[harry10]

Let me just say it, I love it. Yes, I can never buy one because it would simply be of no use to me. But, if some day I may need a 4*4 then this will be the one I would buy in a heartbeat. Kudos to Mahindra for giving it modern touches and making it more appealing to the general masses. I simply don't care if it resembles the Wrangler, in fact it's a good thing. On its own it looks really smashing. Also, contrary to the general perception here I actually don't have any issue with the grill. It looks alright. This can very well be a second car for many people.

[wildsdi5530]

Wow that's a lot of posts in this thread since last evening. However I guess all this hype is what Mahindra has been building over the past 3 1/2 years. So the new baby gets a lot of people excited - Very good thing. However the parents (Mahindra here) are going to get a very high opinion of their baby and thus kill it before it arrives.

The same thing has happened with several other vehicles before. Even the previous Thar, instead of selling it as a honest to goodness vehicle which will replace the old MM540/550 and do a great job in farms and hills, they tried to sell it to the urban yuppie. their target buyer was very eloquent in his praise but very practical when it came to his purse strings. thus Thar lost in sales. Even today when you go to hilly areas in Karnataka, you see the old jeeps being worked. Very few Thars have replaced them. The military has shifted to Stormes which cost almost the same as a Thar but offers much more. No driver wants to spend 10 Lakhs+ to buy a new Thar when his trusty old MM540 has almost the same features and was bought at 2 Lakhs.

Now with the new Thar launched, there is a lot of excitement from a lot of people who want it as their 3rd vehicle for weekend off road trips. They will clock about 10K kms in a year, if they ever buy it. But all their comments about how they will buy it if it's less than 15 Lakhs is based on the calculation that Thar being 12 lakhs, I will pay this much more for the upgraded version. They don't seem to realize that the old Thar was over prized in itself.

The current Thar is being talked about as a lifestyle vehicle or adventure vehicle, where it should actually be a working vehicle. One which is driven 200 kms everyday and repaired on Sundays. Go to any hilly town and that's how Jeeps and defenders are being used. That's where the volumes and profits are going to be. The city yuppie will just drive the price up in the eyes of Mahindra and contribute a minuscule number of sales.
Poor Mahindra, I see this edition of Thar as Dead on Arrival. And for those comparing this to a royal enfield, a bike is smaller, cheaper to buy and maintain and resell. A Thar at 15 (OTR 18) lakhs will no way be practical. But seeing this enthusiasm and comparison to Wrangler (By those who have never sat in one) will make Mahindra overthink and price it around 20 (OTR 25) lakhs and thus kill this baby. Please Mahindra please don't think this is your flagship XUV 800 (Above XUV500), But more as your basic offering like a Suzuki Baleno or a Hyundai Santro.

PS: the Autocar review where the guy talking about the refinement of the Petrol version while being rattled like a vibrator is hilarious.

[drmohitg]

While ogling at various Youtube videos of the new Thar yesterday, I happened to notice that C&B had access to the car only momentarily and hence came out with a small introductory video like most other reviewers. Only ACI apparently got hold of the car beforehand and came out with a proper review. I do understand that the biggies always get preferential treatment for reviews, but has C&B and SVP also become insignificant as mainstream reviewers?

[db DrivE]

I don't understand why people would bash it calling a rip off.
When you've got two options, at two price ranges, and both having a fan following, isn't it enough reason for you to choose this?
Simple economics.

On any given day, this isn't one of those ugly copy jobs.
I find it to be a masterpiece.
Doesn't matter if it's a copy.
All that matters is the package.

How many of us stay in row houses/flats similar to each other?
Should we be cribbing calling them rip offs?
A very senseless argument to be honest.

[CliffHanger]

Like how it comes across as an utility vehicle, Mahindra should also price it like an utility vehicle, so that it reaches the intended users in the hills and the interlands. If Mahindra can do this, I can imagine, the Thar will get into many of the homes in Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Munnar areas, Coorg, etc as a stable companion for years. Though attractive, a wrong pricing will push it into oblivion, as it does not match any direct needs. Credit where it is due, good job Mahindra, especially for the 132PS 300NM diesel automatic, great understanding of the pulse of the people.

A year down the line when the economy opens up and all the initial niggles are sorted out, should be a good buy for the enthusiasts who grew up imagining driving the Jeep.

[giri1.8]

All the comments about this being a copy is surprising, they do still have the license for the jeep design, they lost the lawsuit in the US since its the Jeep's home land.

We could have called it a copycat had the thar been designed by some company that has no relationship with FCA in any form.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.new...v-1836999.html

[born2drive]

Wonderful effort by Mahindra on the new THAR! Great looking offroader with almost every feature which was missing from the previous generation.Considering the only existing option JEEP Wrangler ,being super expensive for normal people , THAR looks to be a solid winner in all aspects.

