse Design Team are a disaster.

They should be asked to take a "design holiday" and the M&M Management should involve the Pininfarina Design Team along with their own Core Engineering Teams, to create an All time Classic Jeep-like 4WD product with Low Ratio and all that and with all the bells and whistles and all the safety kit and whatever one could possibly want if one decides to go off road.
Next they should invest serious money in creating a superb range of Accessories for this vehicle. Rather like MOPAR for Jeep and the new range of Royal Enfield Accessories that one can see. High Quality. Zero Compromise on Design Integrity, Quality and Finish.
And Voila! there we are! They should give us this state of the art vehicle at a price point hovering around that of the Top Spec XUV500 or similar. Say around 20-25 lacs on road, Bangalore.

I am pretty sure there will be lots of takers for such a vehicle at such a price, especially considering that the Jeep Wrangler's cheapest version in India is more than double this price!

[stanjohn123]

All I want from Thar is similar and better interiors in all variants at a slightly cheaper price. If they improve the ride comfort that'd be good too.

[Zezé]

Originally Posted by rejoycjohn

Thats definitely a brilliant news and like many I am very excited. Thar in the current form needs some creature features like a good hard top,proper second row seats, a decent dash board, better ergonomics and a more than decent NVH levels. This will make the average family man with a budget only for one car at home write the cheque in favour of Mahindra. Such a change wouldnt need M&M RnD to spend millions or burn midnight oil as they can achieve all these without changing anything structural.

............The best case scenario is a Thar Ver 2.0 which looks exactly how it looks today, but a completely re-engineered one structurally.

Re-enginerring - this is the bit I am scared of when it comes to M&M. Before they launched TUV and KUV I had hopes in their design department. Remember Armada, it was a huge step MM took in the 1990s and the design can grab your attention even today, then came Bolero and Scorpio and finally XUV. It all looked like how a vehicle should look and surely they did not take their inspiration from a beetle or an insect which they seem to have taken inspiration for their current designs. Anyway that's what scares me, would they end up killing Thar in an attempt to modernise it? ( TUV was supposed to be a modern Bolero/ Bolero replacement).

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Again if MM is reading this thread, please let your exterior design team off this project and only include the engineering team and ask them only to concentrate on how to make the new car safer.
Even a bumper change can go terribly bad when you try to fiddle with the classic design.

I echo your sentiments regarding both regarding the creature comforts that the current version of the Thar requires to become the 'family' car as also the bit about re-engineering.

Actually, I am on the verge of booking a Thar after consulting the experts on the forum who own the Thar and have assured me that with minimal mods I can comfortably use it both for long distance travel and around the city.

In fact the only reason I have not already booked the Thar is that I have to sell/transfer my existing car so that I can avail of the accumulated NCB on the insurance and also save around INR 10k being the extra road tax on the second vehicle in my name.

Originally Posted by GTO

..........Considering that crash-testing is going to become compulsory in India, this 'next-gen' Thar might just be a safer Thar (with the required structural modifications).

Following this announcement, I am in a quandary. Whilst I would certainly prefer to wait a while and drive a safer Thar, I am scared of the design department of M&M running amok and making a hash of this icon called the Thar. Does anyone have any idea when the next-gen Thar is likely to be launched?

[blackwasp]

Last time when we were car shopping, dad and I both liked the car, but at the same time understood that it cannot be a daily drive. Plus you can't take your mom/granny/family and ask them to sit behind.

Some basic mods I'd like to see in Thar
1. Front facing rear seats
2. Hard top
3. Power windows
4. Central locking for all doors
5. Factory fitted rollcage/ rollover bar

With the upcoming crash test, I think Abs and Airbags will also make an appearance.


I think these are a bit realistic mods we can expect.

[jbpanda]

I am eagerly waiting for the next gen Thar hoping that it comes up with improved features and practicality. However, the exteriors and the raw Jeep looks should be retained intact with changes restricted to the interiors only.

[Zezé]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

.........Some basic mods I'd like to see in Thar
1. Front facing rear seats
2. Hard top
3. Power windows
4. Central locking for all doors
5. Factory fitted rollcage/ rollover bar

With the upcoming crash test, I think Abs and Airbags will also make an appearance.


I think these are a bit realistic mods we can expect.

Anything more than this will be bells and whistles and give M&M an opportunity to mark up the price substantially. With just these mods, I would expect the on the road price of the next gen Thar to be between INR 13-14 lacs.

Originally Posted by jbpanda

I am eagerly waiting for the next gen Thar hoping that it comes up with improved features and practicality. However, the exteriors and the raw Jeep looks should be retained intact with changes restricted to the interiors only.

All of us who are eagerly waiting for the next gen Thar face a very existential question. To buy or not to buy. Do we buy the 'raw' jeep today and modify it as so many members have so successfully done or do we wait for the next gen Thar, which will be safer to drive but might just be priced out of our reach and more importantly may not have the 'raw' look. After the KUV and TUV, we have to keep our fingers crossed.

[4x4addict]

I hope they revive the 4-Door Armada since all the tools/dies must still be in place.

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by lazy

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That day it suddenly hit me that I am paying 10.8 Lakhs for an excellent engine and a 4x4 system with MLD, nothing else. Neither I have money to throw nor is my and family's life cheap.

cheers
lazy

I went to have a look at the Thar at the Palace cross rd. (Blr) showroom. The sales executive was polite but clueless about when they would be getting a TD vehicle and promised to call me 'shortly'. Well, 4 months later I haven't heard from them and did not bother to follow up because of precisely the reason @lazy cancelled his booking.
Until they put in Airbags and ABS, the Thar is off my wishlist.
Additionally, I don't think it would kill them to give us power windows.
This is a great vehicle if you live in a national park but the rest of us might need to use it for more mundane purposes.

[Zezé]

Originally Posted by GTO

Completely agreed. The current Thar has a lot of potential for improvement...enhancements which can substantially widen its appeal. I think this is the direction that Mahindra will go in; that is, improving the current Thar and not an 'all-new' generation.

It's been a while since the introduction of the Next-Gen Thar was confirmed by M&M. Since then there has been an 'eerie' silence on this forum as well as in other automobile publications regarding the development of the Next-Gen Thar. No news items, 'leaks' or reports of test drives.

Does anyone have any idea what is happening and the proposed launch date? My reason for asking is that I had thought of booking the current version of the Thar and done a whole lot of research regarding the comfort, daily drive, modifications required, etc.

When M&M confirmed that a Next-Gen Thar was in the pipeline, I thought I would wait a while. At least till the previews were available. If I didn't like the exteriors of the upgrade, I thought I would book the current version and modify the vehicle.

[wildsdi5530]

I've never driven a Thar so I may be mistaken.
An important point of a jeep is that you can wash the interiors after an off roading session. If all these creature comforts are added, will you still be able to wash off all the mud that gets in?
Also how do you make airbags which do not deploy on impacts during off roading? do you give it a switch to keep off?
ABS senses wheel spin and applies brakes, does it work during rock climbing?
People looking for a family car should look at a Maruti Alto or Honda city. You cannot take a true blue off roader and add creature comforts to it.

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

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Also how do you make airbags which do not deploy on impacts during off roading? do you give it a switch to keep off?
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The thing is that airbags don't deploy unless you are going over a certain speed. An off roading incident should not cause them to do so. To get to any "off road" you would have to drive some distance on regular roads and highways and that's where the safety features would come in handy.
As for the rest of the driving aids I suppose there would have to be some way to switch them off when you don't need them.