[shabeermohamed]

Mahindra has to seriously give this an image makeover. A significant urban dwellers would like a Thar if it comes with features like a decent 6 speed AT with paddle shifters, Touch screen entertainment, proper seats in the rear, better fit and finish, safety features like ABS/EBD, ESP and hill hold.
All variants need NOT be 4x4.
A Mahindra branded add-on / customisation kit / mods sold through dealers with items like Snorkel, Bull-Bars, Crash Guards, Storage and other off roading kits would add to the style quotient...!

[MaanSingh]

Originally Posted by shabeermohamed

with paddle shifters

I agree with most of the other stuff, but paddle shifters on Thar is difficult to imagine 😀

[shabeermohamed]

Exactly my point! There is still a set of urban users who just wants Thar as a lifestyle statement, probably their second or third car. They just want to flaunt it and will never ever do off-roading.

For them, you don't need off roading capabilities or traction on all four wheels. But an enthusiastic driving experience with all the comforts of an urban SUV is welcome. I can tell it with such conviction because I am one of them!
I want my car to look like a Thar, handle / drive like my GT TSi and give me all (or at least) most of the bells and whistles of a Creta. It's not difficult. Maybe you are right. Paddle shifters may or may not be important.

Mod Note: Please avoid typing with excessive dots.........like................this.

[zaheermk]

I feel M&M should come up with the following variants in the next gen Thar:-


~2.2lit. Turbo Petrol with ~175hp & ~350Nm:

6 speed Automatic

- for urbanites who want the ruggedness of the Thar, but like the refinement of a Petrol and with the convenience of an Automatic

6 speed Manual

- for those who might be taking out the Thar only once in while, but still prefer old school manual


~2.2lit. Turbo Diesel with ~150hp & ~400Nm:

6 speed Manual

- for hard core Thar enthusiasts

6 speed Automatic

- for yesteryear's Thar enthusiasts


They should offer 4x4 option in both Diesel Manual & Automatic variants. And there should be a manual mode (+/-) in both Petrol & Diesel Automatic variants.

They should also be able to offer both Soft Top and Hard Top options in all the above variants, which could be fitted at dealer end (and maybe interchangeable at customer end?).

They should position this purely as a lifestyle vehicle and not anymore as a people mover. So, no more side facing seats; make all seats front facing, four comfortable seats should be enough. The two rear seats should be customer removable & refittable, for temporarily using that space as cargo area.

Other must-have features that all variants of this vehicle should have are:
Air Conditioning, Power Steering, ABS with EBD, SRS Airbags etc.

The top end Petrol & Diesel variants (both Manual & Automatic) should have:
Touch screen integrated with ICE system & Reverse Camera, Driver Info. System (Avg. Speed, Avg. FE, Real-time FE, Dist.-to-Empty) etc.

I feel they could offer other optional dealer level approved accessories like Bull bar, Alloy wheels, Tow hooks, Winch, Snorkel etc. which would be same for all variants.

I feel they should price this vehicle starting from 10L - 15L (obviously excluding the above dealer level accessories).

I also feel they should not look to make high profit margins from this vehicle. Rather they should use this vehicle to retain/recreate their brand’s glory!

With best regards.

[PrasunBannerjee]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Cars may come and cars may go but Jeep is forever. A jeep with 2 inch lift kit and 33 inch MT tyres would steal more glances from passersby than even a 2-crore car.

I agree. I am from Rajasthan where Jeeps are aspirational vehicles as they have been in the garages of every yesteryear ruling kings and still are well maintained members of their garages. Even recently the prince of Udaipur took delivery of his Thar 700 from Anand Mahindra himself and takes pride driving it all by himself despite owning modern day Porsches, Jaguars, Range Rovers and an entire vintage car museum. So there's certainly a royal factor to some extent as well. There is a huge crowd of people who own vintage jeeps just to 'get the feels' and at times, being perceived as royal. So its not only jacked up jeeps that get attention.

I clearly remember a day when I was in one such 'open jeep', and we stopped somewhere roadside. A motorcade of an MLA passed by, and , while everyone else was looking at him and his motorcade, the MLA himself, a respected person, was looking out of the window to the jeep which I was sitting in, till it was visible. Heck, he even kinda turned his head back to admire the beauty till it was in line of sight.

Says a lot about aspirational value and why the Thar has a big potential customer base in Rajasthan. All Mahindra needs to do is ensure a great product for those who might want to keep it as their only car and not 2nd or third recreational vehicle with some creature comforts throw in tu lure such urban masses to go 'retro'.

PS: This was the exact same day and this was the Jeep

[suneel]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

I feared Mahindra would mess things up. Turbo petrols? I hope it's not 3-cylinder one. What next? DCT? Turbo-pterol and DCTs are for high-revving sporty hatchbacks. Not 2-ton mud-crawling SUVs. They need big displacement engines and a proper torque converter automatic. No DCT, CVT or AMT. Mahindra, please do a study of giant American SUVs and their power-trains and transmissions. I hope we get Aisin TC box, as reported above.