Being said that, the decision to own one is still very confusing. M&M tried to make it a family friendly urban vehicle by adding safety and convenience to the existing model.

However ,by making the rear seats not comfortable for 3 (even for two as per some reviews),missing small but very useful features like dead pedal,arm rest,a practical glow box (imagine a soft top with no proper sized lockable storage inside for adventurous trips), a slightly bigger auto IRVM and a bit more bigger boot for a long trip etc will not help the decision to buy one as the only car in the family.

Consider the ingress is a tad bit easier and rear seats are some how comfortable for three,game was different. As per current feedbacks, THAR is just for two.

I believe the hard top is removable and looks great, long term reliability in rainy areas yet to be proven.

I will wait for more test drives and feedbacks on driving comfort (especially the steering feedback) in city drives and AC performance in summer to call it a perfect family 4x4.

Another aspect is breaks: perfect for some and not so great for few reviewers.

October 2nd will help many to take a decision , i will be surprised to see prices less than 16 lakhs ex showroom for a petrol AT LX trim. Does it worth that price tag? Confusing !

Worth a wait for me.

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

they do still have the license for the jeep design, they lost the lawsuit in the US since its the Jeep's home land.

Then why the change in grill?

[satyamkolhe]

The fact that it looks like a rip-off does not really matter to me. The car is a way ahead of it's last generation if the reviews are to be believed.
But even after all that, I don't see Thar doing massive numbers after the initial hype dies down. Maybe it will do a bit better than tha previous gen Thar but for a normal car buyers, I dont see it being practical enough to be the only car in the family. It will be a 2nd or a 3rd car. Other than enthusiasts and those who can really afford it, I don't see people really buying a secondary car for 15+ lakhs. Kudos to Mahindra for making such a great car, but I think even they know that it will always remain a niche segment.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Jeep and Thar! Coincidence?

May be, may be not !

But this is easily available in India, and that may not be a coincidence



Best Regards & Drive Safe

[Parm]

In your FACE!

Good answer to FCA by Mahindra!

I am quite happy and over the top to see the launch of the all new THAR 2020!

Some good news in a year that has been a write off till now.

Also, glad to see some bits have been borrowed from Roxor and incorporated in the Thar 2020!

A BIG thank you from Petrol-heads for the Petrol Engine! This is a very good move!

AT & MT, thank for this these two also!

Looks likes this time the THAR team has listened to the existing users, feedback from Roxor owners.

Marketing team took a back seat for the first time!

Great Initiative Mr. Anand Mahindra! It is not a Cheap Chinese Copy, but a Make in India product by a License holder!

[vellatechie]

Mahindra has done a great job with Thar! I can nitpick about the grill, small HU, No dead pedal in Auto, Rear View Mirrors bolted on the door (since doors are removable?), Speakers bolted on the roof (realy do hate this), Key to open rear door and fuel lid, after thought grip handles in the rear, etc etc.

However if Autocar is right and Mahindra does put this at (12-15L) I think it will continue to remain a niche product irrespective of the excitement here on the forum. Irrespective of how you dissect the base model, it'l be hard to justify 15L OTR for AX.

I really do hope ACI is wrong and the base model starts at 9.99 since Mahindra plans to provide Hard Top and Front Facing as an accessory to make up lost profit magins.

[kamilharis]

There is actually no point in discussing THAR's resemblance with the Wrangler.

Even the old THAR had the JEEP Wrangler/Rubicon DNA it. That's why almost all the THAR's bought then were carrying wrangler like kit/grill from day 1. The same folks who are complaining about the JEEP look alike will be unhappy if Mahindra had launched the new THAR with a square shaped headlight of a 2-piece headlight like the Harrier.

There is simply no other possible silhouette for the THAR. THAR now , then and forever will be a Jeep. It has to be a JEEP!

[TorqueIndia]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

All the comments about this being a copy is surprising, they do still have the license for the jeep design, they lost the lawsuit in the US since its the Jeep's home land.

We could have called it a copycat had the thar been designed by some company that has no relationship with FCA in any form.

I'm very much curious on the feasibility of selling the new Thar outside India , yup it got too much of potential but resemblance to the Wrangler is way too much. May be they got a back up plan with something like BAIC BJ40 and this frontal design is only for India .

https://twitter.com/baicglobal

The rear seat entry looks decent than some 6 seaters launched recently , check out at 10:11 of this video with a slide & tilt.

https://youtu.be/NMTwClC3EgQ

[born2drive]

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

May be, may be not !

But this is easily available in India, and that may not be a coincidence

Attachment 2043389

Best Regards & Drive Safe

90% of the concerns in the first few hours after the launch was all about this grill. It can be solved with a few thousand rupees and move onto other genuine concerns.

Anyways, people would have changed those grills to angry birds or blackened ones or fancy ones which are already available in the market, even if Mahindra launched THAR with genuine JEEP design!

Thank you for this easy fix