I disagree with this perception of turbo petrols. The Wrangler's 4 cylinder turbo petrol outperforms its own 6 cylinder N/A petrol, at low end torque, acceleration and fuel economy. And matches it in horsepower.
When these jeeps/SUVs come with transfer cases for torque amplification, the need for a diesel is significantly reduced compared to traditional SUVs. Yes a diesel would be better, but not an absolute necessity. The capability of the petrol Wranglers over the last few decades is a testament to this.
And the fact that the 4 cylinder engine option is the superior performer in the current gen Wrangler is further testimony.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by PrasunBannerjee

I
PS: This was the exact same day and this was the Jeep
Attachment 2015388

That is one lovely old Jeep! Please do put lots of pics of it in the Jeep thread will you?

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by suneel

I disagree with this perception of turbo petrols

This is correct. If you see the reviews of the 2.0 bi-turbo petrol in the Jeep Wrangler, many actually prefer it to the 3.8 V6. And this is in America, where people looove their big capacity engines.

[Aroy]

My only beef with Petrol engines is their abysmal fuel efficiency. Comparable diesels have upto twice the FE of large petrol engines. Other wise modern petrol deliver all that the diesels do - HP and Lower end Torque.

[balenoed_]

Any updates on the launch?

As the rumor is that the launch is in August, would that be the same time the sales also will start? If so, then shouldn't the official booking commence now and the production in full swing and start to roll out the units or at least closer to first phase completion? In that case how is that M&M is managing to keep the details so secret that not even a proper picture is leaked out.

Probably a novice question from some one who has no clue on how these logistics works.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Aroy

My only beef with Petrol engines is their abysmal fuel efficiency. Comparable diesels have upto twice the FE of large petrol engines. Other wise modern petrol deliver all that the diesels do - HP and Lower end Torque.

I agree with your logic about old school run of the mill DOHC, MPFI petrol engines. But the new generation Direction Injection turbo petrols are actually very efficient. And remember that fuel is not the only cost. The maintenance of diesels are much higher. Diesel engines are heavier causing more wear and tear on tyres/suspension components, etc, etc.

Also diesel is priced artificially low here and I strongly believe that they will remove the subsidies eventually. We are moving towards the direct benefit of subsidy model. Why the hell should diesel be subsides for V8 Land Cruiser's and V6 Range rovers?

[suneel]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

I agree with your logic about old school run of the mill DOHC, MPFI petrol engines. But the new generation Direction Injection turbo petrols are actually very efficient. And remember that fuel is not the only cost. The maintenance of diesels are much higher. Diesel engines are heavier causing more wear and tear on tyres/suspension components, etc, etc.

I agree and I much prefer the lower maintenance, calmer engine sound and higher revs of petrol engines in my SUVs as well. And the fuel economy being worse than diesels is offset by the lower maintenance cost, as you rightfully said.

The only true advantage to diesel's fuel economy is not having to stop for gas as often. It's nice to have a 700km range and not think about fuel for a long time on road trips. This one advantage isn't really significant enough for me though.

[TusharK]

Rumour: Next-gen Mahindra Thar launch in October 2020

According to a media report, the next generation Mahindra Thar is likely to be launched in October 2020.



The launch of the new Thar has been delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Initially, it was rumoured to be launched after the lockdown was lifted. However, according to Dr. Pawan Goenka, Manging Director, Mahindra & Mahindra, the Thar will now be launched in early October.

The new Thar is larger than the outgoing model and is likely to be offered with either a soft top or hard top . It has circular headlamps and grille with vertical slats and could get a redesigned dashboard with circular air-conditioner vents and a centre fascia that houses a touchscreen infotainment system.

The Thar is expected to be powered by a 2.0-litre mStallion petrol engine producing 187 BHP and 380 Nm and a 138 BHP 2.2-litre diesel engine. Transmission options might include an automatic and a 6-speed manual.

There are reports suggesting that some Mahindra dealers may have starting accepting bookings for the SUV.

Source

Link to Team-BHP News

[pgsagar]

What an eye-candy this car is! Like someone above commented, I want Mahindra to keep it simple. Please don't try to turn this into a luxury sedan by loading up with features and gizmos not desired and certainly not desired in this class of vehicle. That way they can avoid high retail price, too. Also, too many electronic, gizmos only add to woes of maintenance and possible repairs later. This car needs none of that. It stands tall and majestic in the sea of regular cars. Good power-train, automatic transmission, aircon, power-steering and power-windows are all that this car needs.

Since, sky is the limit for customization on this car, it would be better if Mahindra can provide some dealer-level customization. Like 2/3 inch lift-kit, choice of 33/35 inch high-profile MT tyres, 15 inch deep-dish rims etc.

[vredesbyrd]

About damn time. Hope they keep the AT option at launch or introduce it soon enough. Or else, I'm out. Manufacturers should no longer ignore the golden combo (AWD/4x4 + AT). I wish Duster had an AWD+AT setup or imagine a Safari with 4x4+AT